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A coupla weeks ago my T3 SB filled with smoke, the cause of which was
(according to our gurus on this list) burning insulation on wiring.
Not having the time, temperament or experience to mess with it, I towed
the car in to an auto electric shop. Then came this phone call bad-news diagnosis:
You fried something in your main wiring harness. We can fix it, but it
will cost $500, $600, mebbe $700 dollars.
Why so much?
Well, it's a big job. The damage goes all the way back to the
voltage regulator...and we may even have to replace the voltage
regulator.
(!!!!!!!)
Well, being your typical impecunious (and skeptical) college librarian,
I thanked the man, towed the car home, and this Saturday replaced the
one bad wire (and the voltage regulator, just to be safe) myself in an afternoon!
The lessons (if any) from this?
The VW is the PEOPLE'S car, not a mechanic's car. We, the people, ought to
know our vehicles well enough to avoid being ripped off.
If you have never done a certain job before, it is easy! (It's only after you
do it that you learn that it is hard!) I now know how many pretty colored
wires there are in a harness!
We should be true to the philosophy of St. Muir... have a relationship with our
car. Both you and the car will be the better for it.
And trust in the power of serendipity...with the seats removed, I used the occasion
for some long-overdue thorough cleaning of carpets, etc.
Or...the big lesson...just be rich enough to pay others to do all this stuff!
Anyhow, it's great to have the SB running again. And the best part is that a load
has been lifted from my mind...not my wallet!
Phil
dillard@suu.edu
'71 SB
'71 bus