The 2010 Itinerary Speil

Moderators: Sluggo, Amskeptic

Post Reply
User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

The 2010 Itinerary Speil

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Mar 06, 2010 12:14 pm

Welcome to Itinerant Air-Cooled's seventh lap of America to help you keep your air-cooled VW in good shape.

THE WHY
There are some good reasons to consider this visit as an investment rather than an "expense". After seven years, I remain convinced that the best mechanic to work on your beloved Volkswagen is you. Your terror and anxiety are channeled effectively towards careful, clean, thorough work, and the flood of relief when you proudly drive down the road as the master caretaker of an appreciating investment is better than any drug high.

Another advantage of the IAC day that you are the cheapest option for any maintenance and repair that may be needed. As you become familiar with your VW, you are much more likely to do the work required in a timely fashion without putting off the little things that can turn into big ($$) things. The Itinerant Air-Cooled day challenges both your mind and your stamina. Be prepared for ten hours straight.
:flower:

THE WHAT
Parts needed are your sole responsibility. We can guess mightily as to what you may need, and we will, but surprises come up all the time. You may be disappointed that the lack of a part stops us dead in our tracks. I remain in a good humor however, (there are always more projects to dive into) because it is a pleasure to hand off the final reassembly to you. That is our goal, remember?
(DCaldwell54 had to put his entire front suspension back together by himself after we discovered a broken torsion bar on ball joint day. His anxiety was palpable. I only helped by laying out the parts in order of assembly. He completed the job weeks later, he was proud, the car ran well)

THE WHERE
Your work environment needs to be clean and organized. This is your excuse to have a full day off from yard work or shopping or schlepping the kids before our appointment date (heck take two, it's on me). Please have paper towels, suitable solvent/oil drain container, a couple of cans of GumOut carb spray (that's GumOut, not Berrymans or ChemTool or the other formulations that strip paint) still available at WalMart for $2.97 a can or $4.99 at Advance or whatever. Try to rustle up a container of Valvoline DuraBlend semi-synthetic moly grease. It is the best all-purpose grease that can meet any need we have. If you are in a rain-drenched climate, please try to have a serious weather-proof alternative available. Make a beautiful new friendship with a hitherto unknown neighbor, discover your skills with lean-to carpentry and tarp, whatever it takes. This will help us get to work. I do not do front wheel bearings in the rain, and you will be the sole valve adjustment mechanic if it IS SNOWING MITCH.

THE WHEN
We begin at 9:00AM with a good belt of coffee. After greeting the dog and going over the list you have prepared, we tackle the cold-required items like valve adjustments, retorques, and choke checks. If you are a neophyte, we will likely do an entire tune-up together. If you are a repeat old hand IAC Graduate Master Mechanic, we will dive into the project at hand.
Lunch is your responsibility. If you need it, make sure you carve out a moment. Chances are, I will make it a working lunch with more diagrams for your future reference. Although a three course Alaskan King Crab buffet with a chilled Fontana Candida Frescotti is nice, a PBJ is perfect.
Work must wind down by 6:00PM. I have been undisciplined about this in the past, but will try again to make sure that we wrap up no later than 7:00PM with the Final Invoice/Final Exam Combination BrainMelt that leaves all of us punchdrunk fatigued.

THE HOW MUCH
You will have paid your $155.00 deposit if I am standing at your door at 9:00AM. I will not be leaving your door at 7:00PM without a balance of $270.00 either in cash or with a PayPal fired off from your computer. Please don't make us wobble around town looking for an ATM at 9:00PM.

THE HENCEFORTH AND FORTHWITH
I am a consultant. You are paying for my knowledge. If I pick up a tool, it is to hand it to you. I could not and cannot should not and shall not accept liability for any of the work performed on your vehicle nor any incidental consequential coincidental consequent incident outsident accident coincident and subsequent to our visit.

IN CONCLUSION
Please PM me with your questions, list of concerns from most-important to least important, a run down of your skills or lack thereof, and a brief description of our work environment. Let me know what your dreams are for your Volkswagen, and pray for less attrition of these fine vehicles in the coming years.
Colin

Image

Post Reply