Best In Show Westfalia Automatic, A/c Recaro New Gowesty Motor W/46k Mi Warranty on 2040-cars
La Habra, California, United States
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What you are viewing here (thanks for dropping in by the way) is what
turned out to be a restoration project that I MIGHT have gotten a little
carried away with. It was a fun project and I’ll leave it to you to
decide if it was time well spent or not so much…
Having lived in Southern California most of my life, I have an intense appreciation for the Car Culture and have been a “Car-Geek” forever. As I get older, the idea of camping with a fridge and comforts of home attached to my steering wheel was appealing, but I am used to driving German sedans and vehicles that are at least a little unique… The result ended up being (for myself anyway) an answer to the question… within reason… “What would a Westy look like if the factory put one together in 2014?” I started by finding a solid, well looked after example and bought it from the owner of an independent Ferrari/Maserati auto service business and shortly thereafter the transformation began… I started with the brakes (Brembo Rotors) from GoWesty, Struts from Billstein and a set of Shiny 16” wheels from the Westy’s German cousin (Mercedes-Benz Motorcars). The wheels were Original Equipment on a CLK 430, manufactured by Ronal in Germany out of Forged Alloy (lighter and stronger than cast alloy). Tires are a matched set of Dunlop SP7000’s size 215/60/16 which vastly improved the stability, handling and grip on the boxy red thing… But then I had this clear coat fading van with a few areas of surface rust in the usual places (seams, under bumpers) making my shiny wheels look bad… so after dismantling it and removing all the trim, it was off to the painter for about 10 weeks of prep and paint, at least that’s how long they kept it. The color I chose was a 2014 formulation called “Basque Red Pearl”, which is close to but in my opinion an improvement over the Factory-Original Color “Bordeaux Red Pearl”. While they were at it, I had the brilliant idea to have them paint the few metal interior pieces that I could think of (Kitchen control panel & Fire extinguisher) to match… So NOW I’ve got this Georgeous on the outside Westy with two new shiny painted parts inside making the rest of the 23 year old interior look… well, you can guess where this is going… Converted the carpet, floor mats, seats, rear pad and upper bunk to black. Leather Recaro fronts are the best you will ever sit in and have the Wolfsburg Castle Logo sewn into the headrests. Back seat was redone to match the fronts, right down to the center backrest stitching pattern and logos. Rear pad had to match the rear seat when converted to a bed, so I had them match that too, right down to the stitching. Now the upstairs didn’t match so I not only had it recovered in black cloth, but also engineered a 12” bed extension for taller upstairs sleepers AND just people that are tired of their pillows falling down in the middle of the night! New seats and Operation-Noir made the curtains look pretty shabby, so back on the phone to GoWesty, while I had them on the line I wanted brighter dash lights, rear hatch struts, a skylight/vent kit and bigger wipers too… I was getting so excited I was preparing it for a roadie and was testing the faucet when I broke the handle. Turns out it wasn’t my only problem as the in-tank pump had died. Samantha at GoWesty (and UPS) to the rescue (again) New pump and variable flow/adjustable position Sure-Flo faucet installed. What else on the inside…? 4 Speakers and a modern Sony stereo with Aux jack for your phone, Pandora, etc. Also installed the GoWesty auxiliary battery kit as well as their battery. Solar charger is hooked up to the Auxiliary battery with wiring cleanly routed under cabinets and plug stealth mounted in factory external power hook up door. Oh, I also had the decals all made up custom for me in chrome, as well as having the metal test switch surround plate on the kitchen control panel chromed, added chrome trim to the molding on cabinets, tables, etc. It’s all subtle, but it makes a significant difference when you see the side door slide open to welcome you. Let’s go back to the outside for a minute… Got a new antenna from GoWesty, they also provided a new exhaust tip, gas cap bezel, rear fender chip guards, rear suspension bolt caps… But wait, paint was great so then I couldn’t resist restoring the bumpers, air dam pieces, installing Audi-style driving/running lights in the factory holes and about the grill… My interior didn’t look like everyone else’s anymore,so why should my face? Personal preference, but I think the South Africa upper and lower grills coupled with the matching round headlight conversion is a huge improvement over the rectangular look. One of the rules among car-geeks is that your ride can’t be all show and no go… GoWesty 2300 motor bought and installed by a local shop that specializes in Westfalias! Best part, better than being able to keep up with traffic or get over the grapevine without incident is that the engine is still under warranty for something like 36 Months or 46,000 miles! It just had it’s 1,000 mile break-in service done this month, which took me most of a year to rack up due to a few knee surgeries and consecutive whitewater rafting seasons cancelled due to drought. Oh, the A/C also blows hard and cold, the heater is great and the Pop-top canvas is the new 3-window design, color matched to the paint and Wolfsburg Crests embroidered into the fabric to match the seat headrests and wheel center caps. Currently registered in CA till 2015, and it easily passes smog-test here, so it should anywhere. Clear California title in hand, no lien, salvage, rebuilt or other nonsense. Carfax report shows no accidents or issues to report and eligible for all their guarantees. I know I’m forgetting many things...it has Power windows, alarm, remote keyless entry (2 remotes and sets of keys) I re-did most hoses, radiator, cooling system, transaxle is newer, windows are lightly tinted, LPG tank refurbished with new fill and relief valves, Calipers are painted, undercarriage cleaned, detailed and rust proofed, etc., etc.) but I think I have rambled enough for now and If you have made it this far I sincerely appreciate your time and patience and wish you well in your quest for the perfect Road-Trip Chariot, be it mine or another : ) I can say with confidence that this is an extremely well sorted and executed example, and if you had the stamina to drive 10 Westys to compare it to, I am confident that mine would stand out. That said, it remains a 24 year old metal box (albeit one that gets half a dozen thumbs-up per day) and it squeaks on occasion till I can locate the source with some WD-40, has at least one post-paintwork door-dimple, it will have some interesting issue to chase down in a month or two, and will get beaten badly by any Soccer-Mom that floors the accelerator in her late model Mini-Van (She is probably having a hard day and in need of a win anyway, so consider the loss a sort of kindness). I’m located in Orange County and welcome you or your mechanic to climb in/on/around/under the vehicle and by all means take her on a good test drive anytime. Many more pictures can be seen at my photobucket link if you want the address, please email me as ebay prohibits external links on their ads. Cheers! |
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Auto blog
VW ready to spend $25B on at least 6 EVs in China by 2018
Tue, Apr 22 2014Standing next to the lovely GTE plug-in hybrid during the Beijing Motor Show, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn announced a renewed, $25-billion focus for the German automaker on electric mobility in China. EVs + China is not a new equation for VW (see here and here and here), but the time is now for the plan to come together, apparently. As Winterkorn said in a statement (available below), "We are launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China's automotive history." "We are launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China's automotive history" – Martin Winterkorn With the Porsche Panamera S E-hybrid already in showrooms, the next tip of the spear is made up of the all-electric e-up! and e-Golf, both of which are due later this year. In 2015, the Audi A3 e-tron and Golf GTE will arrive. In 2016, there will be two exclusive-to-China plug-in hybrid vehicles in showrooms: a A6 PHEV and a "new mid-size limousine from the Volkswagen brand." VW Group may even throw in the Bentley Hybrid Concept for good measure. The China-only models will be built in the country and VW is investing over $25 billion between now and 2018, creating an expected 20,000 jobs. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP STARTS ELECTRO-MOBILITY CAMPAIGN IN CHINA CEO Prof. Dr. Winterkorn: "We are launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China's automotive history." Campaign gets underway with electric up!1 and e-Golf2 Over ˆ18 billion to be spent on new vehicles, technologies and plants up to 2018 Over 500,000 employees at more than 3,600 dealerships in 2018 Vehicle deliveries in China targeted to top 3.5 million for first time in 2014 Wolfsburg / Beijing, April 22, 2014: "The Volkswagen Group is once again assuming a pioneering role in China and launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China's automotive history," Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, announced at the Auto China motor show in Beijing. The initiative gets underway with the launch this year of the Volkswagen brand's electric up!1 and e-Golf2 models. While the Porsche Panamera S E-hybrid3 is already in the showrooms in China, the Group will be launching two further innovative plug-in hybrid vehicles there next year with the Audi A3 e-tron4 and the Golf GTE5.
German carmakers recall 630,000 diesel vehicles in Europe
Fri, Apr 22 2016Mercedes, Opel, Porsche, and Volkswagen will recall over 630,000 cars in Europe, according to reports Friday. No diesel car has been able to get under the legal emissions limit in real-world driving, according to a German government investigation. While only Volkswagen Group has been using a specific "defeat device", other carmakers have been playing with their exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems. Depending of the manufacturer, the systems have been cut off at a certain temperature. In a specific test cycle the systems operate to fulfill the legal requirements, but in everyday use the limits are exceeded. According to the magazine Der Spiegel, the supplier Bosch is behind this programming and has provided it to all German automakers. The mentioned carmakers have announced recalls, but many other manufacturers are also mentioned by name in the report, including Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Dacia, Fiat, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Nissan, Renault, and Suzuki. PSA Group, which produces Peugeot, Citroen, and DS cars, declared yesterday that its offices were raided following an emissions investigation. Related Video: News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Getty Images Government/Legal Green Recalls Mercedes-Benz Porsche Volkswagen Opel Emissions Diesel Vehicles diesel emissions investigation
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The Volkswagen Group had the greatest success of any corporation, topping the APEAL rankings with the Audi Allroad, Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayenne, VW GTI and Passat. Chevrolet had the highest number of awards for a single brand, though, with the Avalanche, Sonic and Volt all taking home a prize.
The best brand overall was Porsche, which scored 884 out of a possible 1,000 points. The top Japanese brand was Lexus with a score of 847, while the top American brand was Cadillac, at 841. The best mainstream brand was Ram, which received a very respectable 817. The industry average for this year's study was 795, with 16 brands, all of which were mainstream, falling below the average.