Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[paulfun9]

Hey it needs reversible mirrors so you can see where you are backing it into!

Life expectancy of that era VW engine would be only until the second hill it has to go up. The cooling couldn't handle loading beyond ordinary use. Just adding aftermarket AC was more than they could handle.

Very amusing to me! Having towed accross the country with an air cooled beetle many years ago and no issue what so ever with overheating. Some people just don’t know how to adhere to the limits of thier equipment.

 

[California]

Very amusing to me! Having towed accross the country with an air cooled beetle many years ago and no issue what so ever with overheating. Some people just don’t know how to adhere to the limits of thier equipment.

A Bug? Really?

I know the later vans were competent. But the last time I drove a traditional van, 3 hours uphill on a camping trip, my sister pleaded with me to not push it hard because the OEM engine had scattered at 65k miles and now the replacement engine had 65k.

My own experience 40 years ago with my 59 Transporter (windowless van) was the 54 mph redline on the speedometer was very real. It puked when I let it run up to 65 down a long grade.

In our hot climate, often over 100, it was 'common knowledge' that adding A/C on a beetle would shorten its life.

I cooked the A/T in an AMC Eagle towing a trailer not as large as that one even though I was well under its tow rating. And the car had gone to 'limp home mode' from the heat. Too much wind resistance, and hot weather. The A/T dribbled fluid everywhere when I got home. $1k rebuild. I can't imagine a Beetle would do better.

 

[paulfun9]

A Bug? Really?

I know the later vans were competent. But the last time I drove a traditional van, 3 hours uphill on a camping trip, my sister pleaded with me to not push it hard because the OEM engine had scattered at 65k miles and now the replacement engine had 65k.

My own experience 40 years ago with my 59 Transporter (windowless van) was the 54 mph redline on the speedometer was very real. It puked when I let it run up to 65 down a long grade.

In our hot climate, often over 100, it was 'common knowledge' that adding A/C on a beetle would shorten its life.

I cooked the A/T in an AMC Eagle towing a trailer not as large as that one even though I was well under its tow rating. And the car had gone to 'limp home mode' from the heat. Too much wind resistance, and hot weather. The A/T dribbled fluid everywhere when I got home. $1k rebuild. I can't imagine a Beetle would do better.

Did you understand “adhere to the limits of the machine” ?

Also many of those cooked motors were due to so called mechanics who decided that some of the vital parts for temperature control were not needed after a rebuild.

Many more were caused simply by drivers who could not understand normal maintenance and decided not to pay attention when that little light came on telling them they have no charge because the belt broke and with the fan belt breaking not only do you have no charging but no cooling!

I have made several trips west coast to east and east to west for family gatherings and select car shows towing a small trailer purposes built for the vw and the worst to happen has been a flat tire and a roadside fan belt replacement. My last trip was with a highly modified 2110cc beetle based motor back in 1997 and it also had no issues in spite of only having stock VW cooling tin and hardware.

Does impatients and lack of understanding the vehicle you drive make it bad or the driver bad?

 

[California]

Did you understand “adhere to the limits of the machine” ?

I'm sure you know more about the limits of the air-cooled VW than I do. I simply meant to say in my original post that towing something that large seemed like a mis-match, that it didn't seem like it would work very well. The source article said the trailers were built to promote the firm's line of trailers and only two were known to have been built. They didn't sell very well. Seems like people who know the limits of their VW's avoided them.

I understand the limits of the vehicles I've owned. Decades of offroad camping with Willys Wagons, Wagoneers, Trooper, and the Outback I bought new in 1999, shown working pretty hard in my photos above. (And in another post following that one) All of them stock. Never put a scratch in any of them (well except underneath the Jeeps, no harm done) and always made it home on Sunday evening, never been towed out of anything. I seem to know their limits.

Subarus are known for blown head gaskets when the owner doesn't understand they can't be run full throttle until warmed up. My head gaskets are still original at 22 years old. Have you kept a VW in service that long without any repairs? Why did it need modifying?

An old photo:

 

[ultrarunner]

I've driven and own vehicles with questionable Consumer Reports and all have given good service...

Several panned to the extreme proved to be very good buys and capable as in my 23 year tenure Samurai...

Always had a lot of VW around and currently own two... 1962 Bug and 74 Thing...

I think a lot is user influence... and I tend to prefer bone stock and unmolested...

Maybe from my youth spent working in the car business... often someone would want to trade in a car that had expensive rims, sound systems, lift kits, headers, etc... saying that had thousands of dollars in improvements and shocked to learn it isn't worth more than well maintained bone stock...

Ironically my only bought new car ever has had the most nagging issues... go figure?

 

[duramaxsky]

It's been a long while since I have seen a Thing. They didn't sell very well.

 

[ultrarunner]

Only two years here...

Adapted from a euro military model and was still seeing a lot in Austria for years...

It's the only 4 door pheaton I own... 4 door convertible with side window curtains.

A real head turner for sure... not particularly any more capable than a bug...

I've seen one pulling a tent trailer and it may be legal but it was really a struggle on I80 Donner Summit.

 

[JDZ735M]

It's been a long while since I have seen a Thing. They didn't sell very well.

Right. But everyone who I know that had one liked it real well.

 

[goeduck]

Herbie the Love Bug was a 1963 vintage, I was thinking 1962 and thought with a few emblems and stripes you might have a collector there.

 

[California]

[VW Thing]
It's the only 4 door phaeton I own... 4 door convertible with side window curtains.
... not particularly any more capable than a bug...

I've seen one pulling a tent trailer and it may be legal but it was really a struggle on I-80 Donner Summit.

But they're cute!

I-80 Donner Summit will test anything. It's where CHP tests cars they are considering for cruisers. I once snapped an axle (and the wheel fell of) up the grade by Auburn in an IH Scout. Real exciting for a moment.

I just Googled it. I80 is extraordinary for how long the steep grades run, 30 miles of 3 to 6% grades.

Reaching the summit in anything moderately powered, you really feel like you've accomplished something after pulling hard for so long. That VW Thing must have been working its heart out.

Going over the summit on Amtrak is interesting too. The diesels pull extremely hard continually for mile after mile, going from sea level to 7,000 ft.