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Much better than a pot of gold! |
It feels as though we've owned our Westy for a lifetime, but it has only been one year since we brought her home from central Maine. 12,000 miles later, 9,000 of which we racked up during our cross-country summer road trip, our lovely Vanagon is still running strong. The odometer just rolled over the 186,000 mile mark. Miraculously, the engine has not required a bit of work since we've owned it, and we're still averaging a consistent 20mpg. That's not to say the van hasn't needed work--I've invested many hours myself and many dollars with the mechanic--but all in all it hasn't been the nightmarish money pit that deep down I feared it might be.
Parker the dog was the first addition to our family, Ruby the Vanagon was the second, and coming along shortly will be a baby boy (we're still working on a name). We'll need to invest in some safety upgrades, the first of which will probably be GoWesty's
three-point shoulder belts on the bench seat. This will allow for safer installation of an infant car seat, as well as added security and peace of mind for our adult passengers. At the moment, one of the lap seat belts is secured to the buckle with an overhand knot. It's about time to fix that.
Hi there. I'm really enjoying following your blog.
ReplyDeleteI was looking at these seat belts as well for my Syncro, but I was concerned that they only used the top mounting bolt as opposed to the original system where the retractor sits behind the panel and the upper bolt simply holds the guide loop.
In case of a real accident, I was thinking that the stress / thrust on the belt would be distributed over 2 mount points instead of only the one. Not sure how real the risk is, but still...
Not sure where to find original style belts though.
Anyway, thanks for all the blog entries. I'm a big fan!
I'm not sure I follow, Jim. Maybe my latest post will clarify the setup and security of these belts, which definitely have three secure anchor points that would spread the force of an accident: http://www.vanagontravels.com/2011/11/vanagon-seat-belt-installationupgrade.html
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you like the blog!
-Jeff