2nd Mechanic: Desmond's, Parkville, MD

Eventually, there came a day where Patience wouldn't start. Also, a couple of times while pulling away, there was a squealing sound, associated with the belts I imagined. I still hadn't gotten the water pump belt done like Dr. Dave told me. Or the coolant flush. Tsk tsk tsk!!

I decided to bring Patience to Desmond's, as recommended by my friend Jason who is a mechanic. Desmond's was also listed favorably on some of the websites of Vanagon mechanics I listed previously. They're expensive but great, so I hear & read. It took a week & a half to get an "appointment". I dropped her off for a 4/7 "appointment", and am picking her up this evening on 4/23. We talked about the work being in the range of $1,000 & the final pricetag was $1,140.

Work done on her by Desmond's:

(image from Wikipedia)

-My mechanic at Desmond's (Doug) thinks my starting problem is me not starting the van correctly. *blush* I hadn't been waiting for glow plugs to warm up. Unlike in a in a gasoline-engine car, the doesn't simply turn the key to the "start" position & have the engine immediately start. Instead, driver turns the key to the "on" position; the glowplug relay switches the glowplugs on, and a light on the instrument cluster illuminates. I've read & been told this is "warming up" the van. I thought "warming up" the van was letting it run idly for a few minutes before taking off. I thought this glow plug procedure was only for cold weather. Not so! Anyway, this is good news for me, because it means it is not Patience's fault.

-The valve cover gasket was leaking onto the water pump belt & timing belt. The valve cover gasket was replaced, and the belts replaced.

-The head gasket is leaking a little, it is okay, not environmentally friendly. The head gasket was done not too long ago, and he believes it is a good job, and if he tried to torque the head gaskets, it could ruin them all together requiring a full replacement. He recommended it stay as is, because it is okay, as long as it isn't leaking onto the belts.

-The filler neck is also leaking. The filler neck on Patience is not the van's original filler neck (must have been changed at some time), and they do not make the originals anymore & they are hard to find online. The leak isn't bad, but good to fix. He consulted with Desmond about how to handle this (bending/welding..) & their plan was to do some welding to seal the leak.