wanted to find out more. we have a lot of people on this forum. some im sure that are serious vw fans and some that are probably interested to find out more about what might be involved before they commit.

so i want to put forward this question and get as many responses as possible.

for those that have vw's, are you...
a/ a do all the work yourself hands on type.

b/ some work some farmed out to the pro's type.

c/ everything is left to the professionals type.

let us know which you are and why. if you do all the work, what sort of basic equipment do you have. and obviously those that farm out all the work would have some big bills. so if any examples can be offered as to how much you've spent at one time, please give examples as it would give those that are pondering the big leap to either buying/restoring an old vw an insight into what they might be in for depending on there skill and commitment....

it might also shed light to the cost vs value vs passion of enjoying an old classic such as the mighty VW

iam a B. It depends on what work it is and what equipemnt i mite need to do the work. All panel beating, and spraying is outsourced, all major mechanical work is outsourced, eg spliting cases etc, and also get everysecond tune done by a pro, nothing beats 20 yrs practice compared to my 2!! other than tha i do all my self, eg suspension tuning and mods, basic engine work, all interior etc.

im an A type

i like to learn how to do it all myself because it gives me more satisfacton whenit finished

Would Like to be an A (no room) Which I could afford to be a C, So that makes me a B!

N!

closer to A than B

Definetiley not C - not that there is anything wrong with AB or C!

I am lucky in that i have some friends where i can work with a watchful eye over my shoulder

I find i am mooving into worlds i have not been before, dual carbs, head porting, race prepping

Always need experience

i'm a B. i do as much as possible but can't do everything. my t3 on about to be passed to the mechanic as i need work on the fuel tank and fuel lines done. i don't trust myself to try that stuff. i have a few friends who are really good with cars so they are showing me how to do stuff myself. it's a lot more satisfying to look at it when you have finished and say i did that

Try to do most, only the things that require special tools go somewhere else.. mind you, getting the body prepared for the spray job is givin me the sh|ts, once there is a dent in the decklid it never wants line up!.

Used to be a C until I found the forum which gave me the confidence to be a B and hopefully eventually an A

mostly A, with a little bit of B. I don't have an abrasive water jet cutter yet

Gearbox work still scares me, too many $$$ tools required to do it right. Maybe one day...

a, except some mechanical work, cant afford to be b or c

Depends on my mood, spare time, and bank balance, so I float between B and A.
Getting lazier as time goes on I think

I was a "c" until I moved up the bush.
I had to learn to do it myself then.

Now I'm back in the city but I'll stay an "a".......

I am a B+ i will do all mechanical and bodywork but I wont paint my cars that's an art best left to artist's.

I'm a B+ too I think. Will do all maintenence stuff no worries. But havent split a case or fully rebuilt a VW motor yet. Rebuilt others V8 ect. I'm gonna have a go at the 36hp motor for the oval one day. Will do welding (gas) and filling even replaced the sills in a VW, but never painted a car. Leave that one to the experts. They can cover up my bodgy panelwork.

I'm definitely a 'c'. Have poked around a bit at the engine.. like to think I know vaguely what each but does (know more about engines than my ex ).. but I am still much happier to pay someone else to do it. I always like to know what has been done though. Don't assume that cos I'm a girl I don't understand or care!! Thats how the previous owners' mechanic lost his job working on my car

Was very proud of myself last week... I figured out that the running rough was spark plugs... just didn't figure out that it was a broken plug connector (making sure it was plugged in didn't help enough this time).

*waves to the 'a's and 'b's*

Jay and Wolf

I am pretty much an a, but sometimes cant be bothered and if cashflows are willing i do a b. Usually things just get put off indefinitely. Like the front RH wheel bearing that needs doing.

But I did just pull locks and sliding door mechanisms apart, clean, grease and adjust. A sliding door that closes like it should is so sweet. never had one before.

[Edited on 2-6-2003 by amazer]

love to be a 'c' (if money allowed it)
can't afford to be an 'a' toolwise or timewise, tho i'd love to get really stuck into it, as i'm pretty handy imho
so i get to be a default 'b'
".. the b's have it....."

go the b team! woohoooo

Im a B but sometimes im a C and the people that know me best reckon ile always be a C,.

great response...i was a 'c', but am trying to improve my grades a little... sometimes i get lurd back to the dark side and jsut get someone to fix it. i think because i got used to company cars.... i could drive em hard, not worry about the effects, and just know they will be right after the next service. but i have learned that being a 'c' for vw's is very expenrive and even htough you are leaving it to the pro's is not always the case.
a mate and i tinkered on a motor called 'thumper'. my mate is very knowledgeable in vw's...i call him 'saint' any way we found that a pro had just over tightened one of the bolts that secures the head to the case to help conceal a crack that you could drop a five cent coin thru. obviously i was complaining about the amount of oil i was loosing. any way after all the money spent apparently fixing it.... it was still there.
so now i am getting the man shed and the tools and am going to be into it.... have discovered one slight prob. DAMN BUS IS TOOOOOO LOW.....

I started out as and 18-year-old 'A', but soon realised that there was a lot of stuff I didn't know. :o I've basically continued to be an 'A' but stayed away from motors, because they require tools I don't have.

When I bought my first kombi I became a 'C' because I didn't know anything about them. I've slowly worked my way back to a 'B', but I won't do the engine's bottom end myself - I don't have the right sort of workshop.

Hi Guys
Im a B, I think some things are better left to the pro's, I have tried to do things in the past I should have left to them and it has ended up costing more than it would have, if it was done buy them in the first place, they have the right equipment and know the little tricks from doing things a thousand times!
BiX, sounds like you and me are pretty much the same, I like to do some things myself so I can get to know my Kombi, if something goes wrong out on the road, I have a bit of an idea what is required to get it mobile again, but it is good to get the pro's to check it out now and then their knowlage far exeeds mine, and they can see things I may have missed!
I have a well stocked workshop, that I have built up over many years, you only have to buy good quality tools once (Thank god, their bloody expencive) Ther is not much short of machinery work that I cant do.
I think you should attempt, at least a tune up once in your life, it gives you a sort of connection with your car, parental bonding, it has with me anyway!
Rob.....

Have to say a C

Trying to work my way to B:bounce

A bit like Jay. I like to be able to understand what's wrong before I go for help.

Have several manuals which I actually enjoy reading through when Bel and Dr L have probs

I'm mostly an A with bits of B - like wes gearboxes are out of my league and obviously things like crank regrinding etc I can't do. Most other stuff I am willing and able

I am afraid to say that i am the C type.
i want to learn more so that i can become a B type though.

well, these last few weekends prove that im definitely a B, would love to someday be an A and will hopefully never have to be a C! Its not a $$$ factor thing, its more that i like to pull things apart and see how they work, and wether i can make them work better. Ive been doing so since i could walk (and my parents have the pics to prove it!) Plus its fun and i love getting dirty!

im a c but i know enough to think that i am close to being a b.

i have tools and patience. i have pulled an engine and stripped my ragtop and i m gonna be very involved in the rebuild.
but im definatley not gonna do it all my self.

will never be an a because i dont have the tools/time/space

I'm somewhere between A and B. I don't believe in paying someone to do a job that I can do myself. I also get more satisfaction and a better understanding of the condition of the vehicle by doing what I can. I farm out the the jobs that I can't do either because of my lack of expertise in that area or the lack of specialised tools. Since the Manx isn't a daily driver if I take 4 weeks to fix something, who cares?

Betweeb A & B

I have access to full workshop facilities, but I don't meddle in things above my head.
I look at it the same way whoever would have to finish off my stuffups. I wouldn't like it done to me.
For that reason if it is a more specialised job I leave it to someone with the knowledge.
For example I changed the heater cables in the Beetle using the hoist at work. Easy as pie.
When the boots on the CV's on the Bus needed changing I got my mechanic to do it, as he does that sort of thing all the time, and has the grease etc ready to go.

I'm a 'C' with 'B' leanings. I will wash/ care for my Bug and I DID help scrape all that paint off the Kombi before it was painted (4 layers or so I think :o ).
But bottom line I'm a 'C' that's why I got married to an 'A' who can't resist tinkering