good intentions but a lack of abilities

[dlb]

Today I changed the fuel filter on my latest tercel. When I pulled the old one out, I noticed that the inlet and outlet on it were hooked up to the wrong hoses despite the big directional arrow on the filter. The car has run mostly great for the several months I've been driving it so it couldn't have been that big a deal, but it still bugs me, because everything on this car has been like this. A previous owner obviously had the best intentions but virtually everything they touched was done wrong. Some examples:

- The base of the gear shifter had been filled with gear oil, and then not sealed when the top was put back on.
- The trans had been removed at some point but I guess the plugs had not been unplugged when they lowered it, so the wires for the reverse light and 4wd indicator light were broken. The reverse light wire was spliced back together but the 4wd wire was not.
- The gas tank was dropped and painted with some kind of protective stuff on top but they didn't reinstall the plastic tank protector.
- Front fenders replaced but missing many bolts, and in some places they used allen-head machine bolts where it's supposed to be coarse thread bolts. Which is fine, it worked, but why not use the bolts and screws you removed?
- A few exhaust gaskets had been replaced but somehow the nuts and bolts were done up cockeyed so the gaskets weren't sealing properly and caused exhaust leaks.
- A bunch of the exhaust system is new but for some reason, it was lightly coated with some kind of oil. I can only assume the owner applied it to try to keep it from rusting, but of course it just made it stink like burning oil when the car was running.

Those are just off the top of my head. On top of all that, the brakes were frozen at 3 of the 4 wheels when I got it, there was zero oil on the dipstick, and the coolant level in the overflow reservoir was at the bottom. I was convinced this engine would be toast but miraculously its been great so far. Doesn't burn or leak oil since I did all but the rear main seal, doesn't consume coolant either. I don't know why someone would replace fenders and exhaust systems but not check the oil and coolant levels.

Anyway, I just wanted to complain about people trying to fix cars when they don't know what they're doing, and often end up making things worse. I think it's less annoying to get a car that has been ignored or neglected, rather than one that someone has "fixed up" like this because the latter often means having to undo a bunch of weird "fixes." I'm very happy with this car now and all's well that ends well, but jeez part of me wishes I could ask whoever did this stuff exactly what the hell they were thinking.

End rant.

[Mattel]

Not the first time that I think I talked you into a car that has made me wonder if I should have. Sounds like a lot of those are minor items but like you say what else is wrong with it?
Do you still have your vanagon?

[dlb]

Hahaha, wow that's almost true! But no, it's great, and I'm very glad you have alerted me when you did. This car is clean enough that Jenn is open to daily driving it and that's a feat, so thank you for letting me know about it. I'm just amazed (in a bad way) at how almost everything that was done on this car by PO's was done wrong, or at least bizarrely.

Good grief, the dreaded Vanagon. No, we got rid of it long ago. I hated that thing with a passion right from the start, and it only intensified with time and successive problems. Jenn had thing for them because of childhood memories but after a few poorly timed breakdowns on road trips, she finally gave the green light to sell the thing. I saw it fairly recently though so it's still around!