[Vwdiesel] Rabbit droppings # 9 from Hagar. ( whats in a name???)

[Nate Wall]

<<<The first lot of Rabbits had faulty valve stem seals (the guides were
actually OK) which were replaced under recall that caused excessive oil
consumption.>>>

Yea, I think it was just the seals, and I remember the shop guy replacing them,
using an air chuck to keep the valves closed. I watched this, since I worked in the
parts dept. at the same dealer in that era. Possibly, that's why VW did it just out
of warranty!

The '75 my parents had came w/ a (metal) timing belt cover, I think.

--Nate

Drew MacPherson wrote:

> My grandfather (a VW affecionado since the late 50's) purchased what was
> supposedly the first automatic Rabbit to be sold in Canada from a Toronto
> dealership in the summer of '74 (75 model.)
>
> It was a great little car (no CAT on the CDN model, TYVM!:) )that had a
> huge engineering fault - no timing belt covers.  When my family moved to
> the "snow belt" from the city, it threw the timing belt three times the
> first winter due to banging through snowdrifts (which it did quite well,
> when it could hang onto its belt.)
>
> My parents traded it on a new 78 Impala in '79 a few years after my
> grandfather passed away.
>
> The first lot of Rabbits had faulty valve stem seals (the guides were
> actually OK) which were replaced under recall that caused excessive oil
> consumption.
>
> Drew
>
> On Thu, 20 Feb 2003, Nate Wall wrote:
>
> > My parents bought a 1975 Rabbit, new (gasoline, diesels were not offered).
> > This was the first year offered in the US. The Dasher was offered in 1974. It
> > was carburetted (a Zenith 2 bbl.) and had a catalyst. 1.6 L (90 CID), rated at
> > 75 HP. It was also quite light, at about 1,900 pounds). I was about 15 at the
> > time and remember it as the first new car I saw them with (they bought a 1960
> > Bug new also). It was incredibly fast, as I recall. The TV ads claimed a 0 -
> > 50 mph in 7 seconds. I learned to drive in that car, and it was in fact, quite
> > nimble. Laid rubber like crazy, given the right abuse.
> >
> > The car was very basic, no A/C or P/S. I don't think it even came w/ a radio.
> > It had rubber mats. Window cranks broke and it rattled and buzzed like crazy.
> > Had a single gauge (speedometer) and simple warning LIGHTS (not LEDs). It was
> > a 4 speed. It underwent about a dozen recalls. One was to remove the catalyst,
> > of all things. Who knows why this was decided. The dealer rodded out the
> > catalyst (knocked it out of its housing) and rejetted the carburetor, with
> > smaller jets, of course. That was about in 1977. Performance sucked after
> > that. It also skipped on acceleration since that, and ran very anemic. Webber
> > came out w/ a "Rabbit" 4 bbl to replaced the dealer mucked-up Zenith. The
> > pain-in-the-ass thing was that the unleaded fuel filler constrictor was not
> > removed. So had to still use more expensive unleaded fuel. (It was about a
> > dime a gallon more, if I recall). At about 20,000 some miles, it was using a
> > quart of oil in about 300 miles, or less. Just after the motor went out of
> > warranty, the folks took it to VW. After a big to do, VW replaced the cylinder
> > head under waranty--defective valve guides. It got sold at 140,000 miles for a
> > song. Still ran and looked well, regardless of many neglected things, like oil
> > changes.
> >
> > --Nate
> >
> > Drew MacPherson wrote:
> >
> > > Rabbit was a name chosen for the North American market because initial
> > > market research suggested that Golf (the name used in Europe) wouldn't fly
> > > in NA.  The idea behind the Rabbit name was that it implied
> > > characteristics like "light, nimble, and fun."  The fact that the car was
> > > spacious and economical was an added bonus.  And thus the A1 Golf became
> > > the Rabbit in North America.
> > >
> > > When the A2 Golf was developed, VW decided that the North American market
> > > had matured sufficiently that they didn't need to continue with the cute,
> > > bunny name (after 30+ years of "Bugs" and "Rabbits" we finally grew up...)
> > >
> > > As far as the origin of the Golf name, the generally accepted school of
> > > thought is that most VW names are derived from things that move - air
> > > streams, ocean currents, winds etc.  The Golf's name is thought to be
> > > derived from the Gulf Stream, the Jetta from the Jet stream etc.  No doubt
> > > VW's names were chosen by a group of well lubricated marketting execs in
> > > the cafeteria at the Wolfsburg facility... :)
> > >
> > > WV can be prided for not messing with things that work, however.  The
> > > highly successful Golf has carried its name from 1974 through 2003,
> > > through 4 platform changes (with a 5th on the boards.)  The Jetta moniker,
> > > on the other hand, has only held on in North America.  On the European
> > > market, the Jetta was renamed with the introduction of the A3 to Vento
> > > (wind this time!) in an effort to boost sagging sales.  When the A4 rolled
> > > around, it became the Bora (hello, what were they thinking??)  The reality
> > > is that the lightweight, compact Golf hatch is a practical, roomy small
> > > car suited to Europe's tight urban roads.  The Jetta has never been as
> > > popular because of its size and relative lack of functionality (huge
> > > trunk, but no hatch...)
> > >
> > > Drew
> > >
> > > On Wed, 19 Feb 2003, H .Hagar wrote:
> > >
> > > >  Does anyone know where the name RABBIT came from ??. And now GOLF? the
> > > > name does not do a thing for me. good gracious me ---LOL.  The dealer I
> > > > asked know jack all about Beetles, Rabbits or anything else.Just wants
> > > > me to buy a 30000 dollar canadian Golf. Hagar. --
> > > >
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