[Vwdiesel] OT: advice @ buying diesel for friend

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/21/2010 7:02:29 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
tgott at hotmail.com writes:

> Then you have the oil changes and other maintenance in the year and I 
> don't know how long the tires will last before the dry rotting begins as I 
> doubt they would ever wear out. The fuel filters (gas or diesel) every start 
> up period.

  Not to step on your toes but unless she's putting a LOT of miles 
on it in those summers, changing the fuel filter EVERY year is really 
overkill, even changing the oil that often likely is.  
On a gasser it'd be more critical than a diesel that doesn't build up 
the acid.  A few hundred miles and I'd probably change it every other 
or third year.  1,500 or more and I'd seriously consider changing the 
oil annually.  I probably change my fuel filters about every 10 to 20 
years. It's dry here so a full tank would help with the humidity issues 
to the fuel since there's less room for surface contact and hopefully no 
room for condensation.  Also, it'd be sitting over the cool months.  Good 
for not aging the fuel as fast, bad for condensation.  Then again we 
all experience just the same thing, we just drive it and slosh it around 
and into the filter on a regular basis.
  Tire rot?  Again, it happens but I rarely see it except on tires that 
are already old when parked.  I've parked many tires for a few years 
at a time and they get up and go just fine.  I've seen more tire failures 
from newer, cheap tires than old ones.  Again YMMV.  Blocking direct 
sunlight goes a long way to extending tire sidewall life.  That's why 
you see all those RV's with plywood or cardboard leaning against the 
tires.  They get used a couple months out of the year and they don't
want to let good (tread) tires get trashed from sunlight and rot before 
they wear.
    Loren