[Vwdiesel] stranded

[Chris Geiser]

With all the talk about what to carry on a trip - got me to thinking that
despite logging upwards of a million miles in vw diesels thus far, I've
been stranded very rarely - how about everyone contribute what has left
them dead stranded on the road and maybe what they learned to deal or
prevent in the future?  That can help people calculate the cost / benefit
ratio of carrying extra stuff:  Here's what I've got:

05 Jetta - last weeks catastrophic turbo failure (nothing to learn that I
know of)
92 Ecodiesel: CV joint failure (now I no longer ignore clicking CV's for
very long!)
     Heater core failure (no way that I know of to spot or prevent; maybe
carry a precut by-pass pipe to stick between, cut and connect heater hoses
to get you home?)
82 diesel vanagon: water pump belt (now carry a spare belt and can change
it in less than 15 minutes!!)

I guess that seems like a pretty short list given my life in a vw!  I know
I've driven home (carefully) with broken brake lines and a parking brake,
duct tape over a leaky hose, or limped home on battery with alternator out
or without power steering, but very rarely stranded where I sit!

Interested in what other smarter better looking people have experienced!

Chris