[Vwdiesel] Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!!!

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

OK, so I'm a little late with the Holiday message.... but I can 
reveal that my 89 Jetta na is back on the road after popping the 
intermediate shaft front oil seal  and dumping a gallon of 6 month 
old diesel 15W-40 oil rather abruptly. Gave me an excuse to refill 
with Rotella zeroW-15 full synthetic, and  put in a new higher amp 
hour battery to handle the alarmingly frigid temperatures here on the 
North Coast of Ohio.  15 degrees F in mid-December is very unusual. 
The synthetic oil and fresh battery should take care of most 
situations, and avoid having to use the block heater  when parked 
away from home for half a day.

The timing belt survived the oil dump and didn't get soaked. That's 
the good news.

More good news is the the General ice-tires are working out nicely in 
their second winter. They came through the summer without noticeable 
change in the aggressive ice-grabbing capabilities of the sipping. 
One bad experience on black ice about 10 years ago in an all-wheel 
rive Audi taught me that all-wheel drive is meaningless when it comes 
to stopping. Stopping is all about tires and having SOME kind of grip 
that works at some speed above zero. The General Altimax Arctic uses 
a compound that gets softer as the temps go down, will take studs if 
that is your dish, and the sipping is extensive and has stayed 
functional as the tire wears. Plus, the price was at the low end for 
ice-tires. So...I figure just put 'em on and drive them until the 
sipping becomes questionable. They stop good in the summer on wet pavement.

Keep posting to the list.
Doyt