Author Archives: westy_admin

Locks and Keys

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One of the first things I did after buying our Westy was to start familiarizing myself with its features and idiosyncrasies. I found out a few things in the process about keys and locks.

The 2003 Eurovans we bought came with a key fob that includes remote keyless entry. I have become pretty accustomed to keyless entry systems over my last few cars, so this is a welcome feature. Unfortunately, the rear hatch lock does not work correctly with the remote entry. The hatch can be locked and unlocked OK with the key but not with the remote entry. I’m taking Westy in to the shop tomorrow to get that fixed.

The other thing I learned was about the keys our Westy: there are a lot of them!

VW Keys (L-R): Key fob with remote keyless entry (master key),
emergency key and glove compartment key.

The 2003 Eurovans were sold with two remote entry keys, but we only received one. I thought it would be a good idea to get another one. Great idea, but it looks like this will not be possible. VW stopped selling these key fobs in 2013, and they are nowhere to be found. You can get new cases, new blank keys to fit them, but not the electronics inside for the remote entry. I’ll keep looking to see if they become available, but it looks like a lost cause at this point.

Another thing I learned was that the emergency key I received will operate the locks but doesn’t work in the ignition. There is a slight difference between this key and the master key; I don’t know if this is normal, but if you look a this key in the photo you can see it would be difficult to use long term.

That started me looking for a replacement key that would work as a master but without the remote keyless entry feature. I found that VW ignition keys have electronic components inside that work with the ignition. There is an immobilizer in the ignition system that is deactivated by the micro-chip in the key.

I found out that replacement keys with the electronics are available from VW, so I ordered one. Once you get the key you have to get it programmed by the dealer so that it is matched up to your vehicle. This turned out to be a fairly expensive purchase. The key cost $50 and the programming cost $85. That’s $135 for one key. Yikes!

Replacement Ignition Key

You’ll also note that the replacement key is a different shape from all the other keys in the photo above. I guess that’s to help aging brains like mine from confusing one with another. Now if I could just remember what each key is supposed to do!

I forgot to mention the locking gas cap. The 2003 Eurovan has the gas cap located just behind the driver’s door. This is accessed by opening a hinged flap. Most new cars today have a mechanical release system that operates this kind of flap, but not the Eurovan. That means you have to keep the gas cap locked if you want to prevent unauthorized access. The gas cap is locked/unlocked by the master key or emergency key.

Update: Keyless Entry

I recently found an ad on eBay for a Eurovan Keyless Entry fob. This isn’t the original Eurovan fob, but one advertised to work for a Eurovan. I bit the bullet and bought one. Here’s what it looks like:

As you can see, it’s the bottom portion of a key fob. It came with a concise set of instructions on how to program it. I followed these and guess what? It works!!

The real Eurovan key fob has two buttons while this one has three. the center button (trunk release) doesn’t function, but the other two do. I’ll be keeping this in reserve with my spare ignition key – now I have a complete backup set!

If you want to check out eBay for this listing, search for “Eurovan T4 Remote.” If any are available you should see something like “VW 1993-2004 Eurovan T4 REMOTE new 3 button keyless entry fob (Fits: EuroVan).”

Replacing that Factory Radio

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We knew beforehand that our Eurovan Weekender was equipped with the factory radio. This is an AM/FM unit with a cassette player. Sounds archaic by both today’s standards and even those from 2003! I had a 2003 Jetta that had a better sound system than that. And who has cassettes anymore? Good grief!

We really enjoyed SiriusXM in our old Jeep. It was wonderful to be able to listen to commercial-free music anywhere. No finding local stations, no hunting the right kind of music; with SiriusXM it was always there.

So, one of the first priorities for our new Westy is to replace that factory radio. The space available isn’t large enough for today’s fancy displays; the Eurovan has what’s called a single DIN opening. Nonetheless, there are lots of choices for direct replacements in the single DIN size.

I found Crutchfield to be the best online source for finding the right replacement radio. You can enter in the year, make and model of your car and their system will present all the radios that will fit. Not only that, you can filter out what features you want to narrow your selection, like SiriusXM, CD, Bluetooth, HD radio, etc.

I ended up selecting the Pioneer DEH-X6700BS CD Receiver. It had uniformly great user ratings and has all the features we wanted:

  • AM/FM Receiver
  • CD Player
  • Bluetooth Connectivity
  • Hands-free calling
  • SiriusXM Capability
  • Siri Eyes Free (for iPhone/iPad)
  • Can customize colors to match the dashboard light scheme

I bought both the receiver and the SiriusXM tuner and the installation kit to remove and replace the factory radio.

I knew I could replace the radio – I had done that many times in the past with other cars. The installation of the microphone for the hands-free calling and the SiriusXM antenna are another matter. Both require that you are comfortable routing wires inside the trim and outside the vehicle. I am not comfortable doing that.

A specific issue with the Weekender is where to put the SiriusXM antenna. Normally the antenna is placed on the roof of a vehicle and sticks to it by magnetic attraction to the sheet metal. With the Weekender, that’s not possible – the roof is made of fiberglass, not metal. It seems the most frequent spot that Westy owners choose to locate the satellite antenna is on the dash.

In any case, my plan is to go to a local car stereo store and pay them to install the gear. They do this all the time and can get it done far better and faster than I could! I’m planning on getting this done in the next week or so.  I’ll post when the job has been done and report on the results.

UPDATE – Radio replaced successfully!!

Today I took the radio, SiriusXM stuff and parts from Crutchfield to a local car stereo installer. They were familiar with the Weekender and recommended putting the antenna on the metal shelf above the passenger seat. I had thought this would be a good spot, but I couldn’t see how the antenna wire could be routed from there without drilling holes. They said no problem – and no holes. Boy were they right! They did a fabulous job and the satellite signal is very strong. They also installed the Bluetooth mic for my smart phone. Everything works great and I’m a VERY HAPPY Westy owner!

Getting Legal

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We’ve had our new Weekender for a week now and I thought I’d post an update.

The first priority after delivery was to give our new baby a good wash. It was filthy from the trip from SouthernCalifornia! We took it to our favorite local car wash (a brush-less one) and gave it the works – wash, wax, undercoating wash, etc. The result: stunning!

Next we filled up the gas tank. One recommendation I’ve heard and read about this rig is to use premium fuel in it. The reason: it’s supposed to increase the fuel economy. One source was a friend who was a Eurovan fan (he was at least his second rig) and the other source was Pop Top Heaven. I consider both these sources reliable, so premium fuel it was.

The next task was to take the Weekender to the state DEQ station for testing. You have to do this in the Portland Metro area before you can get it licensed. The DEQ locations are closed on Mondays, so I took Westy in on Tuesday morning. I was a bit surprised when the tester informed me that the test could not be completed because the engine “wasn’t ready.” Not ready? What is that all about. She asked if the battery had been disconnected recently and I said it had because it just got out of the shop. She said that the computer that controls the engine resets itself when the battery is disconnected and that you have to drive it a while before it gets enough data so it can be tested.

Well, it was a late summer day and the sun was shining, so we hopped into the rig and drove from Portland down to Silver Falls State Park (just outside of Salem, OR). This put on about 100 miles of combined freeway and winding country road driving. Plus, it gave us a chance to do a mini-shakedown trip with our new Weekender.The Weekender is a delight to drive! It has fantastic visibility and handles like a car. Lots of power, too!

After a quick picnic lunch we headed back to Portland and stopped in at the DEQ test station. This time they were able to completely test the engine and we received our DEQ certificate and a VIN verification form.

Our next stop was the state DMV office for registration and title paperwork. The Oregon DMV has a nice online presence where you can find out what forms are required, fill these in electronically, and print them out to take with you to the DMV office. I had all the paperwork done, so we got in line and completed the process of making our Westy an official Oregon vehicle. We opted for the special “Pacific Wonderland” license plates. We liked this design because they are like the old Oregon plates from the 50’s. They had these plates in stock at the office, so we walked out with our new plates. Getting the registration done was a huge relief!

pacific_wonderland_lg

Welcoming our Weekender

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Welcome to Westy.Life! This blog is about our 2003 Volkswagen Eurovan Weekender. It was just delivered yesterday from Pop Top Heaven in California, and it’s been a long time coming. We’ve talked and talked about getting either a Eurovan Weekender or Camper for probably 10 years now.

The Weekender is a Eurovan made in Germany by VW that has had additional features installed by the Westfalia company. Westfalia has been making VW campers for years, and there are legions of old Microbus, Vanagan and Eurovan campers still out there. Because so many feature the Westfalia branding on them they have come to be known as “Westys.”

In the dim past I had a 1974 VW Camper, and I loved everything about it – except for the lack of power. It was downright embarrassing driving it over mountain passes here in the western USA. It was painfully underpowered.

Now that we’re entering into our retirement years I’ve been looking for the perfect road trip vehicle. I wanted a Eurovan really badly, but they haven’t been made since 2003. When you do you find one it will have lots of miles on it.  A 2003 is 12 years old now (in 2015), and with average driving it might have 120,000 to 140,000 miles on the odometer.

IMG_1335So I’ve been looking and looking nationwide for the right Eurovan for us to take on our retirement road trips. I finally found “the one” three months ago at Pop Top Heaven. This company specializes in restoring IMG_1335Eurovan Campers and Weekenders, and the one we bought had only 64,000 miles on it. It had just arrived there when we bought it, and has been undergoing restoration ever since – about three months!

It was a great day when the shipper finally delivered our Weekender! The photo to the right was taken by Pop Top Heaven during the restoration process.

So now with our Weekender we’re ready to start our road trip adventures!