Recommended Toolkit / Maintenance items to carry for Westfalia

Zach Woods

New member
The following was an answer to a question I posed in the past concerning what tools and maintenance items to carry in a Westfalia:

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All nuts and bolts appear to be Metric.

Haven't seen anything standard yet (other than on some aftermarket
stuff I had added), but most tinkering has been to fix/tighten screws
in the coach portion (not vehicle portion).

As the carrying capacity is very low on this vehicle, you'd probably
want to be very light about carrying stuff.

All-in-One Screwdriver/Socket Kit

I'd suggest one of those all-in-one screwdriver kits. CampingWorld
has a cheaply made one for about $12, with a ratchet handle that can
pivot for tight spots and about 56 bits and sockets (metric and
standard). It comes in its own carrying case which you can put just
about anywhere--very compact. Made by Allied. (This kit doesn't have
the weird RV type screw bit (figure 8 clutch) for the third
stoplight.) It's good for emergencies but obviously not for regular
use. There are better kits out there, but this one was pretty
compact and cheap.

That should cover the various screws for compartment door hinges,
sliding door step, window brackets, drop down cabinet white strap,
screws for trash bag dispenser (a big waste of space for that
compartment so I'd remove and use the space for taller goods), allen
wrench bits tightening the LCD TV pivots, skylight bracket
adjustment, sockets for smaller bolts, etc., and minor mechanical
pieces (tightening bolts/nuts for wires/etc.).

It won't be useful for anything you need leverage (e.g., bumper bolts
with 13 mm socket), engine parts, oil pan, vehicle door
hinges/latches, air-conditioner, etc.--but at that point, you'd
probably want real tools (which would weigh a bit) and the
accompanying workspace, rags, liquid wrench and other flammable
liquids, etc.--plus a nice big sink you don't mind getting dirty.

Maybe--Socket Wrench/Open End Wrench

If you're really enamored of carrying tools just in case, then you
could also get a socket wrench set and maybe a bunch of open end
wrenches.

Torque Wrench

Considered buying a torque wrench but haven't done it--could use to
check torque on wheel nuts. To do that, you'd need a big torque
wrench which would probably be too big for use in other areas. Could
also use as an emergency window breaker.

Spare Tire Toolkit

The Westfalia doesn't come with the spare tire, so if you don't carry
the spare and don't think you'll ever need the tire jack, then you
could empty out the front passenger floor tool compartment for
storage (the included tools include a reversible phillips/flat
screwdriver along with a lug wrench). On the other hand, you could
be in a position where you need to jack up the Westfalia (don't tip
it over), get a wheel off, and hitch a ride with the wheel/tire
(about 40-50 lbs) to a garage (but how long would you trust the jack
to keep your Westfalia up while you traipse around to get the tire
replaced/repaired?).

Duct Tape/Electrical Tape/Plastic Ties

Could bring some of that stuff along just in case.

Engine Oil

Definitely bring along 1 or 2 quarts of oil bec. you might not be
able to find the right synthetic oil to refill. Oil consumption was
1 quart every 5,000 miles for first 10,000 miles, but now 1/2 quart
every 10,000 miles; some folks have no oil consumption (owners manual
allows for a huge consumption of oil as normal).

Lithium Grease/Silicon Spray

Lithium, but is heavy. Silicon might be better for
hinges/squeeks/slides.

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Also, the warranty includes free towing by Dodge for awhile for
vehicle parts.
 

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