RESOURCES

A & P SPECIALTIES  –  Their reputation is widely acclaimed all along the westcoast of North America (N&J originally purchased Hobbes here in 2014). Alan & Paul are genius when it comes to VW Westfalia repairs. They took care of Hobbes when he required a checkup… the tune-up was spot on !!!  Really nice washroom, free wi-fi & comfy waiting room (bring your PJ’s).  707 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, Oregon. (503) 254-7310.

CALIFORNIA IMPORT PARTS – Looking for those really hard to find parts for Westfalia or anything vintage VW? …look no further than CIP1. Don’t let the name fool you, they are located in Metro Vancouver, not California. Unit 113 – 19168 39th Ave, Surrey, BC. 1-800-313-3811

DR. BJÖRN’S AUTO – Located in Cobble Hill on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. In addition to their Westfalia online parts they also dabble in ‘plant based’ fuel conversions for diesel propelled vehicles. tel:250.929.2277

EUROTEK MOTORS – Ryan & his crew came to N&J’s rescue on the cross-Canada trip of 2019 after the 31 year old master cylinder failed on HOBBES; they squeezed us into their busy schedule to make the repairs the same afternoon…. Westfalia specialist. Thank You!!! UPDATE: They have moved to a NEW location, larger shop space & camping also available to Westy owners. 3814 Appleton Side Road, Almonte, Ontario, K0A 1A0. (613) 256-2886.

IB MOTORS – IB Motors has specialized in the repair & service of Audi and Volkswagen vehicles in the Greater Vancouver area since 2000 and brings you over 25 years of experience.  This unpretentious shop deals directly with the customer and believes in individualized service.  By using only the highest quality replacement parts and maintaining an accurate service history, IB Motors will ensure the warranty on your VW or Audi vehicle is not compromised.

JOHN J. CARLSON CUSTOM APPRAISALS – Ensure your prized VW Westfalia is valued for the correct amount of insurance, dependent on having an up-to-date appraisal (recognized by all auto insurers). John is the current President of the National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada, vast experience in auto appraisals, a seasoned judge in car shows, etc… John has considerable knowledge of Westfalias and backs that up in his appraisal report, of which the cost is very reasonable considering the protection this brings to your investment. He resides in Belcarra, BC (in the Metro Vancouver area), he can be contacted at: [email protected] or (604) 931-5948.

KAL TIRE – From British Columbia to Ontario, Kal Tire can handle your tire situation, they did it for N&J after blowing out a tire in BC (near Jasper, AB). They also arranged a spare tire & wheel for CALVIN (the trailer), picked up in Thunder Bay, ON while heading east on our cross Canada trip. Lots of locations…

RUDY & PETER MOTORS  –  A big heads up to Dirk and the guys at R & P for keeping Gizmo & Westy (and now Hobbes) road worthy. Without their expertise long road trips in the Westfalia camper vans would be risky at best….Thanks!!!  225 East 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC.  (604) 879-0491.

SMALL CAR PERFORMANCE – Thanks to the crew at SCP for giving HOBBES a new lease on life in 2018 (Subaru engine, tranny, 4 wheel ‘big’ disc brakes, dash AC, front seats), you name it, they did it !! The new HOBBES feels great, a wonderful update to an ‘old soul’… 1403 34th Avenue E Fife WA. (253) 473-2474

VAN WONDER AUTOMOTIVE – John at Van Wonder is another VW Westfalia shop in the Metro Vancouver area who has helped N&J immensely; great service, fantastic (truthful) advice, they certainly go above & beyond. THX !!! 1141 West 15th Street, North Vancouver, BC. (604) 985-7211

WERKE 1 – Looking for hard to find parts for your VW Westfalia, Sprinter, Metris, Promaster or Transit van? You can purchase parts from GoWesty, Van Cafe & many others through Werke1 without the hassle of custom brokerages & very reasonable shipping cost. All parts now available at Werke 1, now located at a NEW location (see below)… give Barry a call or an email. Located at Unit 2 – 9049 Shaugnessy St, Vancouver, BC.

CAMP WESTFALIA seeks to inform, inspire, and compel owners (or future owners) to explore and appreciate the endless possibilities of traveling and camping in a Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia Camper van.

EPIC FAMILY ROADTRIP – The ‘van Stralen’ family of 5 who sold everything except our Jeeps to drive around the World guided by our core values that had helped us find success in business and in life – WORK, PLAY, CARE. For us CARE means to “Create A Remarkable Experience” and we do this by leaving the people we meet and the places we visit a little better than we found them.

FOLLOW THE WIND: where mishaps and adventures meet… Join Cameron and Jacqui as they try to drive to South America. So far, nothing has gone according to plan.

LIVE. TRAVEL. PLAY. The Chronicles of Gregor, Janice, and their VW Van ‘Lucky’. Following their passion for travel, Canadians Gregor and Janice sold their house in Calgary, Alberta, downsized their possessions, and are seeing the world through the windshield of their 1987 Volkswagen Westfalia camper van.

SLOW CAR, FAST HOUSE: In October 2014, Mike and Geneva Saint-Amour packed up Seri, Zeb and Mango (the dogs) into Alta (the van) — and  departed from Arizona to travel… indefinitely. But a lot has changed since then!  Read on to learn about the updates and changes to our lives…

BIGTENT OUTDOORS – N&J have depended on the Claymor3 rechargeable lighting & fans from BigTent to fill that need. The lighting stable now includes: (2)Heady+ headlamps; (1)Ultra2 3.0 area light; (1)Selene table lantern & (1)V600+ ventilation fan (for those hot n’ sticky nights). All use USB recharging, long battery life, exceptional light control & the larger lights also double as a convenient place to recharge any USB device too. Checkout the rest of Big Tent’s outdoor gear.

CAP-IT – This is where N&J obtained their ARB Classic II Fridge/Freezer (50qt.), fits & works perfectly in the Westfalia. A fantastic addition to the Dometic fridge included with the original van which acts as a fridge; the ARB is used as combo fridge/freezer to facilitate those really long trips in the back country. Low power consumption so the on-roof solar panel & aux batteries can easily handle the load.

NICE C – A wide range of camp gear to suit your mobile lifestyle, light & compact designs work great for the camper. Easy to store & assemble, light enough to carry while cycling or hiking to provide some creature comforts on the trail or at camp. These foldable compact chairs* fill the need for some ‘camp comfort’ https://amzn.to/3OkrjlV & this foldable table* is perfect for use around the campfire https://amzn.to/3uRP90Y

SELK’BAG – The Selk’bag Nomad wearable sleeping bag make living outdoors a ‘comfortable’ experience & helps to protect our precious environment using recyclable materials. No matter what the weather, the temperature… total comfort can be yours. See the Selk.bag in action

iOVERLANDER – One of the best benefits of owning a Westfalia camper van is the ability to camp just about anywhere …for free!!! (N&J call this ‘free-styling’). This is a great app to find these unique camp experiences, more than 140k ‘user added’ places world-wide & the data is available offline so you do not need internet to see place details.

PARK4NIGHT – Looking for a spot to park your rig for the evening? …This app will help with that. No matter where in the world you are, all the info you require is here.

TRIP ADVISOR  –  Whenever N&J need travel advice on destinations, accommodations, restaurants…we always check out our TripAdvisor app (free) on our phones for the information. The user ratings really help when deciding. Check them out.

VAN ALERT – This app proved to be very valuable to N&J when they had a ‘brake’ breakdown on their cross-Canada trip in Ontario, within minutes of posting they were contacted by a VanAlert member who offered their driveway for a repair & place to stay. Also provides info on stolen vans (use a wheel-lock please!!!) & other resources.

FRANK CONDELLI & ASSOCIATES – Looking for those ‘hard to find’ Westy parts, check out these guys first. N&J purchased their Propex heater & a lots of piece parts from here. RR #2, 1873 Concession 8, Almonte, Mississippi Mills, Ontario. (613) 256-6763

GOWESTY – The gold standard in everything Westfalia, a must see for your VW van parts & service needs. Check out their website for information & helpful advice on caring for your prized possession. 1119 Los Olivos Ave, Los Osos, California. 1888-GO-WESTY

VAN CAFE  –  Looking for parts for your VW, check out the Van Cafe. These guys really know what ‘customer service’ means. Whether ordering online, or visiting the store in person… they really go above & beyond (sometimes they send snacks!!! :)).  1823 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, California.  (831) 426-1244.