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Glenn Tinseth, Humbolt County California
In May 2022, we drove our 1987 Vanagon Syncro GL from Humboldt County in northern California to La Paz, BCS, Mexico for a full, windows-out, dents and rust repaired, paint job. We made it into a great vacation, both on the way down camping, and once we arrived in La Paz.
We rented a place right on the Malecon in the center of La Paz and stayed a full month with friends and family arriving every week. We weren't really trying to wait out the paint job, but wanted to have a bunch of fun while we were down. We flew home until our schedule allowed a return visit for final inspection and sign off of the work in July. The van was shipped in a box trailer to Tijuana and I was able to get dropped off at the border and walked across and picked it up and drove back north. It is weird getting used to heads turning when I drive by instead of being a lot more stealth. I got two offers to purchase it on that trip home, one in Tijuana and one in the bay area.
That is the overview. Here are some details. I approached Shane online in Sept 2021, worked out details and pricing, and paid a $500 deposit in Dec 2021. We made plans to hit La Paz around May 23, 2022. Shane was flexible as our plans evolved and was upfront about costs and timing (8-12 weeks). I wanted the lower bed liner section and tube bumpers done and the steel wheels painted black and brought down window seals for when they reinstalled the windows. I also had a few small holes welded and Shane fixed a problem with my sliding door that I had been ignoring for years (using parts from his parts van) and straightened the steering wheel which I was too lazy to fix after reinstalling the dash. Our van had some rust under the window seals, minor seam rot behind the driver's door, and a nice reminder on the roof from the prior owner why we shouldn't try to go into parking garages without checking first. The clear coat looked like a badly sunburned tourist on the roof and pillars. I've included a shot of the front end which had to be taken to bare metal due to all the pitting from rocks and what not.
Shane met us at our airbnb and did a walk through of the van with me, noting everything either of us pointed out. Then he drove it away, which was kind of weird. We paid this guy and then gave him the van. Should be fine, I told myself. We then entered the fun zone and had a great time. I got dive certified, we enjoyed the folks cruising the Malecon on Saturday and Sunday nights, we hiked Cerro de la Calavera and Cerro de la Cruz and swam at every beach we could and ate many, many fish tacos of all kinds. If anybody wants a list of things to do in La Paz and the surrounding area, I can tell you what you shouldn't miss as we did many of the things multiple times with multiple guests. While we enjoyed ourselves we got frequent updates from Shane with pictures. He also offered to store all our racks and camping gear when we had to head home since it couldn't be in the van while it was being painted. The communication was great as were the progress reports and pictures.
Finally, we flew back to La Paz and Shane picked us up at the airport in the finished van. Oh my goodness, we had looked at pictures he sent us, but seeing it in person blew us away. So nice and even better than I had imagined. Driving back to the airbnb we were staying at, the van wouldn't start after being shut down. Typical. We figured out the fuel pump was on its way out. Shane said he had a new Bosch pump which he would be willing to give me for his cost and volunteered his shop and car lift to do the job. I am now ruined for laying on a creeper under my van parked on the street outside my house. The lift is magical and after we both took a small shower in gas, we got the pump installed and working and packed up the camping gear and got it all buttoned up for truck shipping to Tijuana. All the power lights and locks and windows worked. Since the windows had to come out for the paint job, that involves a lot disassembly and reassembly. They did a great job.
One more night in La Paz and we got on a plane to Orange County to visit family and wait for the van to arrive which it did four days later. We are still marveling at how nice it looks and unfortunately, I've developed a little bit of anxiety about how nice it is. What if someone scratches it or opens their door into mine? I need to just relax and resign myself to the fact that it will get scratched, but it is hard to do.
TL;DR We hired Shane Jordan (livethevanlife) to paint our vanagon in La Paz. The estimate and timing were accurate. The communication and photo updates were great. The result was better than we expected. 5/5 - would paint again!
Here are some more pics. I take all blame for dirt and dust. The ding on the passenger side rear bumper and the missing antenna were the work of the shipping company.
We rented a place right on the Malecon in the center of La Paz and stayed a full month with friends and family arriving every week. We weren't really trying to wait out the paint job, but wanted to have a bunch of fun while we were down. We flew home until our schedule allowed a return visit for final inspection and sign off of the work in July. The van was shipped in a box trailer to Tijuana and I was able to get dropped off at the border and walked across and picked it up and drove back north. It is weird getting used to heads turning when I drive by instead of being a lot more stealth. I got two offers to purchase it on that trip home, one in Tijuana and one in the bay area.
That is the overview. Here are some details. I approached Shane online in Sept 2021, worked out details and pricing, and paid a $500 deposit in Dec 2021. We made plans to hit La Paz around May 23, 2022. Shane was flexible as our plans evolved and was upfront about costs and timing (8-12 weeks). I wanted the lower bed liner section and tube bumpers done and the steel wheels painted black and brought down window seals for when they reinstalled the windows. I also had a few small holes welded and Shane fixed a problem with my sliding door that I had been ignoring for years (using parts from his parts van) and straightened the steering wheel which I was too lazy to fix after reinstalling the dash. Our van had some rust under the window seals, minor seam rot behind the driver's door, and a nice reminder on the roof from the prior owner why we shouldn't try to go into parking garages without checking first. The clear coat looked like a badly sunburned tourist on the roof and pillars. I've included a shot of the front end which had to be taken to bare metal due to all the pitting from rocks and what not.
Shane met us at our airbnb and did a walk through of the van with me, noting everything either of us pointed out. Then he drove it away, which was kind of weird. We paid this guy and then gave him the van. Should be fine, I told myself. We then entered the fun zone and had a great time. I got dive certified, we enjoyed the folks cruising the Malecon on Saturday and Sunday nights, we hiked Cerro de la Calavera and Cerro de la Cruz and swam at every beach we could and ate many, many fish tacos of all kinds. If anybody wants a list of things to do in La Paz and the surrounding area, I can tell you what you shouldn't miss as we did many of the things multiple times with multiple guests. While we enjoyed ourselves we got frequent updates from Shane with pictures. He also offered to store all our racks and camping gear when we had to head home since it couldn't be in the van while it was being painted. The communication was great as were the progress reports and pictures.
Finally, we flew back to La Paz and Shane picked us up at the airport in the finished van. Oh my goodness, we had looked at pictures he sent us, but seeing it in person blew us away. So nice and even better than I had imagined. Driving back to the airbnb we were staying at, the van wouldn't start after being shut down. Typical. We figured out the fuel pump was on its way out. Shane said he had a new Bosch pump which he would be willing to give me for his cost and volunteered his shop and car lift to do the job. I am now ruined for laying on a creeper under my van parked on the street outside my house. The lift is magical and after we both took a small shower in gas, we got the pump installed and working and packed up the camping gear and got it all buttoned up for truck shipping to Tijuana. All the power lights and locks and windows worked. Since the windows had to come out for the paint job, that involves a lot disassembly and reassembly. They did a great job.
One more night in La Paz and we got on a plane to Orange County to visit family and wait for the van to arrive which it did four days later. We are still marveling at how nice it looks and unfortunately, I've developed a little bit of anxiety about how nice it is. What if someone scratches it or opens their door into mine? I need to just relax and resign myself to the fact that it will get scratched, but it is hard to do.
TL;DR We hired Shane Jordan (livethevanlife) to paint our vanagon in La Paz. The estimate and timing were accurate. The communication and photo updates were great. The result was better than we expected. 5/5 - would paint again!
Here are some more pics. I take all blame for dirt and dust. The ding on the passenger side rear bumper and the missing antenna were the work of the shipping company.
"I had my van painted with Shane in October 2020. He kept me in the loop the whole way through and sent progress pictures often. When it was finished we reviewed it together, picked out a few minor imperfections, and he had them corrected right away. I've heard of other people's vans taking months to finish. He had mine finished in under a month. Super happy with the results and a great experience all around."
-Morgan Bennett, California @morgan.bennett.777 
"I knew next to nothing about Westfalia's, all I did know was I wanted one. Shane found one for me in Florida, helped me get it to Mexico and took care of the entire restoration start to finish. The photo you see here was the grin on my face upon picking it up all shiny and new again in Mexico. Shane really knows his Vanagons and has been an invaluable resource. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services to anyone. He's honest, knowledgeable and very inexpensive compared to anyone stateside. There's no way I could have gotten this level of work done anywhere near this price in California!"
-Shane Hanner, California @shane.hanner 
"In early 2017, Shane helped me get my Vanagon painted in Mexico. I was a little nervous after all of the stories you hear, but was pleasantly surprised what a smooth process it all was. Shane regularly kept in touch with updates, and assisted me with everything, from the parts needed, to upholstery work, and of course the paint. 5 years later my paint job still looks fantastic, and my Van has even won best in show at several events, including Syncrofest, one of the largest Vanagon gatherings in the US. It's getting harder and harder to find good people to help keep our vans on the road, and Shane's passion shines through in his work. If you're looking to restore your Vanagon, he is definitely worth your consideration."
-Damon Butler, Portland Oregon. @nrwstr |
I met Shane during Syncrofest 2017, not long after I'd purchased my 1986 Syncro Doka. He had gained some notoriety in the Vanagon community for building a pretty spectacular hi-top Vanagon camper, chronicling all of his work on Instagram and his website livethevanlife.com. He was also known as the 'go-to' guy for the knowledge he gained having paint and body work done in Tijuana, Mexico.
About a year later, I heard that Shane was doing some consulting to assist Vanagon owners who wanted to get bodywork done in Tijuana. I reached out and I became his client. Shane provided hands-on concierge service, meeting me at the shop and checking in on my job (in-person) with the shop throughout the process. Shane is great. He knows Vanagons well and has a true love and passion for these odd yet fascinating vehicles. He's a cool dude to hang out with and at the same time focuses on the craft and provides really meaningful services and assistance. I highly recommend that anyone in need of help with their Vanagon jump on the opportunity to work with Shane. In fact, as I write this, I've convinced myself I need an engine and transmission overall! -Francisco Arias, Los Angeles CA @glenn_vanzig 
"I met Shane through our shared love for Vanagons, and our friendship has grown around it — fate bringing both of us and our vans to spend weeks of lockdown together in Mexico. Shane's knowledge in Vanagons is only matched with the absolute satisfaction he gets out of helping other owners out. He's given me countless and invaluable upgrade recommendations, and in 2021 even flew out to mainland Mexico with me, where my van had been stranded for a year, to help me bring it back to life so I could safely resume the multiple-month and 4,000 miles journey to bring it back home in the US. I am beyond elated he now gets to do this for a living... our old vans need such passionate service."
-Ben Quesnel, France. @funwagen 
"When I bought my E350 Van, I wanted two things, a high top and a paint job. Having followed Shane's adventures for years, when I heard he was offering his services in La Paz, and at a great price, it was a no brainer for me. He and his team did an amazing job painting my High Top and my Van and I couldn't be happier. All at a very affordable price. Thank you!"
-Antwan Martin, New York. @twandownbytheriver |
"It is not *just* that Shane is a perfectionist: it is that he deeply cares about the quality of *everything* he does in obssessive-compulsive detail. So when I left him my van, the iconic #BarbtheBarbarian, for a new paint job and interior, I knew that I could trust he would take care of it.
He internalized the project on an emotional level to the point where I want to have a call with his therapist. I hear that it is not an HIPPA violation in Mexico to share patient information. I will let you know. In the meantime I highly recommend taking your rig to him for work." -Josiah Roe, San Francisco CA. @josiahq 
What can I say? I probably wouldn’t have found my way back in the Westy community had it not been for Shane. He truly was there from the beginning. He came and helped me assess the feasibility of a 1982 air cooled van that had been sitting for a good number of years down here in Baja. He spearheaded getting it up to Geraldo’s and managed the work while it was there. I was out of the country for most of the repairs. And with his great communication we made decisions with my limited funds to bring my van Moondog up to a running and enjoyable van. Shane was always upbeat, gave me multiple options, and outfitted me with his own details and refinement. More than anything tho, he’s a super enthusiast regarding these vans, and a good friend. He is inspired, interested, and down for the long haul. He even did a couple road side rescues for me, which were super appreciated. I’ve so enjoyed meeting his family, and connecting with the community of van folks he’s introduced me to. I really feel lucky because we all know sometimes it can feel overwhelming keeping these up and going, but it’s always better doing so when you have an advocate for the adventure and enjoyment of the never ending learning and repair curve. So I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to work and know Shane, both mechanically and personally. Gracias amigo!
-Willa @stargatrix |
"When we got our 1985 Adventurewagen, we knew she was is need of good bodywork. She was full of dents and rust and if the work wasn’t done properly, she would surely deteriorate pretty quickly. Soon enough, we were happy to learn that we lived not so far from Shane Jordan, THE man when it comes to all things Vanagon Restorations.
We were not disappointed. The whole process went by super smoothly, Shane regularly sent us pictures and kept us posted on the progress. We really felt like he genuinely cared about the van and the work that was put into it. And what about the price? A real bargain when you compare to prices in the States or Canada. The van turned out super great and we are very happy and proud of her. Overall a super great experience. We would definitely recommend Shane to anyone wanting to do a job on their Vanagon!! - Francisca and David, Baja Sur Mexico @the.libra.way.baja |