New Tunes for Ringo, and New Boots too

Ringo has some new tunes. No, not Ringo the Beatle, it's Ringo the Beetle! This photo was taken just before the center dash went back in the car:

Yet Another Interior...

When John Zimmerman and I finished changing the carpet in Ben and Cindy's minivan about a month ago, I confidently stated, "That's the last interior I'll disassemble for a while!" Well, as the old saying goes, Man plans, God laughs! I've already disassembled the next one...

Yes, that's Ringo the Beetle's interior.

The Better Part of Valor

Referring to the title: it's "Discretion," in case you've forgotten that saying. Discretion is the better part of valor. Like so many of our idioms, this one came from Shakespeare. Falstaff says it, more or less, after playing dead on the battlefield in Henry IV, Part I. Anyway, after a frustrating day in the shop, I have shown some discretion! Read on...

Faithful readers will remember the story of Ringo, the 1998 Beetle that I bought for short money from my friends Lynn and Lynne. In the initial installment, Bob Zimmerman and I replaced the catalytic converter and the temperature sensor and cleaned the throttle body, successfully correcting a check engine light and a stinky exhaust. At the end of that post (dated August 15), I promised that "soon" I would replace the timing belt and other parts, rendering Ringo ready for winter duty.

A New Old New Beetle

As the title says, a New Old New Beetle. That is to say:

NEW - to me.
OLD - 1998 model, the first year of the...
NEW BEETLE - that's what VW called it at first, although now it's just the "Beetle."

So, here we are with a fifth member of the fleet.