It’s funny how AI sometimes gets things hilariously wrong. My wife was showing a friend what our Winnebago Rialta was, searched “Rob Siegel Winnebago Rialta” on her phone, and Facebook Messenger’s AI confidently declared me a “well-known enthusiast and expert on VW vans” (news to me!) and stated the Rialta was made “from 1999 to 2010.” It even called me the “VW Van Guy.” While flattering in a ridiculous way, it’s a good reminder that AI isn’t always accurate, especially when it comes to the nuances of vintage vehicles like the VW Rialta.
AI Misidentifies Rob Siegel as VW Van Expert
Speaking of Rialtas, it was exactly seven years after we bought our 1996 Winnebago Rialta that we said goodbye. It wasn’t an easy decision. For those unfamiliar, the Rialta is essentially a Volkswagen Eurovan with a Winnebago camper conversion. They were a rare breed of compact, relatively fuel-efficient RVs, especially appealing if you could find one needing some TLC in the sub-$15,000 range. Ours was an early model, powered by the 110-hp five-cylinder Audi engine, making it wonderfully reminiscent of the slow but steady vintage VW buses. While our initial dream was a grand Western road trip, the Rialta proved perfect for more modest adventures: beach trips to Cape Cod, stays in affordable campgrounds – made all the better by having a built-in bathroom. The moment we loaded bikes, hit a rainy rail trail, and had a warm, dry place to change and make tea, the Rialta’s practical magic became clear, road trip or not.
VW Rialta Side Profile at the Beach
However, the balance shifted. The Rialta’s maintenance demands started outweighing our usage and pure enjoyment. Almost every trip came with a repair of some kind. Many were minor annoyances, like the central locking wires shorting, disabling all locks because the side door only locked centrally. The shower drain pump issue might be considered trivial by some, but bailing it out with a plastic bag wasn’t my wife’s idea of fun. Then there was the water pump switch failure, requiring some roadside MacGyvering to get the water flowing again. More seriously, a burst brake line en route to Cape Cod led to our only real breakdown, a slow crawl to a repair shop, and an unexpected overnight stay.
VW Rialta Electrical Troubleshooting
On its last major outing nearly two years prior, the alternator gave up. We limped home by creatively using the coach batteries, charged by the solar panel, to keep the vehicle battery alive. This failure spurred me to tackle some long-deferred maintenance. Accessing the alternator on these Eurovans is… involved. The A/C compressor needs to come out. While in there, I noticed weeping coolant necks, so they and their O-rings were replaced. A significant improvement was upgrading the transmission cooler. Winnebago, in their Rialta conversion, unfortunately didn’t upgrade the undersized transmission cooler of the Volkswagen transaxle. Adding a larger, externally mounted cooler is highly recommended, along with a transmission temperature gauge.
This is where the age of our 1996 Rialta becomes particularly relevant, especially for anyone familiar with vehicle diagnostics. Later models of the VW Rialta, specifically around 1999 and onwards, were equipped with OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics II) systems. OBD-II is a standardized system providing access to a wealth of vehicle data, including engine and transmission temperatures, fault codes, and sensor readings. For a 1999 VW Rialta with OBD2, owners can often use a ScanGauge or a standard OBD-II scanner to monitor transmission temperature and diagnose issues. However, our 1996 model, built on a 1995 Eurovan chassis, predated OBD-II. This meant no convenient port to plug in a ScanGauge. Instead, I had to go old-school, threading a temperature sensor directly into the transaxle housing and installing a physical gauge on the dashboard. This lack of OBD-II made even basic diagnostics more challenging.
Troubleshooting the VW Rialta Alternator Underside
The fact I undertook all this work after the alternator incident shows I wasn’t ready to give up then. It was a family health issue, not the alternator, that kept the Rialta parked last summer. Yet, reliability concerns were always in the back of my mind. While I generally dismiss the “I just don’t trust it anymore” sentiment, preferring to address core ignition, fuel, cooling, and charging issues, waking the Rialta after winter always involved some initial stumbling and sputtering. This year was no exception. It started, but died when I switched on the A/C. Then, it wouldn’t restart, and cranking the starter sounded worryingly like engine seizure. Cleaning up battery cable and starter connections seemed to resolve that, thankfully.
Then, I noticed the new alternator only started charging after revving the engine. My theory was that the voltage drop from the A/C fans kicking on before the alternator was fully running was confusing the ECU. With clean grounds and a new “blip-the-throttle-first” starting procedure, the Rialta behaved, but I never felt truly confident I’d found the root cause, and the possibility of recurrence on the road loomed. And because it lacked OBD-II, diagnosing such electrical gremlins was significantly harder. For a 1999 Vw Rialta Obd2 model, a simple code reader might have pinpointed the issue. For our ’96, it was guesswork and experience. A VW-specific diagnostic tool and subscription would be needed for deeper dives, a step beyond what most DIYers would undertake for an older RV.
VW Rialta Cooking Breakfast Inside
Looking at the bigger picture, every Rialta outing began to feel a bit like those final Space Shuttle missions – the primary goal was simply to get there and back without incident. Despite extensive work, a complete cooling system overhaul hadn’t been done. The five-cylinder Audi engine’s timing belt also drives the water pump, a crucial point. A previous owner’s receipt showed timing belt and water pump replacement in 2010, but the radiator and cooling fans were likely original. Deciding on preventative maintenance for such parts is a gamble, as replacement parts can sometimes be of lower quality than originals. When our adult children asked about using the Rialta, my answer was hesitant: “It’s not exactly turn-key, and I’d feel responsible.”
VW Rialta at Campsite with Screened Enclosure
All of this converged with the realization that, despite feeling 35, Medicare years are here, and the sheer number of vehicles and their collective maintenance needs were becoming overwhelming. Reader comments suggesting I sell some cars and focus on “nicer” ones have no impact, but the real issues of time, money, and physical capacity for repairs were a different story.
VW Rialta Parked at Picnic Table
Ultimately, the Rialta simply wasn’t being used. Since September 2022, its only service was hauling a mattress for my son. The justifications – beach getaways, music festivals, the touring singer-songwriter fantasy – weren’t materializing. My wife’s recovery from surgery was a major factor, but sometimes, reality dictates a change in plans.
VW Rialta Transporting Mattress
Perhaps the final nudge was renting a beach cottage in Truro last summer instead of RV camping. Once you’ve experienced that, campground life in an RV feels… different.
VW Rialta Interior Cushions
VW Rialta vs Beach House
So, with some sadness, I decided to sell. If a major road trip is truly in our future, we might consider something larger or a towable trailer. But deep down, Marie Anne and I might just not be true RV people after all.
I photographed the Rialta, wrote an honest description of its history, repairs, and quirks, and priced it fairly on Facebook Marketplace. It sold in two days to a nice young family ready for their own adventures.
One less vehicle to maintain and insure, a bit of money in the bank. It makes practical sense, but we’ll miss the Rialta. It provided adventures, shared experiences, and that in itself was wonderful.
Farewell, Rialta. May your journeys continue.
And so ends my brief, AI-fueled stint as the internet’s “VW Van Guy.” But “Rialta Guy”? Maybe that has a ring to it.
***
Rob’s latest book, The Best Of The Hack Mechanic™: 35 years of hacks, kluges, and assorted automotive mayhem is available on Amazon here. His other seven books are available here on Amazon, or you can order personally-inscribed copies from Rob’s website, www.robsiegel.com.
Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.
Click below for more about
