Hi everyone, we’re Willow and Lee... Better known as the Kombi Chronicles – a couple travelling the length of the Americas in our beloved 1976 VW Kombi, Ruby.

After over 2000 days on the road, driving through deserts, mountains, jungles, and snow, Ruby has taken us further than we ever dreamed. But now… she needs major help.

We’ve are currently in Chile and are currently living in a garage with a long list of repairs, including a full engine rebuild. Over the last 6 years we have encountered many mechanical problems and always managed to find a way to get back on the road again.

We never in our wildest dreams imagined that we would travel across the Americas and have some how managed to keep going on a very limited budget.

Whilst attempting to drive a 500km dirt road, 4000m above sea level in Bolivia, our air intake hose fell off. This resulted in Ruby's engine sustaining major wear inside the cylinders. With limited funds, we spent 6 weeks repairing it as well as we could. But the repairs were not enough and at the start of this year, we noticed that the engine still had a major problem, which announced itself by firing out the dipstick (as well as several litres of oil) whilst we were driving along the Carretera Austral.

After considering all of our options, we have decided that the best solution is to have the engine worked on by a specialist workshop. So, we made it to Santiago...Chile's capital, (although very nearly didn't, according to the machinist). Instead of buying another second hand block in an unknown condition as we have done before, we have decided to repair what we have as we feel this is the safer option. Every single internal part needs machining and to be honest we're impressed that she got us here. We hope by comprehensively repairing what we have, we can finally leave Chile with something that will last us the duration of our travels.

On top of the engine, we have an ever growing list of worn parts and electrical systems that need repairing or replacing if we are going to be able to continue on this incredible VW adventure. Including some tweaks to prevent things in the past which have cost us expensive breakdowns, from dirty air to dirty fuel.

Here is a list of all of the work we intend to carry out whilst in the garage

Engine:

Electrical

Brakes/Suspension/Transmission

Interior/misc

As you can see we will certainly be busy! While many of these things are not huge costs and we save a lot by doing all the work (except the engine machining ourselves), things certainly add up.

This journey has always been about more than travel — it's about inspiring people to live simply, explore the world differently, and chase their dreams, even when the road gets tough.

If you've ever smiled watching one of our YouTube videos, followed our story online, or dreamed of doing something similar — we’d be incredibly grateful for any support you can give. Every donation, share, or kind word means the world to us (and Ruby).

We’ll keep you updated every step of the way with photos, behind-the-scenes updates from the garage, and the final moment when Ruby fires back to life ❤️

Thank you so much for reading this and we are eternally grateful to everyone who chooses to help and support us to continue the adventure.

Much love,

Lee, Willow, Aimee, Lexi and of course Ruby