Parts: Belatedly Discovered Junk

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spiffy
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Parts: Belatedly Discovered Junk

Post by spiffy » Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:59 pm

I am adding these to Spiffy's post to keep them at the top. Feel free to contribute and I'll add to the list.

Thanks,
Sluggo

My (sluggo) Bus Depot Engine Compartment Seal is 3 months old and cracking.


The Rear Hatch Seal from Bus Depot is flimsy and low quality. It probably won't last long either.


TMI Seat Covers

Bus Depot Window Felt. Mine rubbed through to the metal in a few months. Comes with the $100 per door rebuild kit

Bus Depot window scrapers are very flimsy. Also comes in the kit.
78 Riviera "Spiffy"
67 Riviera "Bill"

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Amskeptic
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Re: Parts: Belatedly Discovered Junk

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:45 am

spiffy wrote:.......anyone???
TMI seat covers, though the quality is acceptable, we MUST demand the correct heat seam layout. Pictures forthcoming. . . . .

Window felts can be horrible, dye bleaches out and strands start unravelling and flapping in the breeze, when you bend them at the door curve, they can actually crimp. I got mine from RMMW MidAmerica has them now, any input on Wolfsburg West?

Window scrapers can be hard thick useless rubber that adds wind whistles to reward you for your effort.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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hambone
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Post by hambone » Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:58 pm

"Empi" (made in China)

RussellK
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Post by RussellK » Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:14 am

The boots & clips from West Coast Metric for the door panels. The boots do not hold the clips securely enough.

busdepot
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Post by busdepot » Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:55 pm

Bus Depot window scrapers are very flimsy.
These are genuine VW. I have to jump through hoops to get these instead of the aftermarket ones, which don't even fit right. We haven't had any complaints (other than one getting mangled by the post office now and then).
The Rear Hatch Seal from Bus Depot is flimsy and low quality.
Again a genuine VW replacement part, the best available. Have not had any complaints in years of sales.
My (sluggo) Bus Depot Engine Compartment Seal is 3 months old and cracking.
OEM Continental/Germany. Same quality they have been shipping for years. And the only one available.


If you can know of a better quality supplier of these parts than Volkswagen, by all means please tell me, because I'd love to sell them! Believe me, I've seen the aftermarket knockoffs. That's why I sell the genuine ones.

Since you are criticizing genuine/OEM parts, it would seem that your beef is that current production genuine VW product is not as good as it was 30 years ago. Perhaps so. But that's an impossible standard, because no retailer can turn back time. All we can do is ship the best quality available in the 21st century.

In some cases I would concur with you that OE quality (and/or quality control) has declined. Particularly in cases where they've moved production out of Germany, or are still using tooling from 30 years ago which is on its last legs. (In which case the part is probably not going to be available much longer anyway; once the tooling finally breaks, the part is simply discontinued and only the aftermarket suppliers remain, if there are any.)

However, as I said, in the case of these particular parts most of my customers are quite satisfied, especially those who have tried the aftermarket alternatives. If you bought these parts somewhere else, at best you'd have gotten the very same genuine parts (but probably for more money); at worst, inferior ones.
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:26 pm

busdepot wrote:
Bus Depot window scrapers are very flimsy.
These are genuine VW.
The Rear Hatch Seal from Bus Depot is flimsy and low quality.
Again a genuine VW replacement part.
My (sluggo) Bus Depot Engine Compartment Seal is 3 months old and cracking.
OEM Continental/Germany. Same quality they have been shipping for years. And the only one available.

If you can know of a better quality supplier of these parts than Volkswagen, by all means please tell me,
it would seem that your beef is that current production genuine VW product is not as good as it was 30 years ago.
In some cases I would concur with you that OE quality (and/or quality control) has declined.
most of my customers are quite satisfied,
We hobbyists need to install the new inferior parts with extreme attention to detail. Deck lid seals and door panels for example:
Deck lid cannot crush too hard against the rubber. It needs to be aligned and the hinges/catch need to be adjusted so the deck lid does not compress too hard.
Door panels are cheeeeep cardboard now and very susceptible to moisture. I spray the backs of the new TMI panels with silicone weatherproof spray for shoes or boots, + make sure the vapor barrier is correctly installed.
Colin
(here's hoping there are small specialized cottage industry aftermarket manufacturers willing to fill in the blanks with real quality)

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sped372
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Post by sped372 » Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:46 am

Sunvisor clips from Busdepot - mine broke two seconds after I installed it. Yeah it was only a little more than a dollar, but I would have had more fun lighting the money on fire and watching it burn.
1971 Karmann Ghia - 1600 DP
1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX

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bretski
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Post by bretski » Mon May 21, 2007 6:13 pm

sped372 wrote:Sunvisor clips from Busdepot - mine broke two seconds after I installed it. Yeah it was only a little more than a dollar, but I would have had more fun lighting the money on fire and watching it burn.
I recently got one of these for the driver's side. The swivel slot for the tab on the visor is too narrow. I was able to shave it with a wood chisel, and got the tab to fit in there. Will see how well it holds up...
1978 Deluxe Westfalia - "Klaus"

"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio

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bretski
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Post by bretski » Mon May 21, 2007 6:19 pm

Busdepot battery mats.

An absolute waste of $4.95/each. I was expecting something shaped to cover the battery tray. Instead, it's a 4x8" rectangle of rubbery foam, maybe 3mm thick. They are going back to PA...
1978 Deluxe Westfalia - "Klaus"

"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio

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tristessa
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Post by tristessa » Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:09 pm

West Coast Metric sunvisor clips. They may work fine with the reproduction visors, but if you've got originals, scour the wrecking yards and pick up good used spares whenever you come across them 'cuz they'll break sooner or later.

The slot is too wide for the pivot/shaft/end of my original driver-side visor, it keeps slipping out of the clip. Fixed it "good enough for now" with a longer screw & a washer to hold the visor in place. Their clips is also completely the wrong design for my OG passenger-side visor (which I don't need (yet) anyway), the original clip has a shaft that goes into the visor for the pivoting, not a shaft coming *from* the visor to the clip.

It beats having my visor tucked behind the drivers seat where it's been since my original clip broke a few months ago, but that's about all I can say.

Anyone want the other one? I've got an extra in black, yours if you need it. :lol:
Remember, only YOU can prevent narcissism!

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dtrumbo
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Post by dtrumbo » Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:46 pm

Super Beetle radio frame from OEVeeDub.

Image

A DIN size radio will not fit in the opening without trimming the vertical plastic "fins". In doing so, the horizontal cross piece breaks making the part nearly useless. I called OEVeeDub and asked, not for a refund, but to stop selling this obviously inferior part, yet nearly two years later, it is still for sale. Do not purchase this product, it will not perform the function it was designed to do.
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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Sluggo
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Post by Sluggo » Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:06 pm

CIP1 Mirror to Body Seals for a Bay Bus. Wrong size and plastic crap.
:vwgauge420:

1977 Bus with Sunroof - "Lucky '77"
2000cc Type IV w/Dual Weber 36s,
Aircooled.net SVDA w/Compufire,
Redline Weber Fuel Pump,
Holley Regulator,
Half Ass Brush & Roller Rustoleum Paint Job,
Incomplete Custom Interior,
Dual Batteries,
Crunched Slider Door.
------------------------------------------------------

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dtrumbo
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Post by dtrumbo » Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:52 am

Rear window seal for '75 - '79 convertible made by West Coast Metric and sold by CIP. The seal is too thick and will not fit in the opening. Even the guys at the auto glass shop I took it to in frustration said the same thing. Check the "Parts: Known to be Acceptable" thread for the solution.
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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Sluggo
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Post by Sluggo » Fri Dec 24, 2010 12:43 pm

CIP1 Sunroof seal. They give you 3 Beetle seals to use on a Bus. With zero use (installed but sunroof never opened or closed on it except during installation) it has worn out and and the plastic tube inside is sticking out in many spots in less than a year.

Expensive Crap!

Anyone know a better option?
:vwgauge420:

1977 Bus with Sunroof - "Lucky '77"
2000cc Type IV w/Dual Weber 36s,
Aircooled.net SVDA w/Compufire,
Redline Weber Fuel Pump,
Holley Regulator,
Half Ass Brush & Roller Rustoleum Paint Job,
Incomplete Custom Interior,
Dual Batteries,
Crunched Slider Door.
------------------------------------------------------

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:56 pm

vdubyah73 wrote:rustoleum 2000* exhaust paint.

vdubyah73 wrote:
rustoleum 2000* exhaust paint, use the primer as well. I sand blasted a 1 month old empi single quiet pack "extractor" exhaust after the og paint burned off and it started rusting. I removed the exhaust and sand blasted it clean of rust and remaining paint. 3 coats each of primer and paint. each coat consisted of 2 light coats and 1 full coat. meaning start at 1 end and when you get to the other go back and start over right away. wait 10 minutes before repeating. remounted and ran at idle for 10 minutes then cool till your hand can stay on it. repeat 2 or 3 times, then take a 30 minute ride, try for some highway time to get some real heat into it I went about 5 miles at 65-70 then toodled back home on surface streets. No paint has burned off, no rust has shown yet. I painted it about a month ago, bus is a daily driver, combo of surface street and highway driving.
the rustoleum seems to perform as advertised, I'm satisfied so far. will report back if and when rust or burning paint happens.

PS: the muffler is junk right out of the box. the flange should be reusable to replace with a quality one, when it falls apart from the inside out.


Paint did not burn off. Rust has come through in only 6 -7 weeks. May hold up nicely in a very dry climate. The rust started coming through soon after a 4-5 day rainy stretch.
My Rustoleum Hi-Heat paint job . . . (as seen below):

Image

. . . has also begun to show little rust speckles after only one hurricane, one nor'easter, and 10,000 miles. I am disappointed, but I understand what the issue is here. Exhaust components, if viewed under a microscope, must have major craters in the surface of the pipes. Even though we sand and sand, and then scrub with soap and scuff pads, and rinse and rinse, and apply etch-primer, those craters never get their floors cleaned out. Paint will not adhere in the pocks. I think next time, I am going to try a serious sandblast, how about you, Bill? I for one, do not want to see these original nice-fitting parts just rust away.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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