Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 09:46:33 -0600
Reply-To: "Roy O." <keepsake@PANGEA.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Roy O." <keepsake@PANGEA.CA>
Subject: Re: Cdn Tire Mufflers
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I'm not rushing to the defence of Canadian Tire here, just simply adding some
balance to the opinions expressed concerning mufflers.
I'm quite happy with my $124 Canadian Tire muffler which was installed in June
1996 and is still going strong despite the generous application of road salt
here in Manitoba. It's a little louder than the stock VW muffler but it's also
$575 cheaper! Paying the obscene price for a stock VW muffler with only a one
year warranty didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I'd rather take my chances
with the Canadian Tire muffler and use the savings to pay for future vehicle
maintenance or feed and clothe my family. Muffler guarantees are based on the
premise that most drivers keep their vehicles for only four or five years, hence
the odds are you won't return to take advantage of the lifetime warranty but
Canadian Tire is going to lose money on this muffler installation because I'll
be back when it does rust out...I will be keeping the van forever.
I would have considered the Stebro muffler if I knew about it at the time.
Stainless steel sounds like the way to go.
Roy O.
'87 Westfalia GL
(till death us do part)
> Doug, I had one of these on my '87 Westy. Bought it back in June of 1994
> for $44.95 at the Canadain Tire in Bells Corners. It lasted two years.
> Guarantee only applied if they put it on. I don't let ANYBODY especially
> Canadian Tire touch my Westy. So when it went, ends rusted out of it. Very
> salty up here in the Ottawa arena and my Westy is a daily driver all year
> long ! So then I went looking for something better. That's when I found
> STEBRO and they were looking for a guinea pig for their new stainless muffler
> for the Vanagon. I made a deal with them and got the prototype put on and
> it's still there today and will be forever. No problem.
> As you may have noticed this muffler has recently become available for
> sale to the public and I've become the exclusive agent for the STEBRO/Vanagon
> Stainless Steel muffler and soon to come header pipes and collector pipe.
> The muffler comes with an integral mounting bracket and tail pipe so no need
> to buy these items. All in quality stainless. The fact that the tail pipe
> is integral saves a connection and eventual gasket leak at this point. The
> integral hanger save you some $60 and will last a lifetime. Go to my
> website, <A HREF="http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html">Frank Condelli
> & Associates</A>, follow the Mechanics link to the STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless
> Steel Muffler page and all the technical details of construction are listed
> there. There is a picture page also so you can have a look see. The price
> is $365 plus $15 for the installation kit and $30. Shipping and handling to
> your door. Total of $395. Compare that to the Canadian Tire one that will
> rust away at $124.99 plus the $52.50 for tail pipe, hanger and gaskets that
> will rust away also. I question your prices for the hanger and tailpipe at
> $52.50 since I've never come across those two items at that good of a price.
> And, you need two gaskets one for the muffler to CAT and one for the tail
> pipe. The STEBRO muffler uses only a better style doughnut gasket which is
> supplied for the connection to the CAT. This style of connection give more
> flexibility and prevents cracking of the pipe and this junction. Anyways, I
> still don't see the savings. Your just delaying the expenditure. The next
> time you change these pieces you would have more than paid for the STEBRO
> muffler. Just my prejudiced opinion !
>
> Cheers
>
> Frank Condelli
> '87 Westy & Lionel Trains
> STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems
> Almonte, On
> Visit me on the web.......> <A
> HREF="http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html">Frank Condelli & Associates<
> /A> or
> http://http://onward.to/frankcondelli
> Want to win $10,000? Click to enter!!
> <A HREF="http://irecommend-it.com/sh.e?22EC343C3B75">iRecommend-It Public
> Page for RAlanen@aol.com</A>
>
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