Date:         Mon, 19 Jun 2000 23:37:12 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <ron@netcarrier.com>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <ron@netcarrier.com>
Subject:      Re: Seeking comments on Muffler Replacement
In-Reply-To:  <20000619212257.70652.qmail@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

 > The comments have come and it is not looking good for the aftermarket
> mufflers.  Apparently, fitting the Dansk would not be easy  without some
> tinkering, bending or general tweaking.  Would Ken W. or Ron
> Salmon like to comment about the mufflers they sell and how they would fit
into
> a 1990 MV?



Sure I would.:-)

The Dansk IS an original equipment muffler.  It is made by the O.E. supplier
to VW/South Africa.  Indeed it is not Danish at all, despite the labeling.
I know this because I often get them directly from the South African factory
that ships them to Dansk. I have also, incidentally, seen the same muffler
sold under the Bosal and Ansa names at times, although those brands do use a
different supplier as well.

The SA mufflers are exactly the same size as the stock muffler and will fit
the same. They differ from the original only in that they have a heat
shield, which has spaces in it to allow the use of the stock muffler
hangers.  The length is the same, the flanges are in the same place, etc.
There is absolutely no reason why they would fit any differently from a
stock muffler.

This is not to say that you may not need to do some tinkering, bending, or
tweaking.  The Vanagon exhaust system as a whole is notorious for tweaking,
cracking, bending, etc. over time.  It is a very safe bet that one of the
many parts of your original system are not exactly up to original spec
anymore.  This can make a new muffler a bit of a challange to mate to old,
worn parts, regardless whether you are using a S.A. or a German replacement.
Exhaust parts rarely slip together like Lego blocks unless you are replacing
everything from the heads back, including all mounts, etc.  I always get a
kick out of people who put one new exhaust component onto a system
consisting of six old, worn parts, and when the new part does not slide on
like a glove, they immediately blame the new part, saying that it must be
out of spec.  No, it couldn't possibly be that one of the other half-dozen
old, crusty exhaust parts that they are mating it to has gone slightly out
of spec in the five years that it was bouncing around under their van; it
must be the brand new part that is the culprit. :-)

Will the S.A. muffler last as long as the stock one?  No - it will probably
last longer.  The factory in S.A. turns out the same muffler with and
without a stainless steel body. (By "body" I mean not including the flanges
and heat shield.)  I cannot always get my hands on the stainless one, since
they are made in batches, and are not sold to everybody.   I ship the
stainless-bodied ones whenever possible, which is most of the time, since
when I get my hands on them I stock up.  If you get one of those, it will
almost certainly outlast the German one; if you get the standard one it will
last as long as the German one.  At $109.95, you're ahead of the game either
way.

Of course, it's your hard earned money and your perogative to waste it. :-)
In my opinion that's exactly what you'd be doing if you bought the VW
muffler.  If I felt the German one was worth spening more money for, I'd be
importing it myself.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  http://www.busdepot.com
  (215) 234-VWVW