At 12:52 PM -0700 2/7/01, Steve Blackham wrote: >So far my research has found 6 vendors with the following prices on a >rebuild tranny for my 82-83 Vanagon: > >CalImports, Blaine, Wash. $617 250 core Advice: stay away from CaliImports at all costs. I have dealt with them several times, and *nothing* I've purchased from them is, ah, at all reasonable quality. Items purchased: Vanagon heater fan switch: 0-1-2-3 settings function as 1-2-3-0. (!?) Vanagon passenger side mirror: very cheap plastic, mirror surface fun-house warped Vanagon gas tank: designed such that engine starved of fuel on moderate or long right-hand turns or left-sloping road/parking spot (fuel pick-up is on right hand side of tank, remember) whenever tank is 1/4 full or less. Makes a diesel pretty hard to drive on hilly, curvy SW BC! Vanagon brake MC: the threads were damaged on the hydraulic coupling, making it unusable. They *did* take this one back, but only after exploding at several people over the phone and in their store. The "satisfaction guarantee" refers to *their* satisfaction, as far as I can tell. Fan switch: "it's an electrical part; we don't do returns on electricals"; mirror: "You already installed in and the ball joint piece is marked up (because the plastic is so cheap and soft), and the warp isn't bad--we haven't had anybody else complain"; tank: "well, you've put fuel in it, we can't take it back" and predictably, "Gee, you're the first person who's ever complained about this". The MC was a *real* protracted struggle, and the part was *clearly* defective out of the box. Eventually, they refunded my money for the MC. Guess what? I won't buy from them again, and I tell others of my experiences when asked. Make up your own mind regarding CaliImports. BTW, I'm very happy with the service at Bow-wow parts. They have stores on SW BC and Seattle. Jeremy at the North Van store has been exceptional and I recommend him to everyone. He once helped my wife repair a NLA hydraulic line (damaged by a bad CaliImports brake MC, incidentally) enlisting the help of the guy in a machine shop across the street, and testing the parts--no charge. Maybe Bow-wow has parts you need? T. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tobin Copley Bowen Island, BC, Canada 49deg 23'N-123deg 19'W '82 Westfalia 1.6L NA diesel ("Stinky") '97 son Russell ============= '99 daughter Margaret /_| |_L| |__|:| clatter SPEED KILLS! {. .| clatter! Drive a Vanagon diesel ~-()-==----()-~ |
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