Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 10:13:02 -0400
Reply-To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject: Re: For those of you awaiting your #@$%$ watertank fill outlets.
In-Reply-To: <20010816054947.83049.qmail@web14207.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> Well I finally got the outlet today, and I am not impressed.
> Apparently the maker saw fit for a redesign, instead of the hinged
> cover and a keyed cap inside, the new setup is simply a keyed hatch
> that opens downward to reveal the filler. The opening is really small.
> And in the effort of even worse design the entire assembly is made of
> plastic, even down to the keys! I have never seen a
> bigger @#$%#@ pile of garbage in my life.
>
> This just sucks,safe to say I will be returning this item.
> I just hope I can find the original design, hopefully VWoA
> still has some lying around, despite inflated prices it is now worth it.
> A Pox on the maker of such crap!
I don't know whether you got this from me or another vendor, but it's
irrelevant because there is only one maker of the part, and everyone who
sells it gets it from that maker.
That maker is the original supplier to Volkswagen. And it doesn't matter if
you buy that part from the VW dealer, EuroAmerican, Go Westy, Bus Boys,
myself, or anybody else, you will receive the identical part from the
identical factory. All that will vary is how much you pay.
The part is genuine OEM Volkswagen, made from the original Westfalia/VW
tooling, and is identical to what was provided with 1988 and later
Westfalias. There is no direct-fit aftermarket part available for this
application.
The inlet you have on your own Westfalia was discontinued late in 1986 and
replaced by the version that you now received. All '88-91 Vanagons came
factory-equipped with this later style and plastic key. The principle
reason for the change is that the top-hinged inlet cover tended to break off
when a hose was inserted, which is probably why you replaced yours. The
"funnel" type design of the the later version eases filling and is less
prone to breaking. (If yours actually broke, rather than just slipping off
of the clip, when you were examining it, you certainly should contact the
vendor for an exchange.) Another reason was the unavailability of the lock
cylinders used in the earlier design. Opinions differ, but having lost my
share of inlet covers (or the springs that keep them from flapping in the
wind), I personally prefer the later design, which is not prone to the same
problem that plagues all of the other inlets. I wish all three inlets had
been redesigned with something other than those hinged covers that break
off!
As recently as a year ago, it was possible to obtain a sort of "bastardized"
version of the early filler that you had. Due to the unavailability of the
lock cylinder, this version had no lock cylinder, nor the ability to accept
your old one; just a hole for a hose under the flap. It may still be
possible to get this; I simply haven't tried because nobody's asked for one
in a couple of years.
The long backorder was because the tooling had broken and needed to be
repaired. The factory was unable to supply any of its customers (including
VW) with the inlets until the tooling was repaired, which took quite some
time. Also, they will be passing on the cost of the repair in the price of
the part, so a price increase is likely on the way. But the worse news is
that the tooling is getting old, breaking more frequently, and costing more
to repair each time. They have told me that it is nearing the point where it
just won't be economical (or even possible) to repair. When that happens,
they have no plans to retool from scratch because the cost would far exceed
the profit potential. So it's only a matter of time before they simply
discontinue the inlets completely. Unless someone comes up with a usable
aftermarket replacement at that time, "flapless" inlets on Westfalias will
gradually become the norm.
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
(215) 234-VWVW
www.busdepot.com
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