Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 23:02:50 -0700
Reply-To: Fryday <fryday@CALIFORNIA.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Fryday <fryday@CALIFORNIA.COM>
Subject: Re: New Cheap South African Grills are Here! (Also Cheap Mud
Flaps)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Thanks for the update, Ron!
I must admit I though these were new items ("New Cheap SA... Also Cheap Mud
Flaps"), so I never though of looking in the archive (as I usually do). I'll
look into it a bit deeper and try the more "permanent" approach you mention,
and report back!
Also just wanted to add that I'm still a happy customer -- I was just a
slightly confused one at the time. Ron, perhaps adding the notes (that you
mention below) to the shipment would be helpful in general. It's a bit like
the notes that always come with shipments from Crutchfield on how to
install, things to look out for, etc.
Thanks again!
Philippe
----- Original Message -----
From: "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@busdepot.com>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Cc: "Fryday" <fryday@california.com>
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2002 7:55 PM
Subject: RE: New Cheap South African Grills are Here! (Also Cheap Mud Flaps)
> > Well, I got my mudflaps. A few things of note (Ron, you'll have
> > to help me with some, I'll have to call for some others):
> >
> > - The rear mudflaps came without any installation instructions or
mounting
> > screws.
> > - The rear mudflaps won't attach unless they are carved out some
> > more on my '87 Westy GL. Is this normal?
> > - The front mudflaps instructions were hard to read at best (a single
hand
> > drawn photocopied sheet (which says "Kombi or Caravelle" on it)
> > - Both mudflaps will not stand vertically because the end of the
> > wheel well sits diagonal instead or perpendicular to the ground.
> >
> > Any ideas anyone? Did I get the wrong flaps?
>
>
> You got the right mud flaps. I can give you a little bit of info but I'm
> afraid you may have to look at the archives for more. You need to
> understand that most of these South African VW parts (i.e. grills,
mudflaps,
> trailer hitches, etc.) were intended to be dealer installed, so they
> generally come with no instructions at all, or rudimentary ones if you're
> lucky. Moreover, this stuff is getting more and more scarce, as it is
> nearing end-of-life. In fact, the discontinuation of the Vanagon in South
> Africa will only speed up this situation. For example, I have been told
> that the price of the genuine VW trailer hitches may go up significantly
as
> of my next shipment, both because of inflation in S.A. and the fact that
> VW/SA simply is not buying them in much quantity anymore.
>
> The front mudflaps (for now) come with some basic instructions. The rear
> ones used to, but haven't for almost a year. (If anyone has an instruction
> sheet from an old set, please fax or email it to me and I can include it
> with current stock; if I'd known VW was going to stop including them I'd
> have kept a copy!) The grills and trailer hitches never came with
> instructions at all, as it was assumed that the VW dealer installing the
> part would know what to do. Doubtless there was once an "official VW
> instruction sheet" provided to dealers for these items, which was not made
> available to us mere mortals. :-)
>
> Fortunately, there are so many listmembers who have put South African
> accessories on their Vanagons that there should be no shortage of advice
in
> the archives and elsewhere. If you haven't already searched the Archives,
> that would be the place to start. Plus, you can generally figure out what
> to do just from common sense. This is how I figured out how to install the
> mud flaps and trailer hitch on my own '89 Westy, without any instructions.
> After examining the contents, it became apparant that the trailer hitch
> included one set of brackets for metal bumpers and one for plastic
bumpers;
> I messed around with them until I figured out what was what. Similarly,
it
> became apparant that the rear mudflaps were designed to clip on, which I
> didn't much care for, as it just didn't seem too secure to me. So I
> constructed a simple bracket with a piece of angle iron that allowed me to
> bolt the mud flaps to the wheel wells, a design which has lasted me two
> years so far and counting. However, I believe that many people have
simply
> clipped them on, so I suppose that works as well. The bottom edges on the
> set on my Vanagon are not completely parallel to the ground; I believe
that
> this is intentional, as this is the only way they fit that makes sense,
and
> they do look fine that way.
>
> If anyone cares to add suggestions/ideas, be my guest. It's been a few
years
> since I put these accessories on my own Westy, so my memory is a bit
fuzzy.
>
> - Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> (215) 234-VWVW
> www.busdepot.com
>
> _____________________________________________
> Toll-Free for Orders by Part # 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>
>
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