Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 11:43:06 -0400
Reply-To: "G. Matthew Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "G. Matthew Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Organization: Bulley-Hewlett
Subject: Re: GERMAN source for VW parts
In-Reply-To: <4.3.2.7.2.20020919104721.04f7b580@pop.rcn.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I know this is a cr*ppy response, but I’m on a deadline…
Just the other day, I posted a rundown of what I learned in R/R-ing my
Vangon motor. In that post, I sited the fact that rear Pin was $42, and
that the boot was NLA. Someone wrote back on list and said the boot IS
available, from some shop in CA.
Find that message and you’ve found the answer. It was Monday, I think…
CU.
Developing business and guiding change since 1996,
G. Matthew Bulley
Bulley-Hewlett
Marketing & Communications
Business: <http://bulley-hewlett.com/> www.bulley-hewlett.com
AIM = IExplain4u
Phone: +1.919.658.1278
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
Of Derek Drew
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 11:16 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: GERMAN source for VW parts
At 07:47 AM 9/19/2002 -0700, you wrote:
Hi all:
I'm looking for the boot the covers the guide pin/rear shift linkage
connection near the transmission, part # 251 711 167A. None of the
internet
retailers I've contacted have it and according to my local VW dealer no
warehouse in the U.S. has one either. I thought I might take a flyer
and
try to contact a Germany-based retailer for this part. Has anyone tried
this, and can anybody offer any URL's where I might try my luck?
TIA.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Young '81 Vanagon
Lafayette, CA 94549 '82 Westfalia
----------------------------------------------------------------
I have set up a mechanism to get any part direct from the mother ship in
Germany at low prices.
Of any 20 parts, typically the distribution is as follows:
5 parts not available in north america but available in germany
5 parts available from VW in North American at the same or less cost
5 parts available in germany at 25% discount
5 parts available in germany at 50% discount
Many of the parts with the largest discounts are large and expensive
items so it pays to check on the overseas price of those.
The procedure is to send me a part number and then I will check the
price and give a soft quote (which is subject to change in the event
there has been a large price movement recently in Germany.) I have a
database of 300,000 prices here so I can check these soft quote prices
quickly.
You can then indicate that you want that part by sending me payment for
it via www.paypal.com <http://www.paypal.com />
I will then usually get the part for you and I typically am able to
receive it here in about 60 to 90 days. (Long lead time!!!!!!!!!)
Sometimes, in special cases, I can use airmail which will cause the part
to get here in about 2.5 weeks.
I will then email you the final price including local shipping costs and
after your final www.paypal.com <http://www.paypal.com/> payment send
you the part.
In about 1% of the cases, even though I tell you I can get the part,
when I go to order it the order will bounce because it is no longer
available in Germany either.
This process is so efficient that it often results in your obtaining
parts you want more cheaply than almost any other method for OEM-only
parts provided you check the USA price first, say, at Camelback
(800-876-5199) or Rennie, and then order the parts from the USA dealer
that turn out to be cheaper there. (You can also check prices in the USA
at www.vwparts.com <http://www.vwparts.com/> , www.busdepot.com
<http://www.busdepot.com/> , www.vanagain.com <http://www.vanagain.com/>
, www.volkscafe.com <http://www.volkscafe.com/> , or www.bus-boys.com
<http://www.bus-boys.com/> . For transmission parts, you can also check
with Weddle [www.2weddle.com <http://www.2weddle.com/> ]).
The key in all this that makes it so easy is if you can get your part
number in advance. In order to do that, the best method is to use the
E_K_T_A computer disks/ CD-ROMS disks that are going around and are
plentiful and excellent. Email me if you lack such a disk.
I have been a little low profile about this because there are people in
VW who could get into trouble for helping us this way but for now they
are happy to do it and we have had no trouble so far.
Also, note that due to time constraints, I am unable to help with small
orders (like $5 orders) unless it is a matter of the USA dealer having
declared this part obsolete or it is no longer sold in North America.
It delights me to help list members obtain VW parts not normally sold in
North America either because they are no longer sold here, having been
declared obsolete, or because they were never sold here to begin with.
Regarding the part you asked about, the price is $6.
I have been meaning to post the 300,000 prices on the web and will do
that as soon as I can solve how to do it. If somebody else knows how to
easily put up a web page with 300,000 prices using Excel or MS Access or
conversions from thereof, let me know.
________________________________________________________
Derek Drew Washington, DC (& NYC)
derekdrew@rcn.com Phone 202-966-7907
Email me for viscous coupling s (Cell 703-408-1532)
'90 Syncro Westfalia...
...seen off-road at
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/Syncro_Madness_Area.htm
Note: most valuable Vanagon sites on the planet (for owners) are:
http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon
http://gerry.vanagon.com/files/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro
http://www.vanagon.com <http://www.vanagon.com/>
http://www.syncro.org <http://www.syncro.org/>
Many of my Syncro list postings consolidated
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/messagesearch?query=212-580-6486
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/messagesearch?query=202-966-7907
My refrigerator article:
http://www.vanagon.com/info/articles/Refrigerator/Reefer_Madness.htm
All About 16" Wheels And The CV-900.htm
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/vanagon/All_About_16-Wheels_And_The_CV_90
0.htm
All About Viscous Couplings
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/vanagon/viscous_couplings_vanagon_syncro.
htm
How To Live With Heavy List Volume--Mail Filters
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7403
My article that shows how to deal with insurance companies:
http://gerry.vanagon.com/files/auto-insurance-madness.html
To read some material about how to add a front differential lock to your
syncro
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/13105
To view Wolfgang's incredibly informative wheel article
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/fitbigtiresonvanagon.htm
To view Tim Smith's incredibly useful gearing calculator
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/syncrotireandgearratios.xls
To view two articles about how to think about improving your gears at
transmission rebuild time
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7207
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7221
To view an overview article about choices in larger sized tires see
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/11535
To view some 16" Trailing Arms that enable much larger tires see
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/syncro-org/files/Wheels%2C%20Tires%20%26%2
0Gearing/Wheel%20%26%20Tire%20Photos/16_Inch_Trailing_Arm.jpg
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/syncro-org/files/Wheels,%20Tires%20%26%20
Gearing/Wheel%20%26%20Tire%20Photos/16_Inch_Trailing_Arm.jpg>
My article about belt protectors and CV joint protectors
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/6112
SYNCRO OWNERS WHO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD:
You only get to change your ring and pinions once every 10 years
because that's how long the average syncro transmission goes
before
its next rebuild. If you want bigger tires and more ground
clearance
start planning your higher number ring and pinion sets right now
so you
can take advantage of your next trans rebuild.