Date:         Thu, 3 Apr 2003 08:31:36 -0600
Reply-To:     Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: A curious part
Comments: To: vw4x4@FYI.NET
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Try this one on for size.
The foundry that makes the iron or aluminum castings was set up as a
vendor of raw castings for VW / Audi or the company completing the part
with machine work and final assembly supplied VW / Audi.
Their contract has long expired but they still hold the masters used in
casting those parts.
They cannot sell them as VW or AUDI OEM but they can continue to sell the
blank, un machined castings as a generic part that can be machined into a
VW / Audi part as long as they remove the VW/ Audi logo.
I have seen parts with several logos cast into them, they just remove the
NOT required logos to leave the part the required suppliers name.
I site an example of Jerry Pierce with Pierce Foundry, as a supplier of
Refinery Valve Wheels for Dresser Industries, Otis Engineering, Brown Oil
Tool and several others he sold as you would suspect Valve Wheels. Each
wheel has 4 spokes and two sides both the same. He simply ground off
names that did not represent his current purchaser. Lot less expensive
than having several sets of masters to make exactly the same product.

Stan Wilder



On Thu, 3 Apr 2003 09:12:46 -0500 Eric Zeno <vw4x4@FYI.NET> writes:
> Good question.   I've seen this from many vendors,
> so I don't think that they are the people doing it.
> I think the OEM, is grinding off the part number, maybe,
> because this item was under contract to be sold only to
> the vehicle manufacture.  Grind the number off, and no one
> can guarantee it is the same part.
>                                     Just a guess
>                                        Eric
>
>
> Jeffrey Earl wrote:
>
> > I recently received a small parts order from a popular
> > vendor and was surprised by one of the hydraulic
> > cylinders. On one side of the casting appeared the
> > logo of "FTE", evidently makers of "FAG" parts, a
> > respected OEM supplier for Volkswagen.
> > On the other side of the casting however, had once
> > resided the familiar VW and Audi logos, but both of
> > which have obviously been removed from the cylinder by
> > use of a grinding machine.
> >
> > My question, quite simply, is why?
> >
> > Is this a New-Old-Stock part from VW?
> > Is it a part which for some reason met FAG's quality
> > standards but not VW's?
> >
> > Would appreciate if any listmembers or vendors could
> > provide enlightenment.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Jeff Earl
> > 1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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> > Yahoo! Tax Center - File online, calculators, forms, and more
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>
>

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