> I am interested in knowing if you agree with > eric's comments. So which radiator is heavier and > what is the price per unit weight and do you think > that the content of the radiator has any affect on the > degradation of the coolant system? Which metal is > the metal of choice?
I am not a metallurgist, nor do I play one on TV. I suggest that we convene a board of scientists to test the long term effects of various radiator materials on the Vanagon cooling system at various climates. We will need about five years of time, $100,000, and several donor Vanagons in identical condition to use as test subjects. Of course, while we are waiting to learn the crucial results of this detailed analysis, everyone's Vanagon will have blown up due to driving it in the meantime on a bad radiator, rendering the point moot. :-) Alternatively, we can simply consider that both VW themselves and others have been selling the South African radiators in the U.S. for years, and with thousands in use no reports have surfaced indicating any difference in long-term reliability or impact on the Vanagon cooling system, versus the German radiator. So if there is any real-world difference it would seem to be minimal. What's more, either is far superior to the 15 year old used one in poor condition that it is replacing. Of course, the "I-don't-buy-anything-that-isn't-German" people among us can simply buy the German one for $50 more, so nobody's left out. Besides, if Vanagon radiators were that climate-specific, we'd have needed multiple part numbers just for the U.S. alone. After all, the climates in Alabama and in North Dakota are not exactly the same. - Ron Salmon The Bus Depot, Inc. www.busdepot.com (215) 234-VWVW _____________________________________________ Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT |
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