Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 21:04:22 -0700
Reply-To: MC <gipsyflies@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: MC <gipsyflies@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: OEM Pop Top Seals
In-Reply-To: <026901c46b90$25a46550$0100a8c0@RON>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Ron,
Thank you for being so passionate about the seal. Let me first state
that over the years I have bought many parts from you including some I
bought for spare in anticipating the OE parts may become hard to get.
Believe it or not before I decided on the OE seal I read most of the
posts on this subject including those of yours over the years. I am very
well aware of the rust problem of the OE and that the spring steel open
to the weather. I was considering buying yours if the design and
appearance is satisfactory. On your website I cannot determine how it
actually look in both appearance and in cross-section. All I know is it
is a bulb seal as opposed to the 2 lip design like the OE. With the
effort you claim to develop your seal why don't you include a few
close-up pictures showing the details including the cross sections. I
was frustrated after researching all the after market seals.
I am very meticulous on everything I add to my Westy and the seal is no
exception. I totally agree that Westfalia engineer did fall short on
this design. Given the degree of perfection on the rest of the coach
work and design I am willing to treat the seal as consumable.
- Vince
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of The Bus Depot
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 4:54 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: OEM Pop Top Seals
> > After much deliberation between the after market seal vs the OEM, I
> > decided I want the OEM one.
No insult intended, but I must ask ... Have you gone completely mad? :-)
The stock poptop seal might just be the worst product that Westfalia
ever invented. What were they thinking, using thin metal rust-prone
clips on a seal that has its 'open' end facing the sky so water gets in
every time it rains? Within a few years the metal clip starts rusting
and the seal starts sagging. Long before it starts noticably falling
apart from rust it has become an ineffective seal. Not to mention how it
looks drooping off of your poptop and leaving rust stains in its wake.
So is this horrid design much cheaper than the superior aftermarket
alternatives that use no-rust aluminum clips? No! In fact it's FIVE
TIMES the price! This isn't even a close call. It's a no-brainer!
A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to buy new genuine VW poptop
seals for roughly _twice_ the price of an aftermarket seal, and still
turned them down. Frankly I couldn't recommend them with a good
conscience even if they were the SAME price as aftermarket ones. It's
simply an intrinsically flawed design. Just because something is
"original" doesn't make it better. Even the venerable engineers at VW or
Westfalia come up with a stupid idea now and then, and this one takes
the cake.
Within a few years, your new $400 poptop seal will be rusting out all
over again. If you have $400 to burn every several years, go for it. But
personally I'd save my money for the many OEM products that ARE worth
spending extra money for.
Of course aftermarket seals vary in quality. Many are just off-the-shelf
weatherstrip that VW parts vendors buy by the roll and sell as "poptop
seal." Ours is custom manufactured to our specs for this purpose. It has
a different insulation bulb than most other aftermarket seals (closer to
OEM) and a different finish (smoother than the others, also closer to
OEM). We offer two different styles of luggage rack seals depending on
your needs. Also, ours is also the only one whose flat section (between
the poptop and luggage rack) is also held on by metal clips rather than
requiring glue. While the aftermarket poptop seals are two-piece rather
than one-piece (the flat seal at the front of the poptop being a
separate part), a few minutes with a razor blade can create a nearly
invisible seam. This is no different from what Westfalia did anyway; the
original seal is also two pieces, but was glued together by the factory
rather than by you. Basically, for $79 for the whole kit rather than
about $400, you will replace it once and never have to do it again, and
if you take a reasonable amount of care it will look so close to stock
that nobody will ever notice the difference.
Of course it's your money and your van. But boy, at $400 every several
years just for poptop seals alone, you sure must have an awful lot of
money burning a hole in your pocket... :-)
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
_____________________________________________
Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
