Date:         Fri, 17 Sep 2004 10:37:22 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Exhaust Pipe Question
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2004091709265441@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> My experience with VW is that you can purchase a complete
> replacement exhaust, in mandrel bent stainless, from a
> reputable vendor, for less then OEM.
>
> www.ssheaders.com may still make an exhaust for the vanagon
>  in stainless. I'd check them out.



To my knowledge S&S has never made Vanagon pipes in stainless. They do
offer a system in mild steel, and also a ceramic coated version at a
higher price on a special-order basis (both of which we sell, as an S&S
distributor).  The ceramic coated system is supposed to last longer, and
be an alternative to stainless steel. I have not sold enough of these to
be able to report with any certainty whether or not this is a worthwhile
upgrade.  As for the stock S&S setup, customer and listmember reports
have been been mixed as to ease of installation and lifespan versus
stock replacement parts. A true header system, the S&S setup will
slightly improve performance over a stock setup, but also is a bit
louder. In the case of a 1.9L Vanagon, the mild-steel S&S setup is about
the same price as the OE style setup; in the case of 2.1L it's cheaper.

Which brings us to the next alternative - the OE style setup from
Dansk/Jopex that Jim Thompson uses. These Danish made pipes are direct
copies of the originals and have the same fit and quality as what the
dealer sells, but for much less money. Although Jopex was not the
original supplier of these particular pipes to VW, they do make other
exhaust parts for Volkswagen, so they do have a pedigree so to speak.
This is the setup that most people buy.

As for stainless steel, if you have an '86-up Vanagon you do have that
option. We sell an '86-up setup which includes all stainless piping,
although the muffler and tailpipe are not stainless (and the conector
pipe is, of course, cast).  Frank Condelli does offer a nice stainless
muffler that can be used instead of ours if you want to go all-stainless
(although it is much more expensive than the stock muffler).  As Dennis
suspects, even a stainless steel setup costs less than the dealer
charges for mild steel.  This system is the same fit as the original, so
it will look and sound stock other than being stainless, and will be as
easy to fit as the stock system. Unfortunately, a stainless steel system
is not available for 1.9L Vanagons, and for Syncros only one of the two
stock header pipes (the one that's common to 2WD as well) is available
in stainless.

So, for the most part, these are your options. See our website for
pricing and details on each, of course.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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