Date:         Tue, 21 Sep 2004 15:23:35 -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: replace starter
In-Reply-To:  <000001c4a005$00716a90$b850a08c@STARSHIP152>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

> Head out to your local parts store, Flaps, Schucks,
> etc... and get the starter with a lifetime warranty.  I got
> my first one many years ago and I've never had to buy
> another (been through 4 of them)

> FWIW I did 3 "rebuilts" from my FLAPS -
> they were all guaranteed but what a PITA.
> $100 - Bus Depot - no probs for 3 years.


So you didn't have to actually buy another one - but you had to replace
it 4 times under warranty!!  And the second poster had to replace his 3
times!! Wow, with failure rates like that, it's lucky they have lifetime
warranties!

So, is this really a bargain?  What is your time worth - or the hassle,
risk, and danger of your van breaking down in the middle of the night in
the pouring rain an hour fom home?  Had you bought a better brand to
begin with, you might never had needed the warranty even once!

"Lifetime warranties" are often more marketing gimmick than a true
indicator of quality. Not that a quality product can't carry a lifetime
warranty, but a lifetime warranty does not guarantee a quality product -
as these experiences clearly exemplify.  The manufacturers know that few
failures will actually result in a warranty payout. People move, lose
their receipt, or break down a distance from the nearest warranty repair
location and end up just buying a replacement.  This is why you often
see lower end brands with longer warranties than higher-end, more
established ones.  For example, Korean cars have longer warranties than
Mercedes or Bentley.  It can be cheaper to extend the warranty than it
is to actually impove the product, and it's effective marketing too.

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

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