Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 05:22:42 -0700
Reply-To: BenT <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: BenT <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: jack, costs
In-Reply-To: <4170C92D.9010800@mchsi.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Al,
First, I promise that this will be my last list comment on this
thread. I am open to offlist discussion via pmail.
Let me just clarify my point. I have NO PROBLEMS with discussions
about quality control. I just think the tone of at least two or the
postings were taking the discussion into a topic unsuitable on the
Vanagon List. At least from the List I have known in recent times.
As for safe tools? I usually buy Craftsman. Best bang for the buck for
those of us who don't tinker for a living. If it breaks, they replace
it. I've never paid much attention to where they make them as long as
the quality is within my minimum specifications. That is not saying I
do not possess specialty tools from Teutonic factories. Heck my
oilfilter wrench is a Hazet.
By the by, VW actually called the loaf buses "station wagons" in
California. Doesn't sound minivanish but same general idea.
And for the record, I do not live in Pacific Heights. I live way
further south. And for you movie trivia buffs, the house in the movie
Pacific Heights with Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith is in fact
NOT in Pacific Heights. It's actually in Potrero Hill near where OJ
Simpson grew up. 19th and Texas -- look it up. I was supposed to sell
that house for the owner once upon a time. Anyway, this has gone far
off subject as you can plainly see.
I have this homemade hovercraft that I was thinking of putting a
fiberglass Vanagon body.... AWWW gosh golly gee. It's almost Saturday.
Anyone up for lunch near LAX? I'm flyin' in for lunch and a peek at a
vehicle acquisition.
BenT Butnotouttasheyp
ps:
thought it was cute how i misspelled "vanagon" as "vnagon". seems
Gmail's first suggested correction is a female body part. as seinfeld
puts it, "...rhymes with... regina... mulva? ...dolores?"
On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 02:09:33 -0500, Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@mchsi.com> wrote:
> Jeff, BenT:
> And crap from Great Britain. Which in the past and presently makes some
> lovely stuff, too. (those King Dick tools look nice!)
> If I remember correctly, Honda was one of the first companies to really
> try to improve quality to world class levels. One of the things they did
> was to pursue racing (GP motorcycles) in about 1959. I've read alot
> about them from that time period.
> And NPR pistons may have been just as good as Mahles, but they are
> different now.
> I think I mighta been the one that raised the level of volume on this
> thread. My whole intention was that one should buy good tools. The
> bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price.
> While China might have the oldest civilization on our planet, high
> quality, long lasting, SAFE tools with which to fix our Vanagons are NOT
> what those containerloads in ships are filled with. And while things
> might look pretty good to BenT in Pacific Heights, out here where they
> USED to make stuff, it's not so great. IF customers buy quality, the
> companies MAY flourish and they may have quality choices in the future.
> VW enthusiasts should be particularly interested in this. VW has almost
> COMPLETELY killed the goose that laid the golden egg. Replacement parts
> are almost 2 times the price in the US as anywhere else in the world. VW
> had it ALL when it came to van/ station wagon (dare I say "mini Van")/
> small pickup sales in the 50's to early 60's. They made a lot of
> mistakes and now their market share is near zero in those product lines
> in the US.
> We customers have no choice of a VW double cab unless we resort to
> pretty unusual purchasing strategies.
> Just consider buying quality whether it is a Snap-on wrench (I only have
> 10, but the important ones!), or a German exhaust valve (are they even
> out there for Vanagons?).
> Al Brase
> (you can call me kraut-boy if you want -no one's called me a boy in 45
> years!)
> It was friday in cal-ee-forneyaa when I started this, does that count?
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