Date: Sun, 21 Aug 2005 10:04:47 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Follow-up on bad exhaust experience
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
For those of you raging on the poor mechanic that broke an exhaust stud you
should consider this.
#1) The broken stud was an unexpected event and the mechanic should have
stopped what he was doing and notified you of additional cost to remove the
broken stud. If he couldn't do the job himself he should have sent you to
someone who could do the job properly.
#2) Removing a broken stud can take from two minutes to two days depending
on the situation.
#3) Often mechanics don't have every tool known to man or they have tools
that are worn and don't work perfectly the first time.
#4) In the case of broken studs they're always a nuisance and anytime I
break one I think God is punishing me for something I did and my first
exclamation at breaking a stud has never helped either.
#5) You can be sure that broken stud ruined the day for that mechanic.
#6) If you get your Vanagon back on the road without any exhaust leaks you
should be grateful and just remember to get that repair welding dome when
you rebuild your heads.
#7) In general every car more than a few years old has a potential for
broken exhaust studs after the mounting fasteners rust, corrode or bond
themselves from high heat exposure.
I think I've recently broken studs on the last Ford truck i installed an oil
pump on , my Oldsmobile but fortunately not any recent VWs or my Porsche.
Stan Wilder
Engine Ceramics
214-352-4931
www.engineceramics.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis Haynes" <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 10:23 PM
Subject: Re: Follow-up on bad exhaust experience
> If the mechanic was not versed at drilling out studs in place, you
> should have been informed. This is really a machinist, not normal
> mechanic skill. It sometimes happens that a proper repair requires head
> removal. If you weren't willing to take that step, then a butcher repair
> may be appropriate to by some time. In general, only the VW's have this
> difficulty with exhaust removal. The combination of poor hardware
> quality with very high temperatures most likely due to the lack of a
> real cast iron manifold makes for difficult parts removal.
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of Ed
> Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2005 3:26 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Follow-up on bad exhaust experience
>
> I got a few different opinions on my recent bad exhaust experience, but
> I'd still like opinions on this specifically:
>
> I know that removing it can be difficult. But is it a sign of a bad
> mechanic if he "slips" with the drill bit and knocks off a piece of the
> exhaust head of the engine, puts black silicone around it, and re-drills
> the head at an angle in a different spot, and holds it on with a bunch
> of washers? Should I be paying for the fact that he couldn't drill it
> out well?
>
> Ed
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