Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 19:30:15 -0700
Reply-To: Jere Hawn <jghawn@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jere Hawn <jghawn@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Ebay CV "kit"....is it any good?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Now Ron lets not get pissy. My 1990 van has 340,000 original miles on it (one of the aternators i returned the next day beacuse it was bad.) so i get about 70,000/80,000 miles from each alternator (about the same as i got from the german one.) With 5 free replacements that adds up to over $600 saved!! Think of the amount of coolant one could buy. This is not to mention the starter.
As far as as a hidden cost well an alternator isn't that hard to change. I would rather change an alternator that fix a flat tire. (the starter fairly easy but dirtier and about the same as changing a flat.)
I must agree with you about those discount part places. the trick is to evaluate the part, the cost, time, and how critical it is before you purchase there. In my book alts, strts, and front brake pads belong in the discount auto list. other more important parts i agree belong with Bus Depot etc.....
Jere
-----Original Message-----
>From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
>Sent: Apr 2, 2006 6:50 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: Ebay CV "kit"....is it any good?
>
>> I have gone the Schucks and purchased
>> their $80 lifetime warrenty unit... When this one gose
>> bad in 5-7 years I take it back for a new one for free...
>> I did that with my starter (5 times), alternator (6 times),
>> and front brake pads (lost count.)
>>
>> Jere
>> 90 Carat-a-version
>
>
>
>Well, let's see... If each rebuilt starter or alternator you bought failed
>5-6 times, and the failures were 5-7 years apart, then by my math you
>purchased the original units about 36 years ago! I presume these were not
>for your 16-year-old Vanagon. :-)
>
>I'm being facetious, but I'm also making a point here. Good rebuilds just
>don't very often. It has been said on this list more than once that those
>"white box" reman's from the various discount auto parts chains have a
>hidden cost, which is the cost (in dollars, time, and aggrevation) of
>repeatedly having to remove and reinstall them when they fail. In the end
>you pay much more than you saved on the initial purchase. Plus, sooner of
>later one of these failures is bound to happen at an inopportune time,
>leaving you stranded far from home in the middle of the night.
>
>Discount auto parts chains (as a whole, not singling out Schucks) don't get
>their remanufacturing done by the best in the business, or even the second
>or third best. They buy from whoever can promise truckload qualities at the
>cheapest possible price. Often these "reman's" are little more than tested
>and repainted used units. The "lifetime warranty" is a red herring - the
>same tried-and-true marketing gimmick used to convince late-night TV viewers
>that the $19.99 Ginsu knife is better than a $500 set of Wüsthof's. (It has
>a lifetime warranty, so it must be good!) It cheaper to cut corners on the
>part and throw in an free extended-warranty, than to build the part well in
>the first place (and you get to play the "Ginsu knife" marketing angle to
>boot). The cost of "rebuilding" to this standard can be so cheap that they
>can afford to exchange it once or twice and still make a profit. Moreover
>(and this is what they are banking on), most people never take advantage of
>the warranty when the part fails. Many lose their receipt. Others are
>caught in a bind when they unexpectedly break down, and forgo the warranty
>in favor of getting a replacement quickly wherever they can. Others move,
>sell the vehicle, or just get fed up after the second exchange and buy a
>replacement somewhere else.
>
>My 1989 Vanagon (140k miles) has only had one replacement starter,
>alternator, and set of CV joints since new. My '85 Vanagon and my Bus (about
>200k miles) had two. A quality part lasts, and often doesn't cost very much
>more. Rather than replacing the same part again and again, isn't it smarter
>to buy a quality part in the first place and just be done with it?
>
>Off my soapbox... :-)
>
>- Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> www.busdepot.com
> (215) 234-VWVW
>
>_____________________________________________
>Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
| 
