Date:         Tue, 16 Jan 2007 15:32:03 -0800
Reply-To:     Pensioner <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Pensioner <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
Subject:      Compost occurs
In-Reply-To:  <200701162217.l0GMHiwP016703@flpi096.sbcis.sbc.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I can feel the pain.  Oil seals.  If you use the wrong size then the job is
doomed.  SmallCar in Tacoma put the wrong oil seals in the 12000$ SVX
conversion.  Less than 2000 miles later oil is puking out and besmirching
and befouling the environment to say nothing of Bessies beautiful white
garments.  SmallCar refused to accept responsibility for the wrong seals
(verified and repaired at my expense by Seth Hatfield at Mastercraft Motors
in Santa Barbara) just as they refused to accept the responsibilty for not
properly adjusting the free-float in the transmission shift linkage,
destroying a 1600 miles-old top flight rebuild by Transaxleengineering in
Chatsworth.  When the transmission was removed for repair it was noted that
one of the four fasteners that secure the transmission assembly to the motor
was missing, not broken, just gone. Once again I paid the bills.  Fooled me
twice, but then I am old and often in the way.

Now AVP is another story, when I had an AVP motor installed it leaked oil
immediately.  Subsequent analysis revealed THREE not TWO different main seal
configurations (new knowledge even to the elite of the Syncro 2.1 motor
community)  AVP fixed the problem immediately and covered the cost under
warranty.

So, visit Mastercraft and Stephans Autohaus and Transaxle Engineering and
Infinite Fabrications and Jeff's Autostadt and AVP often, avoid SmallCar
(www.smallcar.com) at all costs (and they will be high) along with Detlev
Hanschke whereever he is now.

Yesterday is at best a pleasant memory, tomorrow is neither certain nor
promised, today is a gift, that's why they call it 'the present' So get out
there and fix something!

pensioner  (auld fettler)