Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 12:01:30 -0400
Reply-To: Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: This GoWesty is really starting to annoy me....
Go Westy can do What they do because they are Go Westy. Their prices are not
comparable and actions are not comparable to the open market because many
people think the GW has some inside track on the vehicle's condition, a
warranty, or that GW is just plain GOD. "They must be right for some
reason,I'll go ahead and buy it because they are always the best and biggest"
In my very vicarious ventrue vending Vanagon vitals I have come across Go
Westy mania often. Once, a guy just bought a 92 syncro westy, yes, a 92, W/
25K miles and was having GW paint it. He had imported it from somewhere. GW
said it was the nicest they have seen in awhile. $15K for new paint and GW
was not taking the pop top off to paint it. This guy contacted me for
stainless steel hardware, but didn't buy. "How could anyone have anything
better than Go Westy" he thought. He let GW put their stuff on his now
"second to none Vanagon".
I don't know what most others think about the stainless steel GW sells, but
I have bought it all. Infact my disappoint with their hardware, when I redid
my 85 in 2005, started me on my quest for better stainless steel for the
Vanagon. I have trouble understanding how they get away with what they sell.
American sizing for all they sell, except for the luggage rack bolts.The
luggage rack bolts are off the shelf truss head with a 14mm head ($1.25
each). OEM is about 16.7mm and the GW bolt exposes old marks on the
fiberglass and causes more clamping pressure on the old fiberglass. They now
add a washer to compensate, and this is left exposed in plain view. Mine are
18mm and cost me plenty. Not marketable for GW as they would need to buy
more than they could ever sell just to get someone to manufacture them.
Thats why they sell what they sell.It's easy. I sell what I sell because I
need to have the best, or GW will make the sale instead. Dosent matter what
they have, it seems. My sheet metal screws are all metric, but none of GW
sheet metal screws are. What a PITA it was finding them.
Their skylight set is not metric, nor is it made up of carriage bolts. It is
just a collection of non metric, phillips drive screws. Lots and lots of
plastic caps are included thougth.
Utility box screws turn out to be an odd sized, metric WOOD screw. It seems
that plastic manufacturers compare their products with wood, rather than
metal as far as mounting them goes, and cast the counter sinks for wood
screws. Who would have ever thought - wood screws. I did.
GW does have a well run company. The employees are all great.
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