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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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