Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 10:06:49 -0400
Reply-To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject: Deciphering Bus Depot Part #s
In-Reply-To: <71d9cdf90805122104v48df899bh826bfccc8723e530@mail.gmail.com>
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[Thought I'd cross-post this from a recent thread on the Syncro List, since
it may be useful to all Vanagon owners ....]
> You are being confused by Bus Depot parts listing. They use
> part numbers any way they like. At bottom in tiny print they
> say the part numbers in their catalog only mean what they
> want them to mean. The numbers can mean other things to the
> companies who made the part. When Bus Depot puts the letters
> 'OR' at the end of a number it is a warning to me that they
> are selling something else than genuine for the number. It
> may still be a good part though.
>
> SR401X is a Genuine Bosch Rebuild part number. SR401XOR is a
> made up number by Bus Depot.
>
> 025 911 023A is a VW part number from original manufacturing.
> It is the last new part version for the manual trans WBX.
>
> When VW puts an X at the end it means a rebuilt part. I think
> they sometimes do the same as Bosch in this regard and more
> than one original part can now have the same X part number if
> now considered interchangeable after being rebuilt.
>
> 025 911 023AX - rebuilt starter for 2.1, part sold by VW
>
> SR401X - rebuilt starter for 2.1, part sold by Bosch
>
> You should get a Genuine Bosch Rebuild SR401X for most
> reliable quality.
> Bus Depot is selling this one under a different number and
> this is confusing. 025 911 023AX is what they are calling it
> for marketing purposes.
That's a pretty good explanation, Mark. I can add a little more info which
may be useful when searching our site.
Several common suffixes on our site are X (rebuilt), OR (either aftermarket,
or an alternate OEM brand), EC (economy; almost always aftermarket), MY
(Meyle/Germany brand), BR (Brazilian made), MX (Mexican made), IT (Italian
made), and IN (Indian made). These "rules" are not necessarily set in
stone, though - for example, a part number may have a BR sufix because at
the time we created the listing the part was made in Brazil, but since then
production has moved.
If you want to search for all suitable parts, you can eliminate the suffix
and then search by part number itself. For example, searching 211611047F
(Vanagon rear wheel cylinder) would bring up a number of options from $5 to
$15 - the plain F (which is German) and four alternates with suffixes BR,
EC, MY, and OR. All will fit, they are just different brands and quality
levels. In many cases, our best selling and recommended choice is noted
with a "HOT" icon, so if in doubt go with that. Typlcally those are ones
where we have obtained a quantity buy from the manufacturer, so you get the
most bang for your buck. In the above example, that is the plain F, which
is German made for $15. Always remember to click on the product listing and
scroll down to the application guide to make sure the part fits your
vehicle.
As Mark alluded to, we often use the original VW part number for the Bosch
part, rather than the Bosch part number. The SR401X is a good example - we
use the VW equivalent, which is 025911023AX (the X denoting rebuilt).
However, in many (but not all) cases our site will crossreference this
automatically from the Bosch number. For example, if you type SR401X into
the part number search box, it will still find the part under the VW number
that we use, even though you typed in the Bosch number.
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
_____________________________________________
Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
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