Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:47:09 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: [WetWesties] Split Weld Seam
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
re
2: How common is this? (I'm guessing FAIRLY common, but want to confirm)
I've never seen one of those seams split, ever, on any vanagon.
re
3 : If YOU were a body shop that was taking in a Vanagon for repair work from
a front-end collision, wouldn't you automatically look at the weld seams in
the impacted area for exactly this reason?
Are you kidding ? or serious ? I'm sorry to be so cynical........but body shops in general, do horrible work.
and hey........it's an insurance job, overcharge the insurance company, do the work as fast as you can. You don't think THEY ACTUALLY CARE do you !!.?
I'm rolling on the floor laughing.
Heck.......I'm being extra cynical here of course.......but if you took it back the them and put their nose right in their sloppy work, they probably be amazed that you are actually expecting them to do good work.
And I really hope it's not that bad. But I'm serious. ......really good paint and body work is a very, very rare thing.
The bad work I've seen is just horrible...........like they figure the owner of the car must be blind or something.
The windshield wind noise.......if you are quite sure that's where it is, then I'd be concerned about the windshield opening in the body being correctly shaped.
There is some change that a sealant can fill whatever gap there is.
And.........you might try this, if it's not raining down here, like it is in so many other places right now..........
close it all up, and run a garden hose on it copiously, then look inside for water leaks from the windshield area.
If there is gap enough to wind whistle, you'd think rain water could also get in that way.
I'll tell you one way that body shops check for seal leaks..............they turn on the radio on in the van, then using a listening device like a stethoscope, they listen at all the door and window seals..........if there is a gap there, they'll be able to hear the radio easily at that spot.
You might ask them if they did that check, or a similar check,
or even checked for rain leaks.
regarding the split seam, I wouldn't use bondo .......that will cover a bad spot, but I don't think will do much to make the two parts as one again.
I use professional grade metal adhesive for things like that. Expensive but good stuff............used properly, two piece of metal glued together with the right stuff will never come apart. But not bondo. That's a filler material, not an adhesive, not compared to adhesive materials as far as I know anyway.
I don't believe in threats, but the body shop might care about preserving their reputation with your insurance company. It would not look good for them to hear that the insured is very displeased with their what-could-be very shoddy work. Like they'd want to have a solid reputation with your insurance company, you'd think, or hope anyway.
( psst ! - don't be telling serious vanagon folk you got these tires - they don't appear to be vanagon rated at all. )
Aloha ........and, at least you got your Baby back in one piece !
Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: Matt Drew
To: Vanagon Mailing List ; wet Westies ; Syncro@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 5:50 PM
Subject: [WetWesties] Split Weld Seam
Volks-
With more work still needing to be done on Blackbeard over the course of the
next couple of weeks, I've started . . . well, nit-picking.
I've already consulted the lists regarding the sound of air rushing into the
cab (and I'm about 99% sure that I've located the spot - and it's coming in
from the rubber seal around the windshield).
If that's all it is, easy enough - but I digress . . .
Now I've noticed that the weld seam directly below the driver's side
headlight seems to be split.
Honestly, I have no idea if it was this way prior to the accident because I
never had the bra off long enough (nor did I have any reason) to look that
closely.
I have a pic if anyone would be willing to take a look and offer any advice.
My questions-
1: Is this a simple Bondo / paint / forget about it sort of situation? Is
there anything else that can be done?
2: How common is this? (I'm guessing FAIRLY common, but want to confirm)
3: If YOU were a body shop that was taking in a Vanagon for repair work from
a front-end collision, wouldn't you automatically look at the weld seams in
the impacted area for exactly this reason?
I ask because I'm already taking it back in for some more work, including
additional paint, and if this is something that SHOULD have been caught and
remedied I want to address it ASAP.
There will be more questions in the days and weeks to come . . . Oh yes,
there will be more!
Thanks for all of your help and support, again!
-Drew, Vegas
'90 GL "Blackbeard"
*P.S. *Put new tires on today! Decided to go with Firestone FR380
http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tireselector/GlamourIndex_BS_EN.aspx?productID=1050
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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