Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:32:47 -0400
Reply-To: Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Muffler Source?
In-Reply-To: <D0BFBB3A8B174CDA815886DBE76DE8B1@RON>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Ron,
I used the Dansk muffler price as my reference because I thought you
were referring to that particular brand in your earlier post when
comparing it to the S&S.
I have had a high rate of the muffler carriers failing on vans in our
North Eastern area. It is one of the first things I ask customers who
are calling for a muffler and if they have never been changed and you
are in the rust belt, they are probably shot or so close to it that it
isn't worth putting them back. The Syncro ones are NLA now as well
according to VW although I still have a couple of them kicking around
here if anyone needs them. I am sure the 2wd ones will be gone soon as
well. I still say that even with the cheaper muffler if you find you
have to replace the carriers (which adds another $150 to the 2wd muffler
price) you are better going with the S&S muffler. The muffler isn't
that much louder. I just installed one last week for a customer. It is
a deeper note but not really any louder. I put one on my Carat Vanagon
and drove 14 hours down to GA and back (another 14 hours) and I could
sit in the van and talk with my wife without raising my voice or
anything like that. Not really an issue as far as I am concerned. How
many customers have called to complain about the sound of the muffler.
None that I can remember in the past ten years. If you are considering
one of these don't let the idea that they are noisy steer you away. It
is a different noise but not necessarily a louder one.
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com
The Bus Depot wrote:
>> The main selling point of the S&S is the price. Ron is talking about
>> the 1.9l muffler so I think that is why it seems like there isn't a big
>> difference in price. I am talking about the 2.1l syncro which is what
>> the customer was originally asking about. If we go with a Danish made
>> one then Ron's total for that plus the tail pipe and the two straps
>> comes to $285. Then if your lower muffler carriers are bad tack on
>> another $200 for the Syncro version!
>> So we are talking $485 for BD muffler and all of the mounting
>> parts. I hate to tell you folks this but that is twice the
>> cost of the S&S muffler and the Danish muffler isn't twice as
>> good. Just sayin'.
>>
>
>
> Ken, your reply prompted me to actually pull out a calculator - and lo and
> behold, I had overestimated the price of the stock system. It is actually
> roughly the THE SAME price as the S&S muffler, not $50 more. Including the
> listmember discount, the stock setup is $171 for a 2.1L (Syncro or not), or
> $156 for a 1.9L, including muffler, tailpipe, gaskets, and straps. This is
> $12 more than the S&S if you have a 2.1L, or $3 less than the S&S if you
> have a 1.9L. So basically the same price as the S&S.
>
> So how did you get $285 instead of $171? For some reason you decided to
> calculate it using the most expensive stock muffler available (the Dansk)
> rather than the least expensive one (the Bosal). I certainly do not advise
> spending more than twice the price for the Dansk over the Bosal. They are
> both high quality OEM replacements, and the Dansk is not appreciably better
> despite its high price. Furthermore, the lower muffler carriers are very
> heavy duty and don't fail all that often. (Not like the straps, which are
> thin metal.) I'd say maybe 1 out of 30 Syncro owners who order a muffler
> from us replace even one of the brackets, much less both. If you did need to
> replace one or both - and had a Syncro - indeed you'd be looking at an extra
> $100 or $200, and that would certainly change the comparison. But even in
> that worst-case scenario, it would probably be the only time you ever had to
> replace them for as long as you owned your Syncro. They certainly don't get
> replaced every time, or even close to it.
>
> So, the question now becomes, for basically the same price, is the S&S
> superior to the stock system? Given that you yourself said, "the main
> selling point of the S&S is the price," I'd imagine that you would concur
> that it is not.
>
> That said, I'm an S&S dealer myself and am not berating the product by any
> means. It's a reputable product and it has its proponents; some people like
> the louder sound, the look, etc. There's nothing wrong with choices, in the
> same way that someone may choose to pay double for a Dansk muffler instead
> of a Bosal even though I personally don't believe it's worth the difference.
> But, speaking as a Vanagon owner, I prefer the the stock system, and when it
> comes to my own hard-earned money, that is what I put on my own Vanagon.
>
> - 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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