Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:53:01 -0500
Reply-To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject: Re: GoWesty's Gear Reduction Starter
In-Reply-To: <201111171501.pAHF1Sl18940@sbw.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> GoWesty announced a new gear reduction starter:
> http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=23526
> Stick shift model coming soon, they say.
This is actually not new. GoWesy introduced this item about 5 years ago, and
are now advertising some changes to it. There was a thread on it then,
which you can find in the archives. At the behest of a couple of list
members I looked into it as well, and spoke at length to the actual
supplier. But after a lengthy conversation with the supplier, it became
clear that this was far from a slam-dunk. First of all, although GoWesty
promoted the product as new and American made, the supplier (who was very
forthright about what he was offering) readily volunteered that they were
basically modifying a rebuilt Far Eastern unit to fit a Vanagon. So while
the finished product was assembled in the U.S, the guts were largely rebuilt
and from Asia. Furthermore it was (and is) about $100 more than a Bosch
rebuild, which is known to be very reliable. So the question was, was it
worth spending $100 more for a starter of unproven quality, solely in order
to switch to a gear reduction design? Maybe for someone with a very high
compression engine, yes, but for most Vanagon owners I think not. Yes, I too
appreciate the design advantage, but is it necessary? Under normal
circumstances, the stock Bosch starters are both capable and robust. When a
Vanagon fails to start, it's usually not because of the intrinsic design of
the starter, but some other reason - the starter is simply old and worn, a
poor non-Bosch rebuild was installed, there are corroded grounds or
terminals, etc. All of which can be resolved without spending $100 more for
a gear reduction starter that has an unknown track record.
In the end, I reported here my decision not to carry it. The risk outweighed
the reward. I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to selling
unproven "latest-and-greatest" products. I'd much rather let other vendors
use THEIR customers as guinea pigs. Then, if the product proves to be
reliable out in the field, I'll offer it to my customers. I don't mind
playing it more cautiously and being a little late to the party.
My concerns turned out to dead-on, by GoWesty's own admission. After heavily
promoting the starter at the time, they now admit that it was unreliable. To
quote their website: "GoWesty started offering brand new gear reduction
starters for Bus and Vanagon about 5 years ago. And while they immediately
solved the common no-crank problem of the rebuilt Bosch units, the quality
control of the gear reduction starters was horrible." Tough luck for the
people who bought them for $300, I guess.
They claim the "new improved" one is better now. And maybe it is. I'll wait
a year or two and find out. Meanwhile, my stock Bosch starter starts my
Vanagon every time, and it’s a whole lot cheaper..
Just my $0.02.
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
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Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
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