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Date:         Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:29:19 -0500
Reply-To:     "kenneth wilford (Van-Again)" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "kenneth wilford (Van-Again)" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: GoWesty's Gear Reduction Starter
Comments: To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com>
In-Reply-To:  <005a01cca56a$ef0fd390$cd2f7ab0$@com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252

I would second what Ron is saying. I remember all of hype that GW built around the earlier starter version. I installed one for a customer and he came back about a year later with a dead starter. It was a solid gob of rust and had turned from a shiny brand new starter to a piece of worthless garbage in one year. I have never seen this type of degradation with Bosch remans which look new for years here in the north east.

Also even though it supposedly had more cranking power because of the gear reduction it turns over exactly half of the speed of the stock bosch starter. So if you think it is going to turn over faster, unless you have a higher compression engine, it wont. I would stick with the stock starter. They have always worked fine for me and my customers.

On Nov 17, 2011 3:53 PM, "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote: > > > 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 > > _____________________________________________ > Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT


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