Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:28:42 +0000
Reply-To: J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Canvas Replacement-I Regret Ever Buying This Van!!!!!!!!!!!!
In-Reply-To: <045001cd1bfe$034b6bd0$09e24370$@com>
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And actually the canvas I was installing is Bus Depot's 3 window canvas. AT NO TIME, however, (at least that I can recall) did I question and/or blame the quality of the canvas, it is excellent, this is just one nasty job. And Ron is right, cheap canvas would be every bit as hard or harder to install, so you might as well get good quality stuff and do it once. I did install the Sunbrella canvas on my '77 Westy, and while it was a bear to deal with, it sure was nice heavy canvas. And I am thankful for one thing, at least it is DONE, as it is 90 degrees here today-not a day you'd want to be working up in the pop top of a camper! And my fingers are still sore and I have a guitar lesson at 6:00! Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message -----
> > 2. Only use a cotton canvas. I installed a Sunbrella canvas for a
> > customer a few years ago and I swore never to do that again. The
> > material is much thicker and stiffer so it makes install about twice
> > as hard (if not more).
> This thread emphasizes the importance of buying a quality canvas that
> fits well and lasts long. This is a big job even under the best of
> circumstances. Add to that a canvas that is unusually hard to install
> (either a Sunbrella one that is stiffer, or an aftermarket cotton one
> that just doesn't meet factory measurements) and it's even harder.
> Worse yet is a low-end aftermarket one that fails in just a few years,
> leaving you to do the job all over again. There are cheap Chinese
> knockoffs out there. I know because the supplier tried to sell them to
> me a couple of years ago. They were dirt-cheap (about $75) but the
> quality was pathetic. The material was thin and when I compared two
> different samples they weren't even the same dimensions. Needless to
> say I declined the offer. Now they've turned up elsewhere (for about 3
> times the wholesale price, I might add). I can't imagine going through
> this much effort to install a crappy product that is unlikely to last
> more than a few years and will probably fit poorly from day one.
> We have genuine OEM Westfalia canvases that are 100% cotton and are
> 100% OEM quality and fit. This is not an area to cut corners. See
> http://busdepot.com/details/canvas.jsp for our article on the various
> canvas options.
> - 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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