Date:         Sat, 18 Mar 2017 18:15:44 +0000
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Bad parts getting worse?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

About a month ago I posted about a blinking coolant light problem. The real
issue turned out to be that the coolant reservoir (euro diesel style, the
"upgrade," 025 121 403A) had become deformed because the plastic was so
poor, so I went back to my local VW parts store and asked if they could
source a better one. I put that on a few weeks back after picking up two
blue coolant caps at the same time. One of the coolant caps turned out to
 be a straight pipe and it shot coolant out as if there was no valve after
a few days. so I switched to the other one and ordered a pair from Bus
Depot. The first Bus Depot cap worked to hold pressure in just fine, but
would not work the other way to pull coolant out of the tank. This caused a
little problem on a 1600 mile trip to DC and back over the last week, so
halfway through the trip I switched to the spare BD cap and made it home. I
got home last night about midnight. This morning I decided to at least
check what the coolant level was and found the hole around the coolant
level sensor so deformed that there is no way the o-ring could seat
properly. From the coolant sprayed all over the sound deadening pad above
it, I figure that this began happening pretty close to home. The temp
needle stayed rock steady in the middle the entire trip so overheating
wasn't the issue.

But when I woke up I discovered that while I was away my GoWesty pair of
replacement coolant caps, ordered in desperation before I left, had
arrived. I opened both of them to check them out because it has been, say,
15 years since I purchased a cap you could actually put on and expect to
work. The first one I tried was a straight pipe and pumped a steady stream
of coolant out of the outlet with no evidence of a valve working in either
direction, just like the first piece of junk I bought locally. So I opened
the "spare" and discovered that it had not even been fully assembled at the
factory, the disk with the valve was loose in the bag with the blue cap. I
snapped it together the best I could, and it seems to be OK but that is had
to say because again the plastic tank is deformed at the threads and is
spewing coolant all over the place when it gets hot, so it is impossible to
actually test it. Recent experience tells me not to be too optimistic
though.

Who sells tanks that are not made like milk cartons? Who sells blue caps
that actually work in both directions like the originals? Can I still go to
the dealer and get these items or are they NLA. At this point I don't care
how much either of these parts cost, I just want them to work. I don't want
a stainless steel tank because a) they don't make one to fit the upgraded
diesel hoses, and b) seeing the reaction of the level inside the clear
plastic tank in response to rpm, observing bubbles, etc. is an important
diagnostic feature I don't want to lose.

Any suggestions? Can anyone get GOOD parts from Germany? After six blue
caps and two tanks, I am ready to get past junk parts.

Jim