TheSamba.com :: View topic - Official whine about Late Model/Super and parts for sale

Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:30 pm

I work in a Harley Dealership, believe me, the prices for dub parts is very reasonable!! 8)

Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:07 am

moup wrote: I work in a Harley Dealership, believe me, the prices for dub parts is very reasonable!! 8)

Harley folks are crazy though. 8)

I got rear-ended by a guy on a Harley who wasn't paying attention. It was in-town stop-and-go. I stopped, he didn't, and he hit and layed the bike down behind me.

I was in my brother's Chevy- ended up with a cracked tail light and a small cut in the bumper cover. The Harley's damage was purely cosmetic- a slight bend in the front fender, some scuffed chrome and paint... but I could have bought a restored Oval for the price he was going to have to spend to fix it. :shock:

Still though- some VW parts are just hard to find. It's not that the prices aren't reasonable - it's that you can't find what you need.

- David

Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:40 am

WD-40 wrote:
a slight bend in the front fender, some scuffed chrome and paint... but I could have bought a restored Oval for the price he was going to have to spend to fix it.

- David

Well, I don't know abnout where anyone else lives, but I'm sure here in Seattle it would be getin gthe chrome parts fixed that would be the biggeast expense. I was looking into getting my bumpers rechromed and the guy quoted me about 1 200USD. That's if they just had to start dipping them. I think it was somewhere around 100USD per hour if they had to fix or straighten anything.

Sat Apr 14, 2007 11:26 am

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=394022

is this a rip off or is it just me???

Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:47 pm

From reading what they did, it sounds like they are making a huge profit, and the single stage polyurethane paint with no mention of clear coat sounds iffy, But if I were in the market for a '68 Bug, and it is as nice in person as it looks in teh photos, I might consider it reasonable. I would probably try offering the seller 9 000 USD to start, but 10 500 doesn't sound like a rip off to me.

Sun Apr 15, 2007 10:55 am

i got my 68 for 2000 with a clean paint job so i guess 10,500 sounds too high for an all-stock 68.

Fri Apr 27, 2007 11:57 am

Hello everyone. I just joined, and this is my first post. I am just now trying to get active in the aircooled scene. I've owned my beetle since early 2000, but am only just now starting to restore it and make it sparkle! It's a 1972 Beetle std., and the only place where there is any visible rust is in the floor boards. I just had the original engine rebuilt, and have only put about 3000 miles on it. I absolutely love this car, and plan on rebuilding it/customizing it.

Anyway, from what other veedubbers have told me, the 1972 standards are not very popular, and that I might have trouble finding parts for it. Is this true, does anyone know? I mean, the good thing is this car is in almost immaculate shape, save for the floor boards and the interior. I think the suspension could probably use some TLC, but it's become my daily driver, and it runs great, ever since the engine was rebuilt. But I'm sure I'm gonna run into things that will need to be replaced sooner or later.

I am looking forward to fixing it up and hopefully entering it into Bugjam, eventually, so I need some advice, friends! Will I have a tough time finding parts for my baby?

Thanks!

Sat May 26, 2007 12:02 pm

I **used** to think beetle parts were the cheapest of any type of car....until I bought my 1967 Ford F-250 4x4.......things like Starters, Alternators and brake parts are as cheap, if not cheaper, than most Beetle parts!

Sun May 27, 2007 4:08 pm

I actually can't believe how cheap a lot of Beetle parts are out there. The aftermarket support is actually very good, and the supply of parts is huge! I guess you can expect that when they made 20+ million of them.

Compared to a newer car.. parts are expensive.. and they are still making them. I'd hate to see how expensive things get when current cars are discontinued.

I can't believe how cheap Performance parts are for Beetle engines as well.

I guess it helps that they designed these cars to be as simple as possible, using the cheapest parts possible. Ofcourse its too bad the Super didn't last as long for the parts to really catch on either.

Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:36 am

I would sure like to know why so much money is charged for the original cardboard coated with "whatever"to replace the stuff in the luggage compartment up front. I looke at the stuff in Mid-America and could'nt believe the price. What's up with that? :idea:
Jerry :shock:

Sat Jun 09, 2007 2:38 pm

Buses are not expensive. The dollar is worthless. VWs cost 15-90 times more than when VW's were first sold here. Fuel 20 times more. Gold 60 times more. Combine that with dwindling supply of vehicles / used parts and increased interest in old VWs, low prices do not stand a chance. As I look at the prices most are much less than half of what it would cost to remake that part in Germany to original VW German quality. Perri

Sat Jun 16, 2007 4:29 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=442821

Ha!

Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:52 pm

I just couldn't leave this one alone.

The last several years have seen repro parts go right in to the toilet. It seems any fool with a stamping rig and a garage is suddenly in business making VW parts.

And the wizzer is that some of the worst crap is sold by the 'reputable' well know names.

Take a look at the difference between an original wash arm shaft cap, and the West Coast Metric unit:

[img]http://webwrench.smugmug.com/gallery/408021#56901816[/img]

On the left is the original, on the right is the repro. Note that the left shows a smooth taper ending in a very slight shoulder. The repro (WCM) doesn't even fit correctly because it does not taper. So whittle, whittle, whittle with an exacto.

The dash is WCM. The ash tray is original. The grain doesn't even come close to matching. So much for the $170 "premium dash".

Finally, here's the king of all rip offs:

This was purchased from BFY Obsolete Parts in Corona, CA as "Hella Headlight Trim Ring." It doesn't say 'Hella' anywhere on it, not even a label, and it appears to be produced in Mexico. But it has the metal fold over that stiffens the ring, as well as the correct height and depth and the retainer is just pulled out from the top ring lip. Not Hella. So false advertising. Now look at the next picture for a real shocker...

This is the unit sold by JC Whitney, dirtbags extraordinare'. The outer lip doesn't fold over; its so unstable you can deform it with your bare hands. and that retainer...argh! I'm with Gene Berg: Buy the right part (NOS if possible) and CRY ONCE. Attempting to fit this disaster caused paint damage to the headlight area. In the long run, trying to go cheap...costs more.

I'll pay for good parts. But what is making me NUTS is paying supposedly reputable names (like BFY) top dollar for what are GARBAGE parts. I don't have pictures, but the inner scrapers for my side windows looked like they had been walked on BEFORE they got to me. and would not have fit well under any circumstance.

So I bought Wolfsburg West and it fit PERFECTLY.

So my choices are to either give up the hobby or move to California where I can reach across the counter and jamb the shi**y products up their nose when they get sold to me "pre-broken".

Ok. I'm done. And I promise I'm going to take my Lithium now.

Sat Jun 30, 2007 9:23 am

Saw this bad boy on the main page:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=460313

$18k for what?? Big chrome wheels and a stereo?

Sun Jul 15, 2007 7:17 pm

Last time I rebuilt a V8 (351 Cleveland) it cost me $1,800 including all machine work.

And that was for bone stock.

I shouldn't whine. I should BITCH, about how easy you all got off...

Count your blessings, and be glad the bolts were not titanium.

I knew a Hawaiian man in Mira Mesa who could have bought two more houses with what he spent on racing hardware!

"Jim" had the fastest Karman Ghia at Riverside...

Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:34 pm

I wasn't whining I just thought it was a little absurd that's all. Anywho....here is another car they have for sale for 600.00. This might be worth it.

Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:28 am

Does anybody know where I can get carbonfibre running boards?

cheers nick

Sat Jul 21, 2007 12:42 pm

lankynick007 wrote: Does anybody know where I can get carbonfibre running boards?

cheers nick

http://www.remmele-motorsport.com/en/index_aircooled_en.html

click on "plastic parts"

Sun Jul 22, 2007 6:37 pm

or CarbonJoe. He seems to hang out more on the germanlook forums. I think I just saw some for sale in the classifieds there.

Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:20 am

I too moved over to VW's from muscle cars, based partially on price of parts.