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Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:46 pm

what do people thing about reproduction parts are they worth it? or you rather stick to original? does it make a big affect in the value in the car? what would you go for original or repro? please make a comment

Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:25 pm

For the most part original or oem parts fit best and use the best materials.

Most aftermarket is crap these days with few exceptions.

If you have a rare car that you are restoring to sell crappy aftermarket parts will be evident and effect final selling price. A good example is the crappy aftermarket bumpers with the black gaskets. These are much cheaper than the WW bumpers ($900) but they will stand out like a sore thumb on a good resto. For a DD the cheap stuff might get you by but the headache is not worth it.

Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:05 pm

OEM parts are hands down the preferred method.

Especially when it comes to hardware like nuts and bolts IMHO.

I get warm and fuzzy when I see KAMAX on a bolt head. I know it's going to be a good day.

Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:41 pm

OG or nothing is almost impossible these days, you have to look for the best part you can find, if its a repop most is junk, unless your dealing with a few of the top end suppliers like WW, as the other poster said for a DD its ok, but theres always headaches to deal with, for a higher level car find orig or high end repro stuff end of story.. 8)

Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:16 pm

it also depends on what the repro part is. some repro parts don't really effect the sell price as much as other

i think it's safe to say most repro rubber parts and seals might even increase the value of the cars
but any repro body panel/part or asscerory will decrease the value

Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:04 am

You have to know what you're looking at. Wolfsburg West does have some nice stuff and they go above and beyond to manufacture hard to find parts of good quality, but some of the rest of it is the same ill-fitting cheap crap everyone else sells. I don't know how you figure out which is which unless you call them and ask. They had those really nice floorpans they were manufacturing overseas, for example, and I recall some discussion that they're harder to find now or something. I don't know.

There's lots of good sheetmetal being reproduced, and more coming online all the time. Gerson (Funky Green Panels) is making lots of nice stuff for early buses and now Beetles. Wolf in Sweden is making lots of nice, high-end replacement metal. Check the classifieds for this sort of thing--hobbyists and smaller manufacturers are answering the need for better quality stuff all the time.

But, yes, probably 90% of the repro stuff out there isn't really worthwhile.

If you posted a more specific question, e.g., what model and whether about sheet metal, rubber, electrics, upholstery, whatever--it'd be easier to point you in a good direction.

Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:00 pm

Thank you for the info guys.