Aftermarket parts are SHIT!!!

[chillz1]

I just went out and took my 67 type 3 Fastback for a spin around the 'hood. Just as I'm rounding the corner back onto my street, I notice a cloud of smoke coming out of the back of my car. keep in mind, this is a freshly restored engine with less than 300 miles on it. Scared shitless, I pull over, lift the decks and see oil all over my POR-20'd exhaust system. It's coming from the brand new rubber dipstick tube!!! The think is all cracked and split, like it was an original that had sat in the desert for 35 yrs.!!! What is wrong with SEEMINGLY reputable companies today, that they buy this taiwanese shit and pass it off to us as good parts?? This company's "lifetime warranty" isn't worth a damn when all they will do is send you the same shitty part again. Why don't companies have pride in workmanship anymore?

[UZI]

most repro aren't as good as original vw parts. for alot of stuff, thats all we get is repro. if it comes with a lifetime warranty, that's top notch. i sympathize. when you get your ride done, you wanna take it out for that first trouble free maiden voyage, right? we all got similar stories. be cool, send it back, get another or shop elsewhere. if they get enough feedback on a bad part, they will find a new supplier. good luck with it!!

[VWAdam]

Empi plug wires are crap also. Get the bosch, they are sooooo much better.

[Yustrn]

If you got the cash buy NOS...you will be a lot happier, I can't tell you enough about the shitty WCM window rubber I got for my last oval..I spent too much time with Razor Blades and scissors to make that shit fit right.

[Trayle D. the real oggfk]

Wile we are on the subject can someone tell me why repro vent wing rubber doesnt come with the cutout for the lock catch? This has puzzeled me for years. Ive just lived with it, and become pretty good at cutting it myself. But I pay good money for that crap shouldnt it be cut already. I know it will never happen, I just wonder whos bright idea it was to make the rubber without.

[chillz1]

To earlyman, yes, I'm well aware most repro's aren't nearly as good as OEM, but SHIIITTTT!!! This think lasted less than 4 months!! I know it could be a freak, but I'm seeing tons and tons of poor rubber these days. I just sent back (to the same company) GERMAN swing axle boots because of the same crap!! They were on the car 3 months and looked like they'd been nuked in a microwave for 3 hrs. Split at the joints, split out in the bellows area...hell, split everywheres. The company assured me this was a QC problem from that particular company, so what do they do? Send me the exact same ones again! I'm watching them carefuly. The dip stick bellows thing just happened yesterday, so I will call them tomorrow to see what's up. I've seen NOS ones at ISP West. Do y'all think it's worth the $20.00 difference? I think so.

[chillz1]

As an addendum, that christ these people aren't making condoms...or are they??

[chillz1]

THANK christ, rather. Tempermental typing fingers, sorry:)

[UZI]

so i drive my 23 window out to a show today with my buddies. i noticed on friday that just when the rpms tell me its time to shift, i hear a secondary noise, kinda like a pencil in a fan. i know its the fan or something connected to it. i check the pulley, it's loose. i drove this bus about 250 miles since i got it on the road. spent a year and a whole lotta cake on it. tweaked dialed in road tested dialed in some more....i'm driving to the show today and the noise keeps getting worse, to the point where i'm thinking i might not make it. i get there. the brand new BOSCH alternator is the problem. i got another new BOSCH alternator from a vendor, pulled off some linkage, dumped my tools and an hour and half a big bottle later i fired it up. not without my buddy crossing the solenoid. new starter this week before my 2 week trip to canada. btw i got second in typeII-67

[BUCIOBATISTI]

OK, just for fun, can anyone tell me a aftermarket part that they were REALLY satisfied with?

[[email protected]]

i was satisfied with the neoprene intake boots that i got, but besides that, everything else sucks, especially the tin, the chrome tin is even worse, the fan shrouds don't fucking fit fro shit, i tried to chrome out my ngine, but the cylender tin didn't work with the fan shroud, so now i am sporting a chrome fan shroud with original black cylinder tin, looks kinda corney

[UZI]

this may have something to do with the copyright infringement stuff VWoA is talking about(sore subject?) it it better than nuthin. and if you don't like one suppliers product, there are many others to choose from. it's never been EZer to get the parts you need. and don't forget, there may be a bad part in any batch that slips past QC.

[truckersmike]

Just this weekend my driver's side vent wing latch broke on my '66 Bus. It was less than a year old! I was warned when I bought it that they (after market) are crap but when you can't find a decent used or NOS one, what can you do? This is not just a problem in the VW world though. After market parts are never as good as the originals no matter what type of car you have. Can you say Pep Boys House of Crap?

[79SuperVert]

Scary to think that as parts get scarcer and pricier and the hobby shifts to people with more bucks, old VW's are going to get chopped up more by people looking to cash in on the used parts market. Are we all contributing to the demise of the cars we like so much?

[UZI]

don't be afraid to name these aftermaket companies. higher customer standards=higher quality parts. i like wolfsburg west for alot of stuff. you pay a little more, but if all you want is cheap, thats all you get. certain companies are stronger on certain items. i bought a set of weber 34 from rmm. i finally got them on the bus and they were too small, they took them back for a full store credit. i bought a set of kadron 40s from them instead. thats good business! i'll continue to buy from them.

[fourboxers]

i try to stay away from aftermarlet stuff but you have to buy it sometimes and its not all bad. i bought all my seals and rubber aftermaket (havnt put any of it on yet) i hope it fits but im not retarded enough to spend huge money on nos rubber. most after market metal is good such as fenders even though most of you guys disagree with that i think they are pretty good , although all of mine are german. i stay away from items such taillight lenses and things like that because they have logos on them such as the hella logo on taillights that are noticable

[[email protected]]

Some of the parts may be "shit", and many are, but you've gotta realize, that if there were no aftermarket parts, none of us would be driving air cooled VW's at all. Engine parts, bearings, brakes... even though they MAY be made by O.E. manufacturers, are sold through aftermarket channels and have been for a while. VW is not supporting the air cooled market too much, so where do you buy your parts? Aftermarket sources.
Just be happy you still CAN get parts to keep them going, and that there is usually a choice of a couple different manufacturers on many things.

[chillz1]

It's just the quality of the parts I'm talking about. I am VERY grateful that there are parts still being made for our cars, but DAMN, what monkey stuck his dick in the rubber tree that my dipstick boot came from???? 4 Months??? These people need to learn a little something about Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y. Hell, I don't want it to last forever but a few years would be nice. You know what I'm sayin?

[ice baller]

EMPI SUCKS, i bought a stinger for $40(chrome)drove it for 3 days and when i saw it , it had a crack onthe tip of the muffler, what the fuck?and i agree that the EMPI plug wores suck!!!!!!!