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houseofboyd
Samba Member
Joined: September 28, 2014
Posts: 613
Location: Flatwoods, Ky
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 Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 3:46 pm Post subject: Best Place To Buy Parts (new to this) |
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Recently bought a 1974 VW Super Beetle that we're going to restore or at least save from the junk yard. The body is pretty solid, no holes, floor pans look good, just needs a lot of TLC and a bunch of replacement parts. So, as we begin to put together our laundry list of things to buy, I thought I'd ask for everybody's opinion here as to where is the best place online to purchase replacement parts...you're input is great appreciated...
You can follow our progress here: http://www.kentuckyhotwheels.com |
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WD-40
Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2006
Posts: 1178
Location: Iowa
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 4:46 pm Post subject: Re: Best Place To Buy Parts (new to this) |
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| houseofboyd wrote: |
| So, as we begin to put together our laundry list of things to buy, I thought I'd ask for everybody's opinion here as to where is the best place online to purchase replacement parts...you're input is great appreciated... |
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/
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"The new Volkswagen 1303. We've made so many improvements, they're beginning to show." |
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Zundfolge1432 
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004
Posts: 12467
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Wolfsburg west |
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gt1953
Samba Member
Joined: May 08, 2002
Posts: 13848
Location: White Mountains Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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Samba Classifieds.
A refurbished German component/part is way better then some new items.
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Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.
72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold}) |
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Joey
Samba Member
Joined: August 12, 2005
Posts: 5366
Location: Nova Scotia - Canada
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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Most vendors sells the same parts from the same suppliers so it just a matter of who's cheaper in price. Stay away from EMPI stuff... it's 99% all crap. Wolfsburg West manufactures a lot of their own stuff which seems to be high quality. As mentioned above - a good, used original part will be the best option.
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Joey
‘60 Kombi - '74 Bus - '79 Panel - '65 Beetle |
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jhicken
Samba Member
Joined: October 24, 2003
Posts: 9466
Location: Fallbrook, CA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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Original used if you can find it
Wolfsburg West
http://www.wolfsburgwest.com
Westcoast Metric
http://www.westcoastmetric.com
Aircooled.net
http://www.aircooled.net/
Don't shop price, you get what you pay for. $75 bumpers are not as good as $150 bumpers. CIP, Mid America, JBugs, EIS, and many others are not necessarily bad but sometimes they can be hit or miss. Unless you know what you are looking for, ask here for advice before making big purchases.
-jeffrey
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Der Kleiner Kampfwagens
Last edited by jhicken on Mon Nov 17, 2014 7:03 am; edited 3 times in total |
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talljordan
Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2012
Posts: 964
Location: San Francisco, CA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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I personally always shop at CIP1.com
They have a lot of junk, but they have a bunch of nice stuff too.
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1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!
Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end |
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Brian
Samba Moderator
Joined: May 28, 2012
Posts: 8340
Location: Oceanside
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green1303
Samba Member
Joined: February 04, 2014
Posts: 748
Location: Alexandria, VA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:40 pm Post subject: |
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The best shop depends on what you're buying. My favorite shop overall is Bughaus for part quality and transparency. I like CIP1 for their sales and a number of OEM VW parts that no one else has. CIP1 has both good and not-so-good parts, but they make an effort to explain the difference online, and they have been responsive to my questions. Wolfsburg West and West Coast Metric have their own first-class product lines, but most of their inventory is sourced elsewhere, and those websites are terrible about naming their part manufacturers. On the other hand, if you are willing to buy on faith, then they rarely let you down. You will have a hard time restoring a car without the Samba ads. Several non-specialist shops have bargains or free shipping on mechanical parts, but you need to know the OEM of each part in advance to avoid bad reproductions. I like to see more old VWs restored and less parted out, and I really dislike having to replace something twice, so most of my posts are about where to find things.
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1973 green Super Beetle |
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talljordan
Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2012
Posts: 964
Location: San Francisco, CA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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| green1303 wrote: |
| The best shop depends on what you're buying. My favorite shop overall is Bughaus for part quality and transparency. I like CIP1 for their sales and a number of OEM VW parts that no one else has. CIP1 has both good and not-so-good parts, but they make an effort to explain the difference online, and they have been responsive to my questions. Wolfsburg West and West Coast Metric have their own first-class product lines, but most of their inventory is sourced elsewhere, and those websites are terrible about naming their part manufacturers. On the other hand, if you are willing to buy on faith, then they rarely let you down. You will have a hard time restoring a car without the Samba ads. Several non-specialist shops have bargains or free shipping on mechanical parts, but you need to know the OEM of each part in advance to avoid bad reproductions. I like to see more old VWs restored and less parted out, and I really dislike having to replace something twice, so most of my posts are about where to find things. |
One thing to look out for is CIP saying "Best quality available!" but they actually arent always. e.g. Floor pans and master cylinders.
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1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!
Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end |
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houseofboyd
Samba Member
Joined: September 28, 2014
Posts: 613
Location: Flatwoods, Ky
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:56 pm Post subject: Thanks For The Info |
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| Thank you all for your input and info...very much appreciated! Gives me a place to start! |
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green1303
Samba Member
Joined: February 04, 2014
Posts: 748
Location: Alexandria, VA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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| talljordan wrote: |
| One thing to look out for is CIP saying "Best quality available!" but they actually arent always. e.g. Floor pans and master cylinders. |
X2. Both are good examples of things to buy somewhere else. For my car, CIP1 doesn't carry either the Kaeferland or Klokkerholm 18 gauge floor pans yet, and their master cylinder is the JP Group Brax brand rather than the German FTE.
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1973 green Super Beetle
Last edited by green1303 on Tue Oct 07, 2014 9:38 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Brian
Samba Moderator
Joined: May 28, 2012
Posts: 8340
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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Its not a matter of where to get, but who to get. IAP is shit. EMPI is 50/50 and WW stands by their products. So there's that.
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'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
'71 Bug
'68 Camper
Only losers litter |
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jhicken
Samba Member
Joined: October 24, 2003
Posts: 9466
Location: Fallbrook, CA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:06 am Post subject: |
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| green1303 wrote: |
| Wolfsburg West and West Coast Metric have their own first-class product lines, but most of their inventory is sourced elsewhere, |
Wrong, WCM and WW produce most all their own stuff. The actually often carry each others products. The only thing I can think of that they do not create is their interior pieces which they source from TMI. However WW produces their own carpet which is far superior to anyone elses kits. As previously noted, CIP, Mid-America, JBugs, EIS and most other retailers are distributors and do not produce their own parts. That does not mean they are bad, it is just often hit and miss with some of their parts. WCM and WW are often a little pricier than others but their fit and finish is often better. Specially when it comes to rubber seals.
-jeffrey
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Der Kleiner Kampfwagens |
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green1303
Samba Member
Joined: February 04, 2014
Posts: 748
Location: Alexandria, VA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| jhicken wrote: |
| Wrong, WCM and WW produce most all their own stuff. |
The rest of jhicken's post is right, but this part is not even close. With few exceptions, the only things made by Wolfsburg West are labeled "made by WW" on the website or paper catalog. Everything else is sourced elsewhere. For example, Klokkerholm makes most of their sheet metal, with various other pieces coming from Autocraft, Kaeferland, VW, and other sources. WW makes their own floor pans through 1972, running boards, and a few pieces for early heater channels and bumper mounts. Their bumpers are Brazilian metal that is chromed in the U.S. For brakes, they make emergency brake cables for split and oval Beetles, a rubber boot for the master cylinder, and some brake fluid reservoirs. Nearly everything else comes from other suppliers. WW does make some excellent parts, particularly for the body and interior. Basically, the business model of a shop like WW, WCM, Airhead/Ventura, CSP, or Kaeferland is to source as much good inventory as possible elsewhere, see what parts are missing or not up to their standard, and fill in the gaps by identifying a new manufacturer that will make parts according to their specifications. In this way they maintain a relatively extensive and high-quality inventory across the board. I have had to return only one part to WW due to quality issues, a turn signal switch that was not made by WW. Jhicken is right that most shops source all of their inventory elsewhere, including a lot of junk for some shops, and they do not have their own product lines to fill in the gaps. Many of them buy from each other with a small markup. For example, you can get WCM rubber from WCM cheaper than from Aircooled.net, and Ventura parts come cheaper from Airhead than from WW, but WCM also sells rubber from a variety of places. Their 1973-up tail light lenses are Brazilian. On the other hand, I bought a WW wiper motor from CIP1 for less than WW was selling it for, and shipping was free. I bought most of my car's rubber from WCM, and about half was labeled "Made in the USA." Some was WCM, and some may be WW or Ventura. There was some German stuff, where VEWIB is a common source. BBT in Belgium may be the primary source for some items (e.g., the two front sway bar bushings), but many things showed up with no source information at all. In summary, it's complicated.
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1973 green Super Beetle
Last edited by green1303 on Thu Oct 09, 2014 6:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Beeble1
Samba Member
Joined: August 14, 2012
Posts: 577
Location: Manteno, Illinois
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 7:51 am Post subject: |
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=201727
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Beeble1, ‘73 Super (o\_|_/o) 1600cc w/ Dealer A/C
Beeble2, ‘13 Beetle 2.5L Daily Driver
Dealership items from Bishop-Wayne Volkswagen & Turner Volkswagen in Kankakee, IL wanted |
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fred69vert
Samba Member
Joined: August 17, 2007
Posts: 2200
Location: Home of the US Navy Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, VA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 10:56 am Post subject: |
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I agree with WW, WCM, and Aircooled for quality. I've dealt with some of the other dealers and really had no problems, just careful what I get from them.
One other thing is how quick do you want to get it? Mid-America is in Illinois, I've had 2 - 3 day standard shipping to Norfolk VA from them. CIP1 (who has had the best prices) takes around 2 weeks since they are in Vancouver and the parts have to go through customs.
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1969 VW convertible, "Heidi" |
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Mr. Motorhead
Mad Scientist
Joined: January 06, 2004
Posts: 717
Location: Practitioner of 36hp alchemy
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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Anybody try Amazon? There are a lot of parts showing up there lately that offer free shipping. And BTW, to generalize by saying all EMPI parts are bad is a mistake. Most all the parts they don't make come from the same importers that sell to the preferred names in this thread...........it's a simple case of knowing what not to buy. Not defending any one business, just trying to present the facts as they are. It's always best to ask the question of where a part was made before you buy it.
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36 horsepower parts for sale at http://www.aircooledresearch.com/
Or the new site at http://www.bugparts.com
Check out the Bonneville project:
http://aircooledresearch.com/docs/thebonnevilleproject.html#
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hanksjim1
Samba Member
Joined: October 03, 2014
Posts: 87
Location: PNW, USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Anyone have any experience buying parts form Mexico? Just thought that input might be useful. |
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-Zodiac-
Samba Member
Joined: September 22, 2014
Posts: 782
Location: Pensacola/milton, florida
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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| hanksjim1 wrote: |
| Anyone have any experience buying parts form Mexico? Just thought that input might be useful. |
I bought I Bosch generator from Mexico, left the factory wired backwards. Had to take it to a local shop to get it fixed.
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1973 karmann ghia - current, not the last VW.
1947 Chevy stylemaster - gone, but not forgotten.
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