TheSamba.com :: View topic - What's the stupidest thing a "VW expert" has said

Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:39 pm

i get these saying alot in Florida...."put a 5.0L in there, vw motors are garbage anyway".....Put a Vtec in it.........put a porsche motor in it...or the funny one, man you should put a body kit on it like the moholland kit :shock: WTF!?

Mon May 13, 2019 5:14 am

it drips oil and he said "it's normal" had another mechanic check the leak and it came from the drain plug, it was a bit loose.

Wed Jul 03, 2019 8:35 am

A guy came up to the car today and asked 'what year is this?'
'1956' I replied
'ah, a mark 1' he said with authority
'vw didn't use that system then, it's an oval window and earlier ones had a split rear window'
'ah, a mark 2 then!' he said definitively
'no...' I said and walked away

Wed Mar 11, 2020 12:25 pm

"You don't need to use clamps on the fuel lines if you use the good hose."

-From a customer's former mechanic, customer's car was towed to me when it wouldn't start. Fuel line had come off of the carb. He was LUCKY. Also had the infamous 99 cent plastic fuel filter, without clamps as well.

Sun Jan 03, 2021 12:18 pm

Actually the mechanic was right, as long as you use good German fuel hose and change it every few years. The hose clamps can be used as insurance, but aren't really needed.

The problem is, I endlessly see (even yesterday at a car show) people using crappy American hose, which will leak without clamps. (In this instance, there was seepage even with clamps.)

You explain what they need to do, while full well knowing they won't do it.

Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:48 am

Plumbing a remote filter full of dirt backwards will do no harm whatsoever to your engine. Rob judge rnj motorsports uk

It was hard to see in there. (in relation to a piss poor manifold match porting effort) Rob judge rnj motorsports

Rob you prick

Thu Sep 30, 2021 12:33 pm

79SuperVert wrote: I asked my VW mechanic why he took the thermostat out of my 79 Beetle without my permission.

"Oh," he says, "nobody drives a nice car like yours in the winter any more, so we just take those out when we drop the engine."

I have posted this elsewhere, but there is a grain of truth to this.

Most VW owners never did the maintenance that a more expensive car would get. Ask them "when is the last time you checked your thermostat and flaps?" and wait for the blank stare.

Back in the '70s/80s, many VW shops (especially in warmer climates) removed them to preserve their shop's reputation. If they rebuilt the engine, and later the owner had a serious engine problem due to jammed, bent, or otherwise malfunctioning thermostat, they would blame the shop and want a new engine (regardless of warranty). Or trash their reputation to their friends. And this was before the internet and it's "instant nuclear" reactions.

So a shop might consider removing it as a way to make it more reliable, and avoid the risk of wrongful accusation. The belief (incorrect) at the time was that in warm climates it wasn't useful. So why take the risk? They removed it and everyone seemed happy.

I'm not agreeing, just explaining that this was common.

Thu Sep 30, 2021 12:43 pm

Rometsch2880 wrote: I had an "expert" tell me that the reason Ghia parts cost so much is that it's a Porsche with a VW emblem.

This is a corruption of a related fact: regarding the 914 VW/Porsche, Wiki states:
Karmann manufactured the rolling chassis at their plant, completing Volkswagen production in-house or delivering versions to Porsche for their final assembly

Both Karmann Ghias and the 914s were welded body/chassis designs that were much more expensive than the bolted-fender Bug design, and the costs at Karmann were no doubt higher than at Wolfsburg.

But these facts were almost certainly unknown to the guy who made the claim to you, and they were just ignorant.

Sat May 27, 2023 6:12 pm

Cool ~ more stories .

John Muir wasn't a VW god but he helped keep a lot of old VW's going during the dark years .

Tue Jun 20, 2023 6:34 am

KTPhil wrote: 79SuperVert wrote: I asked my VW mechanic why he took the thermostat out of my 79 Beetle without my permission.

"Oh," he says, "nobody drives a nice car like yours in the winter any more, so we just take those out when we drop the engine."

I have posted this elsewhere, but there is a grain of truth to this.

Most VW owners never did the maintenance that a more expensive car would get. Ask them "when is the last time you checked your thermostat and flaps?" and wait for the blank stare.

Back in the '70s/80s, many VW shops (especially in warmer climates) removed them to preserve their shop's reputation. If they rebuilt the engine, and later the owner had a serious engine problem due to jammed, bent, or otherwise malfunctioning thermostat, they would blame the shop and want a new engine (regardless of warranty). Or trash their reputation to their friends. And this was before the internet and it's "instant nuclear" reactions.

So a shop might consider removing it as a way to make it more reliable, and avoid the risk of wrongful accusation. The belief (incorrect) at the time was that in warm climates it wasn't useful. So why take the risk? They removed it and everyone seemed happy.

I'm not agreeing, just explaining that this was common. There has been someone recently spewing the no thermostat thing on YTube recently, someone I respect, so it just irritates me more. And if shops were ripping them out for fear the linkage could jam... well that just seems hack. Maybe if they maintained the system while they were doing repairs they wouldn't have those issues. I hate HACK JOB, halfway repairs

Tue Jun 20, 2023 7:06 am

At the very least they should be left in sans thermostat .

The 'stat is designed so if it ever fails the flaps will remain open .

When I was building used cars I'd always buy all the flaps and linkages I could find at Auto Jumbles, the PO-mona swap meet etc because they actually improve the engine's cooling by directing the air better .

Almost every air cooled VW I se these days at the very least is missing the engine to body rubber seal and / or some cooling sheet metal .

There's a reason some of us still drive our old VW's as hard far and wide as we want without worrying .

Tue Jun 20, 2023 9:35 pm

A Type IV motor is a Porsche motor....

Just curious, what is wrong w/a 2180?

Thu Jun 22, 2023 6:42 am

.....No one is going to want to hear this but, the 1975 (?) Porsche 912 did indeed use a VW Typ IV engine .

Thu Jun 22, 2023 7:02 pm

VWNate wrote: At the very least they should be left in sans thermostat .

The 'stat is designed so if it ever fails the flaps will remain open .

When I was building used cars I'd always buy all the flaps and linkages I could find at Auto Jumbles, the PO-mona swap meet etc because they actually improve the engine's cooling by directing the air better .

Almost every air cooled VW I se these days at the very least is missing the engine to body rubber seal and / or some cooling sheet metal .

There's a reason some of us still drive our old VW's as hard far and wide as we want without worrying .

I don't have a thermostat but I do have the flaps. It's pretty obvious that they direct the air to flow a certain way.

Thu Jun 22, 2023 8:34 pm

Speaking of the flaps, I'm working my my '59 and think I'll maybe put the throttle ring back on ~ why not ? .

I have all the parts and when the engine is out is the only time it can be done .

I'll not put the thermostat on as I live in the Desert .

Hoping to get the engine back in tomorrow .

Fri Jun 23, 2023 8:41 pm

They put Chevy V-8s in Cadillacs. Cadi got sued over this....some salesmen swore that it was a Cadi motor and then people were upset when they found out that their cadi had a SBC in it. That doesn't make them a Cadi motor.

Putting a VW in a Porsche....same thing. It is a VW motor that was used by Porsche....although, I "Think" that Porsche had their fingers in the develepment, as it was going to be used in the 914s.

What is wrong w/the 2180?