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Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:22 am

MarkWard wrote: Quote:
This thread is ........ started by an OP that signed up for an account the same day and hasn't responded since.

I noticed the same. :wink:

.... Things that make you go - Hmmm?🤔

I wonder if Greg or one of his competitors set this up as a form of market research.

I guess now we know what this community thinks. 🤣

Wed Feb 24, 2021 6:29 am

vanis13 wrote: MarkWard wrote: Quote:
This thread is ........ started by an OP that signed up for an account the same day and hasn't responded since.

I noticed the same. :wink:

.... Things that make you go - Hmmm?🤔

I wonder if Greg or one of his competitors set this up as a form of market research.

I guess now we know what this community thinks. 🤣

Well........ this isn't exactly true.

OP has eight posts.
All Eight of them in THIS thread.

Dave

Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:52 am

Sounds like the customer from hell that is mad because they dident get an imidiate responce from Greg. Im done. Back to my endless build. Have a good day people.

Wed Feb 24, 2021 8:26 am

patricia_danielson wrote: Hi all!

Ive noticed on the forums here that all the Boxeer threads seem to fall silent during the installations.

Does anyone have any real insight into this conversion?

It makes me really concerned that all the threads go dark. Whats the catch here on such an expensive conversion?

Here's my take and to answer your question DIRECTLY. I currently have an 89 T3 16" Syncro with a 1.9 TDI AHU engine block with all AFN ancillaries. I bought it from the UK with the lineage of a well know builder from Syncronauts. He built it years ago and it now needs work. I was attempting to decide how to spend my money: should I put it into this existing engine (which is currently running, great power, etc) or opt to go for a "new" engine.

I submitted an inquiry, via the Boxeer website, on Dec 20th. Greg got back to me on the 21st and addressed some questions I had as well as stating that there's a back up of availability probably until February. I, like you, started doing more research to see if I wanted to plunk down the $20K (yes, I was going to have him do the install since he knows best for his product).

Two of the concerns I had was the engine clearance on top and bottom (i.e. needing to raise the deck lid on interior as well as the oil pan appears to sit pretty low for ground clearance). I believe Greg stated he could do a 15 degree on it for clearance as well as Burley was working on the skidplates for the oil on the bottom.

No, I haven't bought one since I'm still sorting out my new-ish Syncro. Since Greg's shop is only a couple of hours from me, I would like to schedule a visit. Just as a side note, I'd be MORE than willing to "donate" my vehicle to the cause, create videos and document on my blog the ENTIRE process for those who want to pitch in for an engine! ;-) LOL

At this point, I'm not pulling out my 1.9 yet... I'm bringing it up to Asheville, NC for Westy Motorwerks to look it over and give me thoughts. Just one guy's take here...

Chris
1989 T3 Vanagon 16" Syncro
https://vwvandiesel.com
Instagram @VW_VanDiesel

Wed Feb 24, 2021 8:26 am

skills@eurocarsplus wrote: Sodo wrote:
It would be interesting if he had a large staff and large output,
but maybe we just have to wait and see.
Or accept it if he wants to be a guy in the woods raising a young family.

This is just a guess, and a hopeful guess at that.

it would be suicide to build a business on such a narrow market...supplying swaps to power 1 platform doesn't make any sense.

...getting pounded by inquiries for subaru conversions has made me change my policy...i will email etc but when they want phone time it gets charged. the way i see it if you won't pay an hours labor (which gets applied to your build if you move forward) for a full hour+ conversation then you weren't willing to drop 20k+ on a custom build.

this weeds out the bottom feeders, tire kickers and data collectors. here is is 2am+ east coast time and i'm just finishing my day. am i stupid for doing what i do or do i just want to work like no one else so i can live like no one else?

there is such a thing as 'growing pains' when you're a 1 man show. do i hire, or not? i have been to the point where i have been busy enough to hire but people management isn't my thing. it hard to keep it all balanced no doubt there

Good perspective.
But don’t you think there exists a “margin” where it makes sense?

Reading thru these posts I can imagine Boxeer can see who he’d like as a customer and who he’d prefer to give to his competitor.

I was in a situation (for years) where (I felt I had to) provide full, detailed customer service and it sucked me dry.
And some customers took way more than they deserved
And not greediness on their part at all.
They were just enthusiasts.
Some were in over their heads and honestly felt it was my responsibility to cover for that.
And I tried, and did cover sometimes, usually in my own assessment.
Sometimes I poured it out for a customer who, upon receiving 99%, felt that was less than 50%.
I had to bail and let others do it because it was impacting my ability to do the “front end” of the job, causing problems.

I see this from my own experience, it may be a stretch....

Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:22 am

Sodo wrote:

Good perspective.

Thank you. evidently some feel that I have zero idea about this stuff

Sodo wrote:
But don’t you think there exists a “margin” where it makes sense?..

to be sustainable? not really. I need to make X,XXX.xx per week to keep the lights on. Shop time, especially custom shop time burns thru the hours at a staggering rate.

Think of it this way.... you buy something from a vendor to install on your van. In your mind you should have said install done in an hour, hour and a 1/2. 4 hours later you still aren't done. It's even worse with custom work.

So, lets say shop time is 100/hr. 4 hours= 400 bux right? Now take a canned job, say a full brake job on a 2016 S60. Book time is around 3 hours. Hook up VIDA and retract the electronic parking brake, do your front and rear brakes and road test. done in 1.5, yet you still bill book time. that is where your profit comes in on the parts and labor.

in an 8 hour day i can do 5 of these brake jobs. 1.5x5= 7.5 hours but I can bill out 15 hours and collect the mark up on the parts 5 times.

the reason i say it isn't sustainable is because i have kind of lived it with bay window swaps. average bay window swap (depending on a LOT of factors) is anywhere between 90 and 120 hours. So lets call that between 2 and 3 weeks shop time.

in my example brake job above when i can bill out 15 hours in a 7.5 hour day multiplied by 5 days that's 75 billable hours per week. that's a 7500/week paycheck vs shop time at 4,000 or a 3,500/week difference. now add the profit from the parts at say 1,000 and that week of brake jobs just grossed 8,500 a week. that's what...34k/month. way more profitable than a 2-3 week build

I do what I do because I enjoy the swaps and they are good filler jobs for when I am waiting on parts etc for my day to day operations. Take a look at a restoration shop....they need 10+ cars there at any one time because they need to "rotate" the paying customers. your average person isn't going to stroke a check for 8k/week until their project is done, but you can get (usually) 10 people to send you a 1k check per week

Sodo wrote:

I was in a situation (for years) where (I felt I had to) provide full, detailed customer service and it sucked me dry.
And some customers took way more than they deserved
And not greediness on their part at all.
They were just enthusiasts.

then there is that aspect....people stroke out when their baby isn't in their garage and you constantly feel as if you're on call 24/7. it's a sad reality of doing this type of work

Sodo wrote:

Some were in over their heads and honestly felt it was my responsibility to cover for that.

I see this from my own experience, it may be a stretch....

that too....you become a life coach and it just drains you. out of the 15+ swaps I have done only once did I have to have that "come to Jesus" moment and spell it out that they came to me, not the other way around and they have 2 choices: finish it, or get it out of here.

I didn't decide to do the project...you did. some people just see photos and think that a build is done in 2 episodes because they saw it on TV. this is where the life coach comes in and you have to guide people.

Take someone like RMW, they are now looking into doing stuff for Ford Transits and Dodge ProMasters. you need multiple lines to be profitable but it all depends on the business model. let's be real...there is a finite amount of people willing to pay for a swap. you have many more options when providing a service for a "need" (brake job in my example) verses a "want" like custom work

Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:18 am

khughes wrote: 0cean wrote: SurfaceRust wrote: Soooo.....
You guys think the engines are any good?

I would say so, and they are the best option out there at the moment. Its a proven VW engines after all. Do i get points from the keep it VW crowd?

Well, I don't know exactly what engine they use, but unless you're speaking of common rail only, they are not the only choice:

http://www.foreignautosupply.com/engine-and-drive-...n-program/

And the FAS *is* a bolt up, plug in few wires and rock conversion. Truly turnkey like all their conversions, using a 1.9L TDi Pumpe Duse with drive by wire. So "best option" is an opinion between choices.

Interesting ... I have 2 complete 1.8T setups (one of them installed in my Westfalia Syncro) and 1 Pump duese setup all with complete renewed harness from FastForward and ECU tuned different stages with and without emmission stuff when needed. I put all of them up for sale soon on Samba because I am so impressed with the EA288 engine. This is not about Greg or Boxeer, this decision is because of this engine and its capabilities. As you could double the horsepower with a simple turbo/manifold/software update. Do this with one of the older engines and you will be in the shop very soon for an engine overhauling. :-) Who wants a 1.8t or PD setup? Let me know.

Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:29 am

mreuter wrote: khughes wrote: 0cean wrote: SurfaceRust wrote: Soooo.....
You guys think the engines are any good?

I would say so, and they are the best option out there at the moment. Its a proven VW engines after all. Do i get points from the keep it VW crowd?

Well, I don't know exactly what engine they use, but unless you're speaking of common rail only, they are not the only choice:

http://www.foreignautosupply.com/engine-and-drive-...n-program/

And the FAS *is* a bolt up, plug in few wires and rock conversion. Truly turnkey like all their conversions, using a 1.9L TDi Pumpe Duse with drive by wire. So "best option" is an opinion between choices.

Interesting ... I have 2 complete 1.8T setups (one of them installed in my Westfalia Syncro) and 1 Pump duese setup all with complete renewed harness from FastForward and ECU tuned different stages with and without emmission stuff when needed. I put all of them up for sale soon on Samba because I am so impressed with the EA288 engine. This is not about Greg or Boxeer, this decision is because of this engine and its capabilities. As you could double the horsepower with a simple turbo/manifold/software update. Do this with one of the older engines and you will be in the shop very soon for an engine overhauling. :-) Who wants a 1.8t or PD setup? Let me know.

Well, I don't fashion myself a diesel expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know that FAS has built vans, and sold kits with turbo PD setups. Been some years now and I haven't heard of any issues with those kits. I was thinking of going that way myself when I converted mine, but the extra cost of the kit, and the fact that I had *just* had the trans completely rebuilt with gearing for a gas motor, just made it too pricey at the time.

Your PD "kit" I take it is a 15 deg kit?

Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:42 am

mreuter wrote:

Interesting ... I put all of them up for sale soon on Samba because I am so impressed with the EA288 engine. This is not about Greg or Boxeer, this decision is because of this engine and its capabilities.

I agree with this. My father has a 2015 Mk7 Golf TDI with this engine, and it is far and away the most impressive 4 cylinder TDI VW/Audi engine I have ever experienced. It is extremely refined, economical, and powerful. We've had earlier TDI vehicles in the family, too, and this engine is in a different league altogether. I've been watching this conversion closely, because I'm so impressed by the EA288 in its standard vehicle. I'm glad to hear it is impressive to you in your DOKA as a conversion engine.

Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:45 pm

I think one of the best parts about this engine is they are still using them in Europe and selling with no problem. That means replacement parts are available for a long time to come. Cant say that for my Subaru TDI. If I had the money and an adapter plate, it would be my direction for the future.

Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:52 pm

0cean wrote: I think one of the best parts about this engine is they are still using them in Europe and selling with no problem. That means replacement parts are available for a long time to come. Cant say that for my Subaru TDI. If I had the money and an adapter plate, it would be my direction for the future.

Europe is passing very strict laws to kill the diesel for going electric ( with all the issues that's gonna bring in its wake).
Some brands totally dropped it off to gear towards electric, I'm not sure about VW, but I think they are dropping it too...

As far as Greg feeding into any BS, he doesn't give a F at all about any of it, even defending himself when he's right. I'm such an angry guy, I could never stay zen with stuff like that 😄😄

Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:21 pm

ALIKA T3 wrote: 0cean wrote: I think one of the best parts about this engine is they are still using them in Europe and selling with no problem. That means replacement parts are available for a long time to come. Cant say that for my Subaru TDI. If I had the money and an adapter plate, it would be my direction for the future.

Europe is passing very strict laws to kill the diesel for going electric ( with all the issues that's gonna bring in its wake).
Some brands totally dropped it off to gear towards electric, I'm not sure about VW, but I think they are dropping it too...

As far as Greg feeding into any BS, he doesn't give a F at all about any of it, even defending himself when he's right. I'm such an angry guy, I could never stay zen with stuff like that 😄😄

80% of all cars in Europe are small diesel engines. This whole emissions crap was introduced to stop importing superior engines into the USA. Ever wondered why all the diesel emissions laws not apply to trucks in the US?

I don’t think at all that Europe gives up on diesel engines. Sorry but they are lightyears ahead. 30 years ago vw build diesel engines going twice as far per gallon as all hybrid cars go. Think about the amount of waist produced to make high octane fuel for all the gasser engines. You can run a diesel on french fries oil or natural bio diesel. Try that with a gasoline engine.

Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:49 pm

I recall our Jetta Sportwagen with the CR engine was limited to 5% bio which you can barely find anymore.

Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:52 pm

mreuter wrote: ALIKA T3 wrote: 0cean wrote: I think one of the best parts about this engine is they are still using them in Europe and selling with no problem. That means replacement parts are available for a long time to come. Cant say that for my Subaru TDI. If I had the money and an adapter plate, it would be my direction for the future.

Europe is passing very strict laws to kill the diesel for going electric ( with all the issues that's gonna bring in its wake).
Some brands totally dropped it off to gear towards electric, I'm not sure about VW, but I think they are dropping it too...

As far as Greg feeding into any BS, he doesn't give a F at all about any of it, even defending himself when he's right. I'm such an angry guy, I could never stay zen with stuff like that 😄😄

80% of all cars in Europe are small diesel engines. This whole emissions crap was introduced to stop importing superior engines into the USA. Ever wondered why all the diesel emissions laws not apply to trucks in the US?

I don’t think at all that Europe gives up on diesel engines. Sorry but they are lightyears ahead. 30 years ago vw build diesel engines going twice as far per gallon as all hybrid cars go. Think about the amount of waist produced to make high octane fuel for all the gasser engines. You can run a diesel on french fries oil or natural bio diesel. Try that with a gasoline engine.

This really gets my blood boiling. Our elected officials come up with the most ridiculous mandates. As far as I know, the US taxpayers have never been forced to subsidize diesels. Hybrids and electric on the other hand......

Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:59 pm

MarkWard wrote: I recall our Jetta Sportwagen with the CR engine was limited to 5% bio which you can barely find anymore.
In some states you are allowed to use b20, and not void your warranty....
Frequent use might cause issues, but using biodiesel in the 2%-5% range can be a PLUS...it provides extra lube...

Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:08 pm

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2012/CSC-10045400-6758.pdf

This is for common rail TDI regarding biofuels. Pretty much the fuel system is expensive enough that I wouldn't mess with it. If the engine is originally installed in the Jetta/Golf and it fails, it might be covered under warranty. If it's in a vanagon, no warranty...

https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?threads/do-not-use-b100-in-any-common-rail-engine.469382/

Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:13 pm

Nothing to do with the swap, but I was introduced to Diesel in the early 1970’s with Mercedes Benz.
190D
200D
220D
240D
And finishing with the "amazing" modern 300TD!

I really dislike Diesels.
Hated fueling them,
Hated servicing them,
Hated the smell of Diesel as you pulled the smelly dripping canister fuel filter,
Hate being behind them sucking the fumes, though the new DEF fumes are even worse!

Not on my shopping list at all. Though buying fuel at 20 cents a gallon had a very real appeal!

Now, Back to our regular programming!

Dave

Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:22 pm

My personal pet peeve is getting stuck behind an older carbed gasser with no cat. Those noxious things make my eyes water. I added a cat to my TDI swap to help mitigate the stank. I'll take a diesel over a gasser any day of the week.

Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:52 pm

djkeev wrote: Nothing to do with the swap, but I was introduced to Diesel in the early 1970’s with Mercedes Benz.
190D
200D
220D
240D
And finishing with the "amazing" modern 300TD!

I really dislike Diesels.
Hated fueling them,
Hated servicing them,
Hated the smell of Diesel as you pulled the smelly dripping canister fuel filter,
Hate being behind them sucking the fumes, though the new DEF fumes are even worse!

Not on my shopping list at all. Though buying fuel at 20 cents a gallon had a very real appeal!

Now, Back to our regular programming!

Dave

Dave, as your post shows you are living in the past. Most Mercedes engine you posted are running 1960 to 1980 engines. Modern diesel engine are very different. I also smell a 1970 gasser before i can see them. I own a 2009 BMW x5 3.5d and you can eat out of the exhaust pipe after 10 years and 80k miles. They are incredibly clean and no smell at all. I do have to admit i don't like to fill them up on those old gas stations without vacuum system but I have to do it only 1/2 as often as fellow gasoline engine owners 😀

Thu Feb 25, 2021 8:58 am

That BMW M57 is one hell of a motor. I bet your X5 scoots. That is the motor to put in an LT40.