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vanagon_dan Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2016 Posts: 31 Location: Seattle
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 2:40 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Question on the product... does anyone notice more noise transmitted through the solid joints vs the O.E. setup? Last thing I would want is amplified vibration noises.
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I have the shifter and feel that it does add some noise to the cockpit area. The tone changes noticeably and gets quieter when I rest my hand on the shifter and the “reverb” or acoustics are quieter in the rear of the van in either scenario. HOWEVER, I feel this is only the case because of my straight cut 4th gear. It is very quiet in third and that is a reduced helix gear. It is especially loud at low rpms in 4th, but is a good reminder to not lug the engine
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If you're getting vibration noise through your shifter, remove the knob. If it goes away, it's the knob acting as a passive amplifier, not the shifter per se. I found the top of the factory knob is very thin plastic and, at least on mine, was acting basically like a drum skin and really amplifying rattles. Put on the GoWesty machined knob and the shifter vibration noise I'd been fighting for years vanished, and hasn't returned. I think any aftermarket solid knob would work the same. |
This is really interesting. I may have to try this out and see if the shift knob is magnifying the issue. I’ve been toying around with the idea if attaching some long lead weights to the long sections of the linkage under the cam to see if it would soak up some of the vibes before they make their way to the shifter. |
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khughes Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2013 Posts: 736 Location: Phoenix AZ
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:35 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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vanagon_dan wrote: |
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Question on the product... does anyone notice more noise transmitted through the solid joints vs the O.E. setup? Last thing I would want is amplified vibration noises.
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If you're getting vibration noise through your shifter, remove the knob. If it goes away, it's the knob acting as a passive amplifier, not the shifter per se. I found the top of the factory knob is very thin plastic and, at least on mine, was acting basically like a drum skin and really amplifying rattles. Put on the GoWesty machined knob and the shifter vibration noise I'd been fighting for years vanished, and hasn't returned. I think any aftermarket solid knob would work the same. |
This is really interesting. I may have to try this out and see if the shift knob is magnifying the issue. I’ve been toying around with the idea if attaching some long lead weights to the long sections of the linkage under the cam to see if it would soak up some of the vibes before they make their way to the shifter. |
The 'solid looking' knob I've seen on most/all of the RS shifters would likely not suffer from the same issues. The stock knob, on mine, seems *ideal*, if not intentionally designed, to magnify noise. But if the RS knob isn't solid, or if the original knob is used, then I would expect the solid mounting to create/radiate more vibrational noise. _________________ '86 Westy FAS GenV Turbo (Marvin) |
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Bindu56 Samba Member
Joined: May 14, 2011 Posts: 18 Location: CA
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Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:40 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Absolutely no noise from my Big Shot shifter--much quieter than the stock linkage in my experience. _________________ 1982 Vanagon Westy/diesel/SVX/VW 5spd GT 4th/5th
89 Vanagon tintop w GoWesty 2.2--Sold
2012 Touareg Hybrid 3.0 Supercharged V6 333 hp |
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12Paths Samba Member
Joined: December 21, 2014 Posts: 23 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 4:59 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Well another crappy complaint...syncro linkage ordered a few weeks before the covid shutdown so I guess that will add to the poor guys bad reputation for timely shipping...I’m sad |
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11BC2 Samba Member
Joined: August 27, 2017 Posts: 494 Location: Cool, California
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 8:20 am Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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12Paths wrote: |
Well another crappy complaint...syncro linkage ordered a few weeks before the covid shutdown so I guess that will add to the poor guys bad reputation for timely shipping...I’m sad |
I've been waiting almost one year for my order; I'd cancel and get your money refunded. |
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tencentlife Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2006 Posts: 10067 Location: Abiquiu, NM, USA
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 9:50 am Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Absolutely no noise from my Big Shot shifter |
It seems like no noise from RS Fab is the real problem... _________________ Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/
Please don't PM here, I will not reply.
Experience is kryptonite to doctrine. |
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20bugsys Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2006 Posts: 43 Location: Detroit Area, MI
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 10:22 am Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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My BS shifter for the subarugears transmission came apart while driving TWICE, each time a different component failed, both times it was a pin (a different pin per occasion) falling out of it's hole. This resulted in me not being able to shift at all as I was driving down the road. Both times I tried to contact RS Fab for advice, some kind of resolution, etc and never received a response. I repaired it myself each time and it is still working but I doubt I'll buy anything from them again. I made a long photo documented post about it on the Facebook Vanagon Owners Group. I have since disabled my Facebook account so I'm not sure if it is still visible or not.
_________________ 1960 | Beetle | Jade Green | 36hp OG Car
1969 | Beetle | Cherry Red | 1914cc
1984 | Vanagon Tin Top | Subaru EJ25, 5 Speed
1986 | Vanagon Syncro | Restoration to bone stock
@myescapepod
@crusty_syncro |
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ALIKA T3 Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2009 Posts: 6316 Location: Honolulu,Hawaii and France
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Forthwithtx Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014 Posts: 717 Location: Fort Worth
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2020 12:52 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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I wish I had read this before I ordered a clutch hose for $70. A month ago. Doesn't answer e-mails or the phone, and the voice mailbox is full. _________________ Cheers!
-Karl
'84 GL with 2001/2004 Subaru 2.5L |
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Franklinstower Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2006 Posts: 1892 Location: PNW
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2020 1:09 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Forthwithtx wrote: |
I wish I had read this before I ordered a clutch hose for $70. A month ago. Doesn't answer e-mails or the phone, and the voice mailbox is full. |
Which clutch hose? _________________ '89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug |
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Forthwithtx Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014 Posts: 717 Location: Fort Worth
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:13 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Franklinstower wrote: |
Forthwithtx wrote: |
I wish I had read this before I ordered a clutch hose for $70. A month ago. Doesn't answer e-mails or the phone, and the voice mailbox is full. |
Which clutch hose? |
Clutch slave line for a reversed pinion Subaru transmission. _________________ Cheers!
-Karl
'84 GL with 2001/2004 Subaru 2.5L |
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Sodo Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007 Posts: 9527 Location: Western WA
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:58 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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ALIKA T3 wrote: |
Gotta knurl that pin or put a roll pin in, or glue it with press fit Loctite.... |
Drill a hole in the center, from below, thread it and use a setscrew or M6 bolt. _________________
'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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Franklinstower Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2006 Posts: 1892 Location: PNW
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 6:04 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Forthwithtx wrote: |
Clutch slave line for a reversed pinion Subaru transmission. |
I went to hydraulic hose shop and had one made for like $40 or $50. Are you using the luk 1" bore slave (Subie slave is too small, you don't get a good feel).
32" hydraulic hose with brakequip fittings~m12x1 female bubble flare; 7/16 24 sae inverted flare steel 90° on slave side. About 34" over all. _________________ '89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug |
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Forthwithtx Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2014 Posts: 717 Location: Fort Worth
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2020 7:20 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Franklinstower wrote: |
Forthwithtx wrote: |
Clutch slave line for a reversed pinion Subaru transmission. |
I went to hydraulic hose shop and had one made for like $40 or $50. Are you using the luk 1" bore slave (Subie slave is too small, you don't get a good feel).
32" hydraulic hose with brakequip fittings~m12x1 female bubble flare; 7/16 24 sae inverted flare steel 90° on slave side. About 34" over all. |
Got a Subaru BRZ slave which is supposed to be more compatible. Found an old line from a Subaru trans in my stash and an adapter from 10mm to 12mm. Haven’t tested it yet.
Found out my Kennedy exhaust manifold runs into a lug on the bottom of the Subaru 5MT trans. It’s superfluous, so I can grind it off, but not sure that if I do, it will be enough. Thinking about spacers at the heads to drop it down a bit, or slightly denting the slip joint (which will make it no longer “slip” unless I slot the inner pipe).
Anyway, has anybody heard from RSFab in the last six months? Terrible customer support. Still don’t have my clutch line or a response from
Email or phone. _________________ Cheers!
-Karl
'84 GL with 2001/2004 Subaru 2.5L |
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Jmma Samba Member
Joined: October 13, 2003 Posts: 8 Location: Mesa az
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:41 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Well, this was an interesting 2 hours to read the 11 pages of history.
I can't say that I'm at all surprised.
I'm sad that I only now have found this thread.
I'll start by telling you I've known Ray for about 20 years. It's true, that people don't really change....
So, a couple things.
He does have high school level educated hired help running the business. Also, for those who have received thier purchase and found that it was wrong or missing parts, that is probably due to my children being the ones that are often doing the assembly and packaging, ages 10 and 13 now. The only time that he spends with my babies is when he makes them go to the shop, begrudgingly, while exposed to a closed room full of second hand smoke. They are yelled at and berated for the work they do that he doesn't approve of and they are not compensated. They are promised gifts and rewards, that never, ever have been delivered. Gilbert PD and Mesa PD, as well as DCS have many records documenting the abuse and neglect and still have open pending investigations.
I'll spare you the 20 years of details. It looks like his Kharma is doing a great job telling the truth for him.
As for his pleading to "win back the trust of the VW community", ha! That is hilarious and nicely constructed pattern of words, false hopes, broken promises, a total scam artist, a thief and a liar.
If you'd like to send him a fruit loop basket, follow up on your claims, or maybe a nice birthday card, (he has a birthday this month on the 25th, turning 42), you can give him an email, a call, or a letter. I'm sure would love to hear from each and every one of his valued VW community family.
Please address to:
Raymond Edwin Miller III.
[email protected]
2923 S Cherry Cir, Mesa, AZ 85210
337-330-6696 Ray
337-680-8584 Melanie
337-568-4076 old#
Happy trails,
JMMA |
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Jmma Samba Member
Joined: October 13, 2003 Posts: 8 Location: Mesa az
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2020 11:49 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Hahahha!!! This is just so much garbage. Feel free to PM me if I can help anyone out....
Hahah, seriously, a very comical journal entry. Just not much truth to the details, at all.
Happy trails!
JMMA
flomulgator wrote: |
Excerpt as requested:
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen.
First of all, I would like to thank all who support RS Fab by purchasing our products. I am posting this to get some feedback, both good & bad. I would like to give a little history lesson to those who haven't been here since the start of RS Fab, a pet project that has turned into something much more.
When I first envisioned RS Fab, I was going through a tough divorce, living in a different state, starting a new life with an old friend. Oddly enough, we were both going through a lot of the same things. I was in a position new to me. Being an avid Volkswagen fan my whole life, owning a '79 Rabbit, '05 Gti, '63 Kombi and for a brief time a '63 Type III Squareback. I had two children from my previous marriage, a baby in the future and two more from my new girlfriend. We needed more space and set out to get something a little more modern than my Splitte, and more importantly, safer. “I found a Vanagon in Austin,” I told my girlfriend. I packed some tools and parts, hopped a Greyhound, and showed up on the gentleman's porch 16 hours later and purchased it. A little parking lot mechanics, and I was on the road, drove 5 hours back to Broussard, LA. It was a whole new platform to tinker with. Throughout my whole life, my father and I worked together on my vehicles; always redesigning things and manufacturing parts to make things a little better. We had developed a new shifter which I really enjoyed, shared some photos; next thing you know, Bam! I have a company. When I started the company, I worked at an electric forklift company based out of Addison, TX, called Malin. I was a mobile mechanic working out of my home, and drove all over the upper half of Louisiana north of I-10. This lead to a lot of windshield time and time to think. During this time in my life, I had a lot of time to ponder and exercise/make my projects come to reality.
Fast track to 2017, I've moved back to Arizona and went back to my previous job at Otis Elevator. I have a large family now, less time because of work requirements. The business has grown, more than I had ever expected. Now I have found myself in an unfamiliar situation. Sales on shifters and other odds & ends has allowed the business to grow. But how much more? Over the last couple of months, I seem to be getting farther behind. I had to step back and see what was happening. This is what I found: with the demands from my new job back in Arizona, with all the new opportunites with my children as they grow... Wow, it's become difficult to continue my more than full time job, side business and a healthy family life. What do I do? How do I divvy up my time so my passion for Volkswagens doesn't take time away from the other important things? Do I slow down at RS Fab, allowing more time for my family or be more successful at my job? Do I need to put some more of my eggs into the RS Fab basket? Keep pushing hard, complete more products so that some day I have more freedom to take a couple hours off in the middle of the day to take my children to lunch during school? Do I start throwing out the idea of Subaru conversions, done to the level I can appreciate? Or do I sell my products to distributors so the can handle the feedback from & offer a better experience for the customer? The whole purpose of this post was to get some feedback from the community which started this amazing trip. I know I'm going to get some flack from the ones still waiting on linkage rod kits I promised would be out almost a year ago... or people still waiting on black knobs for shifters in which my supplier is having import issues. That is what these groups really excel at, ideas! Comment if you have any. Thank you again for your time; this has been a lengthy post.
Your friend,
Ray Miller [email protected]
FEEL FREE TO POST TO OTHER FORUMS AND GROUPS THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST." |
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Abscate Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014 Posts: 22575 Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:54 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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_________________ .ssS! |
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jimf909 Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014 Posts: 7409 Location: WA/ID
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2020 6:35 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Likewise. It sounds like you're in the middle of a mess that's far more important than our gripes about lousy service on silly car parts. Here's hoping it gets better for you. _________________ - Jim
Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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Jmma Samba Member
Joined: October 13, 2003 Posts: 8 Location: Mesa az
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:12 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Cheers to that!
Not my mess anymore. I divorced him 8 years ago after I learned of his "planned baby on the way"....
Hahah, it's just too much lies.
Keep truckin',
JMMA |
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11BC2 Samba Member
Joined: August 27, 2017 Posts: 494 Location: Cool, California
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2020 10:24 pm Post subject: Re: What's up with RS FAB? |
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Awesome!
He’s on my way to El Paso, and to quote a famous singer...”B**** better have my money.” |
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