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texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop
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mjman
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2020 2:53 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Central Texas Buggy Werks Reply with quote

Randy is absolutely one of the best, most genuine, amazingly knowledgeable about VWs.
I had him build a Type 4 form 1982 vanagon and his work is impeccable. Better than factory fresh.
He goes above and beyond to ensure your 100% satisfaction.
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Vintrick Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:10 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Central Texas Buggy Werks Reply with quote

Randy built me a 1641cc engine for my 1968 Ghia that looks period original.
I sourced the rebuilt parts from Samba and other internet sources and supplied them to Randy as he was balancing the connecting rods, crankshaft and flywheel, and machining the cylinders and cylinder heads to perfection.
Randy has a passion for his work and pays close attention to every detail.
If you want an engine built there are plenty of people that can do it but if you want the satisfaction of knowing it was done right and to higher than VW quality you call Randy.
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outoftreemonkey
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 6:14 am    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Central Texas Buggy Werks Reply with quote

I’ve owed my bus for 22 years. Randy’s 2.0 is the 3rd engine I have installed. I am from Michigan and based on my research it was Jake Raby at $1300 or Randy at $6000. I drove down to Texas to buy the motor. Since it’s install I have had no issues. And I use my bus. I take 13 day trips all over the country. I pack it down. I haul a trailer with 4 kayaks 8 hours away. It can see speeds of 75 easy. Very strong and reliable motors. I waited 4 years to post a review to assure my review was accurate. I almost want to buy a back up motor before he quits building them.
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Bambergvr6
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:50 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

Just purchased a new 1641cc from Randy's VW Engine Shop, had an awesome experience.

I needed an engine for a customer, my local supplier did not have anything ready, so I gave Randy a call, as i have seen his ads here on www.thesamba.com, he picked up the phone and stated he had one ready and sent me a couple pictures of the longblock. I called him back a few hours later and agreed to purchae it. Randy's shop is about 2 1/2 hours away from me, he knew this and offered to meet me halfway. Randy also provided me with 4 quarts of 30W Amsoil breakin oil, he also provides allot of guidance and warranties the motor for 12 months (labor).

A few days later, i had the engine built up and i must say, its a beauty, runs very smooth, very quick reving motor, so satified.

i like his engines so much, i have Randy building a 2nd engine, a 1776cc for me.

See it run: https://youtu.be/JCVaGYvZcug

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blmorgan53
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2021 8:01 am    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

As a newby restorer of a 73 beetle, I joined numerous VW forums and clubs so as not to reinvent the wheel! When trying to find someone to build a VW engine for me, I was surprised at how many oddball directions I was sent Very Happy . After about 6 months of searching, A very kind club member pointed me in the direction of "BROWN'S HOBBY SHOP". What I found was a VW trained mechanic who took the time to educate me about the engine, what he did, and what I could expect.

Randall Brown provided me with exactly what he promised and more. He sent photos of every step in the build, allowed me to come to his shop and observe how he was assembling the engine, and mounted the engine on the restored pan.

I am looking forward to finishing the build, and driving out to Comfort Texas and seeing my new friend at his shop.
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ontheroadwithadie
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 14, 2021 4:42 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

I do not recommend Randy. I bought a long block from him in April 2020. Immediately after purchasing from him, he asked me to write a positive review. Now I know why he was so earnest. GEX engines have lasted longer, despite his 24 month, 24,000-mile warranty. After 19 months and 14,000 miles, the engine seized. Since we were in the midst of a cross-country trip, I had the bus towed to a well-regarded air cooled mechanic in Minneapolis who tore down the engine and determined the crankshaft was faulty.

Randy boasts an unbelievable warranty that really should not be believed. When I bought the engine, he gave me several pages of instructions for installation and break-in. If any one of these steps was not followed, the warranty would be void. We followed each step to the letter. According to the warranty, if at some point the engine had an issue, it would need to be pulled and freighted to Randy for him to inspect and determine whether he was at fault or not. (Thus, my having the mechanic in Minneapolis work on it violated and voided the warranty, which I acknowledge.)

It would not have mattered, as I soon found out. I sent Randy an email explaining the situation in hopes that he would be willing to work with me. He immediately said it would be impossible for the engine to seize unless I did something incorrectly. Yet, I had a reliable mechanic (and soon a second one) who both said the initial build was likely the problem. The warranty, it seems, is only good if you drive the bus around his yard and he supervises all the maintenance on it for the entire life of the warranty. Add in the freight cost and Randy as the sole judge of his work and whether you receive your money back (not to mention return freight cost) and the warranty has the same integrity as the engine itself.

Other folks on here comment on his temperament and demeanor. I’ve seen both sides of the coin, I suppose. He’s charming when you still have cash in your pocket and then abdicates all responsibility without even wanting to see any evidence once the money is in his pocket. Knowing what I know now, I would recommend anyone shopping around for a rebuild to go with a shop, not a one-man show. In our final email exchange, Randy said I needed to include his side of the story. I figure he can come up with some more excuses and post them himself.

If anyone wants to see receipts of my purchase, the documents from Randy including build contract, warranty, break-in instructions, etc., or photos of the seized engine, feel free to contact me directly at ontheroadwithadie [at] gmail [dot] com. In the meantime, we will continue to document our 49-state VW bus tour, including the good folks who have helped us out along the way on our blog site: ontheroadwithadie [dot] com

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texan1950
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:39 am    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

To "ontheroadwithadie"
The next time you have your oil changed try using the "correct oil"..
Its obvious enough !! A thin lubricate in the wrong engine
equals failed engine..
And I do not appreciate you trying a "shake-down" on me
for a problem that someone else created..
Randys VW
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ontheroadwithadie
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 12:22 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

I should note that Randy's assumption that a wrong oil was used is an assumption. He never asked what sort of oil was being used. Not once during our exchanges did he try to determine what happened. He simply stated that his engine could not possibly break and then created this reason. Again, I have the paper trail that shows that he simply will not stand by his work or consider the possibility that he could have made an error.

And it's hardly a shakedown when you give someone a chance to stand by their product. The guy who built my newest engine (a stand-up guy in Minneapolis) has been forthright and great to deal with. Feel free to message me for recs.
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texan1950
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 3:25 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

To> ontheroadwithadie
Just wondering- on the SAMBA and on your website you fail to post your name or address or phone number.. What is up with that..??
What are you hiding from ??

Ok Mr. Ding Dong
I stick with my original response to your negative review..
You said it yourself- the engine is beyond its warranty time anyways..
So some shop that changed the oil on your engine "used the wrong oil"..
Plain and simple.. so why are you still complaining ??

And the answer to that is simple> you are still trying to scam me
into paying you money..
Please just stop- you are not getting anywhere with this..

Merry Christmas..
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EverettB Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 6:08 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

First, don't post your name, street address, and phone # on a public Forum.
This is insecure and could lead to identity theft or other issues.

I'm curious, what oil was "wrong"?
What was recommend (or required?) and what was used?
I've had used engines and used lots of different oils and various different grades of oil, nothing ever happened.
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ontheroadwithadie
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:04 am    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

Sorry everyone that this thread has turned into name calling. My intent was to provide factual feedback about my experience so others can make an informed decision. The facts are that Randy warranties his long block for 24,000 miles / 24 months. My block had 14,000 miles and was purchased in March 2020. I contacted him in November 2021 to inquire if anything could be covered.

The part of the warranty I admittedly violated was under the second “however” section of the conditional warranty (see images). He asks for the block to be inspected by him and shipped at the customer’s expense to make the determination. We live in, travel, and base our business around our bus, so we could not make that possible. We took the bus to a veteran air-cooled shop. I emailed Randy to ask if he could cover any portion up to 50% of the block. I paid $4,050 for mine, so it was not a small investment. I specifically said that I would want it paid directly to the shop, not myself. He then accused me of extortion.

As far as hiding goes, I really don’t know what is behind that bizarre accusation. On the Road with Adie is our registered domain name, website (which has our names, bios, and contact info), email, production side of our podcast, etc. Each week we reach around 12,000 people under that name through our partnership with a digital radio station.

And since this has turned into name calling, I really don’t have any desire to continue this conversation here. Folks can continue to message or email me if they want more information before making their purchase.
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Speedster33
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 12, 2022 4:14 am    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

I’ve restored dozens of VWs over the past 50 years. I used to build my own engines but have gotten lazy in my old age. For the last 4 I’ve restored, I’ve bought new longblocks and built up from there. I’ve bought two from Oregon and one from Scat. This time, I thought I’d try one from the local Texas guy 2.5 hours away. So I bought a “Randy motor”. Randy was a good guy to deal with and is very confident in the build quality of his motors. I guess his confidence rubbed off on me and I agreed to pay twice what I had paid from the last Scat longblock. I’ve only had it home for a week but have already completed the build and started it on my run-stand. I got a few puffs of smoke from my one and two side of the engine which I attribute to a new, un-broken-in engine. I’m sure that will seat in and fix itself.

So, it’s too early to tell if the engine was worth it but I enjoyed meeting and discussing VWs with Randy and seeing his great shop. So far, so good. I’ll check back in when I’ve gotten a good break-in.
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John1976
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 10:00 am    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

Randy recently built a stock Type 4 motor ready to be installed (i.e., the full Monty). My son and I drove down to Comfort, TX top meet Randy and pick it up. Randy also took us to another location to view a friends local artifact collection which we also really appreciated.

Randy kept me appraised of the process all the way through the build. I have plenty of pictures and advice. I recently completed the 500 mile beak-in and have subsequently been enjoying this new powerhouse. I starts up the first time, every time; It has plenty of power, in fact it is the bus steering and external wind conditions that temper my speed on the freeway (I am running a Rancho 091 transmission); and the engine has not so much as leaked one drop of oil (I am running Dino oil not synthetic). Finally, it looks and sounds beautiful!

If I had some extra cash I would likely buy a second motor and hold it for a future bus.

For anyone who my be skeptical, stay tuned. I am about to push off on a cross country trip that will take me from the east coast to the pacific north west, down the coast and out through the south west before returning home. I will post an update of the motor’s performance. That should be a definitive test.

Thanks again Randy!
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blatzer
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 27, 2022 5:05 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

2 L hydraulic valve-didnt make it to the 1000 mile oil change before it developed a rod/piston knock- havent torn it apart to find out exactly what happened, long block built by texan1950 Randy's VW-
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blatzer
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 5:04 am    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

Randys VW thought my post was unfair and reminded me of the the following:
You failed to mention that I built your longblock with YOUR USED PARTS..

You failed to mention that the few new parts that I provided

were passed on to you at my cost..

You failed to mention that I discounted my labor to help you out..
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John1976
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:29 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

OK, I mentioned that I would follow my post with an update on my road test.

As noted, purchased a type 4 (full monte) from Randy. Did the 500 mile breke-in, changed the oil and adjusted the valves. Drive locally for another 100 miles or so and experienced no oil leaks nor performance issues.

I have now driven the bus from NJ to the Oregon coast and now down to Sacramento on the way to Yosemite. The motor has given me everything I asker of her and had more to give if only the suspension/steering/driver were up to it. I easily maintained 65 MPH on the flats (could have easily maintained 75) and powered up the Rockies at 55 mph in third gear at its worst inclines. Today it was 115 degrees in north central California and I kept her at 55 mph max.

I adjusted the valves before or after each hard day. I did one oil change at Walmart (bring your filter, gaskets and torque spec’s or they wont touch it). Tomorrow is another valve adjust and this week an oil change.

This is a solid engine. BTW check out ‘DavesCowBus’ on instagram to see the trip so you’ll know this is a real review.
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dalan
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 10:22 am    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

It is so refreshing to me, as a VW collector to find someone like Randall who is as passionate as I am about Volkswagens. Randall and I have chatted and I am going to try to get one of my old gems out to him to have him help me. When looking for help with an old VW, I try to find someone who is not only talented, but passionate as well....that is Randall! Continued success!
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blatzer
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 11:40 pm    Post subject: Re: texan1950 - [email protected] - Randys VW Engine Shop Reply with quote

followup to Randy's vw engine rebuild in the campmobile, 1978 2 liter fuel injected- there was a problem with the distributor that was installed, and i found a used one on ebay and popped it in and the crazy timing issues and erratic behaviour went away- some engine noises that i was hearing may or may not have gone away as i was and probably still am suffering from ptvd- post traumatic van disorder- the engine had been rebuilt previous to Randy's and ended shortly after installation due to overheating- predictive programming? possibly- as of today i am driving the van and listening intently to every sound it makes good or bad
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