Aircooled.net - [email protected]

[SpiritRT]

[busey]

Its time, taking the plunge and purchasing an IDA kit. Are there any differences between the CB Performance IDA kit sold on their site and the one sold thru AC.net???
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No turning back now, "Its Blow thru or No thru" baby!

[[email protected]]

Well sell a CB IDA kit, and offer to set them up and jet them. If you can do this you don't need us to do it. The costs of the jets alone are more than we charge for the setup though, and IDAs are not even close to correct out of the box.
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It's just advice, do whatever you want with it!

Please do NOT send me Private Messages through the Samba PM System (I will not see them). Send me an e-mail to john at aircooled dot net

"Like" our Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/vwpartsaircoolednet
and get a 5% off code for use on one order for VW Parts ON OUR PARTS STORE WEBSITE, vwparts.aircooled.net

[busey]

[busey]

Disappointed i had to back out of a transaction with AC.net due to an engine builders timing constraints. I have to admit, it was refreshing that i didn't have to cuss and fuss with ACN in order to get the $$ put back on my credit card. The funds were back on my cc the same day i cancelled my order.
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No turning back now, "Its Blow thru or No thru" baby!

[virusdoc]

Posting this here after several attempts to contact aircooled.net have been met with nothing but silence.

Ordered several things from them on Dec 18, including a full flow oil kit. Everything shipped except the spin on filter adapter, which was apparently back ordered.

I waited about a month while doing other tasks on an engine rebuild. But it was getting close to the time I’d need to install the oil kit, so on Jan 17 I emailed inquiring when they expected the part to be available. No reply. I also ordered another couple hundred dollars in parts from them that day, and those shipped promptly. So I know they’re not shut down or anything.

Emailed again Jan 22, asking the same question, and explaining that this was the last part I needed to get my bug running. No reply.

Called and left a voice mail on Jan 24, requesting a call back. At that point I’m just hoping to figure out if I should order the part elsewhere or if it’s just about to ship. No reply in 5 days.

Not sure what’s going on at ACN. I’ve dealt with John in the past on tech support issues and he always replies quickly with very good advice.

I’m still giving them the benefit of the doubt that someone is out sick, or something else huge is going on, but I don’t know how else to contact them.

So if you need something fast, confirm stock ahead of time is the advice I’d give. I know their order support page says that back ordered items will ship as they are available, but I think it’s reasonable for customers to ask about ETA, especially for an item that is a component of a kit that is necessary to get a vehicle back on the road.

Update: aircooled.net customer service reached out to me within 12 hours of this post, said that my emails got caught in their spam filter (no mention of my voicemail) and they were very apologetic. They also emphasized that John replies to tech support only, and is thus able to reply more quickly than standard customer service. And apparently my part is on the way now.
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1976 Convertible Super Beetle, "June Bug".
FI-->34PICT3 carb conversion-->now dual 40 IDFs
Self-rebuilt 1904 (after totally botching a 1641 rebuild, cussing a lot, and throwing lots of cash in the fire)

[notchboy]

In the below post back in 2017, this buyer got caught up in a replacement warranty issue where Aircooled.net was a third party sales person. I bring this up because I just finished dealing with a very similar issue. This is not being posted to express a disjustice or wrongful practice, but more so a disappointment in myself, the system, human nature and lack of genuine, human interaction when selling parts. By system I mean the supply chain for VW parts, not big brother or Alien lizards controlling us

Bear with me, it's the long way around the barn, but has a good ending.

I purchased a Vintage Speed performance, stainless steel muffler from Aircooled.net in 2016 when I was finishing an expensive T4 Camper Special motor build up for my 77 Westfalia. Absolutely love the muffler. Shipped fast, excellent quality, made the bus sound mean and aggressive but not obnoxious.

Towards the end of last year I started to notice a funny noise like a rattle, tin loose, weird resonance especially at compression stops, like when you let the bus slow down through the motor and clutch. It wasn't bad at first but progressively became worse and predictable. So I chased all the easy stuff, checked screws, bolts, looked for cracks, I asked people I trusted opinions, some I didn't, I even posted a vid for the samba, you know all the usual basic stuff one does when presented with a puzzle that can't be figured out. It wasn't till I had enough guessing and preliminary checking that I acted on my hunch. My good friend Stuart Z was in town, so I enlisted him to do some swapping for me, because at this point, he too was miffed by the ordeal and wanted a conclusive answer. Not before he checked a few things off his list like, valves (not) or broken alternator bracket (not again ). So he pulled the muffler off of my 74 bus, lucky to have it as most folks wouldn't. While the Vintage Speed muffler was of and before putting another known good muffler on my 77, we did the soft blow hammer test on the suspected culprit. BONG.....ring. Bong.......ring. Something was definitely weird in the Vintage Speed Muffler. The stock muffler was put on the 77 and she purred like a kitten. Noise gone. Lots of noise gone and now my monster performance motor was tamed. Point being, no rattle - as confirmed with a test drive for 30 minutes.

Yes I know, so what's the point? Get to it ok.

Before I did the swap, I enguaged Aircooled.net after reading on my Aircooled.net invoice that Vintage Speed has a 5 year warranty on this part. My issue seemed to fit the stipulations, and this was a $559.00 investment in a quality piece that was about 2 years old (with use) at the time. My email with Aircooled.net was promptly answered by Stephanie. We started to do the information dance. She contacted Vintage Speed, told me she would be the work through to them in getting the issue resolved - hopefully. Mind you lots of this was in a day, a day or two of each email. Things were moving forward fast, great customer service!

Then it all stopped.

Here is the disappointment part. And granted this is my perception of the events that transpired. Stephanie and I were conversing right before Christmas. I wasn't going to expect anything, I also didn't want to deal with much myself. Its Xmas - duh, not a lot should happen. Last email I received from Stephanie was this:


Hello again Jason,
I'm sorry to trouble you with an additional request. But we got a reply from Vintage Speed today, and they asked me to forward their email (below) containing request for video of the rattling noise you have reported.

In the attached Vintage Speed email they basically requested a video be sent on to them of the issue. It wasn't till I let this go through January without resolution, did I re read our transactions carefully. At this point I was getting pissed that the several follow up emails I sent Aircooled.net were going unanswered. I took the requested vid of the issue and replied back to the email - the original email, checked up, waited 38 more days, checked again............

Still with me and reading?

So at this point, Im looking for dirt. Im mad, my muffler sucks, I hate everyone, I stopped petting the dog. Im looking for some vindication. Mind you I hate being the complainer. Once you start on the internet, people either embrace you or treat you like you have the plague. Rather an unfortunate place to be since you don't want to be in the "death" group of castaways that support you. You want to be back in the sun, froliking and dancing on the beach. So in an attempt to find out if Aircooled.net was a horrible decision, I read the feedback on them.



Hey, good for you. This is the part where the below quoted text comes into play. I came across it and re read my initial dealings with Stephanie. My takeaway was that I needed to include Vintage Speed now? I add the "?" because it definitely did not translate to me with any meaningful impact, ever. I am pretty dense at times, but I was told at the beginning - first email from Aircooled..........:

Hello Jason,
We will facilitate the communication with Vintage Speed through the claim process.
In order to initiate a claim on their 5 year warranty.....bla, bla..........

What she said in that first email stuck! Why should I deal with a vendor you bought parts from and sold to me? I should of just bought it from Vintage Speed then! I say that now but I do get how this works. Having vendors for a product is a far better business model for most. Then you can concentrate on the product. I get it, but still, I am only human, Im driven by emotion, food and the occasional carne asada burrito. The email, that last email from Stephanie did not stick. I didn't get the impression that I was to now take the stick and run! Run Jason, RUN!



So I read Vintage Speeds seller feedback. Lots of praise for a quality part, lots of happy people running on the beach, enjoying the sun. Not me, I was still stuck in poopy pants land, sulking around looking for others to join me in my travesty of justice and wrongful acts of my liberties at the lowest of levels! I was bummed to say the least.

Then I read that Mr. Lee was the guy. He helped "X" with his debacle, he rained Skittle filled sunshine on "Y"'s gloomy day?? I want some skittles So, I emailed him and explained the issue. It all made sense to me, but just like this long story you are reading here, you wonder if the point was put across, did I forget something, do I sound like a whiney biznatch now stuck in the death zone of the internet??? Oh, dear lord, give me the strength. Mr Lee was on it. He immediately reached out and took over. He asked for the vids and the vin off the muffler. Next thing I knew Jacky from VS was emailing me confirming shipping address. Here is the invoice for your replacement muffler. Happy days, I'll pinch myself now, but won't believe it till the muffler is here.

So yeah, the muffler is here. Honestly I though for sure this whole thing went bad, I got the shaft, too bad sucker we don't care about you and your stupid muffler problem. I had created a bad world in my head for sure and this after one of my Christmas gifts was a VS muffler for my notchback.

Here is the pay off and my point to this long what dd I call it? Long way round the..... Yes, I could of emailed John in the tech email, Stephanie could have been more specific - especially after I sent two emails expressing concern with no acton(hint, hint), I could have realllllyyyyy read it and got it, and emailed or CC'd VS sooner....... In the end, I created a more frustrating time of it all then it need be. To those fortunate enough to read this, keep in mind, we are all just people in the end. Toss in the holidays and good lord, who knows what would happen.

I am a firm believer in supporting those that support us. All the vendors that take the time to sell us parts for our obsolet cars, good and bad. For if it were not for them, we would not have a hobby. They can only do what keeps them going. If it's not financially and or emotionally rewarding most the time, then it's considered insanity. This is the part where you look up the definition of insanity

As I said in the beginning of this, this is just how I saw it, and in the end it's how it really happened right? Im the customer The happy customer referrers you another life long customer, the unhappy one tells 10 people that you suck.

Internet kills our ability to interact. Im dead sure that if I walked into Aircooled's store and talked to a person face to face, this would of never happened. If you get frustrated, take a breath, walk away, revisit it when you are chill. Call your mom and ask her about it. Pet your dog and have a beer, in the sun on the beach while thinking about going out for a carne asada burrito. In the end, the internet is how we have to do it now a days. It just is. And it comes with its own nuances for dealing with stuff. The irony is that I can't walk into a store where I bought it. It's not down the street and convenient for me. The amazing ability for me to reach out on the interwed, get a part and have it show up is lessened by the fact that I didn't get it from a store when a problem arises. The funny thing about this particular kind of progress is now we have to wait even longer to get resolution. Its built into the nature of the whole thing. The seller can't hold the part, see your demeanor, you in turn dont get the satisfaction of being heard, face to face and assured. So keep this in mind. It sucks at times, but is how it all works. You need to have clarity of mind, don't let the demons in and ruin it because you didn't get a response back in 12 minutes. If its urgent, call during business hours - vendors, please be patient and understanding - most people's idea of urgent will never almost ever be yours. :2gunfire: It's the burden you carry for being our supply chain! You can thank the wife later for supporting your crazy idea for selling parts.

Thank you to Aircooled.net for answering the below comment. I didn't include Johns reply, but its back a page for those interested. It helped me weed through my issue. Please keep us supplied with parts and innovations for our hobby!

Big thank you to Vintage Speed, whos issue I had was theirs to begin with. You stood by your part, gave me zero grief over it. You reacted better than the best customer service I myself have given people in the past, and I consider that the highest mark. It was a pleasure doing business with you and I will as I have already in the past, recommend you to others.

Kindest Regards to all involved,

Jason "notchboy" Weigel

[boondocksdrew]

Anyone know if they're actually still operating? Put in an order about 7 weeks ago and no one has answered several emails in that time.

[82bessieblue]

Yep, they sure are. I placed an order with John earlier for a Weber 40 IDF kit. Had several technical questions and he's answered very promptly.
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1982 Aircooled 2.0L Vanagon - BessieBlue

[boondocksdrew]

[boondocksdrew]

[82bessieblue]

[SGKent]

I've known John for a long time. He is a great person and he will give you honest advice. He is the kind of place you want to get parts from, because he is interested in helping you rather than just making a sale. If you are considering getting parts for your VW, include John when you shop.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[gwal]

Ordered a type 3 ott exhaust from acn, arrived well packed and on time.
Andy

[Cr430c]

I had ordered the wrong carb kit and received the carbs in may. Contacted them and was told I could return them and swap for correct kit. Havent seen or heard anything from them since. I've emailed every address on their site and even left voice-mail messages with nothing in about 4 months. Do I conclude they closed shop? Ignoring me? Not surewhat to do from here.
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January 1957 oval https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=730746

[[email protected]]

We are not closed, and not ignoring you intentionally.

We are severely under-staffed and struggling to get caught back up from multiple business setbacks starting with Covid back in March. Our e-mail queue is 1200 deep currently.

Stephanie is headed to the office this afternoon to take care of your return instructions and everything else she can do today (Sunday).

We are sorry you have had to be so patient.

[Cr430c]

Thank you John for the reply. I greatly appreciate you reaching out.
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January 1957 oval https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=730746

[Lingwendil]

What's with the new order request system? It feels very vague and does not instill customer confidence. It makes it seem like parts may not actually be in stock, and that they have to be sourced? If this isn't the case it would be a nice idea to update the explanation on the checkout page.
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73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[[email protected]]

That has always been our system, just the wording has changed. I don't like the wording, but my opinion doesn't matter on stuff like that.

We try to stock everything, but the reality is that at any point in time over 10% of products are not in stock, because they are either in transit or currently not available for us to purchase (for a zillion reasons). If you own these cars and have for a while, you have pretty much realized that you can't get everything you want immediately. The cars ARE over 50 years old, and there are supply issues. We struggle to get everything we can, we do our best. It's also true that we carry far more parts than most retailers, many of which are very difficult to acquire. Other stores probably say "fuck it" and don't carry the ones which are so hard to get they are not worth it in the end for the amount of work it takes to get. We don't do that, we try to get everything, and try to keep old cars on the road. This is a problem with the typical Amazon customer who thinks that if it's listed it means we are ready to ship it 10 minutes after their order comes in. That is totally unrealistic for what we are here for.

[Lingwendil]

Ah, okay. That makes me feel better. I understand entirely what you mean on parts availability and sourcing though.
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73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!