The Bus Depot

[joetiger]

I ordered a new set of german rear springs for my Vanagon from Bus Depot a few weeks ago. I've been ordering from BD off and on for 17 years now, and this was the quickest shipment and best packaging I've ever received from them. And, the springs appear to be high quality and are a nice upgrade that nobody else in the US is offering. Thanks BD!
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[Derek Cobb]

got my box of random bus bits very quickly but I was missing a couple of pieces. Called and they sent the missing items with no drama. The true value of customer service is how they handle mistakes. Bus Depot is a winner. Thanks for outstanding service.

[SGKent]

Bless their little hearts. They mean so well but sometimes it is impossible to understand why they do what they do. Sometimes they just do not listen to their customers regardless how clearly something is said to them - it is like they don't see the forest because of the trees. When someone says they want a red widget and not a blue one, don't tell them you have a red one then ship them a blue one and a can or red paint. It is not the same as shipping the correct item.


Link

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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

[EverettB]

[SGKent]

[skills@eurocarsplus]

can I ask you why? other than cutting the terminals....


this will make all right with the world if that is the only issue

http://terminalscheap.com/product_info.php/single-...c252825cfe
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[SGKent]

yes Skills - you can ask why.

When I restored the bus I replaced every connector on the bus that had corrosion in it. The harness is already shortened and the next change of connectors will require adding a splice to the harness. There is also a rubber boot on each wire, like the horn boot that fits over it and seals it. I don't think it will work with those adapters. So - the options are either get the correct pump and keep it as a spare with me when we take the bus cross country to see you, or take the one that needs a slice and do a sloppy field slice heating a shrink tubing with a match next to the fuel pump, or wrapping with electrical tape which is notorious for being messy. If you were to try to sell your bus some day for top dollar, as a buyer which would you like to see - the original connectors and fuel pump or a splice with weird wire colors? Yes, I am prepared to do a splice if that is the only way out. However that won't happen as someone will have and sell me an original spaded fuel pump. Every other company said - "ours are threaded." And I then said no thank you - and some were a lot less than BD wanted for the same pump. BD said they could get the right pump but essentially were thinking the same thing you were. I would have said no thank you to that too and saved me and them time. It is all about time.
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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

[SGKent]

tried to edit the last post but could not. This is what arrived. They already offered to send a label. One of the other folks on the Samba sent me a link where I can get what I want still. Maybe I'll buy a lottery ticket while shipping this back so I can say, "if they hadn't shipped the wrong one I never would have been a millionaire." Make lemonade from lemons

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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

[vdubyah73]

If the spade connector pump is that difficult to find and you want to leave the wiring as original as possible why not find correct color wire and some marine quality connectors. Make short jumpers with spades on one end and ring terminals on the other. Done right they will last for years and remain secure, while leaving the go harness intact for a correct pump, if you find one. When you find a correct pump you can keep the ring terminal one, with the jumpers as a plug and play spare.

Bill
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burning down the house

73 bounty hunter, sold.
'77 transporter, junked had crotch rot.
Dubless, but have a CPR built stroker waiting for a new to me Beetle
'93 Fleetwood Bounder 34'

[ac78]

I've been shopping at Bus Depot for years and on my latest T4 build in July, I found their pricing was too high on several items. One item in particular is a fuel injector that didn't have a make or model listed on the website, said "New for the price of reman" and is "On Sale" for $59.99. My gripe is that when I got the injector, it was the same exact brand (GP Sorenson) that you could have ordered for $46.99 at Auto Zone.(I felt that was a little deceptive)

Also big price difference on new AMC oval port heads: BD price $524(current), where I bought them is now $435. I actually paid $775 for the pair 2 months ago.

Mahle P&C kits BD price $414(current), where I bought them is now $307.

I called and asked if they price match and was told they do not. I would encourage others to shop around instead of blindly ordering form bus depot. You may save enough to fix or upgrade something else...

Pm me if you want to know where I got the heads and P&C kit.
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78 Westy 2.0l hydr. FI

VW Campmobile
For people who believe a family's
car should be it's castle !

[avoll]

Ive order numinous parts from them.
Only complicates i have about them, which I should have known better anyways is...
They sent me a un-calibrated fuel sender unit.
And they tend to ship your stuff in several shipments thus resulting in more shipping cost.
So Ive learned to always make sure to tell them to combine shipping of all items.

There website is by far easier to navigate then other competitors, in my opinion.

Ill do business with them again.

[60vwnewengland]

Anyone ever buy and install the BD wiring harness?

http://www.busdepot.com/211971028m

And reviews? I need to replace the harness in the 75.
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77 Westy - Cape Cod Sage
LLAP

[Convoy]

Is anyone getting their CC hacked a few days after ordering from Bus Deport lately. Two separate occasions for me then my co-worker just walks into my office informing me that he just go his CC hacked, a week after ordering vanagon mirrors from BD. BTW my coworker and I and cautious and haven't had any issues with CC for many years now, then all of a sudden both him and I have the same scenario??

[Busdepot]

We have a number of security processes in place to prevent hacking. For one, your card number isn't stored on our web server; once your order is processed all but the last 4 digits are wiped, so if someone were to get in (and also manage to break the high-level encryption) all they'd get is a very few cc numbers that had just been entered and hadn't been wiped yet. (By comparison many websites store your whole number long-term, so if someone gets in they get thousands of card numbers.) Second, we pay a security company to scan our site daily looking for backdoors or hacks and give us a report. Third we have a script that goes through our whole site and reports any changes in any file daily, so if anyone inserts code into our site we'll know. There are about half a dozen other processes we use but this gives you an idea. Not that anything is foolproof - even Target and TJ Maxx have been hacked and they're big enough to have security experts on staff - but we are very serious about security and don't leave it to chance.

It can be hard to tell where credit card theft comes from. It is natural, when a card number is stolen, to assume one of the last places you used it was the cause, but it's often not the case.Your card could have been compromised long ago and just made it for sale on the dark web. If you used it at a gas station, a card skimmer attached to the pump could have stolen the number. Any point-of-sale terminal or any online site you've ever used could have been compromised. Even a waiter or sales clerk can steal card numbers.

There was a long thread on the Vanagon Facebook group a little while back where someone said their card had been stolen and they'd used it on a Vanagon parts site. The admin took a poll and had everyone who thought this had happened tell him privately which vendor it was. When he tabulated all the results, he said that the reports were spread evenly among all of the Vanagon parts vendors. So either every one of us had our sites hacked, or people were assuming a recent Vanagon parts purchase was related to their credit card theft when in fact it had happened somewhere else.

All that being said, we treat every potential report very seriously, and I will have our developer take another look at everything immediately just to be safe.
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- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[Magion]

God bless Bus depot, except for couple little things a I have always received what I asked for. Not sure how would I keep my bus running without these guys. Thanks!
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1975 Westfalia in Brilliant Orange
1995 Westfalia in Caribbean Green

[ewdb92]

I've bought parts from Bus Depot many times now and had my first issue with an order a few weeks ago. I got a different version of the part I ordered, but they did an excellent job correcting the problem. Great customer service, thanks!
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Erik
71 Camper
http://zerotosixtyeventually.wordpress.com/

[Busdepot]

A quick update that addresses a few suggestions made in this thread. We have instituted several improvements as of June 1...

- We now have Paypal checkout.

- We have lowered our U.S. shipping rates (having renegotiated with our shipping partners) and added cheaper USPS shipping for small packages. (It is still a work in progress; if you see a rate that doesn't seem right please feel free to email Fred at [email protected] for a requote.)

- We've lowered Canada rates too (using USPS and Fedex Air, methods that do not add additional brokerage fees)

- We've updated our phone system, added more phone lines, and now have toll-free service for all Bus Depot calls from the U.S. and Canada. (You can call our local #, 215-234-VWVW, or toll-free 866-BUS-DEPOT. To keep our prices low, it's greatly appreciated if you use the local number if dialing from a phone that has free U.S. calling. They both reach the same place.)

- We are continuing the 5% Samba members discount on orders over $50 (with the same exclusions as always). At $1000+ the discount is 10%/ PM me for the code and details.

If you have any feedback on how we can make the Depot better, please email it to my attention at [email protected]. I will read it personally.
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- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[JAY T]

Bought a stock shifter that came with a plastic part on the ball, of the ball and socket, which isnt stock. Installed it and was going through the gears and the shifter popped up through the base, fits so loose. Some girl I talked to said they dont take returns that have been installed, even though technically it was broke from day one. Terrible customer service....go anywhere but there! Always was a last resort anyway. She said ,"I'm the only one its ever happened to." Thanks Bus Depot

[KentABQ]

In the process of rebuilding my engine, I obviously have needed many new parts. Bus Depot has been great at shipping all the parts out quickly. And if any parts are back ordered, I get a phone call with possible alternatives.

Originally, I had ordered AA pistons and cylinders from a competitor that was about $40 cheaper. But after 3 weeks of no parts, no calls and no email responses, I ordered them from Bus Depot. I placed the order on a Monday morning, and they were on my doorstep after work on Wednesday.

BD is on the top of my "VW Parts" bookmarks on my laptop.
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[westina]

Placed an order for rear brake shoes(vanagon), along with some other stuff on july6th.

Checked their website july11th and the stuff was still listed as "processing"
send and email. They responded 'Some of our shipments that were supposed to have arrived have been delayed by a day or two". They said "sorry" etc, we trying our best...No problem its all good.
They shipped the same day, pkg arrived next day. Woow. (i picked the priority service).
When it was time to install, realized the adjustment piece was installed on the wrong side of the shoes, not fixable, totally useless. Took a picture and emailed, they asked me to pay the $27 difference and they can send the better quality shoes since they no longer have the other ones.Meantime i placed a small order of
Wheel Lug Bolt,Wheel Lug Nut, collapsible push rod tube and seals. Few small pieces really and informed them about the brake shoes are paid as well. The person i talked to(Fred) said that it would ship the next day. Which was yesterday. They did not.
I called the customer service today and they say since i did pick the standard delivery service which indicates 3-10 days delivery window...They simply don't care. I reminded them what i was told, they repeated the same thing "u picked the standard" .
Now, since i am being delayed over something (brake shoes)that completely not my fault, is it too much to expect a better service? In some forms...
Maybe don't give me the standard delivery i picked and get the package out ASAP? and i deal with fedex time?
Perhaps immediately ship a new set, priority, after finding out a way to charge the customer.
First customer serv. lady i dealt with: her priority was to just rush me out off the phone.
Second one was political, in a military fashion..."sir"...It is what it is....Deal with it.
Overall, i have total of 13 orders. Sums up to $1400. First time there is a problem and i disagree with the treatment.
I have a lots of retail experiences as a store mng, etc. I have seen it all.
I think they should have handle it a bit better. Trying to be as fair as possible here. What do you think?