The Bus Depot

[Busdepot]

[westina]

[Yarkle]

I have been remiss in posting feedback on busdepot on here. I have easily dropped well over 4 thousand dollars between the thing and mine and the boys buses.

ive almost always gotten quality parts for good prices and exactly what ive ordered.

Yeah, every once in awhile there is a "glitch", but they have always made it right on the very few occassions there has been a mistake. (i think 2 errors in 50 plus orders)

the two i can think off the top of my head were supplier issues, and they (Fred seems to be the guy I always deal with) quickly resolved the problem.

one issue was bus tie rods. for some reason the nuts supplied werent metric, they were US sized and they wouldnt go on right, so i ended up destroying the tie rod.

I emailed bus depot and they sent me new ones that they personally checked to make sure it wasnt a repeat issue.

So, its never been an error on their part, its been a supplier problem, but theyve always fixed it, and thats why I almost always buy my parts from busdepot (unless I can find NOS stuff on the samba!)
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Tilda the Mustard Tigress 1973 Squareback (o'''^'''o)

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=771024&highlight=

[Gr0unded]

I recently had the pleasure in purchasing some products from Bus Depot. While some items were on back order, they quickly found another resource. They also accommodated a last minute request to ship items with that backorder. The Bosch fuel pump that was recently replaced in the beetle is working like a charm, it is quiet and working great.

Outstanding, thank you Bus Depot.
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B r i a n
1976 VW Type 1 Beetle - Standard

Stop Dead Photo Links! Post your VW photos to the Samba Gallery!

[Ian]

Avoid Bus Depot unless you like to waste your time and money!!

I called Bus Depot yesterday 6-11-2020 by telephone to make sure that they had inventory and the correct parts that I needed as it was an urgent matter. I was looking for part # 025-109-337. The photo on their website shows the correct part:

Customer's used tube:

What they sent me:

I called immediately this afternoon when they arrived and was told to e-mail some pictures to a customer service e-mail. I sent them over immediately with this response:

[Ian]

I have opened a PayPal dispute against the transaction of $64.90.

I have asked that Bus Depot refund the total amount and I can ship them back their junk product.
_________________
All your Buses are belong to us.
Love and good roads!
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROB CRESS 1968-2012

[Busdepot]

Ian, you are absolutely right that the push rod tube you received looked different from the pic on our site. It is a different brand but functionally the same. I apologize for the cosmetic difference. We try to keep up on the pics on our site. Sometimes sourcing can vary and the picture doesn't catch up. We take particular care to keep up on pics where the item has cosmetic value. But you are right, the pic should have been more accurate.

You called Friday afternoon to say you'd received the wrong push rod tubes. Upon request you emailed a picture, saying that they were wrong because "Waterboxer tubes take a much larger seal on the engine case side." You obviously did not look closely enough, because the tubes you received ARE larger on one end and the seal stretches to fit. See the pic, below. With the camera pointed head-on it's easy to see the diameter difference, but even in the pic you posted it is clear that they taper. BTW our lead tech, Jay, uses this design on wasserboxers all the time and prefers it over the older design. And we have never before had a complaint. They work very well.

To be clear, you did NOT ask for a refund in that email, you just said "please advise." (I'd be happy to post the email.) So Syd, who handled your email, did just that. He correctly advised you that they would fit, and even sent a pic on how they assembled.

The next time you contacted us was literally 50 minutes before we closed for the weekend. This time you asked for a refund. Which would have been fine, but you allowed us no time to respond to it. Email is not instant messaging. As might be expected at the end of a Friday night, Syd did not see your refund request before he went home. I don't know of too many retailers (or other businesses) that reply to emails instantly upon receipt, let alone emails received just before closing for the weekend, do you?

Just hours later, without even giving Syd a chance to see your email let alone reply to it, you jumped on here to bash us AND initiated a chargeback dispute with Paypal. In my 25+ years in business, I have never before seen anyone go right from a simple refund request to launching social media attacks and credit card disputes all in one day without even bothering to wait for the merchant to reply.

At this point a refund is moot. You now have both my merchandise AND your money, as Paypal will give you a refund eventually. I in turn lost $35 in overnight shipping and got bashed on the Samba. You could have gotten a refund without the mud-slinging if you'd been even the slightest bit patient. (Or just used them if you liked, since you were wrong about them not fitting.) While again I sincerely apologize for the errant picture, an honest mistake, I'll leave it to the readers to decide who if anyone was treated poorly.

_________________
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[Ian]

[Ian]

Parts have been returned through priority mail 9505510302390169380429

As of this writing I still don't have a refund from PayPal or Bus Depot.

However, I am confident that I will receive a credit from PayPal eventually.
_________________
All your Buses are belong to us.
Love and good roads!
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROB CRESS 1968-2012

[Busdepot]

[Ian]

I was not getting an agreeable response from your customer disservice department, but posting negative feedback sure got results. I called at approximately 3pm CST Friday with my issue and the run-around started.

What a coincidence, you have updated the parts listing with a new picture of the aftermarket tube, but continue to use the OEM part number.

Part # 025-109-337 is IN FACT a stamped steel adjustable pushrod tube for Vanagon waterboxer, NOT a machined aluminum tube. The part number does not belong to you, but refers to a specific part within the VW catalog.

I suggest you learn about VW part numbers.

I'm an extremely nice person until someone tries to burn me.

Here is a review from their BBB page:

[Busdepot]

[Ian]

If you want to use CIP1 as a reference that's fine.

https://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D025%2D109%2D337

https://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=C31%2D109%2D337%2D025

Please note how they do not advertise the aftermarket pushrod tube under the OEM part number (the part number is modified).

Van Cafe uses an "AFT" designation after the part number.

https://www.vancafe.com/025109337AFT-p/025109337-aft.htm

Apparently there won't be an agreeable resolution to this problem anytime in the near future as you will continue to argue that you have done no wrong and are unwilling to see the error in your ways. I don't cause much trouble for other people unless they cause trouble for me.

Pissing contest? Super professional.

I will continue to steer everyone AWAY from Bus Depot for a long time to come.
_________________
All your Buses are belong to us.
Love and good roads!
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROB CRESS 1968-2012

[Tram]

They just did it to me as well.
Ordered two part number 0280160001 (Bosch part number) fuel pressure regulators, as pictured on the site:

Imagine my delight when I open the box and find a pair of Delphi Technologies 10545:

Not only is it nothing like what's pictured, this will be an absolute freaking nightmare to try to adjust installed on the engine as it's under the intake runners. The original design allows one to access the thin 13mm locknut and the 10mm adjusting bolt head from above right in between the runners.
Not this one. The air cleaner will need to be removed, then *hopefully* a socket and a long 4mm Allen key will have to be fished under the intake manifold runners to do it.

The cherry on top is that while the original Bosch mounting nut will thread on the mounting threads on this regulator, the nut is super wobbly and will never hold because the threads are just a little smaller in diameter. No new mounting nut supplied, naturally.

I bought these from BD specifically because I thought I was getting the OEM regulator. I could have gotten this other junk anywhere, and $25 cheaper than the BD "sale price":
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dfp-fp10545?sei...gLdvPD_BwE

To show what looks like an OE replacement with an OE part number but ship the exact same aftermarket junk as everyone else has just seems like a deliberate scam when it is an ongoing problem.

Sorry.
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Немає виправдання для війни! Я з Україною.

[Busdepot]

Tram, we're sorry for the inconvenience and will be happy to take them back for a full refund (as long as they are not installed). We don't specialize in Type 3 parts and have to go by the manufacturer's claim that the part will fit since we don't have a Type 3 here to test it on. That being said, we haven't had any others come back (not that we've sold a ton of them, but we've sold a few). Delphi is not junk, it's a well regarded name brand (sister company of Beru and Borg-Warner), and the part is Brazilian made just like many Bosch products, not an off-brand Chinese knockoff. Bosch hasn't made this part for years (if they did we'd sell it), and in fact our Delphi distributor is out of them now, so it's probably a matter of time before no replacement is available at all. I would like to point out that our site doesn't say the part is OEM or Bosch, just that it references to the Bosch number. The bottom of the page that is cut off in your picture makes that even more clear: "Part Reference Number is provided for cross-reference purposes only, to indicate that our part is a suitable replacement for that part. The actual SKU number on our replacement part may differ. Not all parts on busdepot.com are Volkswagen products." (On many other parts we do list a manufacturer, when sourcing is consistent enough that we can safely do so.) This is common practice in the industry. Many retailers use VW part numbers etc., but that doesn't mean VW makes everything they sell. However they don't put the warning on the bottom of every page like we do. If you'd like to send them back shoot an email to [email protected] and Valerie or Fred will make the arrangements. We'll even send you a label.
_________________
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[Tram]

Thanks. I think I will do that.

You got me- I missed the small print disclaimer in grey at the bottom of the page. I have a better idea- why not just describe and show what you are actually selling? Other vendors do. Otherwise it's like selling me a Mercedes, then delivering a Yugo and telling me "but they do the same thing!"

Well, yes, but...

I will reach out to Valerie or Fred about a return label. Thanks.
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Немає виправдання для війни! Я з Україною.

[Busdepot]

[petergariepy]

Tucson monsoons were heavy this year, and my skylight leaked like a sieve. So time to order a replacement.

On Aug 14, because BusDepot's site said they had it in stock (and GW did not) I ordered a "Complete Poptop Skylight Replacement Kit". Their site said: "Availability: Usually ships in 1-3 working days (sooner if Expedited/Express shipping is chosen)"

A few weeks later I got a call to say it was out of stock. In chatting with the customer service rep, they said they were back in business after Hurricane Ida.

On September 7th the site said they were open for business and again I ordered a Skylight Replacement Kit as their site said it was in stock. (In hindsight I probably should have called to confirm)

On October 5 I contacted them via email to inquire about the status of the order as their website showed my previous cancelled order, but didn't reflect the new order. Strange as I ordered it online.
I got a call saying they didn't have the beige, but I could get a grey unit. And that they didn't have the hardware. They said they could send me the rest. I agreed.

Last week I received an order and billed for a "complete kit". However:

No rubber seal
No hardware
Correct grey housing trim color but knob color sent was beige (ie didn't match)


The day I got it I emailed them informing them of the problem. (a week ago).
Still no response.

Issues:
Overchanged
Incomplete
Incorrect


Very Disappointing.

Attached:
Photo of what I received
Photo of the product from their site

_________________
Peter Gariepy
Webmaster
Click to view image

[petergariepy]

As of this morning (10/11) they've refunding me $19.95 for the missing hardware and have sent me a replacement knob and the missing rubber seal.
_________________
Peter Gariepy
Webmaster
Click to view image

[Busdepot]

Hi Peter,
I'm sorry for any confusion. The website stated that the beige trim piece was on backorder, so when you ordered that color anyway, we emailed you to see if you wanted to wait for it or use a gray one. Below is that email, which you received and replied to: