Lending Parts and not Getting Them Back

[Floating VW]

I'm a bit undecided on how to handle this one, so maybe you guys can point me in the right direction:

Almost exactly a year ago, I happened to see a young kid having trouble with his buggy in the parking lot of the hardware store near my house. And since I am probably the only person in a 100-mile radius of here that knows anything about ACVW's, I kinda felt it was my duty to help a brother out.

Turns out, he had not only recently installed a new, made-in-China "distributor" he bought for $40 from Amazon, but he was also powering up his alternator with a hot-wire direct from the battery, by-passing the regulator and dumping massive voltage into his cheaply made points and condenser. Result: molten slag and no sparky!

As luck would have it, I kept a spare German-made Bosch 009 in the trunk of my machine in case of emergencies, so I offered to let him borrow it until he could get a proper new one for himself. He said sure, and after I installed it for him and adjusted his timing, off into the sunset he went.

One year later, and obviously, the kid didn't return the parts I lent him. But that's not what really bothers me. I'm not a big fan of the 009 anyway, and I even told the kid that if it weren't my only spare, I would have given it to him outright. Of course, there is the principle of the matter to consider, but that doesn't really bother me, either. Well, maybe a little. What really bothers me, is the kid's poor buggy! I bet I spent twice as much time pointing out all the things that were wrong on his engine as I did installing my distributor on it- bent and crushed pushrod tubes, no air cleaner, no manifold heat, no hose clamps on the fuel lines, missing every piece of cooling tin, mismatched, cheap Chinese aftermarket parts everywhere, you name it! It was even missing the strap that secures the alternator to the tower; the only things stopping it from flying off were the fan belt and the four screws on the fan shroud.

Now, here's my dilemma: I told the kid I wanted to help him get his engine sorted out, which he seemed very grateful and eager to do, and I suppose I would like my distributor back (it was a German Bosch, after all). However, doing so would require a considerable amount of detective work to track the kid down, and we are technically still in the middle of this "we're all gonna die!" pandemic.

So, is it worth tracking the kid down, or would it be a waste of time?

I'm on the fence here, so maybe what I need is some good ol' samba advice to set me straight!
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"It's time you started treating people as individuals, rather than mathematically predictable members of an aggregate set, regardless of how well that works."

[Xevin]

In short. Do nothing and move on. You’ve done more then enough. Different story if he kept in contact with a plan to return your part or offer to buy it. Hell even offer to buy you a six pack would be nice. Or help you do yard work. Anything. He offered nothing. The end.
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Keep on Busin'

[Cusser]

[awreed]

I've met Beetle owners like this. Most of them really didn't care what they were driving, just that it got them down the road for the time being.

The kids' Beetle has probably popped a fuel line loose by now and caught the car on fire. You did what you could and got burned, too. No good deed..... right?

I'd move on.

[hitest]

Ordinarily I say yes- go collect it. But this is as much on you for not getting his contact info and setting an upfront contract with him as it is on him for not having integrity. The other thing- you failed to establish and make him understand the value you placed on that part. He'll learn responsibility from someone bigger and meaner.
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[EZ Gruv]

You'll never see that kid again.
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Eric
1977 Deluxe Westfalia - 2.0L FI Type IV, Completely Original
Photographer for HotVWs, VolksWorld, AirMighty, VW Camper & Commercial, Hayburner, and more.
My Photography Page.

[VW_Jimbo]

Let it go. You have better things to do with your time. Wish that boy well and hope you had a positive impact on him. Maybe some other time and in another place, life will repay you for your deed. My 2 cents.
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[oprn]

^^^This^^^

With what you have seen of the workmanship on his Buggy and the fact he is just a kid with little resources (buying a cheap part proves that) there is a pretty good chance something else failed, the Buggy is sitting in his parent's back yard, he is out of funds and discouraged with the whole endeavour.

If you find him again and he hasn't sold the Buggy for scrap give him a hand again. Just be a bit more cautious about donating parts that still have value to you.

[kpf]

Teaching someone who is at that level is probably a lot more than you want to take on. You’ll have to teach so many basic life lessons before you can even start teaching auto tech.

Your distributor is gone, and could very well be destroyed by now by all the well-meaning free help he’s mooched since that time.

Consider it the cost of the education you’ve received.
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1971 Super Beetle

[vwracerdave]

Same thing as loaning a friend money and never seeing them again.
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2017 Street Comp Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble, OK
2010 Sportsman ET Champion - Mid-America Dragway - Arkansas City, KS
1997 Sportsman ET Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble ,OK

[Floating VW]

Good advice, all.

To be fair to the kid, he did stop by my house once or twice to let me know he hadn't forgotten about me (but that was ten months ago, before the pandemic hit, so who knows, the poor lad might've gone on to that big lube job in the sky since then). And perhaps I overstated a bit the difficulty of tracking him down. He told me where he worked and more or less where he lived; it would be a pain in the arse, but I'm sure I could find him in an afternoon or two of driving around.

[Floating VW]

[Abscate]

[finster]

return the 009...

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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[oprn]

I wish I had a genuine German 009! I would put it up on a shelf in plain view in my garage with a sign on it that said:

"Most over rate piece of junk to ever come out of Germany"

right next to my 009 copy which has a sign on it

"Most copied piece of German junk to ever come out of China!"

[kpf]

[67 Florida Deluxe]

Well, it's been over a year and the little puke probably doesn't even have the car any more. Or maybe the kid is an angel and simply lost your contact info and has been trying to track YOU down. Either way, like others have stated, only let people borrow money, parts, tools, your boat, whatever, if you never expect to get it back. Chock this up to a few VW karma points in your favor and let it go
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-Kent (BaT "daleallen")

OG member of the '67 Posse

A few of my toys, past and present
'56 Oval, '66 KG Conv't, '67 21-Window, '67 Bug, '79 SuperVert, '55 Pre-A Continental

[Abscate]

Pandemic has changed a lot of social interactions and priorities. It’s never too late to ask for your stuff back.
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.ssS!

[modok]

It's better to just freely GIVE.
Then when they send payment, or return the favor, at some point in the future it's a VERY pleasant surprise.
Not really sure what the return % is because I tend to forget about it shortly, but it's high. Probably AS high as loaning.
Give and you shall receive.
"Loan" and you will be disappointed.

[oprn]