VW Trends Customer Support and Feedback

[AlteWagen]

[Dave]

New cooling tins are on the market, how do they fit?

This was covered in VW Trends already. Where have YOU been?
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2003 Samba Chummie Winner- Best Story

"Those that matter, don't mind,
and those that mind, don't matter"

[Glenn]

I wonder if the vendors are the majority of the income of the subscribers.

That will tell you who the the publisher caters to.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[AlteWagen]

One more thing, I agree with your take on the OC scene. These days SoCal scene does not represent the majority of the VW community. I heard someone call it the boomer scene and it made me laugh.
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Grapes of Wrath $200 Engine Rebuild
Official Dual Carb Thread
Cylinder Head Quick Reference Sheet

[AlteWagen]

If you REALLY want to provide a service to the VW community you will do a TON of aftermarket parts review. Buying the parts yourself with help gain confidence from your readers as its not a free advertisement product review.

You will make enemies in the industry as you peel back the incestuous layers on the retail side but for those actually MAKING products you may 'help' them be a little more honest about their claims. In post covid auto parts industry I think that is what people want in 'tech' articles. Any bubba can slap together a stock engine using stock VW parts and a bentley, trying to build an all new engine with no german vw parts is a real pain and takes a lot more time to get together.

Id like to see you do a review of the empi D series and mention the good with the bad. We all want to believe the parts will work but like with these carbs there is a manufacturing issue where progression holes are drilled incorrectly making the carb unusable. I think readers would like to know this before they shell out $800 for a product that empi wont warranty. How many times do you need to hear 'no one has ever mentioned that to us before' even though you have personally reported the issue multiple times by various vendors.

Even a review of the gen 3 hpmx carbs. you can point out all the upgrades done over the years to make them usable carbs. how to tell the different generations and such.

Carb linkage review, exhaust review (actual dyno testing of vintage speed stuff for example). For those vintage guys review the WW okrasa kit and detail the issues with the carbs. BBT sheet metal is now on the market how about some reviews of the fenders and such and compare to the black panels and originals. Compare all the other guys as well, virtanen, wolf, autocraft etc. Im sure a comparison photo of their H apron compared to an original or wolf can tell a LOT

How about calling it R&D update since these companies are making the customer do all that for them instead of making sure a product actually works before release.

Market watch would be another great category. What are these things bringing at the time of print. Ebay, BAT, etc with a little pointing out if it was a good buy, overpriced (due to work needed etc), danger to public safety and the like. How about a buyers and sellers guide with that piece. Just because BJ sold a tag job bus to 6 figures doesnt mean your rusty pile is worth more than scrap or parts car price. Maybe pictures of what a condition 1, 2, 3 etc car looks like. Define terms like all original, or numbers matching, resto mod, hood ride etc.

How about a review of the Empi K series carbs. How many parts interchange with the original solex version? Why dont the new TBs not work with the old bodies? Then do follow up long term reviews to see how the shaft bushings hold up or if the ethanol gas is eating the internal fuel bowl.

Blow the lid off the Autolinea mag case product that many were selling to the public leading customers to believe they were OE mag cases. Most still dont know they even offered a mag case.

How about window rubber. WW has been selling rubbers that dont fit for at least 10 years that cause water to leak internally. Those of us who have purchased and installed these parts know the truth and I think others would like to know before wasting time and money on ill fitting parts. Ill tell you I was PISSED after all the time I took to install the trim and everything, put it in myself then to see HUGE gaps in the corners. I would have liked to see this and then use WCM or Viewb for OE fit.

New cooling tins are on the market, how do they fit?

I think a project car would be the best way to go through every system and review parts just like an average guy would build in his garage. Regular parts, regular reviews for regular folks. Use one of those CB builders kits and show what is required to build from start to finish and showing what is not included. Then you can right off all the stuff on your taxes.

Not everyone has the time needed to drag through hundreds of threads to find out if this new product works as advertised and how its holding up years later.

If you are in it just to make friends in the industry or re live your youth you are not doing your readers justice. Truth and honest reviews rarely make friends but if you are into it to make the industry better all consumers will appreciate it for sure
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Grapes of Wrath $200 Engine Rebuild
Official Dual Carb Thread
Cylinder Head Quick Reference Sheet

[DanLeadbetter]

Hey Everyone! Mark your calendars for June 10th (the day before Prado) at 10AM as VW Trends Magazine host it's 48IPA Hopped-Up Beer Launch party and car show at Chapman Crafted Beer in Old Towne Orange ! Limited VIP show space is available! Come check out our new beer and hang with your friends! There will be food, fun, surprise guests, swag, and lots more! Go to www.48IPA.com and get on the email list when registration goes live!
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[6T5 square]

Also remember that most repair manuals were written 20 or more years ago. A lot of updates have happened since then
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John
65 square 1500S (weezer) sold but always on my mind
60 beetle (Ned)

Quoting John Muir -- Open the rear boot. Get out the stool and sit down. Contemplate the air-cooled beauty before you. - How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive -- Step-By-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot

[DanLeadbetter]

Thanks for the reply Norm.

Yeah, VWInnovator is right, there's no replacement for a good Bentley manual or the How to repair your VW for the complete idiot. And while all of the magazines out there can show you what's being done, it's a whole other ball of wax to explaining a detailed HOW it's done. That would be another magazine all by its self. We try to get as detailed as possible in our tech features, but realize the limitations. Thanks again for your reply!
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[NormGarr87]

Vwinnovator, I get what you are saying. I was asked. I'm an engineer and started out working on air cooled V-Dubs in the early 70's as a mechanics helper. I did a lot of hands on stuff before college. If the article is well written and researched I can glean a lot out of the article. I have learned a lot along the way from magazine articles. I also live in the Bentley's for all my vehicles. The more info the better. By tech I'm looking at everything from interior refurbishment to paint. The glossy photos are nice but.........
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72 forever project Bug
03 Boxster S
18 Tiguan SE
73 Thing
81 Caddy w/2.0 liter ABA
Every VW has some Porsche DNA and every Porsche has some VW DNA. Sorry boys, they started as hopped up V-Dubs.

[vwinnovator]

[NormGarr87]

Dan,
My itch is more articles on how to fix the cars. All the mags seem to have drifted to one or maybe two articles that are real tech. The glossy pictures are nice, the people articles are nice but I work on my V-Dubs. I want more information on parts, part combos, and how to do its if I'm going to spend my money.

Norm
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72 forever project Bug
03 Boxster S
18 Tiguan SE
73 Thing
81 Caddy w/2.0 liter ABA
Every VW has some Porsche DNA and every Porsche has some VW DNA. Sorry boys, they started as hopped up V-Dubs.

[wheel607]

Wow Dan, a month and a half later.

[DanLeadbetter]

Glad we got you sorted. So when you say, "the itch", what are you itching for? Can you be more specific?
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[NormGarr87]

I can now wrap up the saga of missing magazines. I finally received my order times two. Not sure how that happened but it did. I passed the extra batch on to a another V-Dubber since I opened both mailers not knowing what I received. I read the mags; nice and glossy, pretty pictures, articles well written but it does not scratch my itch. I grew up with Dune Buggies and Hot VW`s back in the early 70's. There wasn't a lot of color from what I remember there was a lot of technical stuff, how to make it work and make it better. That's what I miss.

Thanks for the assistance. Nice mag, doesn't scratch my itch. Of note I finally dropped Hot VW for the same reason.
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72 forever project Bug
03 Boxster S
18 Tiguan SE
73 Thing
81 Caddy w/2.0 liter ABA
Every VW has some Porsche DNA and every Porsche has some VW DNA. Sorry boys, they started as hopped up V-Dubs.

[sportin-wood]

[DanLeadbetter]

Hey everyone!

We did have a bit of a snag with our renewal service, getting the word out that it was time to renew. You can go on www.vwtrendsmagazine.com and choose "renewal" on the subscription page. You may want to reach out to [email protected] and give your name, mailing address, and when you subscribed, and they can sort that out for you. Thanks for your patience as we work the bugs out on the back end!
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[janerick3]

[sportin-wood]

So, the latest issue is out? I still haven't received mine.
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Paused 66 project bug
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"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman. He's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." --- Jeff Spicoli

[DanLeadbetter]

That's awesome! Glad you got printed and hopefully paid! I hope you'll forgive me for something that happened 34 years ago, as I don't recall ever seeing your submission ... which isn't surprising after all this time. Frankly, ay 62, I can't even remember what I did yesterday!
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[gears]