[s-cars] Aftermarket parts--was J-hose

[Tom Green]

Funny coincidence, James.  I am on a long-term (I hope :-)) test of
Karlyn  <http://www.karlynsti.com/Folders/Karlyn.htm> control arms
I purchased from Pelican Parts.  They have a good reputation on
some parts for VW, and a great introduction price for control arms.

The J-hose repair at HOH was a no-brainer for me when the best
price last year for a new hose was $350, now $450, and these guys
are real pros.

I have had no problem with 3 Meyle overflow tanks in over a year.
The crappy replacement caps are another story, though.  I wasted
more coolant than money saved on those.  It pays to look things over
before use, the problem ones had inferior valves and springs that
were easy to see compared to the OEM cap.  The idea was good,
though, wanting a new relief valve rather than trusting a 12 year old
cap with junk that could prevent it from operating.  They certainly
needed new gaskets.  I think the Jost cap is comparable to the original
and still a lot less than the stealer price.

I thought the list could benefit from some of this discussion between
Scirocco musings and police car stories.  :-)

Tom

On Mar 26, 2007, at 9:06 AM, James Murray ((QB/EMC)) wrote:

> Yes, I've been hearing the same regarding the coolant tanks, and  
> from I
> hear it's always the Mehle brand... Stay away from that brand with
> regards to any part. If you can get TRW then go for it, otherwise it's
> not worth the savings... I installed Mehle control arms at low cost,
> well 1.5 years later and then need to be replaced again!!! :-(
> This time it's TRW for me.

> ----Tom Green writes----
> On a similar replacement note, I had seen the overflow tank caps on
> several web sites for $2 or so, when the dealer price is $25.  Great
> deal, I thought, since I was already a convert to the aftermarket
> overflow tanks.  Not so, all three exibit nagging leaks, and the  
> one on
> my neighbors car, dumped coolant every shutdown last week, costing  
> much
> of the savings in replacement coolant and aggravation.  And they  
> looked
> so good.  The tanks are doing good anyway, and it's so nice having a
> clear tank again now with purple coolant in it.  How cool !  :-)