[V8] Heater Valve

[urq]

Funny, when I did the heater core on #2 I got one of the brass units too ...
I couldn't figure out a way to cram the lines onto the fittings and get
everything back in ... so I stayed with the old valve ... 

I say if you figured out a way to make the metal part work stick with it.  I
wish I had a dollar for every plastic part in the coolant circuit that has
failed at an inopportune time.  When a metal part fails it tends to weep,
when the plastic parts fail they usually cause large flows ... 

Steve B
San José, Ca (USA)

-----Original Message-----

I'm going back in soon to replace my heater hoses and was wondering 
about the heater valve.

When I first got the car, the OE plastic valve was kaput.  I replaced it 
with a VW retrofit part that was all brass but slightly different 
design.  Due to the off-set design of the nipples, getting the hoses on 
was a bit tricky compared to the straight-through design of OE.  It 
works great, but I'm wondering... for the $17 dollars, should I replace 
the valve with an OE plastic while I'm in there?  Or is the brass much 
better?