Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:15:07 -0800
Reply-To: pete <pete952@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: pete <pete952@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: starters-used vs. cheap rebuilt vs. Bosch rebuilt
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Ron said
>While I can't speak about this starter in particular, I can speak of
>discount auto store rebuilt electrics in general. I have had more than one
>customer who has ended up buying one of our starters or alternators after
>having had to take advantage of the "lifetime warranty" for the third or
>fourth time in a couple of years.
It's been 4 or 5 years or so but I was having starter troubles with the 80 Westy - I went the Kragan/Checker, etc. route and put in a bebuilt. It worked fine for a couple of days before we took off on a trip to Durango, CO from home in the Sierras. We stopped for supplies on our way over the mountain and sure enough it wouldn't turn over in the parking lot - enlisting some help I got it push started and off we went - same story the next morning but I had picked a campsite with a sloped access and roll started it. I used the warranty and a parking lot in St George, Utah and we were on our way again with a working starter - for 500 hundred miles or so and that one took a crap!I replaced it at a campsite near Durango - it was good for a couple of days. Man, does one learn to plan ahead! I lose track but I replaced at least 3, if not 4 starters in this sequence of events - all under warranty. When I got home I ordered one from the Bus Depot - no deposit - installed it without doing any of the things I would recommend now for this problem but I haven't had any starter troubles since.
My point should be obvious but I have a lot of faith in Bus Depot products and service. I do have to mention that I was cleaning out some stuff last year and took the remaining old starter back to the local Kragan to see if there might be a deposit of some sort - they gave me a full CURRENT retail refund - I considered it a gift but I'm not sure it was worth the time on my back in the dirt changing out their crappy rebuilds!
Pete
Murphys, CA
80 Westy "banana slug"