Where do Europeans access there parts?

[Single 60]

In Wally's post you see many 411s and 412s in what looks to be emaculate shape. Where do they get ther suspension parts, or have they been retrofited as Ray has suggested.




Also you see so many 411s and 412s parked with low miles. Production #s compared with low mile Type 4s setting in the shed just doesn't add up.
Was it the complexity of the Type 4 etc?



Terry

[raygreenwood]

I would bet that there are just a lot more laying around....cars that is. One thing I notice is that most are unmodified. They still have the nose high attitude. The parts for things like strut bearings are still avail able for all models....but the early ones one junk. Also wit hteh wide range of weather we have here, the rubber parts do not survive well..even sitting still. Also...in German wrecking yards...the few that may still keep type 4's, many of them I would bet, survive/arrive virtually intact due to TUV regulations concerning being able to field a car with negligable body damage or rust. In Germany, many nearly perfect (by US stndards) cars...go to the wreckers when repair bills (like minor accident or welding up rust holes) exceeds their value. I have seen peictures of many low milage high dollar cars sitting in yards with nary a scratch on them... in running condition simply becausethe labor costs to make them worthy of passing inspection....are too high.
One other thing. Several years ago when searching parts....because I travelled a lot, i was able to hit about 30 dealers acroos the US. One nice, long time VW employee relayed to me....that as parts are dropped off the parts list and discontinued from computer lists and microfiche because they are deemed obsolete, VW had the habit of shipping the entire stock off the continent....some back to Germany, some to Brazil. Perhaps that is where they are getting the parts. Its the same practice as some of the aftermarket parts vendors. For instance, KYB informed me that when a shock design that doe not cross match to something else is dropped from production due to obsolesence, they literally collect them all from their regional stock houses.....and destroy them. this is because they have a lifteime warranty....and they do not want any occasional sales to happen with these parts..because they no longer have production capability for that part to honor such a warranty. VW is similar. Once the parts are deemed obsolete...youwill notice, they literally take away the ability in the computer record for the agent to even look up any more than the photo for that part. Even if you have thepart #...you must have the order codes generated by the system to generate an order for that part.
Computer and microfiche pictures have been being updated over the last 10 years..constantly believe it or not!. I have walked into dealer and ordered small parts and gotten them. Then...6 months later...you go back and when the picture is pulled up...the part # is now gone and is listed obsolete. Ray

[Rauno Koskinen]

Hello guys!

Here in Finland everything is different than in Germany, but still i can find lot of parts quite easy.
Cars have always been very expensive (taxes), gas is expensive (1,5$
per liter), weather conditions are bad - long cold winter, salt on the roads, wet autumn and sometimes summer too. our cars are among the oldest in europe, only in Greece and Portugal,I think, they are older, over 12 years.
It unbelievable that I can find some parts from local shops, brakes, suspension, steering etc. Some bodyparts are hard to find, but then there
are many cars lying around and people are almost giving them away as they do when it comes to other parts too.
The reason for this is, that they don`t like Type 4´s, it´s only beetle, sonderbus or so. But I think that it is going to change in some years to come and I am ready, because I have pretty good collection of parts already. If beetle is rusted, they fix it, but if it´s a type 4, they dump it and thats good for me , this way I get lot of parts for myself. People just don`t see Type 4´s worth of anything.
We have around 20 Type 4´s registered and I have three of them , so
there is not lot of market for parts, but that´s good for me, people are almost giving me the parts, because they see them worthless....
I have to go eat now , but I´ll be back.......
Let´s here some comments from you Type 4 enthusiasts.

[raygreenwood]

Thats about how it was here ...just until the last couple years. Many people here still find them worthless...but have seen the value enough to start trying to at least sell them...instead of just crushing them. These wree expensive vehicles. Many of them were parked in garages after they had mechanical problems...a long time ago. Pretty much whenever I found one a few years ago, they would almost give it away if they were going to get rid of it. Ray

[MGVWfan]

Here's my speculation on the subject.

I kind of suspect the first wave of Type 4 "mass parkings" in the USA happened at around 5 years on the road (between 1976 and 1980), when the original Manifold Pressure Sensors died and the car went into full-rich mode. The owner got an estimate of hundreds of dollars (in 1970's dollars) and decided to either park the car, or scrap it. I noticed a whole bunch of 411's/412's in the junkyard I frequented while shopping for Anglia parts in the late 70's. I'll bet the next wave happened when the engine/transmission came up on its normal overhaul time, somewhere around 100K miles or maybe 10-15 years. That would have been 1981-1989. What we're buying now are the rare "survivors", or those cars parked in one or the other of the waves, I think.

It's strange to think of the T4 as an "expensive" car, since up until a few years ago folks were giving them away, but the original purchase price places the T4 solidly in Buick/Chrysler/Olds Toronado territory