>> The answer to your question will be hard to come by,
>> 'cause no one who went
>> the cheap route and had poor results will want to
>> admit same. They will go
>> to great lenghts to justify the wisdom of their
>> compromises. Any problems
>> that develop will surely be blamed on
>> something/someone else.
>>
>>
>>
>> T.P. Stephens
>> San Juan Island, WA
>

With each decision regarding replacement parts for a vehicle, you are
taking a chance.  I've finally come up with a rubrick that helps me make my
decision: risk, performance and cost. Risk is first: is this part critical
to the operation of the vehicle (as *you* use this vehicle).  Second is
performance: will the part do what I want it to do, if I use it as
suggested.  Third is cost: which is cheaper, allowing for the potential of
"you get what you pay for".
        First example, purely fictional with no personal experience:
anything having to do with the fridge on a Westy.  Lots of mail on the list
regarding these, and many opinions on what to do.  In the context of a
three-times a year camper, risk is kind of small- vehicle is functional for
driving, but not as good a camper.  Performance- will an aftermarket
product work as well? Maybe, maybe not.  Cost- aftermarket product usually
wins.  My decision-  I would opt for the aftermarket item, unless I was
planning on going on that Panamerica trip (I've had a Syncro for 7 months
and this would be the ultimate trip  for it, oh how I wish I could go!).
        Now another example, based on experience.  Stabilizer link on the
Vanagon broke.  No, repeat no aftermarket supply, dealer-only item.  Asked
for help from the Syncro list- lots of info, mostly suggesting I take it to
a welding shop and have them make one (its really a very simple design).
Risk: this is my daily driver, for a 45 minute commute on two-lane
highways.  I had driven it with the broken link for a couple of weeks and
noticed the lean in corners, but not any other problems.  Probably could
get away with a patch job. Performance: less able at taking higher speed
corners without it, so I need it- but would a welded job have that
interesting slightest of curves to it, and would that change the
performance?  Cost- welding a replacement would have been maybe $25, $50.
New piece from the dealer- $170.  Ouch. OUCH OUCH. So what did I decide?
The dealer piece- all I could think of was potential problems for the front
end (which can get *very* expensive on a Syncro) and possible less-than
spec handling.  Risk and  performance decided it for me.  Salt in the
wound: about a month later, the other side broke.  Sorry about the length,
hope this helps someone, somewhere, sometime.

Regards,
Mack