At 04:55 PM 6/7/00 -0400, you wrote:
>on 6/7/2000 3:58 PM, Sean Garrett at seangar@HOTMAIL.COM wrote:
>
> > I have the oppurtunity to cut some of my cost in my restoration of my 1980
> > Westy. I might buy a Canadian rebuilt engine (new heads) with 9,000
> miles on
> > it (no exhaust, FI, Tin, I have these components). I was told that it was
> > rebuilt by VW of canada. Anyone out there who can give me some feedback
> > would be appreciated.
> >
> > Cost is $600, 90 day warranty.
The air cooled version is a pile of junk!  Sloppy is the best word to
describe it.  I had one in TURD for 35K.  Blown heads, bad bearings,
misaligned case and poor quality fasteners seem to be the norm.  Belive it
or not the GEX is a better engine, and anyone who remembers my 2 blown
engines from GEX in my thing can tell you that that is a heck of a
statement about VW Canada.
         There is no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to vanagon
motors.  To push a 5200 pound GVW bus down the road only using a 2.0l
engine requires the best built and the best maintained engine to
last.  Boston bob may seem expensive, but I have never heard of him selling
a bad engine.

Just my $0.02
Chris Smith
'82 Westy
'74 Thing
some cars that even run