> I recently replaced my tank with a nice shiny
> new one from BusDepot... The new tank arrived within 8 days
> of date of my order.  After ordering the correct gasket  at the same time
as
> I ordered the tank, I am still waiting (over 90 days!) for a corrected
> return for the wrong sized one I was sent by mistake.  My advice:  Call
your
> local VW dealer and get the VW 15% club discount on the rubber gaskets you
need.

Actually, I'd concur. We get the gaskets, grommets, etc. from VW anyway, so
the discount if ordering from me or any aftermarket vendor will be minimal
compared to the dealer price, since we all have to get them from there. On
the other hand, the dealer can often get them for you faster, because they
get deliveries from VW daily, and since these are low-dollar items, even if
you pay 10 or 15% more the difference is negligable.  Plus, since there were
some variations in the fuel filler neck grommets, if you buy locally
exchange is easier/faster.

On the other hand, don't buy the tank from the dealer, since they charge
about $700 and I charge about $150. :-)

A couple of other comments regarding the tank:

There are three versions of the original tank (excluding Syncro, which is
not available aftermarket).  Sometime in 1984 VW went from a tank with a
70mm filler inlet opening to 50mm. The fiche is not entirely accurate about
when this change took place.  If your van is from circa 1984. your safest
bet is to measure to ensure that you order the correct tank.  Also, if
someone replaced the tank in your Vanagon somewhere along the way, it may be
different.

The other change occurred was that VW went from a plastic fuel filter before
the pump to a metal one after the pump. This involved a change in the size
of the fuel line outlet on the tank, since the plastic filter neccessitated
a different diameter piece of fuel line between the pump and tank. (As I
recall, the fiche claims this change to be around 1990, but again I have
seen some earlier vans with the "later" version.)  So originally, there were
two different versions of the post-1984 50mm tank, with sliightly different
sized outlets for the fuel line   However, the aftermarket tank assumes that
you have the plastic filter in front of the pump, so its outlet is sized
accordingly. The solution for this is simple: if your van does not have such
a filter, just add one (which will add extra protection for your fuel pump
anyway). The part number for the filter is 133 133 511, and it's only $5.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215) 234-VWVW