Those who know me understand how thorough I am in my research before I spend
time and money. I ask a lot of questions and I think long and hard before I
do most anything these days.

Full of enthusiasm I bought exhaust pipe wrap and the DEI High Temp.
silicone spray coating.

After a LOT more research and contemplation I decided NOT to use the wrap. I
was told the wrap was used for racing where they burn up engines and pipes
due to a focus on speed and not longevity. Others who wrapped pipes told of
premature rusting and pipe failure.

I also decided NOT to do half Lilly or full Lilly upgrades. When you add up
the cost of upgrades for a mere few horse power more, one has to ask if the
extra performance is worth the effort. I decided to drive more slowly and
enjoy the trip rather than get there faster.

It seemed to me that it was the trip and not the destination that camping
was really all about.

I will put the exhaust wrap and silicone spray up on ebay sometime soon and
hope someone into racing will buy it. If anyone wants them you can have it
for what I paid: $58 for the wrap, and $8 for the spray (plus shipping.)

For us regular drivers my advice is maintain a stock engine as long as you
can, then and only then buy a rebuild or convert to a different engine. My
favorite conversion is now the Subaru 6 cylinder SVX or the Subaru 4
cylinder. Since it will be a long time before my wasserboxer with only
30,000 miles on it will die on me I will just dream about these Subaru
engines for now.

William Polowniak
1989 Vanagon GL
1988 Mercedes 300 SE