> I recently sold my '82 Diesel Westfalia and purchased an '89 GL
> Westfalia with a skylight.  The skylight has a large horizontal crack
> along the back lip.  It might be repairable in the short term  but will
> need to be replaced.  After looking at the archives I only see 2
> options: the OEM one for $100+ or ones from the skylight guy for $55 or
> $75.   Any experience with the non-original skylights?

Well, apparantly you didn't try www.busdepot.com . :-)  Our price is $85.45
for a genuine OEM VW two-layer skylight, not over $100.  We also have a
single-layer aftermarket one (made by the Skylight Guy) for $56.95.  (Both
prices include your listmember discount.)

The main difference is that the dual layer one is better insulated. so you
won't lose heat through your closed skylight.  This is of particular value
if you camp during cool weather, where you're trying to keep the heat inside
the van at night.  Also, if/when the skylight does crack, a dual layer
skylight may still remain functional for while, as the second layer may keep
water out of the van even if the first layer gets a crack.  My '89 Westy
developed a crack in one layer of the OEM skylight a couple of years ago,
but remained watertight until just recently when the remaining layer began
to crack.  Kind of like a "spare layer," I guess.  Too bad the skylight
didn't have five or six layers; I could have milked it for years without
replacing it, cheapskate that I am. :-)

The dual-layer skylight I sell is the OEM one, but the Skylight Guy also
makes a dual layer version.  Frankly, the only reason I opt to carry the OEM
one in that price range is for marketing reasons.  Some people simply feel
more comfortable buying OEM parts, so considering the very close price I
decided to carry the OEM.  I have no reason to feel that it's either better
or worse than the aftermarket dual-layer unit.  It just seemed to be
overkill to carry two different dual-layer skylights that were roughly the
same price, so that's the one I picked.

So your main decision pretty much comes down to whether to buy a single
layer or dual layer unit.

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

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