>     I am interested in knowing if you agree with
> eric's comments.   So which radiator is heavier and
> what is the price per unit weight and do you think
> that the content of the radiator has any affect on the
> degradation of the coolant system?   Which metal is
> the metal of choice?

I am not a metallurgist, nor do I play one on TV. I suggest that we
convene a board of scientists to test the long term effects of various
radiator materials on the Vanagon cooling system at various climates. We
will need about five years of time, $100,000, and several donor Vanagons
in identical condition to use as test subjects. Of course, while we are
waiting to learn the crucial results of this detailed analysis,
everyone's Vanagon will have blown up due to driving it in the meantime
on a bad radiator, rendering the point moot. :-)

Alternatively, we can simply consider that both VW themselves and others
have been selling the South African radiators in the U.S. for years, and
with thousands in use no reports have surfaced indicating any difference
in long-term reliability or impact on the Vanagon cooling system, versus
the German radiator. So if there is any real-world difference it would
seem to be minimal. What's more, either is far superior to the 15 year
old used one in poor condition that it is replacing. Of course, the
"I-don't-buy-anything-that-isn't-German" people among us can simply buy
the German one for $50 more, so nobody's left out.

Besides, if Vanagon radiators were that climate-specific, we'd have
needed multiple part numbers just for the U.S. alone. After all, the
climates in Alabama and in North Dakota are not exactly the same.

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

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