Oddly for quite a while there were (presumably) non dealer EV mufflers on ebay for both 5 cylinder and VR6 cars, probably same supplier as BD gets.� I've not looked for about a year so don't know if still there, and not a point on the topic so much, but if they are on ebay, I'm surprised a shop couldn't order one from a good FLAPS.
�
I personally see this one both ways, the classic argument is that the customer often�brings in shit quality parts, and it is often true.��Karl summed this one up a couple weeks ago in a thread on T2, he had someone with the gall to come after he installed good $10 each Conti or Gates belts with some $2 crap from Autozone and want their money back and the parts exchanged because "he ripped him off."� After�all, the 17 year old�pimply kid at the parts counter at Autozone said they were good and it was so.� The flip is ludicrous however, I mean if the guy couldn't find a EV muffler and wants to hack/cobble together crap or get a ludicrous $$�dealer part�when you have a perfect fitting part for far less is abhorrent.� But no�one can�fault em either way for not warranting a part you bring in folks.� That would be a very generous (and soon out of business) shop that might do that.� And even the lack of want to install I see as reasonable
 sometimes.� If the part fails, even if they state they are not going to warrant the part, they will still get rumbling bad word that "their work failed" from a lot of people.��If they only want to charge you say 20-25% more than you can pay from B-D or whoever, probably isn't unreasonable.
�
Sometimes they might not be doing much better or making as much markup as you think.� A good (though not VW) for instance, front hubs on my 3/4 ton Suburban, $450 each at the dealer (likely Chinese), $300-350 each "jobber" price from all the local FLAPS her in AK (import Chinese part) $109 each off ebay for the exact same maker Chinese part, and flat rate boxed to me for $10 each.� I mean had I gone locally, and had a shop do the work, even with a shop discount, it would have been 3 times the price each which they would have had to pass to me.� Would have made a $350 in parts brake job into a $850�brake job even if a shop didn't overchage me, just how it is.
�
I of course do all my own work, and used to do a lot of work for others for not a lot of money, for the love of the van.� Your best bet is always to find someone so inclined, and go and learn for yourself.� Not much you can't do on a concrete slap (or in the dirt for that manner just less pleasant) on a Vanagon with a $99 Craftsman tool set, a $50 floor jack, a few "specialty" tools, and a little ingenuity.� That old, if you teach a man to fish addage.
�
John

--- On Wed, 9/16/09, B Feddish <bfeddish@NETREACH.NET> wrote:

I bring parts. He gave my wife the nastiest look when she was dragging my BD
EV muffler into the shop last week. I even gave them the chance to find a
non-dealer muffler for the EV and they cound not.� If they ever tell me to
stop bringing my own stuff I'll find another mechanic.

Bryan