>Just so Ken doesn't think he's going nuts, I too remember hearing
>something like this.

Got it now. Mr Ainlay advises that he has updates to come, but here is the
original:

>Date:         Wed, 23 Apr 1997 18:26:13 -0700
>Reply-To:     tma3dlrd@slip.net
>Sender:       TYPE2@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM
>From:         "Thomas M. Ainlay" <tma3dlrd@slip.net>
>Subject:      Stay away from the LockRight
>Comments: To: Type II list <type2@type2.com>
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
>>
>> For the late Bus/Vanagon the only affordable choice is a PowerTrax
>> LockRight auto locker.  This is likely the route I may go, cheap
>> $250
>
>Stay away from the LockRight!!!!  I too thought it would be great to
>have a limited slip diff and when it came time for a rebuild I opted for
>the LockRight.  That was a $600.00 mistake.  Here are the gory details:
>
>I ordered a LockRight from Weddle Engineering and was told that there
>was a 30 day back order.  What I wasn't initially told was that
>Powertrax was having quality control problems.  As the delay increased
>past one month the real reason was unveiled to me by Weddle.  That
>should have been the warning sign for me to cancel my order.  It turns
>out that Powertrax got a bad batch of LockRights from the heat treater
>and had sent the remaining units back to be heat treated again and then
>tested to see if they could be salvaged.  I was told by Weddle that the
>units ended up being scrapped and that they were waiting to receive
>another shipment.  Finally the rebuilder received the Lockright and a
>few days later I was installing my freshly rebuilt 091 trans.  The very
>first turn I took there was this loud snapping sound from the trans and
>the van lurched violently in the rear.  I contacted Powertrax and was
>informed that since I was using Redline MT 90 oil that the
>engagement/disengagement would be more pronounced due to the thin nature
>of that oil.  Other than that the MT 90 was sufficient for use with the
>LockRight and should cause no other problems besides what I had
>experienced.  Two days of driving brought the car to a standstill.  The
>LockRight as well as my freshly rebuilt trans were toast.  I'm talking
>about the 1/2" diameter chunks of broken gear teeth kind of toast.  I
>had to remove the trans and take it back to the rebuilders again to the
>tune of an additional $600.  When I contacted Weddle they said that they
>could only refund my purchase for the lockright and that I would have to
>take my claim to Powertrax for the $600 out of pocket for the additional
>rebuild.  I did just that and was treated to a rather surprising
>result.  Powertrax's response was that I must have been using the
>Lockright for something other than it's intended purpose.  Let me get
>this straight, they advertise this design as having been tested on Dodge
>M37 trucks but it can't survive a bone stock '72 VW  bus?  Powertrax
>claims that they are not liable for any incidental damage caused by
>their products.  I disagree since there is an implied sense that their
>units won't completely fail in two days of normal street driving.  I
>could see it their way if the unit failed after a long period of service
>or during extreme use but not after two days!  In reality the LockRight
>in my tranny failed from the very first moment I ran the vehicle and to
>me that violates the implied warranty that the unit is made to handle
>extreme conditions of offroad racing.  Of course they didn't even
>mention the fact that they had just had a serious recall of these
>units.  Needless to say I am seriously considering small claims court in
>order to recover the additional costs.  After my experience with the
>LockRight I would consider the advantages of the Quaiff design well
>worth $1000 if indeed they are actually making a diff for the 091.
>
>Thomas

--Ken
           68 Westy, Admin -- type2 -- The VW Bus Mailing List