> I was told today, by a twenty year VW mechanic, that Elring makes "B"
grade
> gaskets and he will not use them in his rebuilds. My local VW dealership
> says they are one of the best, but they too, will not use them in their
> rebuilds.
>
> Any thoughts on this?
>
> I recently purchased a gasket kit from the Bus Depot that are Elring
> (excellent price $99!). Any concern here?

This mechanic's statement is absurd.  Either he actually believes what he
is saying (which is very surprising for a "20-year VW mechanic"), or else
he is is intentionally misleading you (perhaps due to an ulterior motive,
i.e. the desire to sell you gaskets at a much higher price).  It is common
knowledge that Elring is an original equipment supplier of engine gaskets
to Volkswagen.  If the actual product used on your engine by Volkswagen
when it was brand new is "B grade," then what exactly does he consider "A"
grade?

For what it's worth, there is only one other "leading" supplier of gasket
kits for the wasserboxer, which is Victor Rienz, also German.  It, too, is
very good quality, probably comparable to the Elring.  I have sold both and
found no reason to favor one over the other. Even if you were to spend the
big bucks and buy your engine gasket kit from Volkswagen themselves, the
kit you received would merely be a repackaged Elring or Rienz product
anyway.

-Ron Salmon
 The Bus Depot
 http://www.busdepot.com