Nothing like having a choice!  Everybody wins.
steve

The Bus Depot wrote:
>
> In response to those list members concerned about the alleged "clutch
> chatter" tendancy on Sachs clutch kits (opinions differ as to whether such a
> condition even exists at all; see the archives), I have made a purchase of
> original-equipment clutch kits from the other original supplier to
> Volkswagen - LUK.
>
> They arrived today and I had the opportunity to compare them directly to the
> Sachs equivalent.  The Luk disk and pressure plate are German made, whereas
> the Sachs disk is now made in Canada or Mexico.  The Luk disk does look just
> _slightly_ heavier duty than the Sachs to my eye (specifically the collar is
> a bit beefier), and the pressure plate actually has the VW logo on it,
> confirming that it is the same one sold by Volkswagen themselves (at a much
> higher price).  On the downside, while the Sachs kit comes with a German
> throwout bearing, the one included with the Luk kit is Brazilian.  Upon
> opening random samples, I saw that most were packed with an alignment tool
> and pilot shaft bearing but a couple were not.  This is the way it has been
> with the Sachs kits too, which is why I don't even advertise the kits as
> including those items. (Until last year, none of them came with them.)  If
> you want to play it safe, those two items can be purchased separately for
> $1.99 each, although they do seem to come with most of the Luk kits.
>
> The good news is, the price is not much higher than the Sachs kit.  $149.95
> for the whole kit.  Part number 029 141 999; it will be on the website by
> Thursday morning. If you really want to go "100% German" I can upgrade you
> to a German Sachs throwout bearing for $14.95 extra (just specify in the
> comments section of the order form if you order via the website). This way
> everything will be German, since the disk and pressure plate are already
> German (unlike the Sachs kits). However I have not heard of any problems
> with the Brazilian throwout bearings, so I can't say that I think this extra
> measure is absolutely neccessary.
>
> Note that this is not the fabled "Syncro" clutch kit previously mentioned on
> the list.  That kit is actually not a Syncro kit at all, but rather a
> slightly different clutch kit that VW used on late-'89 thru '91 Vanagons,
> whether 2 or 4 wheel drive.  According to my sources in Germany, the purpose
> of this change was to slightly reduce the amount of clutch pedal travel
> required to operate the clutch.  Luk does not distribute that 2-year-only
> kit in the U.S.; rather they recommend the above kit for all Vanagons (and
> Syncros) thru '91.  Nevertheless, I do plan to import the "late style" kits
> directly from Germany starting sometime around January of next year for
> those who are interested, but the price will definately be higher.
>
> - Ron Salmon
>   The Bus Depot, Inc.
>   http://www.busdepot.com