[T2] parts for 79 Transporter

[The Bus Depot]

> Been looking at ordering parts from Bus Depot but has anyone used
> cip1.com?  Some prices seem cheaper there, e.g. push rod tubes

I checked the pushrod tubes, there was a recent wholesale cost reduction that had not yet updated on our site. Now we have them at $7.50 each which is actually cheaper than CIP (who lists them as out-of-stock anyway).  My issue with CIP is their use of terms like 'German Quality' (or in some cases German sounding brand names where no such actual company exists) for Chinese made aftermarket parts. To be fair they are not by any means the only ones who do this. A large wholesaler of aftermarket Chinese parts (whose parts can be found on Ebay and at various online auto parts retailers) operates under the brand name "OE Parts" - so everything they sell can technically be advertised as OE even though it's not Original Equipment.  It is impossible to keep up on country of origin these days (which is why we have a disclaimer on every page that if a part is listed as Sachs/Germany, for example, that means it came from Sachs/Germany but may or may not actually be German made).  That is just a reality of globalization; the same part number from a top tier brand can be made in several factories worldwide and it can even vary from one shipment to the next. But in my mind, that is different from using words like "German" or "OE" on parts that you KNOW were never German or OE to begin with.  Sorry, pet peeve of mine.  If you care enough to read my way-too-long-winded dissertation on the subject it's at http://www.busdepot.com/details/quality/. 

Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com