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Posted by: biosurfer1 Sep 12 2003, 08:49 PM

Was looking into buying one of their vacuum line kits, are they reputable?

Posted by: redshift Sep 12 2003, 08:52 PM

Posted by: URY914 Sep 12 2003, 08:52 PM

In a word.
NO.

Posted by: dakotaewing Sep 12 2003, 08:54 PM

NO,NO,& NO.....

What part of the word NO did you not understand...?

(disclaimer) YMMV...but, I doubt it

Posted by: URY914 Sep 12 2003, 08:55 PM

This topic will get ALOT of replies.

Paul

Posted by: MarkV Sep 12 2003, 09:01 PM

I bought one of those vacuum line kits recently. Nice product, delivery takes a while though.

Posted by: dwillouby Sep 12 2003, 09:06 PM

I recently went to AA. Talked with a sales guy named Bob (I think). He was very helpful and was willing to take the time to find the parts I wanted. Also gave me a very nice shirt for stopping by. Also got a very pleasant "hello and thanks for stopping by" from George.
I know they have a bad rap but I had a good experence dealing in person.
David

Posted by: biosurfer1 Sep 12 2003, 09:17 PM

hmmm, now i'm not so sure...

Posted by: Andyrew Sep 12 2003, 09:33 PM

AA will help their "turf", is what I understand. I say you make your own oppinion about them, if you need a vacume kit now, I would suggest going with someone with a "faster" reputation, but if you want that color coded to factory hose kit, try AA.

I have not dealt with them, just repeating what I have heard..

Andrew

Posted by: MarkV Sep 12 2003, 09:38 PM

The orange lines are evidently not available any more. The replacements have an orange stripe. I haven't intalled them but they look to be all there.


Attached image(s)

Posted by: rhodyguy Sep 13 2003, 10:51 AM

i believe the classifieds and postings on the numerous boards have really hurt their sales. no doubt there had to be a shake up with customer service. when a couple of thousand people see the "bad press" the profits take a big nose dive. a simple case of get in step or fall out.

kevin

Posted by: Nemo914 Sep 13 2003, 11:09 AM

I have done lots of business with them over the last 10 yrs and have not had too many problems. Most recently did a few ebay transactions with them, and items arrived quickly and as advertised. Give them a try and decide for yourself.

Posted by: synthesisdv Sep 13 2003, 11:30 AM

I had good service from george. 3 orders with fast shipping. They did mix up my old address with my new address a couple times but I did make it to my track event so overall I would say good work on their part.

I know alot of people don't have good things to say about AA but I think as a community of 914 enthusiasts, we should cut them some slack. I know there are other places to buy 914 bits but AA is pretty remarkable on the whole. Think of them as a family member with a few bad habits, sometimes they make you crazy but if the weren't there one day, it would be a loss for all of us.

my $.02
dr

Posted by: mharrison Sep 13 2003, 05:13 PM

I've done business with AA over the phone and in person. The in person service was a great experience. In person, I prowled all through the shop, the wheel room, the yard and everywhere with George's brother. He was very helpful and personable. He spent 30 minutes digging through Pedrinis with me to find a set I liked.

Phone order: My wife bought me a "Porsche is a Two Syllable word" t-shirt for Christmas. (I love those). Ordered in November. It got placed on back-order. 3 months later they sent an AA Staff sweatshirt. 5 months after that the t-shirt arrived. This involved several phone calls. So 8 months later we had what we ordered.
Long story short. We ordered one shirt and got two for the price, but it took 8 months.
So, customer service wasn't quick, but it was fair. My guess would be that it was a supplier problem.

So, I've done business witht them twice. Once was a great experience and the other was less than satisfactory, but anytime I'm in the Atlanta area, I will drop by and do business with them.

It is worth stopping by just to see some of the incredible cars on-site. This is where I fell in love with factory flares after thinking they looked "tacked-on" for years.

That said, I would give them a chance and decide for yourself. From what I've experienced and read on other posts, if it does get screwed up, it will get fixed. Just not fast by any stretch.

My 2 cents.......

Posted by: biosurfer1 Sep 13 2003, 05:24 PM

thanks for all the reply's...i'll have to look around, because if it were a t-shirt or something of that matter, waiting around for it wouldn't be a big deal but buying a vacuum kit is not something i would like to drive around without for extended periods of time. i think i'll do a phone order with them and see how it goes, hopefully i'll have a better experience than most...

Posted by: ! Sep 13 2003, 07:33 PM

They suck....I am getting a caravan together so that we can drive by and shit on George's doorstep.

Posted by: ChrisReale Sep 13 2003, 07:37 PM

Lets do it soon cause I gotta go doodoo

Posted by: biosurfer1 Sep 13 2003, 07:52 PM

does anyone know where else to get a vacuum line kit besides AA?

Posted by: ChrisReale Sep 13 2003, 08:04 PM

There is nothing fancy with a vacuum kit. Just get the inner diameters of the hoses and lengths, and get them ffrom Pelican or GPR

Posted by: biosurfer1 Sep 13 2003, 08:05 PM

ya, i figured that, but it's nice to have everything pre-cut in a nice package already...thanks.

Posted by: Uncle Richy Sep 13 2003, 08:14 PM

Got mine at the local veedub shop. No stripes and not pre-cut, but how hard is that anyway?

Posted by: nomore4 Sep 13 2003, 08:32 PM

here's a thread on this topic

http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=290212#290212

Posted by: biosurfer1 Sep 13 2003, 08:48 PM

wow, i had no idea this was such a hot topic...I would give them a shot, but being on the other side of the US, i dont like the fact that if something went wrong, i'd have little out's...thanks for the info guys, you all came through like always

Posted by: biosurfer1 Sep 13 2003, 09:11 PM

i just found this, thought it was pretty funny... turns out that one of the guys at pelicanparts bought the domain automobileatlanta.com and they tried to dispute it claiming tradmark infringement...pretty funny if you ask me, i guess they won!

http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:BZ2kMFWcvVcJ:www.disputes.org/eresolution/decisions/0173.htm+autoatlanta&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


what is pretty sad about this is that if autoatlanta has been in business for 25 years,
why didnt they buy the domain name when the internet became big? pelicanparts didnt buy it until
2000...weird.

Posted by: gocubs914 Sep 13 2003, 09:27 PM

sign me up for the caravan

Posted by: Dominic Sep 16 2003, 10:29 AM

You should just call GPR (German Parts & Restoration) in San Luis Obispo, CA @ 1-800-321-5432, they are 914 Guys all the way (they used to be called Mid Engine Mania) and will not rip you off like those so called reputable east coast business' like AA. I have bought many OE german parts from them over the years for 914's and other German cars and have never had anything but a great experience, excellent prices and fast shipping. They can sell you all of the 12mm German Braided lines as well as the smaller diameter lines, they also stock the German 7mm Fuel injection rubber hose which is a Must have if you have not touched your fuel system yet. It's only a matter of time before the original braided fuel hoses start leaking. Do it right the first time, it's cheaper in the long run

Posted by: Air_Cooled_Nut Sep 16 2003, 10:44 AM

I just received the AA catalog(s) on CD. Uhm, nice an' all but the images are TINY! So magnify them you say? Well, then the pictures become heavily pixilated and unreadable. Don't even bother wasting paper to print it out. I have Adobe v.5 but I doubt the version would make any difference since the image itself is low-res.

I don't like electronic catalogs or manuals -- I like paper! Thank goodness Tweeks and Automotion use REAL catalogs with color!

Posted by: DuckRyder Sep 16 2003, 11:52 AM

I've always had great luck with them (as did Dad). But I always go.

If I wasn't figuring I'd be on Hurricane duty by Friday I'd offer to go pick it up for you.

I had a hell of a time tring to piece together to proper sized stuff in the nice braided hose.

Posted by: Mike D. Sep 16 2003, 06:07 PM

I've bought several of those hose kits from them. They are the only one offering a complete package. When I'm redoing a motor for someone I don't have time to cruse to all the VW places and compile a list of lengths and sizes. It's just quick and easy to open the bag and put the hoses on.

Only one problem, got sent the item twice and charged twice. Then Spent 6 mo. trying to get a refund for their mistake. And I paid the return shipping!

Stay away from the AA Repro front/top seal. POS!!

-Mike D.

Posted by: Brad Roberts Sep 17 2003, 12:35 AM

HPH in Redwood city stocks the proper hoses in huge spools... one stop... and he knows the lengths off the top of his head and will cut them for you. He is typically open on Saturdays and tries to attend our south bay breakfasts... more parts than AA and easier to get along with..



B

Posted by: tdgray Sep 17 2003, 06:18 AM

You guys have mentioned HPH several times in various posts. Do they sell via telephone, will they ship to us on the east coast? Do you have a telephone number and contact name?

I have ordered from Pelican and was very pleased with the delivery even though they are very far away. I have a local guy for the common stuff (plug wires blah blah) but it would be nice to have more options. From the sounds of it I don't think I will ever order anything from AA.

Todd
1960 MGA
1973 914 1.7L

Posted by: seanery Sep 17 2003, 07:36 AM

Todd,
I've ordered from Rich at HPH over the phone.

Tell him you got his name/# from 914 Club/Brad

Posted by: tdgray Sep 17 2003, 10:52 AM

BUMP

Anybody have Rich's phone number?


Thanks,

Todd

Posted by: Lawrence Sep 17 2003, 10:57 AM

1-877-914-4YOU

Ooops. it's 1-877, ot 1-800.

-Rusty

Posted by: Brad Roberts Sep 17 2003, 10:59 AM

Todd... Pelican ships your parts from the closest wharehouse WorldPac has to you. This is how they have great turn around time on shipped parts. Its hard to beat. HPH uses the exact same parts wholesalers as Pelican but he doesnt ship as fast as PP.

650-364-6234 or 1-877-914-4YOU toll free



B