Thermostat & Other Cooling related Questions

[ozvino]

Im going to bight the bullet and place an order with GAP, so i will get a bunch of small stuff I have been holding out on.

Im buying a new heater core; time to do it and swap in my new dashboard, not really looking forward to it.....anhyhoo, enough moaning I need to grow a pair

While I drain the coolant im going to replace all the heater/radiator hoses etc. I was going to also do the thermostat, thermostat cover etc. what temp. should I get ? GAP have a 71deg thermostat for "hot climates", can anyone suggest what I should look to run in Melb ? Should I just go with the 80 deg. ?

R.e. the hoses, etc. they are cheap at GAP, all under $10. Can you get hoses etc. easy enough in Aust. ? Or like most parts, are they priced 4x what they are in the USA ?

Thx

Dave

[RedMk2Gti]

Some experience about GAP order...

I ordered few hoses from them, when I received the parcel I notice they are MADE IN AUSTRALIA.
These are what they sell. Mackay Consolidated Industries

Their MAHLE filters are also Aussie made, not German.

If you can find local supplier of Mackay hose, get a price from here first. I felt stupid to buy product that ran around the earth and come back here

[ozvino]

Thanks mate; checked out the website, sure enough they make the parts. They have a decent online (22MB PDF) booklet that shows you everything. Looked at the Golf MK2 section sure enough they make them all. Gave the company a call and spoke to sales, they said call any Bursons or SuperCheap store for prices etc.

Ok, called Bursons and asked for the prices on the heater hoses; this is where it gets interesting. The cost of the hoses in Australia are $60 EACH !!!!!! Called SuperCheap and they are $58 and $57 each; this is total BullS#@T and just goes to prove how we get screwed in Australia.

Now, I know the usuaul argument or dribble we get fed (I used to live in the USA myself). Its all about "volume" and the fact that the USA is a massive market. Well, that might be true, but someone needs to explain to me how an Australian made (in Moorabin Vic) part can be around $8 AUD in the USA and $60 AUD in Australia; just goes to show how we get screwed over in this country by wholesale/retail nonsense.

So, with regards to "buy Australian" my response is I sure will, but the part will be retailed out of New York......

The sooner we build an extra runway and ramp up freight the better, we need to shut down these crooked wholesalers and retailers. I'm tempted to report this to the ACCC just to see what the response is......I wonder what the justification could be ? You know if GAP are selling the part for $11AUD, they wouldnt be paying more than $6 landed in the USA !!!!!

Anyhow, off to the GAP website....

[ryana89]

$60 even at SCA!!!!
I have never quoted a customer more than $40 for a Mackay Rubber Radiator hose, and that was for a late model Rodeo.
If you live near the SCA store it might be an idea to drop in to double check the price is right