So frustrated. I bought a set of reproduction color coded vacuum lines for the Riviera's headlight actuators. They were for a Rally Sport Camaro. They dried up and split within a year. Had to throw them all out and install regular hose off a spool. I bought a floor shift 4 speed boot last July. Fast forward to today and its starting to show signs of dry rot. That's not even 7 months and its starting to split? What gives? Same for vacuum caps. I bought a set and they last a few months before cracking. I bought a consolette 4 speed boot about 10 years ago and that seems to be fine. Seems lately that whatever rubber these reproduction companies are using sucks
I bought my Hurst V gate shifter (made in China) and the rubber boot is so stiff I worried that it would pop into reverse, even with the reverse lock out. I also have to hold it in low 1 or it pops into second.
When I first started driving the wiper seemed to never wear out. Now they might last a year and ne ed replacing. Plus cost five times as much.
CHINESE OZONE. Its a real concern with antique car tires (even inner tubes!); they are either made in VietNam or Peru of all places. Nuttin' but problems. I wish they'd fire Akron back up! ws
As far as wipers go, just buy the cheapest ones that fit. As you guys have said, they're usually toasted in under a year. We sell 3 "levels" of wipers at work, and they all last about the same amount of time. A $10 wiper may clean a little better than a $1.98 one, but you'll be spending $10 again next year.....
Noting is made like they used to 20+ years ago. The rubber is junk with no preservative incorporated in the rubber at manufacturing time. I had same problem with the color-coded wiper hose. Or is it built-in obsolesence?
I’ve noticed it with tires, vacuum caps, little hoses, wipers and the bigger ‘blockoff caps’ that come with parts store radiators (many of them have a nipple for heater return). They rot and the Help rack replacements do, too. Patrick
Had 2 mickey thompson racing slick tubes on the shelf for about a yr. for "just in case" The day came I needed one and it was rotted. the other holds air. Both in the same place in the orig bags.
Where are you buying $1.98 wipers? Cheapest I can find in local stores are now $10.95 each. I can still buy them on ebay for $4-5 each. Wait, wait, I know, I know.... GLOBAL WARMING!!!! Mikey
We sell some aftermarket cheapies at work and some applications are literally $1.98 a side. So I get them at work (chevy/cad dealer).
Just checked rockauto.com for a '70 Skylark (which I feel is probably the most popular application on this site) and they're $1.26 a side.....
I use Anco Winter Wiper blades ALL year long. Anyone from the Northern States will tell you they are great in snowstorms as they don't have exposed linkage to jam with ice and snow that linits movement. 22 inch ones for my truck are around $4 a blade at Rock Auto and last about a year . Anco 3022 The # for our cars is the same except you put the length after the 30 . Such as Anco 30-18 or Anco 30-16 . Just part # search on Rock Auto
No SCUBA divers here?? Go into a dive shop and the owners usually have an ozone generator running to help preserve the rubber inventory (thats about 90%+ of the shop!). ws
