re: Aardvark

[Joe Elliott <jee@domain.elided>]

Gunther has some great stuff at good prices, but beware--I ordered 
two-plug headlight connectors from him when I rewired my headlights 
with relays.  I had used his 3-conductor plugs on H4 lights in an 
Audi (great quality), and when I discovered that the 2-conductor 
plugs from AutoZone didn't actually fit standard lights, I gave him a 
call.  I waited, and waited, and the package didn't come, so I gave 
him a call.  He told me when it had shipped so I knew when to expect 
it.  But it didn't come then.  It came a week later, postmarked after 
the day I called to inquire about my order.  When I finally got them, 
I discovered that the 2-conductor plugs, while they cost the same $10 
each as the high-quality 3-conductor ones, they were of the same 
mediocre quality that could be found at AutoZone (~$2), and THEY 
DIDN'T FIT EITHER.  No, I didn't call him back and get angry, so I 
suppose I have no more right to complain than the guy who got the 
marginal top from Caribou.  But I needed to put the car back to 
together to take a couple of long road trips, immediately followed by 
putting the car in long-term storage and going to college.  He does 
have a lot of stuff you can't get from most other USA vendors, so 
I'll probably end up buying from him again--just don't make any 
assumptions and don't order from him when you're in a hurry.  I'd 
compare him to APE, but that would be grossly unfair to APE, who have 
only made me angry once and sightly annoyed once, in dozens of orders 
and thousands of dollars in used parts over the last 3.5 years.

YMMV,
Joe Elliott
'82 GTV6

At 6:33 AM +0000 11/5/02, alfa-digest wrote:

> Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 22:26:26 -0800
> From: "Timothy Leigh Rodgers" <timothy@domain.elided>
> Subject: headlights - Giulias Super
>
> My 1971 Giulia 1300 Super-European car-is the two headlight version.  There
> are a pair of Carello housings with tungsten removable bulbs.  I developed a
> semi-padiddle (sp?)-that is, OK high beams, one light out low beam. (Where
> does the term padiddle come from, anyway?)
> A friend and I pulled the bad bulb and replaced it with another from his
> collection of spares-paddidle cured!
> Yesterday, we were at the 'Best of France and Italy' and it was recommended
> that I upgrade to quartz iodide (halogen) bulbs for increased brightness (so
> I wouldn't travel like those Lucas folks whose light switches have three
> positions--off, flicker, and dim.)  Anyhow, at the swap meet I found that
> the new bulbs don't fit in the old housings, and that one has to buy new
> housings as well as bulbs.  Then I stumbled into a vendor who had the bulbs
> I want with the base adapted to the old style housings (called a P45 base.)
> If anyone else is interested, contact Gunther Hansele at Aardvark
> International 562-699-8887 aardvark@domain.elided www.talbotco.com   The
> product I bought is a Narva quartz iodide bulb from Germany 12V 60/55W with
> a P45 base.
> Ciao!
> Timothy
> '71 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 Super
> '78 Alfa Romeo F-12 Diesel Van
> '92 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce
> '81 Harley Wide Glide
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