I would go with the stainless.  I have installed them many times and
they are very nice.  No more worries about rusting pipes.  The pipe rust
from the inside out many times so what you see on the outside is nothing
compared to what is happening on the inside.  I think you will also find
that who ever told you that these pipes were still available at the
dealer was mistaken.  Even the long plastic pipes for the late model
Vanagons are NLA now.

Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com

AD Felder wrote:
> Before my '82 diesel Westy is truly road-ready, it appears I need to replace my age-ing front-to-rear coolant pipes, as the tiny drips are getting bigger, and the pipes look like they were dredged up from the Titanic.  The originals are apparently available for about $250 and a short wait time (few days) thru the dealer, or, there are several good sources for the stainless steel variety starting at a little over $300.  Is it worth it to spring for the stainless, I mean the originals only lasted 26 years?  I suppose 26 years from now the OEM's will be NLA.
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