[TR] TR3 Coil

[Geo Hahn]

In defense of Bosch - I have had good results with most Bosch products.
Granted, that style of fuse with the exposed element (I think the body was
ceramic, not plastic) can easily corrode and cause a failed connection but
those were made by many manufacturers (used them on my Fiats and VWs) and
was just a poor design.

My Bosch ignition wires that I bought in the 90s finally failed and I saw
on their website that they guarantee them for life.  Fortunately, I had
saved the receipt (don't we all) and indeed they promptly sent me a refund
almost 20 years after the original purchase.

My favorite quote from that website:  "Spain (next best thing to
Germany)".  Perhaps the guys in Madrid should adopt that for their tourism
campaigns.

Geo


On Sun, Jul 13, 2014 at 11:41 AM, Randall <TR3driver at ca.rr.com> wrote:

> > Bosch is a brand I always trust to
> > have high
> > quality.  I wonder how the makers of knock off products can use the
> > Bosch name?
>
> I don't know, but I suspect that all of those coils were actually made by
> Bosch or one of their subsidiaries.  They have factories
> all over the world.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bosch_GmbH#Locations
>
> I owned a 71 Audi 100LS with all Bosch electrical system, and I have to
> say I was not impressed with the quality.  Some areas were
> better than others, but overall I'd say it was only marginally better than
> Lucas during the same period.
>
> For example, Bosch fuses had to be changed periodically (even without
> being overloaded), because otherwise they would fail due to
> old age!  The Bosch style fuses were just plastic forms with the fuse
> element bent around the outside.  The clip would pinch the
> ends of the fuse element against the plastic form.  Over time, the fuse
> element would sag and eventually break from vibration and
> heat.  I finally discovered that Bussman made glass fuses that would fit
> the Bosch fuse block, which solved the problem.
>
> The Bosch version of a voltage stabilizer only lasted a few years before
> it burned out.  After the second one, I built my own from
> much larger American components and never had a failure again.
>
> The relay for the rear window defog grid was mounted under the hood; and
> used phenolic for the base (instead of the more expensive
> but more effective fiberglass).  It got to where it would turn the grid on
> with the key off, only when conditions were just right.
> Fought that one for many months, before I just happened to walk by the car
> one evening and notice the light glowing on the dash!
>
> I also owned a VW Rabbit (aka Golf) from the same period, and it suffered
> from similar issues.  Its favorite trick was turning the
> dome light back on after you had left the car, to run the battery down.
>
> Randall
>
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