Happy Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest

I was in Germany in September to attend an auto parts trade fair and to visit family. I know that what the customer really wants is German quality at Chinese prices, so I'm looking for the best deals. While in Frankfurt, Germany, I was lucky enough to stumble into the local Frankfurt Oktoberfest. The first keg hadn't been tapped in Munich, yet, but the party had already begun in Frankfurt.



Is it Worth Owning a Diesel Car?

Diesel Fuel Only

When it comes to diesel powered cars, most of the advantages are very well known. Most people know that they get much higher fuel mileage. We used to hear that diesel's last longer, but this can be debated after that the Japanese have changed the gas engine for the better in the 80's and 90's.

Most people know that if they live in a state with vehicle inspections, and when the “Check Engine” light is on, the car won’t pass the inspection. Under the Clean Air Act of 1990, states are required to implement vehicle emission inspection programs in cities with low air quality. Most States have emissions testing requirements for vehicles. But the sad truth about these emissions inspections is that almost no one is testing emissions any more. In the early 90’s these cities tested what was really coming out of the tailpipe of the car. Now, if your car has no warning lights on from the emissions system, it is considered to pass the emissions testing, but if the “Check Engine” or other emissions warning lights are on, the vehicle is considered to be failing the emissions test. In many cases, the vehicle may be running very well and clean, but one sensor is malfunctioning, causing the computer fault.

While using the car’s check warning light system sound good to politicians, it is a curse to car owners with gasoline engines. To get past the emissions inspection, the owner either has to fix their car, or spend a certain amount of money trying to fix their car. In some states, it is $500. Sometimes this fixes the problem, and sometimes not. If not, then the owner knows that he will have to pay the same amount of money next year to get past the inspection. According to CarMD.com, in 2010, the average cost related to fixing a “Check Engine” light fault was $356.

One secret that almost no one knows is that in most states diesel powered vehicles are exempt from emissions testing. If your diesel car runs, it will pass the emissions test. You never have to worry about how much money fixing the check engine light or other emissions light will cost you. Furthermore, diesel cars have no evaporative emissions system, like gasoline powered cars have, that can fail. Diesel powered cars don’t have the same emissions system that fails on many older used gasoline cars.

The advantages to owning a diesel powered passenger car are many. Not only is the fuel mileage and range superior, but they will never have to be fixed just to pass an emissions test. The internet is full of forum posts about people having to spend thousands of dollars on emissions related components that have failed. Diesel powered cars will never have this problem!



HansAutoParts is Proud to Sell Elring Gaskets

Elring Gaskets

HansAutoParts is proud to start selling Elring Parts. In the worldwide search for affordable high quality auto parts the German company fits the build. The name Elring is highly respected for its long standing commitment to quality. In some cases, the OEM Elring part is virtually the same price as the aftermarket part that it replaces. Elring products should be a good fit for HansAutoParts and your VW or Audi car.

Contitech Timing Belt Kits

HansAutoParts is proud to sell Contitech Timing Belt kits. Contintental Contitech are one of the major OEM suppliers for VW and Audi timing belt components. If you want to replace your parts with original quality parts, look no further than Contitech.

June 2014 Newsletter and VW's Worldwide Brand

VW Brand

How would you rate the quality of VW cars? Would Americans and Germans have the same views in terms of quality? The answers would surprise you. My opinion is that VW has been slowly changing its image over the past 20 years from the "people's car" and the old, basic beetle, to upscale, well built, exciting cars. According to a 2013 "Auto Bild" magazine pole, Germans view Audi and BMW as the best quality, followed by Mercedes, Toyota, and then VW, which was tied with Mazda. So in Germany, Audi is number one and VW is number 5 in terms of quality.

Pete Rothenbacher - Celebrating 12 Years in Business

Pete Rothenbacher

It's been over twelve years since I started selling parts for VW cars on the internet, and I would like to thank all of my customers over the years for making that possible. I have always tried to sell good quality products at a great price. I believe that customers should have a choice of affordable aftermarket parts as well as more expensive OEM parts. While 12 years have gone by, I am still trying to do the same thing, give customers a choice.

My first product was a timing gauge for setting the timing of the older diesel injector pumps. I found that I could buy the gauge and make an adapter for much less than everyone else was selling the same part for. My father in law owned a machine shop, and offered to make all of the VW timing belt tools for me to sell. After that, I figured that I should sell timing belts and tensioners, if I'm selling timing belt tools. The rest is history. I now stock around 5000 different parts for VW and Audi cars.

While I first started selling parts for VW cars on ebay, within a few months, I launched My first website, eMiata.com, which I still own. My second website was DieselVW.com, because I focused on the diesel side of VW car parts. My main parts websites for many years were DieselVW.com and VolkswaParts.com. Then in 2011, VW's lawyers contacted me and wanted to protect their trademarks that they claimed I was using in my domain names. Since then, my main website has been HansAutoParts.com, and while I have many different websites selling parts, all traffic must use HansAutoParts.com to check out. The website, HansAutoParts.com, is named after my father, Hans Rothenbacher, who was born in Germany, and died the year before. I received my love for diesel VW cars from him.

For many years, I focused on VW's with diesel engines, but now my focus is on all VW and Audi cars sold in the USA and Canada. Every few months, I add hundreds of additional Audi car parts to my website. While there are tens of thousands of parts that I don't stock, I try to have the largest variety of VW and Audi car parts anywhere.

My main office is in Charlotte, NC, but I also have a warehouse in the UK and mainland Europe. Hopefully, in the future, I can expand my global presence and give more customers the choice of affordable parts, instead of only having the option of purchasing overpriced Genuine VW parts from the traditional supply chain.

April 2014 Newsletter

VW Brand

The last few months have been busy here at HansAutoParts.com. Hundreds of new OEM and aftermarket parts have been added to the website and warehouse shelves, and the reorganization of the warehouse is almost complete. At last check, HansAutoParts offers over 6600 different parts for your VW and Audi Cars. Last year, the decision was made to buy a special narrow isle forklift to better utilize the warehouse space. After that, the warehouse shelving had to be moved to fully utilize the new forklift. The new warehouse layout should give us the space we need to add the thousands of new parts we expect to import in the next few years. Each part needs it's own place, and with over 6600 different parts, a lot of space is needed!

February 2014 Newsletter

VW' Superbowl Commerical

What did you think of VW's Superbowl Commercial where VW said that they have more cars on the road with over 100000 miles than any other car maker? While VW Group is number two in worldwide sales after Toyota, I was very surprised that VW can claim the most high mileage cars.

January 2014 Newsletter

VW Up

A Few Days With a VW UP - While the USA will not see the VW UP, I found it to be a good little car, with a few compromises. The build quality was good as well as the handling. It is meant to be VW's smallest and cheapest car. With a small 1.2L gas engine, acceleration was only bearable. Gas mileage was great and the front seats were roomy enough for a 6 foot tall guy.

Amazing Must See Volkswagen Phaeton Factory Video From Mega World Germany





If this isn't the factory of the future then I don't know what is! Volkswagen is clearly leading the industry in terms of what a car factory is, turning upside down your concept of what a car factory should be!



Is it a luxury hotel? A Concert Hall? No, it's a VW Phaeton factory where you can watch you car getting made! You can even help put the car together, if you want to!



Enjoy this great Youtube video from Mega World Germany.

What's New

New 2.5 Turbo Kit

New turbo kit for 2005 and newer VW 2.5 I-5 Engines. This 24 piece kit will help simplify the task of turbocharging the VW 2.5 Engines on the Jetta, Golf and Eos. Includes a complete exhaust system including the turbo exhaust manifold, turbocharger and downpipe, intake system consisting of silicone rubber elbows, expanders, hose clamps and mushroom filter. NO EXHAUST WELDING/CUSTOMIZATION REQUIRED! If you want to add a turbo to your 2.5 engine, this kit is exaclty what you need.

If you Love Your VW, You are Not Alone. VW Sales Up 6.5%.

VW Offices in Wolfsburg, Germany

AP News is reporting that Volkswagen AG posted a 6.5% increase in September sales over the same month last year. Volkswagen sold 801,000 vehicles in September and overall sales are up 9.7% year to date over last year. So far this year VW has sold 6.71 million vehicles! If you love your VW car, you are definately not alone!

Seasonal Information for Winter 2012/2013

1982 Rabbit Diesel

Winter is coming to the US and Canada! Now is the time to add antifreeze to your coolant, if you have been using pure water for the summer. That old battery that has made it through the summer might need replacing when the temperature drops. While most gas VW's will start the same in summer as in winter, diesel VW's are another story! Now is the time to replace the glow plugs, if your diesel has been getting hard to start. The older diesel's absolutely needed good glow plugs to start, but the newer direct injected diesel's should eventually start without them. If your diesel's injector pump has been losing prime overnight, now is a good time to address that by either fixing the air leak, or replacing the injector pump.

Lastly, think about how much nicer it is to work on your VW or Audi when the temperature is not freezing cold! If there is a repair that you can do when it is 60 degrees outside, instead of 20 degrees with snow and ice, it might be a good time to get that repair out of the way!

That's me in the picture with the snowball in front of my father Han's Rabbit Diesel.

Happy motoring!

This Is the New Website!

New Website Look

You asked for it, and we gave it to you. You asked for a more up to date looking website, and we gave it to you. Please enjoy! We will be continueing to tweek the parts menus. With over 3500 different parts for VW cars in stock, helping you find the correct part for your car is our highest priority. I can always use your suggestions on how to make it better, and what parts you want to see for sale.

What's New

New TDI Engine

We purchased some new VW TDI engines and have parted them out to offer a wide variety of new OEM parts. While these parts are new and straight from the VW factory, they are sold without boxes. If you are looking for OEM engine parts for common rail TDI engines at low prices, you have come to the right place. Thanks in part to this purchase, over 150 new items were added to the website in the past 2 weeks!

Seasonal Information for Summer 2012

1950 VW T2 Bulli

Summer is a great time for a road trip in your VW or Audi Car. You might not have as nice a family vehicle as the 1950 Type 2 Bulli in the picture, but all VW's make great cars to travel in. Be sure to top up all of the fluids and check for leaks before you leave. Remember, if you have a brake down and need parts fast, HansAutoParts.com offers next day shipping on most parts. Don't be stranded when the dealership tells you that a part has to be shipped all the way from Europe to the dealership! Happy Motoring from your friends at Rothenbacher Enterprises!