Sanburn Autos

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <v02140b01b0511787d1d1@[203.12.171.124]> firkins@eis.net.au writes:

> I've finally recieved the front guard (wing or whatever) that I started to
> talk to Sanburn in the UK back in April. Its not entirely their fault that
> its taken this long, but they delayed long enough to miss the previous
> shipment I'd organised.
> 
> My real concern is that the panel was described as perfect. What arrived, I
> would more likely describe as nasty. On top of the ding in the middle of
> the flare, which to be fair could have occured in transit, its rusting, the
> car had obvoiusly caught fire scorching several places on the panel and was
> removed by a complete moron who use a screwdriver to lever the panel from
> the car bending the mating flanges in the process.
> I'm impressed!

The panel I went to see was almost sand-coloured - I thought it might even have 
been in primer of some sort - and it was perfect.  They had one or two others - 
one with a nasty crease or twist at the waist, and a couple stacked at the back 
in fairly poor condition.  I was only interested in the one destined for 
yourself, so I didn't look any further.
 
On an almost related subject - Scott Mockry has come up with the (very 
plausible, IMO) theory that the hose from the pressure control valve (aka 
'membrane valve') on an MB engine is an emergency fuel drain in the event of 
the diaphragm cracking.  I've checked several MBs since he came up with this, 
and on all of them this hose was aged and utterly inadequate for this purpose.

I wonder if this is the cause of some of the engine bay fires we see on 
quattros?  The same issue would apply to any engine using the same type of 
valve for controlling system pressure - probably all MC engines, for instance.

-- 
 Phil Payne
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club