[T3] Hello, Type 3 Noob from San Jose, CA

[Jim Adney]

On 7 Jan 2012 at 16:45, Dennis Stiefel wrote:

> OK dumb question alert.  I'm not sure I have ever seen the little plastic
> ratcheting clamps. Are they like plastic wire ties or zip ties? Or is this a
> regional thing where it is called different things in different parts of the
> country or world?

I guess I just don't have a good name for them. They are molded fiber 
reinforced plastic that you squeeze with a pair of pliers forcing 
some little ratchet teeth to click over one another. They come in 
lots of sizes, off-white and black, and they are pretty much "full 
circle" so they are gentle on the hose. Some hardware stores will 
sell them.  

When I first came across them I worried that engine compartment temps 
would damage them, but I've had them in there for years with no 
change at all. They can be hard to take apart, but if you use 2 
pliers to hold them and then slide the ratchet teeth "sideways," they 
will pop apart. They are completely reusable.  

Their main drawback is that they just look wrong.

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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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