Good evening,

Recent post and 1st snowfall remind me it's time to deal w/ a CRACK prob.

Lenses on rear of '83 245DL and '81 244GL can be repaired w/ epoxy but I'd prefer s.thing more "professional" (tho cheap). Fixtures themselves are o.k.

Poster told me only clear (back up) aftermarket lenses are avail. for the wagon, if I need the red or amber ones I'd theoretically need entire new (costly) fixture. This seems odd, though plausible. I reckon so cuz:

Just inspekted rear of 245, built 1/83. All lenses EXCEPT clear lens are dated 84. One clear lens says 92; other 89. Seems like two entire fixtures from an '84 were put in at one point. Clear lenses krap out 1st for reasons I can postulate....but the others do go too, eh?

Recently acquired '81 244GL built 4/81 has a crack or two in the elements back there. In its case, 6 elements 2 of which are reflektors. Dates of 89 and 80 on 2 clear lenses; 2 80s, 2 81s on 4 "tail light" lenses. 2 ambers are original (marked 81) as are 2 brake light lenses.

All these elements seems to me interchangeable because of "world" nature of kars, diff.laws in diff. lands etc. I know DL sedan stuff is diff than GL.

Wazzup? Is it simple availability, old maxim of "if everybody don't want it, nobody gits it"?

Local dealer is in extremely high income area, would rather not deal w/him, didn't stock flame trap funnel piece. Wouldn't even order it, said I could order box of ten if I couldn't find someone else (75 mi instead of 25).

Life in the poor/slow lane.

Frank