Bernie Bergman?

I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with Bernie Bergmann (bergmannvw.net) He isn't too far from where I am at and could drive to check out his facilities, but was wondering about reputation etc. I suppose based on pricing comparisions, it would probably be better to stick with Pat Downs at CB, but Bernie has some really inovative ideas I was interested in checking out. Just wanted to get some input.

About 10 years I had a 2110 with a bergman welded stroker crank.... It worked fine. He must be doing something right, he's been hangin' around for decades. I'm not sold on those flashy but expensive fan shroud set-ups that he's currently pushing.
On the other hand, my new CB Performance motor should be here by the end of the month! Power costs $$$$$$$$!

I bought a 2110 from Bernie in '91 when he was in Oceanside and had it shipped to me in Missouri. A year later I installed it in my Metalcraft chassis...and that's as far as I got on the project until this past summer. I did NOTHING to the engine except badly neglect it for 15 years. In the Fall of '05, I put outboard fogging oil in the cylinders. I did the same this past Spring. This Fall, I put Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders. A couple of weeks later, I put oil in the engine, jury-rigged some wiring, and connected my Yamaha outboard fuel tank to the electric fuel pump. I cranked the engine for several minutes to try and oil the engine before starting. Then with MUCH trepidation, I connected the distibutor and it started after maybe a dozen turns. I was totally shocked, grateful, and elated after all the neglect I had heaped on that engine. The engine rattled for a few minutes while the oil was distribute throughout the system, including two remote oil coolers I mounted behind the horn grilles and then quieted down to a very smooth purr. Needless to say, I am delighted with the engine. Bernie himself can be rather brusque to talk to...man of few words.

..The man growls on the phone and so does his engines, they perform super well and are reliable.

I don't have first hand experience with his motors but all I can say is that he's got a dubious reputation at The Samba.com forums. Check them out for yourself.

I owned a 2275 I bought new from Bernnie. He delivered it on schedule, at the price quoted. It ran well, was well detailed cosmetically, and held together for more than 10k miles, before I sold the car it was in. No problems with it.

And he always seemed willing to speak with me, before and after the sale.... but also there is an old quote about"never suffered a fool gladly". Suspect that might apply with Bernnie also....

I visited Bernie's shop several times five years ago, when he was in Escondido. Got the complete shop tour. Very opinionated. My impression, backed up by his prior years performance, is that he knows how a VW engine should be put together. He did most or all of his own machining. He had all the equipment to do it right. In later years, he started to change. He seemed focussed on selling you something, anything, often "dissing" other venders, or be-littling what you had all ready installed. Recently, I see he has sold "naming rights" to a store here in San Diego who sells racing engines under his name. I heard he is not even connected with the store, he just sold his name to them. He moved his own shop out of California. I would wonder who is really doing the work on his engines now?

Well Ricardo, at least the only four respondents to the question on SOC had positive things to say about their dealings with Bernie and his engines.Although, as you suggest, knowledge is power and can help one make better decisions.

I stand corrected...what a difference three minutes make. More to the point, what a difference 16 years make.

I hear you; I've read that his 911 style shrouds (which he sells for a pretty penny) overheat engines. I don't like the appearance of his loud colored engines either.

have had his engine in my Beck for over a year, drove from Denver to Phoenix with out break in time and the engine ran great, had it all winter in Phoenix and no problems with heating at anytime, then drove pretty much staight through from Phoenix to Yakima, Wa. over 1500 miles with out one little miss. It is a 2332cc with 911 shroud, has never had a heating problem. Think he does great work.

Jerry

That's good to know....hope your engine block isn't painted...:)

I bought a 2110 long-block from Bernie back around 1994, then it sat under the bench in my shop for 5 years before I ever got it out of the crate. I assembled it and pre-lubed it just before I started it. It ran for about 30 minutes, then seized #4 main bearing (closest to the flywheel).

Bernie said he would repair it and ship it back to me no charge, but I had to pay the shipping to get it to him. I thought about it, but then rebuilt it myself, costing me $60 for a set of main bearings.

When his guy assembled it, the #4 bearing was assembled slightly turned and therefore crushed a bit on the locating pins when the case halves were assembled (this is common, and a good assembler will watch for it to avoid crushing it).

Anyway, as I rebuilt it I found that it had been machined and assembled well with the best of parts so I couldn't complain a whole lot, but it should have been checked better before it left his shop for the opposite coast.

I've also found that he was opinionated when I dealt with him 35 years ago and he never got any better (kinda like Gene Berg - opinionated, but usually right). Still, he's still building Air Cooled VW engines, when a lot of guys like him switched over to building/rebuilding Harley Davidson engines just to make money when the VW era slowed way down.