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Repair Manuals for Beetles

By Beetle Fan | June 8, 2006 | Beetle Resources, My Beetle Project | No comments

I replaced the air filter in my bug the other day, as it was looking very dirty. Upon inspection, I saw oil in the filter area. Not a good sign, i imagine. I check the new filter afer driving the bug around the ‘hood, and there are “spurts” of oil on the inside of the filter – no wonder the old one was so dirty.

Now I have broken out the repair manual, and I have to say that this is even enjoyable as reading a typical book – How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot. This book makes sense to me because it assumes that you don;t know the first thing about VW’s (or even engines for that matter) which is very cool for someone like me. I skipped the part about how to use a screwdriver (joke!) but all in all – it’s a good read.

I am now on the oil system section, so I have some reading to do. All the signs are there that my engine is burning oil; The noxious, purplish cloud that comes from starting up the bug, the darkened chrome tips on the exhaust, and the puddle of oil accumilating in my shallow drip-pan. It all points to something – or just many little somethings.

The book is my first defense, but I do have a trip planned to a Beetle yard, about an hour away from my home. It’s one of the central places for VW parts in the mid-west, but they don’t have a website. As soon as I have the contect details, I’ll post it for others who may need it.

VW Parts Catalogs

By Beetle Fan | May 22, 2006 | Beetle Resources | No comments

I ordered and received catalogs from JC Whitney and Mid-America.

If you are intersted, here are the links: JCWhitney’s VW Catalog – MidAmerica Motorsports VW Catalog. One of the things I liked about the Mid-America site is that I can print out the catalog or download it as a PDF (for those of us that don’t like to wait).

On first inspection, the Mid-America catalog is heaver, has more stuff and a much wider selection of “stuff.” I promptly planted my butt on the couch to look through my new catalogs and to figure out the next project for the bug.

I decided to go ahead an order the antenna through Mid-America, even though it is on temprary shortage, it’s only for an AM Radio, so I think I can wait. I think JC Whitney has a larger selection of car stereo’s but I just can’t shake the nagging feeling that something won’t fit right into the bug. It is very nice that Mid-America has pre-configured interior sets. The only thing is that I want a two-tone interior, so I think I’m going to look around a bit more and see what else is out there, or just go with the monochrome. Speaking of chrome, my engine needs a little work, so I think that will be an excuse to add additional chrome parts and the louvered backing and some engine tins to the engine compartment.

Hot VW’s Subscription Special

By Beetle Fan | May 2, 2006 | Beetle Resources | No comments

I just saw this while surfin’ around some VW beetle links today. Hot VW’s magazine is offering an Internet Special of 12 months for $19.97. Not bad at all for a quality mag.

There are additional offers on the site for specialty books. While the site is a little cluttered and hasn’t been updated for a while, there are some good resources available. While the article search is a little week, do a “List All” on the list article option and look around from there. I tried a couple of keywords like off-pan and heater channel, and no results were returned, but something general like “interior” worked well. My main disappointment was that the results only return the title and summary – no actual article. I guess you have to order a back-issue.