Car PolisherMini Cordless VW Polisher:
Hands up whoever likes waxing their Volkswagen. Just as I thought, not too many. I love a shiny Beetle, but applying and removing the wax can be a PITA. PLUS, there is no way you can do it a quickly or as evenly as you can with a polisher. This is something that I've wanted but to be honest I was a little afraid of using. You read a lot of stories about burning the paint and even worse. This little unit is just want us VW enthusiasts want and you rest assured that you're not going to do any damage. What's nice about this polisher is that its cordless, because that power cord can and will get in the way. Now when I used it I got my favorite wax and applied it to the entire car and it was super easy. I waited until it was dry and buffed it off. I gave it the once over to remove any wax and wax dust that I missed and I was more than impressed, my car looked like a mirror. And what's even better, I had a few marks in the clear coat and I took them off with this and a little Scratch Doctor. Totally recommended.

Mini Cordless Buffer Polisher


Super Beetle Sun Visor: These lightweight fiberglass sun visors add style and function to your Volkswagen Super Beetle. It helps to deflect the suns rays on the windshield to increase driving safety, PLUS they look so cool. This specific handmade sun visor shown here fits 1971-1979 VW Super Beetles, but they are also available for the Standard Beetle as well. Paint to match your Super or finish it off in a matt black for the rat rod look. This fiberglass product is hand made in Tucson Arizona by Chirco VW Performance, where they only sell quality hand laminated in the USA fiberglass parts. Simply attach this sun visor to your Super Beetle by using four stainless steel sheet metal screws, sold separately.


RC VW BugBaja Bug RC Racer: I don't know about you, but I love VW toys! Radio controlled cars can be expensive, but I've found a cost effective one that the whole family can enjoy. This Baja Bug RC Monster remote control racer is high quality and made of ABS material. Using the Classic Beetle design for this off road racing Volkswagen, your kids (or you) will play with it for hours.

Equipped with a 4.8V/700mAh high-quality rechargeable battery, you can enjoy driving for up to a maximum 60 minutes, which is longer than most other off-road toys. The included USB charger provides a convenience way to charge your Baja racer. You can fine-tune the speed and direction as you move forward/back/turn left/turn right. The controller allows you and your friends to play your own RC Baja Beetles at the same time without radio interference, and it's great for indoor and outdoor use.

Baja Bug RC Racer


VW Car Care KitChemical Guys VW Care Package: Now this makes a great gift for the car person in your life! This package is the ultimate collection of car wash supplies, and the gift that keeps on giving for any VW enthusiast. It contains everything needed to clean and maintain a beautiful shine on any classic Volkswagen. It's really an amazing value, if you added up all 16 pieces of this kit, it's well over $200.00.

Here are the great products included: Butter Wet Wax, Honeydew Snow Foam, Diablo Wheel Gel, Silk Shine Dressing, Signature Glass Cleaner, Speed Wipe Detailer, Detailing Bucket, Cyclone Dirt Trap, Torq Foam Blaster Foam Gun, Microfiber wash mitt, Short handle brush, 4 Microfiber towels and a dressing applicator. Classic VW beginners and professionals alike choose Chemical Guys, not only for the finest car care products, but the world class customer support and vast detailing knowledge. I've personally used Chemical Guys products for years and would highly recommend them.

VW Appearance Package


Sway Bar Hardware Kit: Jon Chabot from Top Line Parts talks about the famous Super Beetle Shimmie. Chabot says, "We are often asked "Will lowering my Super affect the shimmies that I get at about 40 to 55 miles per hour?" To answer this question, we must first know what you have already done to your car in the way of restoring, customizing, and modifying. In most cases the "shimmies" are caused by a combination of bad bushings and out of balance or bent wheel rims. Also, some rims have a different offset than the original, exaggerating the problem further. The condition of every component in the Super Beetle front end must be in perfect condition to prevent problems.

To help with your Super Shimmies we have come out with a NEW Sway Bar Hardware installation kit. If you have lost or damaged sway bar hardware, try this all new hardware kit. The 4130 chrome moly washers are much stronger than original washers, and replace the VW parts exactly. Kits are also supplied with original style castle nuts and cotter pins. All components are zinc plated for a rust free finished look! Once all the proper rebuilding, checking, and balancing has taken place, there will be no more shimmies! Your car can then be lowered successfully with our components, and you will enjoy the best riding and handling bug that VW has ever produced!"

Top Line Parts


Rust BulletRust Bullet Rust Inhibitor: If you're replacing your floor pans or trying to save the old ones, they should be protected against rust. Mine were in pretty good shape so I just wanted to prevent any further damage with a product that stops rust. I did some research on Rust Bullet and found out that their products have been awarded two US patents for superior technology and environmentally friendly rust preventive products. This means that Rust Bullet is a leader in the field of rust prevention as no other rust coating on the market has anything like that to back them up. One of the main benefits of their product is that Rust Bullet simplifies rust prevention by eliminating the need for extensive surface preparation. Simply ensure that the surface is clean and dry, and start painting. There's no need to remove all of the rust from the surface, just paint right over it! Rust Bullet coatings can be easily applied to a metal surface either by brush, roller or spray. There is no need for a topcoat or under coat which reduces the overall time and cost. Products like POR-15 simply provide a coating on the metal surface, whereas Rust Bullet is specifically designed to penetrate to the metal surface, dehydrate the rust, rendering it inert, it literally kills the rust. This feature helps with better rust prevention for the substrate and attacks rust right at the root level, offering better longevity and protection. Another big difference is that all Rust Bullet coatings are UV Resistant. POR-15 requires a topcoat as their rust inhibitors are not resistant to UV rays. Rust Bullet coatings are also more environmentally friendly as compared to other coatings on the market. Rust Bullet coatings were developed to emit lower emissions, this makes them more sustainable and they are free from heavy metals zinc, chromates, and other harsh chemicals too. I'd recommend Rust Bullet for those that want to save time, money and the mess that comes along with other products. PLUS, you're getting a superior product that will help your Volkswagen withstand the test of time.

Rust Bullet


Robert Bentley Repair Manual: There are a lot of repair manuals out there for your classic Volkswagen and I've seen just about every one of them. The most famous would most likely be John Muir's "How to keep your Volkswagen Alive". It's a great book that is easy to read and has some of the coolest "Hippie Style" drawings on how to repair your Bug. But is Mr. Muir's book the best buy for your hard earned cash? I'll leave that up to you. Enter Robert Bentley repair manuals for every air-cooled VW. These are the only service manuals that are officially authorized by Volkswagen. This manual was created specifically to cover models built for sale in the United States and Canada and doesn't miss a trick. From my way of thinking you can always tell when a repair manual has been well used by the dog-eared pages and by all of the greasy fingerprints inside. My copy of this informative book is no exception. I can tell you first hand that this manual has saved me many trips to the shop and a ton of money in repair bills.

Here is a sample of the kind of up-to-date information you will find inside: Tune-up and oil change. Specifications and procedures for all models up to the latest 1979 models. Troubleshooting and replacing or repairing every component of the electrical system, complete wiring diagrams. Troubleshooting and repair of the electronic fuel injection system used on 1975 and later models. Troubleshooting, repairing and rebuilding the clutch, manual transmission and Automatic Stick Shift. Rebuilding the carburetor, including the 1974 California-only carburetor. Rebuilding disc and drum brakes. Rebuilding the front axle and steering gearbox. Strut front suspension for the 1302 and 1303 Super Beetle and Convertible, including the suspension modifications for the 1974 through 1979 models. Rack and pinion steering for the 1975 and later models is also covered. Spark advance curves for all distributors, including the latest type emission controls for the 1974 through 1979 exhaust gas recirculation systems. Official Volkswagen tolerances, wear limits, settings and tightening torque specifications for every part of your VW. This Volkswagen Type 1 service manual for the 1970-1979 Volkswagen Beetle and Karmann Ghia contains 720 illustrations, 27 pages of wiring diagrams and 466 pages of what Volkswagen dealership technicians use in the workshop, so you can't get any better than that.

Robert Bently Official VW Beetle Service Manual


Coco Mats: When shopping around for new floor mats for your Beetle, there are quite a few choices out there. Rubber and carpet are two, but there is another type of floor mat that has been around for ages, the Coco mat. Coco Mats are handmade from natural materials - Coir and Rubber. Coir, also known as Cocos, is a natural fiber that is extracted from the protective husks of coconuts. The husks are seasoned in lagoons then converted into fluffy golden coir fiber. The coir is then spun into yarn that is hand woven into mats and backed with a special nibbed rubber that hold the mats firmly in place.

This rubber backing also insures that dirt and sand will never have a chance to make it into your VW's carpet. Colors to choose from are Black and Red, Black and Gray, Black Herringbone, Tan Herringbone, Blue/Black and Tan and Cream/Tan and Brown. Besides the handy nibbed rubber backing, they also have a rubber heal pad that is sewn into the drivers mat to protect it from heel damage and a matching vinyl binding that is sewn around the edge that trims this vintage look floor mat off quite nicely. These floor mats are very easy to clean as well. You simply vacuum them to freshen them up, or if they get really dirty you can pressure wash them with soap and water and then hang them out to dry. I have had a set of the Tan and Brown Coco mats in my Super Beetle for a few years and have found them virtually indestructible.

JBugs


How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: First published in 1969, this classic manual of automotive repair equips VW owners with the knowledge to handle every situation they will come across with any air-cooled Volkswagen built through 1978, including Bugs, Karmann Ghias, vans, and campers. With easy-to-understand, fun-to-read information — for novice and veteran mechanics alike — anecdotal descriptions, and clear language, this book takes the mystery out of diagnostic, maintenance, and repair procedures, and offers some chuckles along the way. This edition features new information on troubleshooting, new photos, and an updated resource list. John Muir (1918-1977) was a writer, mechanic, and expert on the maintenance and repair of Volkswagens. Originally a structural engineer working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, in the 1960s he quit his job to become a writer and car mechanic in Taos, New Mexico. Muir collaborated with the artist Peter Aschwanden to create the definitive manual for Volkswagen owners, How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive; A Manual of Step-By-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot. The first edition sold more than two million copies. In November 1977, Muir passed away from a brain tumor. His self-published first edition is considered one of the most successful self-published books in history, and his manual remains the definitive guide for VW owners.

How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive


Letters to Zerky: I got an email about a book written about touring the world in a VW Bus, so of course I had to read it. Reading a book that is actually printed, rather than reading on my iPad was really nice. Pictures, the smell of the paper, and even putting in the book mark reminded me of why I love reading so much. I totally enjoyed reading Letters to Zerky and here is a review of it taken from Bill's website. "In April of 1967, when The Summer of Love was dawning in San Francisco, Bill and JoAnne Raney left with their dachshund, Tarzan, and ten-month-old son, Eric Xerxes. They flew to Germany, bought a VW camper van, and spent the next thirteen months traveling through Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Saddened that young Zerky would not remember this amazing trip, Bill began to write him letters and Joanne kept a diary so that when he was older he could read about all the adventures he'd been on. The Raneys' journey took them through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Hong Kong, and a few countries that no longer exist. The book will appeal to a wide audience, including those interested in travel, Middle Eastern history and simply a well-written story of adventure. It is a lovely tribute to a little boy who crossed cultural divides to bring people together. "Zerky was the common denominator that brought us together with the peoples and cultures of the world during this thirteen-month-long adventure between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans," Bill writes. "He was our passport to the world."

Letters to Zerky


Rear Defroster Vents: While attending a local VW event I noticed that the 1972 - 1975 Super Beetle Sedan has six little rear defroster vents beside the rear glass. Three on each side, while my 1975 Super Beetle has none. Hmmmm. It looks as if when the original owner changed the headliner he neglected to put them back in. From talking to various owners it seems that over time these plastic vents becomes brittle and literally disintegrate when you try and take them out and these little gems are nearly impossible to find.

Now I've always been a firm believer that Volkswagen knows a lot more about the Beetle than I ever will, so these must have been put there for a reason. (Don't even get me going about whether the Beetle can run without a thermostat or not, it shouldn't!) So, wanting my Beetle to be as close to 100% stock as possible I set out to find these illusive vents. I searched VW parts swap meets, eBay and The Samba, but the ones that I found were ugly to say the least. Most were yellowed and cracked and I don't think that they could ever survive installation. What to do? I don't know if it was fate but a few weeks later I spotted them at CIP1.com and for under twenty bucks to boot!

When they arrived I went out to install them and thought, "I am going to have to cut six holes in my near pristine headliner ...maybe I'll wait". So the other day I was getting my SB ready for a VW event and saw my vents sitting on a shelf in the garage. I guess I was feeling brave that night (or maybe it was the adult beverage that I was drinking at the time) and I decided to put them in. I felt around the rear glass until I found the first oval hole and then lined up a new vent with the indentation and pushed into the liner. This left an oval impression that I quickly slit from end to end with a blade, GLUP! To my surprise the vent snapped in perfectly! The moral of this story is that it's the small things that can really make your Beetle complete and it's companies like California Import Parts that can supply them for us.

California Import Parts - CIP1


Chrome Vent Covers: For those of you that love the look of chrome there's a perfect inexpensive accessory for your Classic Volkswagen Beetle, Chrome Vent Covers from Mid America Motorworks. With these two half moon covers you can add a touch of sparkle to your late model Beetle or Super Beetle and installation is "Super" easy too. You just pop out your old black plastic vent covers behind the rear windows and snap in your new chrome ones.

Made in Denmark the quality of these vents is flawless and since they are made with chromed plastic there is no worry about them rusting or losing their shine over the years. While replacing the original ones with these is a matter of preference and taste you are certain to get a lot of questions about them at the next Volkswagen event that you attend. Me? I think they are great and I'm going to get a set for my Super Beetle before the season starts in the spring!


Mid America Motorworks


VW Bugs 2023 Calendar: Yep, it's time for a new Volkswagen calendar. I don't know about you, but I love to see an old school Volkswagen calendar hanging on the wall in my garage. Sure I have a calendar and reminders in my iPhone, but there's something exciting about flipping over the next month to see which VW Bug is coming next, so don't peek!

This VW Bugs Calendar is a brand new 2023 JUMBO calendar.
When hung up calendar is an impressive 17"x 28" and includes a bonus 12 month poster. It easily adds style and functionality anywhere with some super cool Bug pics. Packed full of our favorite classic ride, this huge calendar features a large grid, making it a breeze to keep track of important dates. Each calendar also includes a bonus poster, that is a second 12 month calendar giving you two calendars for the price of one. You get a total of 16 months from 09/22 - 12/23, and with Christmas coming this would make a great gift!

VW Bug Calendar


Lower Steering Column Bushing: If the needle bearing at the bottom of your steering column wears out, it will give you almost un-drivable play in the steering wheel and up until now this part has been almost impossible to find. The NEW Top Line lower steering column bushing replaces the VW plastic needle bearing without any modifications to the tube or steering shaft. It is made from high-tech Nylatron, is self lubricating, and will last for thousands of miles. Here's how you install the new one: The steering column and shaft should be removed from the car for easiest installation. You should have on hand a blunt punch and hammer, rubber mallet, belt sander, and a good bench vice.

1 - Slide the steering column out of the housing. Tap out old bearing with any long straight shaft (from the top to bottom) 2 - The Top Line bushing is on the left, and the old VW needle bearing is on the right. 3 - The steering shaft will have the inner bearing race still on the shaft. It’s a press-fit, and must be removed. 4 - Clamp the shaft in a sturdy bench vice. Soak the bearing race with lubricant, and tap off the race with a dull chisel or drift. Apply some heat to the race with a butane torch if necessary. 5 - Here the old bearing race is removed from the steering shaft. Note the knurling on the shaft that was under the race. 6 - Using a belt sander, polish off the knurling that was underneath the bearing race. The finished diameter should be .866 inches (22.0mm). 7 - Test fit the bushing onto the steering shaft with a little grease. It should slip effortlessly over the shaft. The fit will get slightly tighter after you tap the bushing into the column. 8 - Tap the bushing into the column using a rubber mallet. Don’t use any lubricant, as it may cause the bushing to shift after installation. 9 - Finish tapping in the bushing past the flared end of the tubing with a socket or similar driver. The finished depth of the bushing is about 1/8” (3.2mm) past end of column. Rub a little grease or oil onto the end of the steering shaft and re-insert it into the steering column. It’s ok to feel a little resistance in the bushing as you turn the shaft by hand. The mechanical advantage of the steering wheel will make the slight drag of the bushing to the shaft negligible and just right for a tight driving feel. Once again Top Line Parts has come up an improvement over the original Volkswagen design and supplied a part that is superior in every way. Thanks to Jon Chabot and Top Line!

Top Line Parts


Retractable Lap and Shoulder Seat Belts: My seat belts were done. Once you took them off they would lay there unless you fed them back into the retractor, not good. You could tug at them all day long and they wouldn't lock up, not too smart. Because even if you don't like to think about it, Volkswagens do get into accidents and your seat belt is the only thing that is going to keep your face from meeting the inside of your windshield, OUCH!

I was reading the latest JBugs catalog and noticed a complete set of front belts that would fit my Beetle on the back cover. As a matter of fact they fit 1966-1977 Beetle Sedan and 1971-1977 Super Beetle Sedan, nice. I ordered a set and within a few days they were sitting on my desk at work. Inside the package I found two black original-looking seat belt retractors, two buckles, two brackets and a whole bunch of bolts, washers and nuts, along with a small diagram on how they all go together. It didn't seem like a big job so I decided to tackle it one Saturday. All you need is a socket set and a bit of patience to install these in your Beetle. The first thing to do is to take out the old belts, which is simple because it's only three bolts each. Then you have to figure out which way the brackets that hold the retractors go, not so simple. Make sure you take a good look at the original brackets BEFORE you take the old ones out.

The new brackets are not exactly the same but they do install the same way. Once you bolt the retractor in place you're going to wonder how to get the belt out, which is fully retracted due to shipping. HINT - Make sure that the retractor is 100% level, both horizontally and vertically and it will pull out without a problem. Install the buckle and your ready to sit down, buckle up and take off. If you have a 1975 or newer Beetle you will have to disconnect the seat belt interlock system which plugs into the bottom of the seat and cut the wire that goes to the buckle. I'd say within a 1/2 hour I had these installed and was testing them out. Not by running into a tree, but by giving them a quick tug and feeling them lock up. Oh what a feeling. One thing that I noticed about this product is that the bolts that are included have a different size head than the originals so the trim that covers the bolt that holds the buckle in place will not fit. I put a drop of Automotive Goop (a fantastic glue) on them popped them in place and I was good to go. Here's one more bit of advice about these and the original seat belts in your Beetle. It's pretty hard to reach the tongue that you plug into the buckle because it falls down to the bottom of the belt. You end up either squishing your hand in between the door panel to reach it or opening the door. Honda makes a little button kit that you install that keeps the tongue at the top of the belt so you can just reach over your shoulder to grasp it. Contact your local Honda dealer and order two of part number 04814-SP0-305ZA for an easy fix. So check yourself before you wreck yourself and bring your seat belts up to spec with these great units from California Pacific JBugs.

JBugs


Chrome Wheels and Hub Caps: I own a 1975 Volkswagen Super Beetle of the La Grande variety. It's close to 100% stock and that's the way that I like it. The only problem is that the "Sports" wheels that came with this Special Edition are boring. They are your typical silver painted wheel that Volkswagen jazzed up by adding a black plastic center cap and some black plastic wheel nut covers, nice but boring. I thought that painting the wheels gold to match my Super Beetle would do the trick. Again, boring. So what's a person that wants the "Stock Look" going to do to the wheels without stepping over the border into custom? Good question.

For me the answer was a set of stock Volkswagen wheels paired up with a set of stock Volkswagen wheel covers, but done in chrome! The stock wheel that came on the VW Beetle never came in chrome, which is a shame because the styling is timeless. I checked all of the usual online stores and ended up getting a set from JBugs. The wheels that I got where manufactured by Mangle of Brazil, one of the largest O.E. wheel manufacturers in the world. Unfortunately from what I've heard these wheels won't be available for much longer, so if you are looking to upgrade your whip, you'd better act fast. You could always have your stock wheels chromed, but finding a good plating shop isn't easy and it's very expensive too. So I took my new wheels to work and mounted them on my stock rubber. Oh yeah! I don't know what it is about these wheels, but installing them on my 1303 added a huge WOW factor. Best of all my VW is still considered "Stock" and it looks fantastic! Now all I get is complements where ever I go. Nice.

JBugs


VolksWorld: If you're a fan of the air-cooled Volkswagen then you must love reading about and looking at them in print. Over the past few years some VW publications have gone, some new ones have sprung up, and the old faithful have gotten even better. VolksWorld has been around since 1987, and is still a major part of the worldwide VW scene. Based in the UK it covers the very best vehicles from around the globe with modified and customized cars through to the original and stock providing inspiration entertainment and scene-defining information to its readers. Between the monthly magazine and the web site, VolksWorld endeavors to deliver all the latest news from the air-cooled Volkswagen scene all over the world. With up to date news, excellent photography, features, readers' rides, how to's, history specifications and much more, VolksWorld has something for everyone and also reaches into VW exhibitions with the annual VolksWorld Show – the largest indoor VW event in Europe where many show cars debut each year.

Along with a fantastic magazine VolksWorld has a new Facebook page. Now featuring such sections as Car of the week, Latest news, Video of the week, The VolksWorld Blog, Buy and Sell, Events and Clubs, and Downloads, you could spend hours just cruising the pages. Make a note to check out the Download section where you'll find some of the most beautiful Volkswagens in the world just waiting to grace the desktop of your computer. So pick up a copy at your local bookstore, go online and subscribe. That way you'll never miss a VW-packed issue!

VolksWorld


Super Sway Bar Clamps: Top Line Parts had just introduced their new Super Beetle billet sway bar clamp set.  The stamped steel stock VW clamps are the lowest part on the chassis of a Super, and often get beat up badly by close encounters with the pavement.  The new Top Line clamp set offers better support of the rubber bushing, as well as being made from strong T-6 aluminum billet. The Top Line billet aluminum sway bar clamp set replaces the VW items prefectly without any modifications to the car. The clamps will fit either stock rubber bushings, or the more popular urethane performance bushings. Since the clamps are made to exacting tolerances, you should first check to see if the fit of the bushings into the clamps is correct. The clamps are made to fit Top Line Caster-Fix bushings exactly, with no modification. While the curved shape of the factory clamps leave some leeway for bushing sizes, the Top Line clamps do not. The clamps include mounting hardware, and are available for 1302 (71 to 73), and 1303 (74 and later) models.

Top Line Parts


Baja Bug RC Racer: I don't know about you, but I love VW toys!.Radio controlled cars can be expensive, but I've found a cost effective one that the whole family can enjoy. This Baja Bug RC Monster remote control racer is high quality and made of ABS material. Using the Classic Beetle design for this off road racing Volkswagen, your kids will play with it for hours. Equipped with a 4.8V/700mAh high-quality rechargeable battery, you can enjoy driving for up to a maximum 60 minutes, which is longer than most other off-road toys.

The included USB charger provides a convenience way to charge your Baja racer. You can fine-tune the speed and direction as you move forward/back/turn left/turn right. The controller allows you and your friends to play your own RC Baja Beetles at the same time without radio interference, and it's great for indoor and outdoor use.

Baja Bug RC Racer

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