Wolfsburg is a city in northern Germany. It's known as the headquarters for Volkswagen and for the Autostadt, an automobile-themed park with a classic-car museum and driving track. The AutoMuseum showcases Volkswagen models and prototypes.
The Wolfsburg Volkswagen Factory is the largest manufacturing plant in the world, in terms of area at just under 6.5 million m². It is the worldwide headquarters of the Volkswagen Group.
European and most worldwide Mk2 Golf & Jettas were built in Wolfsburg between 1983 and 1991.
VW in USA and Mexico produced their own Golfs/Rabbits.Wolfsburg
From factory all VW Golf 2 models were fitted with two front wipers and a single rear wiper, originally parked in the upright position. Single wiper conversions for the front were made popular in the 90's and many still sport this look now. For the purpose of this topic I'm only discussing original fitment and I'm only concerned with the wiper blades themselves.
FRONT FITMENT
On earlier cars from factory different size wiper blades were fitted to the front of the car dependent on spec. the choices were 400, 450 and 475mm regardless to the fact that all the windscreens and wiper arms were the same size. Later cars all seem to be listed as having 450mm blades.
Although the wiper blades differed on early and late, as all early cars had lhd wipers (with a smaller spline) regardless of the side of the steering wheel there is no difference (that I have found to date) in wiper blade size or fitment weather rhd/lhd or early/late.
Being European sizes are listed in mm, although here in Britain we're more used to buying wiper blades in inches. So for the benefit of completeness here's a chart:
400mm = 15.748" 450mm = 17.7165" 475mm = 18.7008"
1.05/1.3/1.6ltr were listed as 400mm all 1.8 and 1.6ltr GTD are listed as 450mm But there's also a 475mm listed
Some were listed as having a wear indicator, there are also mentions of the air deflector on later cars, earlier ones had the 'spoiler' fitted to the wiper arm itself.
There are multiple part numbers listed, and across the years some conflicting information so I gather the same part number was superseded, if your car oringally came with 161955427 in 1986 it would have been a 400mm blade but if you went back to VW in 1990 with that part number they'd give you a 450mm blade with a little spoiler.
The list below may not be complete, but it's a sample of what I have found. note the VALEO brand name listed.
Although part numbers are pretty much obsolete with wiper blades (excluding modern aero blades) being universal fit and just bough by length.
18" is the optimal fit for both sides. 19" will fit but will be very close to the windscreen rubber in park position and may lift a little at the edge due to the curvature of the screen. However if you have a, dare I say, type 19 it may be worth considering a 19" blade on the drivers side to give that tiny bit extra clearance in the top right hand corner of the screen.
REAR FITMENT
A single wiper is fitted to the rear. And fitment here is much simpler, 400mm (16") fit all.
With 2 OE part numbers listed. 161955425 wiper blade; 400MM 1 161955427 wiper blade with wear; indicator; 400MM VALEO 1
BRANDS
Bosch is the brand you'd tend to naturally associate with German cars and OE quality, however as noted above Valeo (a cheaper brand carried by Euro Car Parts, among others) is listed against the part numbers suggesting this was at one point at least the factory supplier. This is obviously just speculation as the apparent randomness of the VW parts bin is a well discussed topic. Take for example the fitment of VDO vs Motometer instrument clusters.
At time of writing I've read of 'fake' Bosch being sold cheap on eBay and general disappointment with the longevity of Bosch wipers.
Hella and Valeo are cheaper options and have both been reviewed favorable.
AFTERMARKET
Over the years there's been inventions such as double bladed wipers, wipers with extra ridges, spoilers and air lips etc shaped into the frame and the current standard seems to be the flat Aero type blades, which are available in universal 'retro' fit giving you loads of options. Whether the latest style blades suit a car of this age is totally down to the personal preference of the owner.
Who'd have thought there was so much to say about wiper blades?
Zender is an aftermarket styling and accessories company, famed for sports performance, aerodynamic design and body kits. Zender produced styling parts for VW.
Extract taken (and edited) from Zender website: http://www.zendergroup.com/en/ I don't think the German to English translation is it's best but I'm sure you get the idea.
At the start of the seventies, Zender had become a reference point in the sector of automotive design, and in 1974 Ford Werke AG and Volkswagen AG became Zender clients, thanks to new development technologies that permitted the production of aerodynamic parts for car bodies, made of the highest quality PUR-RIM and ABS materials.
Zender grew over the years and refined its production of accessories for automobiles. A large distribution network, which in 1977 covered more than 40 countries worldwide. A brand synonymous with quality and ingenuity, expressed in prototype cars, futuristic design and innovative technology.
Zender Industrieprodukte GmbH was founded in 1987, capable of meeting the increasing demands from the major car manufacturers. Everyone searching for a part that could make them stand out, everyone certain of finding in Zender that musician capable of making the strings of every instrument vibrate.
Over the years Zender has always had an eye for collaboration with car manufacturers, choosing locations close to them as bases for his own modification centres. For inexpensive and eco-friendly logistical support.
The OSV is founded in 2000, the same year as the Adam Opel AG. The company is located in Rüsselsheim and Bochum, the same site as the Opel factory where special gas vehicles are manufactured. Six years later Zender sells its own shares to the Adam Opel AG.
Zender was partner and shareholder of Opel until 2006, keeping a fruitful collaboration ongoing and providing jobs to 250 employees.
A common term used in Germanic car culture, a Youngtimer is a well kept car that is of the age between 20-30 years old. These are usually future classics/limited production imports to foreign countries, most commonly associated with European built vehicles.
Unlike an Oldtimer car of the 50's, 60's and 70's, Youngtimers often attract those who grew up with these cars new on the road between the 80's and 90's.
The youngtimer label easily applies to VW Golf mk2 and Jetta and is a useful term to search for if looking for cars, parts or accessories on European websites such as eBay.de
Copied across from the old forum so hopefully ti reads properly!!
And it begins again! after speaking to a friend who knew i was looking for a beetle i was put onto a 1200 in, what im assured is, Phoenix Red. The car is a northern ireland car from new, being sold in O'Hare's in Armagh which is now long closed. Its totally unmolested, still on its original steels, original radio, interior etc etc and comes with its original service book stamped all up to 1986.
It does need work down the passenger sill were it needs patching and possibly a little in the floor too but aside from that its ready to go. plans are simple at this stage - get it repaired and then MOT'd! Ill get photos on later, having problems with photobucket at the moment. itching to get it home but having to wait until saturday! seems like a lifetime away!
some photos -
absolutely dying to get at this!!!
Today is beetle day!! going to collect it after lunch and thoroughly excited. Rang the insurance company earlier and got it insured on my multi-car policy for only £50! genuinely chuffed at that, limited mileage to 3k and valued at 2.5k. once it gets all the tarting up treatment well about getting that upped. have also been going through the owners history folder and whilst there isnt a mass of old invoices, theres quite a few for the past 5 or 6 years with there having been thousands spent on it.
love this - the old service book, stamped to 1986 and tucked inside the cover were two documents. a 12 month warranty and then a certificate of conformity, not seen that before unless its an air cooled thing? also the original green tax book, havent seen one of those for years.
also theres old mots going back to 2003 which is nice, someone seems to have taken a lot of care with ti over the years. also, as far as i can see, im the fourth owner, the third being the fella i bought it from who has only had it for about 6 months.
once its home ill get some photos up if its still light outside.
Quote from: 8v_chris
well got some better photos this morning
The powerhouse that is the 1200
All in all im happy with it and figured this morning would be an opportunity to get a really good look around it.
first thing was to try and sort the headlight main beam. pulling back on the stalk just flashes the lights, the main beam wont engage. after doing some reading and speaking to a few people it would seem that the relay is at fault and figuring i cant make it worse i took it apart. seems to be pretty cheap to be honest, a non genuine generic part.
this is the mystery panel. It has three different switches, one a plunger type, a pull out switch that brings a light on and the other a light switch type.
the plunger type is for the windscreen washers. the other two though im not sure. The pull out one that brings a light on is, im guessing, for the rear window demister as i cant see a switch for it anywhere else. the flick switch i have no idea. ive tried to track it into the fuse box theres over spray over all the wires running to the back of the fuse box and they are all orange so the search stops there for now. the wires are one black and one yellow and red.
the main issue that the car has is rust. it wouldnt a 41 year old beetle without but there is quite a lot, compared to the mk2 anyway.
the entire floor pan is unsupported from the bottom of the a pillar to the c pillar along the sill and actually moves up and down if you wiggle it. had a poke with the screw driver, as you do, to see the extent to which it stretches and im not that happy to be honest. i knew it needed work but its pretty serious i think. also, the heater channel appears to loaded to the gills with expanding foam? you can see all white patches in the photos. my guess is that a previous owner found some rot and figured that would keep it bay, who knows! eitehr way it will need to be rectified and what concerns me is wether it can be repaired properly or not without separating the floor pan from the body. its going to the body shop on saturday so this has the potential to be very expensive.
my goal is to try and get it an mot before the new year, or even by the end of january but i think the limiting factor here will be my bank balance haha
just a quick photo of the sacrilege! Ford parts in the beetle!
tempted to try and remove all that and stick a standard washer bottle back in and get the washers running off the stalk again, want rid of the buttons up above.
when i got in from work i had to and have a fiddle so got the passenger seat out and was able to have a proper dig at the floor. as expected there was more rust but the good news is ive found where it stops, i think, and its right to the seat runner and runs right along the car. also, the running board was sounding pretty crunchy so i took it off and surprise, its rotten too.
you cant really see it the photos but you could pretty much fold it lengthways. the drivers is in far better shape but its still not great so both need to be replaced. also there was a litle rot in the sill on the runner side so thatl need sorted too.
had a proper head in hands moment again but itl be grand! well get there in the end!
this is the only photo i got when i was taking the beetle apart, was busy photographing the different electrical connections.
we now have the wings off (all four), bumpers off, interior out, petrol tank out, any bolts that were still in the floor have been undone and removed along with the bolts holding the body to chassis in the arches and in the front. in terms of surprise rot ive been very lucky. there doesnt seem to have been too much else found that i didnt know about already but theres been a few oddities. firstly, there are no bolts and the 'u' bend style washers down the drivers side. the bolt holes where they would ordinarily be arent there and i get the impression theyve been smoothed over. the whole drivers side has been extensively patched and im thinking it might be worth doing the drivers floor too. its solid but whilst the body is off i think it should be repaired properly and not left, we'll see how we get on. what really worries me is that if the bolts arent there, how has the floor been held on and once we get in behind and get a look i bet its been welded, ive just got that feeling. the other issue was the sill in behind the running board wasnt great either, but nothing serious. behind the arches themselves there were one or two bolts that just sat and spun as the captive nut had given up on the inside so they need put right too. all in all a little more work than i first thought but nothing terrifying either.
ok so little has really happened over christmas and the last month or so. the bug is in the body repair shop still and hasnt been touched, im currently waiting behind a mk4 escort of all things, but i suppose its better sitting there rather than in my driveway in the elements. with little going on at this end i started to get the interior ready.
after some looking around online i found a crowd in england who made mail order interiors for vws. there was some email ping pong and three weeks or so later, these appeared.
although the photos look blue, theyre dark grey vinyl with ivory piping and stitching with matching door cards. really, really impressed with these and cant wait to get them into the car.
ive also started to get the kick boards made up as the original ones are in poor shape
threw a few layers of outdoor varnish on them too to protect them. the rear side of the door cards will get the same treatment before they go into the car.
lastly, this is the carpet sample of anthracite that will see the kick boards covered and the floors of the beetle covered once the sound deadening goes in.
hopefully, it all comes together nicely. the next job on the list is to order that carpet and then to get the seat pads replaced. managed to source the pads needed for a later base spec car so once they arrive the seats will hopefully be sorted.
FINALLY!! we have movement!! The beetle actually feels like its getting somewhere!
firstly though, this. this really made me laugh. good value for money must be code for heartache and frustration!
the current view of the floor
the drivers side
the passenger side
the overall body
basically the shopping list consists of complete floor pans x2, heater channels and closing panels x2, complete frame head, nose and then other assorted bits and pieces. thats just the obvious stuff but there will be more. really happy to finally see some movement though. the floor should be out by the end of today and then once the front suspension is off the frame head can come out too!
