One of the first lessons I learned about working on an old Beetle is that although replacemnt parts my be plentiful the quality of them isn't always equal. I can see why NOS(New Old Stock) or parts from comparable vehicle are more desirable. One example of this was tail light lenses on my 74 Bug.
The driver's side tail light lens was cracked and needed replacement. So i went to my computer and started searching online. I found some that were inexpensive. They were less than $20 so I bought one and anxiously awaited delivery.
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| New on the left and original on the right. |
When it arrived I was happy see shiny new tail light. I took off the old one and compared them. From a distance they may look the same but up close you can see some minor differences. One is the lens inside grid pattern on the orange turn signal part is different. It's still functional and only VW enthusiasts may even notice the difference.
Secondly the border between red and the clear back up lens is different. You might think like the previous difference will only be noticed by VW enthusiasts with a sharp eye but this does make a difference when in use, particularity at night. During the day it doesn't make much difference function wise but at night the red light illuminates the back up light.
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| Replacement light on left and original on the right. |
A third difference is what's inside. The internals of these are slightly different. I believe because the manufacturer was trying to make a product to fit multiple years of VW's they won't always fit a particular year perfectly. You can obviously see a difference between the metal spacers. Not surprisingly mine needed some customizing. I needed to snip the little one inch tabs on the spacer between the red and the clear.
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| Don't forget the gasket! |
On a side note don't forget, like I did, to order a gasket that goes between the lens and the light housing. It's inexpensive and they give you enough to do two lights. You just have to cut it to size and install it. They are important as it keeps moisture from getting inside.
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| Only those with sharp eyes will notice the difference. |
Overall the new taillight is installed and works fine even with these flaws. Like I said most likely only hardcore Beetle enthusiasts will notice the difference. I can now see why people pay more for original used parts or NOS than a cheaper replacement. I'll probably replace it with one that matches eventually. I just wanted to share this as a quick lesson learned for newbie Bug owners like myself. Cheaper replacements are fine for the quick fix but for better quality one should probably look for NOS or original used parts. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to ask questions or comment. I hope you'll come back again soon.
Keep on Buggin'
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