Broken release lever on VW headlight

[storm]

VW wins another award for stupidest design on a car The headlight has a security tab and release lever to free the headlight assembly...of course its plastic. The lever is broken. Anyone ever do this themselves? My guess is to drill a small hole and attempt to stick a screw driver or a wood bit into the hole and slide it up? Any help would be appreciated (like stealing this car )

[golfinseb]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

Got any pics? What's stupid about the design? Is it that the user didn't see the security tab and broke the lever, or is it just a flawed design?

[storm]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

Got any pics? What's stupid about the design? Is it that the user didn't see the security tab and broke the lever, or is it just a flawed design?

Not at the moment no pics, theres a security tab that you push in, then theres a little handle that slides upwards. I guess it's common for the track it slides on to get filled with debris. Well, your only option is to blast it with WD40 and hope it slides easily but from what I've been reading is a super common occurrence for that little lever to break off, so common VW keeps them in stock because their own techs break them so frequently (what do you expect with plastic?). You'll see what I mean in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ALcVKiHmn9Q#t=115

[storm]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

I think I made some progress, amazing what you can accomplish with a little bit of insomnia. Ended up drilling a small hole below where the lever was, stuck a thin screw it and pryed it up and repeated this until I couldnt get it to move any more. It's raining so I didn't take the light assembly out but it feels loose, hopefully I can wiggle it out tomorrow. Im going to call both part source and VW and see how much this "catch" or retainer costs. If its a few bucks, ill replace it. I really hate putting money into this thing, hoping we can get another year and a half out of it before we trade it in. If it wasn't for my gf's safety or her getting pulled over and maybe ticketed, I wouldn't have bothered with this light.

[storm]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

Keeps getting better...$27 for the piece but if the vehicle has a certain vin, its another $90 for a mounting piece.

[lipw87]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

https://www.ecstuning.com

[AdiosAmigo]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

2000g and we can arrange something lol

[storm]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

www.ecstuning.com

I don't see anything there resembling the piece I need. Anyways, got the light out, changed the bulb but no way this SOB is going to fit in there properly without the catch/retainer. Going to have to go to VW and get it there, by the sounds of it I don't need the $90 bucket so I guess I dodged one there. I had a buddy this week complaining about having to remove his bumper to change the bulb in his wifes malibu, I'd prefer 300 screws over this nonsense

[bl8d]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

I like the shape of the Beetle, that as far as I my commitment to that German vehicle goes.
That Headlight assembly is an abortion that Morgentahler would not have wanted to tackle.

[storm]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

I like the shape of the Beetle, that as far as I my commitment to that German vehicle goes.
That Headlight assembly is an abortion that Morgentahler would not have wanted to tackle.

I think that goes for a majority of the things on this vehicle

I was hellbent on getting a Jetta or Golf last year, nothing new, something around an 05 and believe me, they weren't cheap. I drove 5 or 6 of them, all stick, all used. One thing I noticed between them and my gf's 01 Beetle was this, everything electric and with a latch was broken. Every single one had a broken latch on the center console, a few with screwed up glove box latches, electric trunk openers, electric window buttons and 2 with radios that didn't work. Her engine runs strong and the thing has power for a little 2.0L we are seeing alot of the electric levers and buttons starting to give us issues, an annoying buzzing sound from the radio, doesn't want to start when its cold, gets stuck in 2" of snow, etc.

Anyways, picked up the catch, 3 screws to swap it out but another 30 minutes of trying to get the stupid assembly to go in just right. If you have a beetle and a light goes out...take my advice and spend the 1h labour at the dealer and have them do it

[lipw87]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

Like any car it takes time to get used to working on them. I have a GTI and I HATED it the first year. Changing things now is a breeze, although it may still take longer then other cars. The only problems that I run into is rusted/seized bolts/nuts. I've changed the clutch, main seal, brakes, as well as worked on the tranny, turbo, and other parts. I've saved myself thousands in labor. The only VW dealership IMO that is worth going to is Georgetown.
If you do need parts in the future I highly recommend checking out that site. I shipped my clutch/flywheel to Buffalo and picked it up and saved hundreds.

[storm]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

Like any car it takes time to get used to working on them. I have a GTI and I HATED it the first year. Changing things now is a breeze, although it may still take longer then other cars. The only problems that I run into is rusted/seized bolts/nuts. I've changed the clutch, main seal, brakes, as well as worked on the tranny, turbo, and other parts. I've saved myself thousands in labor. The only VW dealership IMO that is worth going to is Georgetown.
If you do need parts in the future I highly recommend checking out that site. I shipped my clutch/flywheel to Buffalo and picked it up and saved hundreds.

I'll be scrapping her Beetle before I put any serious coin into it. I have 2 buddys who do a lot of their own work on their TDIs. One builts older BMW's on the side as well, both said that unless you have a garage and enjoy spending and playing, don't waste your time on a VW. The one guys working on his car I'd say at LEAST once every 2 weeks, either something broke or not working right or he's upgrading something else. He kind of directed me away from VW, certain years are great, others are filled with electrical gremlins. At the end of the day its a 15 year old Beetle, if a $1000 part goes, it's going with it plain and simple. We have a place here called Heinz Garage, they work exclusively on VW and Audi but I'm not really interested in paying their premium shop prices to swap out a light and catch, cost me $40 in parts.

[golfinseb]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

My VW is fine, everything works and it's a 2003 GTI. They are as reliable as any other car imo.

[lipw87]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

I'll be scrapping her Beetle before I put any serious coin into it. I have 2 buddys who do a lot of their own work on their TDIs. One builts older BMW's on the side as well, both said that unless you have a garage and enjoy spending and playing, don't waste your time on a VW. The one guys working on his car I'd say at LEAST once every 2 weeks, either something broke or not working right or he's upgrading something else. He kind of directed me away from VW, certain years are great, others are filled with electrical gremlins. At the end of the day its a 15 year old Beetle, if a $1000 part goes, it's going with it plain and simple. We have a place here called Heinz Garage, they work exclusively on VW and Audi but I'm not really interested in paying their premium shop prices to swap out a light and catch, cost me $40 in parts.

Maintenance is paramount. My GTI has a stock turbo pumping out close to 20psi. I've had it for years and it has never broken down on me. All of my friends have never had an issue either. Sounds like your friend is a tuner. If he is it doesn't matter what kind of car it is they are always tinkering. But hey, to each his own.

My VW is fine, everything works and it's a 2003 GTI. They are as reliable as any other car imo.

Agreed. Sticking with VW/Audi. My next car will probably be a Touareg.

[in2house]

Re: Broken release lever on VW headlight

You can try http://www.thesourceforvw.com/ for used VW parts. They have a huge inventory of parts. If there is something they think you should buy new from the dealer, they'll tell you.

I find it odd that you have so many broken latches. I have a 95 Jetta GLX and I've never had anything like that happen. I replaced a window switch once because it didn't work but never had a broken latch. I agree that under the hood that some of the plastic parts can become brittle but after 15 years, that's to be expected. Over that time period, where you park you car (inside, outside) makes a huge difference on the longevity of those kinds of parts. Since I parked my Jetta outdoors at work, I would always try to use some UV protectent spray on the rubber moldings and gaskets. the only part I ended up replacing was the raintray as rubber trim, lining the windshield had dried up and cracked.

Love the Dubs...