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Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:45 pm

Here is a pair of door visors I picked up at the last Sac Bugorama. The guy said they came off a Type3. Well they're too short for a Type3, so I assume they are for a bug. Anyway they each have a part number on them; "VWA5RF" and "VWA5LF". Can someone shed some light on this for me?

Wed Jul 30, 2014 5:18 pm

Back To Top from a loooong time ago :) , nobody ever answered back then and I have a pair of them again, anyone know anything about them? They seem a little heavier made than the other unlabeled pair I have, were they ever offered from VW?

Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:13 pm

I see them here
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/66accessories.php

Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:45 pm

I can't swear to those numbers, but I believe like a number of VW accessories
they probably came from a sub contracter. Enclosed is a photo of my '66 sedan which I bought new in that year, and was delivered with those same vent shades. This photo shot the day after we picked up the car at Truman Motors in El Cajon in june that year. The shades are visable with some sqinting :D All that stuff, dealer installed. Still on the car in my garage 48 years later!

Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:14 pm

The numbers are probably only visible off the car, because they are stamped in the edge of the long lip along the top, they are also a little different than the newer generic ones because they have a stamped indention for the mounting screws instead of just a drilled hole, and they feel a little heavier. Mine came from some VW's that had been sitting deep in some woods since the early 80's... The car they came from was so rusty I took the entire wiring harness out without cutting a wire, just ripped away the body from around it, but all these vent shades needed was cleaning and buffed out :) . Could have just put on a new Chinese set, but I like the history behind these..

Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:39 pm

I'm 100% sure Ventshade made those for VWoA- just as a dealer add-on for numerous brands in their accessory catalogs. I must have owned upwards of 10 pairs of those over the years. The ones for the (up to) '64 cars are the ones to buy (the shortest). They are averaging $5 pair for late beetles, maybe $25 for earlies. Indeed, the heavier ones are the pair to have- they polish well- and come painted on the underside to reduce glare.

I'm only hunching that somewhere in the 70s the raised mounting holes were dropped- perhaps for cheaper manufacture- because all the early ones I've seen have those nubs- and about half of the late bug ones I've seen don't. I also believe those nubs greatly help in drilling right into the crown of the victim car's window frame. I'd hate to miss with the old center punch.

The very latest stainless ones made for cars in the 90s used 3m tape on the flat side- it sure made more sense all along (I worked for Trimline at the time and sold those for more Silverado trucks than I can count). I don't recall if that's something Ventshade did or just us. We hated unnecessary drilling.

EDIT: Sorry, I could have thought of this the other day. I measured mine on my '71 beetle for reference and possible I.D. of yours. From flared tip to tip- they are exactly 20 1/2", hope it helps.