What's going to kill our cars...

[swhitcomb]

This is a 4 year old thread but it's really been something I've been thinking a lot about lately. In a few weeks I'll be 40 my Karmann Ghia has been in my family since my first childhood memories. In fact, one of my first memories is my dad driving it home from Bob Smith VW in 1980. It's always been around, it's always run, and because it's sentimental to me I've always bought the best whatever part it needed. In the last few years, engine cases are NLA, heads are NLA, they stopped making the 034, Bosch discontinued all tune up parts, good cranks are NLA, etc. I'm afraid a day will came where my beloved Ghia won't be able to be repaired because whatever parts it needs either won't exist, or won't be worth buying.
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My 71 Ghia Been in my family since 1980
My Patina 66
My 74 Ghia
07 Boxster

[Zylinderkopf]

I'm still optimistic that parts will get better as 3D printing technology continues to evolve.
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1963 Beetle
1966 Beetle 1300
1970 Karmann Ghia Coupe
1971 Super Beetle
1974 Thing


"A lot of people never use their initiative because no one told them to."

[[email protected]]

You could start considering what parts you will need down the road, and keep an eye out and stockpile them. Lots of oem parts flow thru THE SAMBA, and other collector websites. The worst that could happen is that over the years you won't need them, but someone else will, and I doubt at that point you will lose any money. As parts/cars of every make and model get rarer, they seem to gain value. Think of it as an investment, that's what I do.

[TDCTDI]

Some shithead paying more attention to their cellphone or infotainment system in their new car while choking down a Big Mac with a large Diet Coke.
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[raygreenwood]

[Jon Schmid]

Being kind of a cousin to you guys my biggest fear in the next 10-20 years is finding someone qualified to do major work on my 356's. Right now the closest qualified mechanic to me (and I'm smack dab in the middle of the L.A. basin) is 40 miles away. Everyone else has either moved or retired (or worse). And even my current guy is not likely going to be doing this another 20 years. You VW guys might have more options but unless a new generation of folks learn the skills to properly build/rebuild engines and transaxles then we convert to electric or park them? I hope I'm not here to see that day.

[wcfvw69]

I agree with the other poster who stated that distracted drivers will be a bigger risk of taking our classic VW's off the road then parts shortages. I also think our risk of a heart attack or getting cancer is higher than worrying about parts availability.

I've actually been impressed with the large amount of parts that are being reproduced in the last 5-10 years. Yes, many are crap in quality and fit but others are still decent. The problem is many people don't want to pay the costs of the premium parts.

I hate to say it but one of the biggest factors limiting better quality reproduction parts is VW folks being frugal. People are keeping EMPI in business by buying some of there really poor quality parts based on their price point. I'm hopeful that as VW's continue to decline in numbers and become even more collectable that we'll see more people willing to pony up for the better quality parts. This will stimulate more being made. We all know VW's were an entry level car and many of the owners still believe VW's and their parts should be cheap to buy.

I think we're decades away from all the NOS parts drying up as well. Yes, some NOS parts are getting tougher and tougher to source but they are still a lot of those parts out there. There's still TON's of used VW parts around as well that can be rebuilt/overhauled to like new status and put back in use too.

I think if I owned the less produced and less popular air cooled VW models, I would be sourcing the hard to find wear items right now. Also important to note is the MASSIVE difference in EBAY and Samba classified pricing vs. finding them at VW swap meets. I often see threads on this site where people can't find this part or that part. I then attend a VW swap meet and see many of them for rock bottom pricing.

The basic type 1 engine platform will have parts available for decades to come in IMHO. There's still millions of these engines powering air cooled VW's all over the world. The type 4 engines and their fuel injection parts are not being as reproduced and some Bosch fuel injection parts are now NLA. The late bay bus crowd has been discussing this for the last few years.

I'm an aviation geek as well with lots of interest in World War II and 50's propeller aircraft. The fact that many of those 70+ year old aircraft are being rebuilt to better than new condition speaks of the volume of still available NOS parts for the Pratt and Whitney and Wright Cyclone engines and the reproduction of the other wear parts that are needed. If those operators can keep 100's of those planes still flying then I'm not worried about keeping my aircooled VW's running either.
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Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc

Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours**

[EverettB]

[raygreenwood]

In rgeard to NOS rubber parts...NOS seals, master cylinder and brake parts etc.....are already rarely useable for more than appearance. Rubber changes with age. It loses elasticity, chemical resistance and increases in hardness and shrinks. This is why NOS shovks and master cylinders are worthless to buy.

I already have kne of those "less produced" VWs. All I work on is 411 and 412....and some 914 and type 3.

The 411 and 412 parts situation has been desperate since the late 80s. If you hazard to dig around in the 411/412 forum....you will see that we MAKE most of the suspension and rare wear parts that we need.

I keep telling others who drive more plentiful types.....quit being complacent with the not so hard to get NOS parts. Buy what you can for you stash....but work hard to learn how to make what you may need or find workarounds that will allow you to safely stay kn the road.

And quit being cheap. When one out of several identical parts on say....your suspension are worn out....after decades of use.....quit being overly frugal. Replace all of them if you can get them....because they are all the same age. Leaving old parts in because you are being cheap insures that the other parts attached to them will likeley wear out faster. Ray

[wcfvw69]

[pyrOman]

I don't know for sure "what's going to kill our cars...", but there's no doubt that what kills MY cars is usually ME!!!!

When I am done with a car, the car IS done!
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Some people are so busy being clever they don't have time enough to be wise.