TheSamba.com :: View topic - Official Mexican / Brazilian Beetles

Sun Aug 23, 2020 7:57 pm

Genuine VW Sedan 1600i (1993-2004) window crank handle 191 837 575 / 191 837 579 Made in Austria. A lot of second hand mexican Beetles were sold in the gray market with cheap-aftermarket interior and exterior parts.

Sun Aug 23, 2020 11:28 pm

Antonio, i watched this parts, my bug had in past these cranks, but plastic slots were broken. I decided use cranks with metall base (i found them in part catalogue of mexi Beetle), I hoped that they are more reliable. But the reality is different :)
Upd: my cranks with original style like on your pics are with "hecho en Mexico" mark, if I'm not mistaken.

Mon Aug 24, 2020 1:55 am

Sotobaggins wrote: ooops a dog called bear how did you get the round mirrors on the new mounts????

The round mirrors were on the car when I bought it. My mechanic seems to think that they're the standard hinge-mounted mirrors (for a pre-1968 Beetle) mounted to adaptors from a Type 3 which fit in the Beetle door mirror position... I haven't checked if he's right about this.

What I do know is that I don't like the existing position of the mirrors (too high) and I've managed to fit the threaded hinge pins which are ready to accept hinge-pin mirrors, but my mirror bases won't fit the new threads. I bought a new set of hinge-pin mirrors, but they don't fit either, so I suspect there are different mirror sizes or different-size hinge pins (the threaded portion is too large in diameter for the mirrors I bought). I'll let you know if I solve it.

Mon Aug 24, 2020 2:01 am

dedtalasch wrote: ...I bought a seal and windshield, unfortunately not particularly versed in the subtleties of selecting parts, just ordered the windshield and seal, without specifying the nuances.
The glass seems to fit, but the seal has a slightly different profile. will there be any difficulties, will anyone have any experience?

I'd also be very interested to know if the general 1968-79 (non-Mexi-specific) seals fit the front and rear screens... I want to use the seals with the plastic-chrome strips in them. Anyone know what fits?

Mon Aug 24, 2020 5:32 am

A Dog Called Bear wrote: I'd also be very interested to know if the general 1968-79 (non-Mexi-specific) seals fit the front and rear screens... I want to use the seals with the plastic-chrome strips in them. Anyone know what fits?

The part numbers do change, maybe because of branding (ie the VW/Audi Made in Mexico script on the glass), just a guess.

Here is a parts list showing the windows:

Some of the importers in Europe changed out the rear window to put in one with defrost. Again I don't know, but I don't think VW of Mexico offered rear defrost, so the importers may have used windows intended for older cars.

Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:31 am

hopkin wrote: Some of the importers in Europe changed out the rear window to put in one with defrost. Again I don't know, but I don't think VW of Mexico offered rear defrost, so the importers may have used windows intended for older cars.

Oh, I have a heated front (very rare in 2001) and heated rear screen - I'd presumed these were both standard on Mexi-Bugs... although now I come to give it some thought, why would it be necessary in Mexico? Must have been added by BeetlesUK.

Mon Aug 24, 2020 9:26 am

A Dog Called Bear wrote: hopkin wrote: Some of the importers in Europe changed out the rear window to put in one with defrost. Again I don't know, but I don't think VW of Mexico offered rear defrost, so the importers may have used windows intended for older cars.

Oh, I have a heated front (very rare in 2001) and heated rear screen - I'd presumed these were both standard on Mexi-Bugs... although now I come to give it some thought, why would it be necessary in Mexico? Must have been added by BeetlesUK.

Yes, it was an option, plus there were many other cool options available for the Beetles UK cars:

The "Open Air" on the Beetles UK cars was not the same as the "Open Air" that is on my car:

Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:08 am

dedtalasch wrote: Upd: my cranks with original style like on your pics are with "hecho en Mexico" mark, if I'm not mistaken.

"Hecho en Mexico" it does not means "Genuine VW".

Mon Aug 24, 2020 1:17 pm

Antonio, I will check marking when I will be in garage.
And one more little update for bug

Our friends from China provide really great logo for modern watercooled Beetle.
3$ with shipping. And how can I see it's real metal, not chromed plastic. It's heavy, cold and has metall sound by hit, but non-magnetic, may be aluminium with 3M tape. one of my cats has already approved this plate for installation. Nice
Unfortunately, they have not variants Kafer, Vocho, bug etc. Only beetle.

Paul, are original logo (you have Vocho logo on your bug) plastic?
Here all variants of logo

Mon Aug 24, 2020 2:10 pm

dedtalasch wrote: ...Paul, are original logo (you have Vocho logo on your bug) plastic?

My logo appears to be metal (aluminum?) and is an original VW part. I ordered 2 of the logos, so I would have a spare. The backside of my spare shows the part number. If you google "5C5853687" you will see a few variations with the letter ("C", in my case for Vocho) indicating the script. From what I can find here are the variations and their respective 'letter':

<no letter> = Beetle
A = Käfer
B or K = Bug
C or L = Vocho
D or M = COCCINELLE
E or N = MAGGIOLINO
F or P = Fusca
G or Q = Volkswagen
T = Escarabajo
AA = "Script" (I'm guessing a custom value??)

The logo on my car was not originally black, I painted it in gloss black and it has held up for 5 years (or so).

Mon Aug 24, 2020 4:56 pm

Paul, thank you for your always thorough and complete response.
I have feedback from the owner of a modern beetle-the nameplate from the Chinese Aliexpress.com stands up very well for 2 years of operation - there is no damage from external factors. Chrome is well.

I am VERY surprised that a modern VAG car uses metal for the logo - all the decorative elements that I have seen on our family cars from the Golf 4 to the Russian vw Polo Sedan were from plastic.

Wed Aug 26, 2020 5:49 am

Antonio Trejo wrote: Genuine VW Sedan 1600i (1993-2004) window crank handle 191 837 575 / 191 837 579 Made in Austria.

As a more general point here, are the window winder splines on Mexican Beetles different to '68-'79 German Beetles... will the earlier winders fit?

Wed Aug 26, 2020 8:12 am

Yes they are the same as I had to get a new pair from Ebay

Wed Aug 26, 2020 5:25 pm

I have a 1999 Mexican that I want to use the chassis with my 1967 vert body. If I remove the jacking posts, it appears the same. It has a swing axel transmission, ball joint front end and disc brakes ( will have to change to 5 lug though. Anyway, will the bolt pattern of the pan be the same as my 1967. It even has an equalizer bar like my 1967.

Wed Aug 26, 2020 7:14 pm

wheel607 wrote: I have a 1999 Mexican that I want to use the chassis with my 1967 vert body. If I remove the jacking posts, it appears the same. It has a swing axel transmission, ball joint front end and disc brakes ( will have to change to 5 lug though. Anyway, will the bolt pattern of the pan be the same as my 1967. It even has an equalizer bar like my 1967.

Gerrelt posted some info about swapping pans a few years back, there may be some useful info here:
I replaced the chassis of our 1996 beetle with a 1972 chassis. I am in Europe, so it was a swing-axle chassis (we only got IRS on automatics, the 1302 and the 1303).

Things that were different:

Floorpans:
- seat mounting, the 1996 pan uses the 3 mounting point seats, the 1972 used rails.
- the left 1996 floorpan has a bracket that holds the CPU under the rear seat, the 1972 doesn't have that
- the 1996 floorpans have little threaded bolts welded in that hold the floor mats, the 1972 doesn't have that.

The floorpans from our mexican chassis were reasonably good, it only had rust holes around the jacking points.
So I removed the the floorpans from the mexican chassis and welded them into the german chassis.

Chassis:
- the front gearbox nosecone mount on the 1996 is the old style, which is the same as on the 1972. I think Volkswagen changed it to the new style around 1973.
- the 1996 chassis has a little bracket on the frame forks for holding the reverse light connector, the 1972 doesn't have that.
- the 1996 chassis has a bracket for the fuelpump on the right side of the framehead.

I transferred both brackets to the 1972 chassis.

- fuel lines, the 1996 has two 8 mm fuel lines running trough the tunnel, the 1972 only has one 6 mm fuel line.
I ran two fuel lines under the heater channels, using the chassis-body bolts as mounting points for brackets.

On the 1972 german pan, de shifter and handbrake (including heater controls) are placed more forward. I believe Volkswagen moved these 4 cm to the rear around 1973.
I think it's a bit of an odd change, 4 cm doesn't do much for reachability.
But this caused some differences:
- shifting rod length, the one in the 1996 chassis was shorter then the one in the german chassis, so I had to use the 1972 one.
- handbrake cable length, you must use the 1972 handbrake cables
- the open/close heater cables (not the rear seat controls, the 1996 is not equiped with those).

Another difference was that the throttle cable is somehow routed differently, and that made the 1996 throttle cable is a few cm's to long.

The rest all fitted without problems, I was surprised how well the 1972 chassis fitted under the 1996 body. There's 24 years between them, but it fits perfectly. Cool

You could also use a 1973 and later chassis, those will have the new style gearbox nosecone mount. But the old gearbox nosecone can be easily changed to the new style nosecone. They are inerchangeable.
Or you could consider using a IRS transmission with arms, the 1600i engine will fit to that without problem. That way you can benefit from the better handling of the IRS rear suspension.
We European guys are pretty jealous about the IRS rear ends you USA people got in the seventees. Laughing

Sat Aug 29, 2020 2:18 pm

Friends, I replaced rear lights by new original Hella Mexico this spring (full light assembly, not just plastic lens). But problem with moisture inside of lights is still actuall. Does somebody have positive experience how to fix this problem?
I have idea of rubber seal replacement and may be making a little hole in lens for air ventilation, maybe additional silicone on rubber application...

Sat Aug 29, 2020 3:25 pm

Hello everyone. I hope everyone’s day has been better than mine. I bought a 2004 Ultima bug today that has very very low km on it. Has not ran for several years. So I drained the fuel tank put new battery in it and tryed to start it up. It cranked over several times, I was doing short key cycles, not just cranking the day lights out of it. and did not start. So we checked it for spark and it was getting spark, so cranked it a couple more times and still nothing. So I got out of the car to see if it was getting fuel, when I walked around the front of the car there was all kind of smoke coming from the dash board area. So I pulled the battery cable off and let the smoke clear to see what the hell happen. Well the wires to the fuel pump relay are all melted and a red wire that starts in the front of the car(maybe from relay) that goes into the car and is spliced into a black wire into the immobilizer melted.
Does anyone know or explain how or why this happened? Why was there no fuse protecting the circuit to keep this from happening, I don’t think this could be the first time this has happened to someone. The car has not been messed within any way. I am soooo sad and upset about this. I just can not believe this happened, it is just my luck.

Does anyone know were I can get new harness for the car? I want the dash and the main harness. The main could be fixed as only one wire burned the insulation off, but I want it to be like new. I contacted Antonio and waiting for him to contact me back to ask if he can get looms, I was wondering g if there are aftermarket ones like how they make for all the older bugs?

Sat Aug 29, 2020 7:12 pm

dedtalasch wrote: Friends, I replaced rear lights by new original Hella Mexico this spring (full light assembly, not just plastic lens). But problem with moisture inside of lights is still actuall. Does somebody have positive experience how to fix this problem?
I have idea of rubber seal replacement and may be making a little hole in lens for air ventilation, maybe additional silicone on rubber application...

I have that problem with my front turn signals, both on the fender and on the bumper and also with my rear fog light. However my tail lights (original Hella, like your new ones) don't seem to leak.

When the hack in the UK mounted the fender turn signals he did not mount them in the correct location, so the lens assembly does not seat properly on the gasket. Because of this, these always leak.

Also the humidity where I live ranges from very low to very high and the temperatures can swing quite a bit in a day, so condensation or leaking will always be a problem for me, I just take the lens off and dry them if they are wet. Usually for a few hours after I wash my car, so the cork gaskets on the front bumper can dry.

As I mentioned, due to condensation, I don't think sealing the light assembly is the best answer, if possible ventilate.

Sat Aug 29, 2020 7:27 pm

mf1274 wrote: Hello everyone. I hope everyone’s day has been better than mine. I bought a 2004 Ultima bug today that has very very low km on it. Has not ran for several years. So I drained the fuel tank put new battery in it and tryed to start it up. It cranked over several times, I was doing short key cycles, not just cranking the day lights out of it. and did not start. So we checked it for spark and it was getting spark, so cranked it a couple more times and still nothing. So I got out of the car to see if it was getting fuel, when I walked around the front of the car there was all kind of smoke coming from the dash board area. So I pulled the battery cable off and let the smoke clear to see what the hell happen. Well the wires to the fuel pump relay are all melted and a red wire that starts in the front of the car(maybe from relay) that goes into the car and is spliced into a black wire into the immobilizer melted.
Does anyone know or explain how or why this happened? Why was there no fuse protecting the circuit to keep this from happening, I don’t think this could be the first time this has happened to someone. The car has not been messed within any way. I am soooo sad and upset about this. I just can not believe this happened, it is just my luck.

Does anyone know were I can get new harness for the car? I want the dash and the main harness. The main could be fixed as only one wire burned the insulation off, but I want it to be like new. I contacted Antonio and waiting for him to contact me back to ask if he can get looms, I was wondering g if there are aftermarket ones like how they make for all the older bugs?

It sounds like someone tried to bypass the immobilizer and messed it up. The good news is that the car did not catch fire. If you haven't done it, please disconnect the battery.

The only person I know of to buy a harness would be Antonio, I'm sure there are other sources in Mexico, but I don't know of any other.

As a last resort and if you are brave, maybe you could adapt a harness of a German '70s Beetle.
There are wiring diagrams on www.1600i.de that you can download.

Sat Aug 29, 2020 10:47 pm

hopkin wrote:
I have that problem with my front turn signals, both on the fender and on the bumper and also with my rear fog light. However my tail lights (original Hella, like your new ones) don't seem to leak.
.
Paul, I heard about the problem of front turn signals from Nicolas Rosenow (Omnicar), see here is his photo on this topic.

My turn signals are only in the box, apparently in vain I admired the old-school seals made of cork wood. there is a solution to replace them with more effective rubber.
I have made all the necessary measurements, and now I will pick them up in specialized stores.