Our Top 5 exterior, refresh, renew and overhaul parts

Exploded VW Beetle

If you’re interested in freshening up or renewing some of the tired, faded, rusty or just aged exterior parts of your classic VW, then check this out as this time we focus on our top 5 best selling exterior parts, from a small bonnet badge to a complete bus deluxe body moulding kit.

Body Moulding + Deluxe Trim

Trim

Over time aluminium body moulding and deluxe body trim can become tarnished, pitted, lose their lustre and even fall off accidently if the clips and bungs become old and brittle and quite commonly, sections go missing in restorations. Being so fragile it’s quite easy to damage them too if you’re not careful when removing, cleaning or even doing routine maintenance on your classic VW.

“Deluxe Trim”, we refer to as the wider body trim fitted to Splitscreen and Baywindow deluxe only models (the top image is of a 23 window deluxe Splitscreen for example) and “Body Moulding”, as the standard chrome or aluminium strips fitted to all year Beetles, Ghias, Type 3s etc like below.

Running board and sill moulding are available separately for Beetles and Type 3s

Difficulty:

Take your time replacing body moulding and deluxe trim and don’t force it when fitting as the sections are very fragile when unfitted and being aluminium, if you bend or kink them accidently, you won’t get them straight again unless you’re an extremely skilled metal smith.

Rarely are body moulding clips and bungs supplied with moulding kits, so double check before ordering so as not to hold you up on the job.

Click on your model below to see the body moulding and deluxe trim options available:


Mirrors

Facing head on into the elements, poking out both sides (mostly) taking a beating from hedges, rubbish drivers, pinch points and narrow garages, it’s not surprising mirrors are often pitted, scratched, chipped or cracked, dented and look sad, tired and droopy where they’ve lost their spring tension. New mirrors can really stand out and transform the overall exterior look of a vehicle.

Available as standard OEM style replacements, optional extras or aftermarket period accessory options, there’s a replacement mirror for all styles and budgets, check ‘em out.

Difficulty:

Be careful not to over tighten mirror nuts when fitting so you don’t accidently strip the threads.

If you’re replacing a hinge pin mirror and your door is dropping slightly, it’s the perfect opportunity to replace the hinge pin while you’re there with one of our oversize hinge pins and correct that annoying drop and door misalignment. We even rent out the specialist tool for just £39.50 to do it, couldn’t be simpler.

Click on your model below to see the mirror options available:


Body Badges

VW Body badges are a thing of beauty and come in all shapes and sizes from bonnet or front panel, to quarter panel or side, to tailgate or decklid, depending on the year and model of your Classic VW. If you’re lucky enough to garage your bus, then nothing brings a bigger smile than when opening up the garage door and seeing that big VW logo staring back at you.

Difficulty:

Mostly plastic and clear coated, over time they fade in colour, craze and split or crack, so a new badge really stands out and makes a big impression as they are usually a very dominant feature.

Unlike modern car badges that are glued on, most classic VW Badges are quite simple to replace, some as easy as just flexing a pair of tabs, most models and are held in with clips and a few have seals with base gaskets and plinths.

Click on your model below to see the body badges options available:


Bumpers

Raw metal, primered, chrome, triple plated chrome and stainless steel, ribbed, plain, early look, European or US Spec, with or without overiders and impact strips are just some of the many options available for bumpers depending on your style, looks or budget for your classic VW model.

All bumpers over time get dinged eventually, but that’s exactly what they are there for to protect your bodywork. So whether you purchased your VW with a crusty bumper and it’s been on the list to replace for ages, or a recent frustrating small car park bump and dent on your daily driver, to (hopefully never) a full on rear end shunt that completely mullers and twists your bumper beyond repair, we can supply a replacement(s).

 Don’t forget to check out our money saving bundle kits if you’re doing a restoration, including bumpers, seals, brackets and fittings etc. Also available separately are endcaps, overiders, towel rails and impact strips or if you needed those separately to refurb and overhaul a decent knick bumper.

Difficulty:

If your budget doesn’t stretch to a top quality triple plate chrome or stainless bumper, make sure to heavily wax and polish a reproduction chrome bumper before fitting and keep it polished to get the longest life out of it.

Click on your model below to see the bumpers options available:


Tailpipes and Exhaust Tips

Perhaps only a tiny part on your VW, but a really noticeable one if they’re rusty, damaged, bent or on the wonk and they detract from the rest of your pride and joys condition. They only take minutes to replace and are relatively inexpensive.

Tailipipes come in quite a few options, stock mild steel, chrome, triple plate chrome and stainless, tapered, slashcut, flared and highflow and most are available as either a bulk buy or money saving bundle kits that are supplied with all the clamps and fittings.

Bus tailipipes are also available in both mild steel and if you fancy a bit of bling, stainless steel.

Difficulty:

Give your exhaust fittings, nuts and bolts a good spray with Plusgas or other good quality disassembling fluid the night before you tackle the task, it will make life a bazillion times easier.

Click on your model below to see the tailpipes options available:


Please note that whilst every attempt is made to ensure that these instructions are as clear and correct as possible, we cannot be held responsible for misinterpretation of these instructions or for any subsequent accident or damage caused through misfitted parts.

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