Date:         Wed, 4 Jun 2003 20:27:00 -0700
Reply-To:     Joel Cort <joel_cort@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Cort <joel_cort@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: High beam indicator  ...  is a Blue light bulb
Comments: To: Blake Thornton <blake@MATH.WUSTL.EDU>
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.GSO.4.10.10306042028000.28523-100000@math.wustl.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

All,
The High Beam indicator is an actual light bulb NOT an LED.  They cost around $9 at the VW dealer.  These are light bulbs because LEDs were not made in blue (yet) in the 80's. So they put a little blue rubber over the light bulb to make it light up blue.

I don't believe that an LED in this socket will work. It may blow up.  There is a cetain voltage requirement which if you will notice on the printed circuit there are resistors soldered on for each LED terminal - non for the high-beam socket, so it may fry something.

After finding out that outrageous price I headed for a junk yard and pilferred a Rabbit dash to get the same light bulb.  I unethically pocketted a few of the other indicators while I was in there and ended up buy the dome light for a total trip cost of $4.

Good luck.
joel

Blake Thornton <blake@MATH.WUSTL.EDU> wrote:
I ordered one from VW. It sure looks like a LED (I've got it out). But,
whatever it is, someone gave me the part number and I ordered one from VW.
hopefully I can get it all put back together.

In the meantime, I'm hoping to pass my saftey test tomorrow by swapping
the high beam indicator with another one of the lights. Do you know if
they are all the same (anyone?)?

Thanks,
Blake



On Wed, 4 Jun 2003, Jeff Stewart wrote:

> I also failed saftey because my high beam indicator is out. I need an led
> (it is an led with a blue cover, I took it out). VW told me that they
> didn't have this part. Any ideas?
>
> Well, still having the memory of this PITA fresh in my mind, let me tell you what I learned. First, that one is not an LED, but a tiny little bulb with a blue cover (which I thought I was missing but later found it down under the dash). I DID order mine from a VW dealer (Alexandria VW in Alexandria, VA) so it is still available, though it cost $8.62, but that included the blue cover. Changing it can be a real PITA, especially getting it back together with all the bulbs in their proper slots. If one of the LEDs falls out, be forewarned they are polarity sensitive. Bentley and Haynes both show the procedure, although the pictures in Haynes are a little clearer. Jeff
>

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