Date:         Tue, 14 Feb 2006 14:20:18 +1100
Reply-To:     Stephen Overmyer <S.OVERMYER@UWS.EDU.AU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Overmyer <S.OVERMYER@UWS.EDU.AU>
Subject:      Re: 3rd (center) Brake light for late model Vanagon
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

 

Date:    Mon, 13 Feb 2006 20:19:33 -0500
From:    vw4x4 <vw4x4@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: 3rd (center) Brake light for late model Vanagon

My van has been hit 4 times in the rear.   I would like to
find a pair of lights that can be mounted in the top sides of the rear
window.
These would need to work with the brake lights and trun signals.
Now this would get some attention.

                                                         Any Ideas?
                                                             joe.

Joe,

No suggestions for lights although there was talk on the list at one
stage regarding a rear light that replaced the original VW symbol and
lit up with the VW insignia when the brake lights were applied. Wished
I'd followed up on those at the time... they sounded very
interesting....

Anyway, what I really wanted to add was that as an alternative to adding
more lights, you could also take the offensive approach and make or
purchase a rear end protection bar to cover your arse...as it were ;-)
If someone's gonna rear end you, you may as well inflict maximum damage
back on them...!
I don't have a website but if you or anyone else is interested in seeing
mine (protection bar, not arse) I will send you a pic....just lemme
know.
You probably wont be able to source an exact replica as mine was
manufactured and supplied in Australia but it may give you some ideas
for fabricating something of a similar nature. Mine also has the tongue
for a tow ball included on the bar which is useful sometimes as well as
additional protection for the rear tail light assemblies.

The one I currently have is the second one. The first was identical but
was replaced after a coach load of tourists ran into the back of the van
while my wife was driving it some years ago. Idiot in front slams on
brakes for no obvious reason, my wife brakes hard but stops in
time...coach driver travelling too close behind does not.
If it wasn't for this protection bar, we would not still have this van
today as the resultant damage would have been extensive to the rear end
and I doubt, even if the van HAD been repaired, it would have been
unlikely for the rear hatch to have ever sealed properly from the
weather again. I would have sold it real quick....

But thanks to the rear bar's strength, it absorbed most of the impact
and bent onto the rear bumper bar which was also damaged (and
subsequently replaced by insurance along with the protector bar). But
absolutely no damage was sustained by the bodywork...even though the
bumperbar ended up about a cigarette paper's thickness off the
paintwork.
So that bar was a very worthwhile investment and we still have a
pristine van today as a result:-)
The impact of the collision was enough for my wife to suffer some
whiplash and several days off work so as you can appreciate, it
withstood quite an impact...

For me it was a far better pro-active solution to the problem of rear
end collisions. A third brake light is no doubt a good thing but I
wonder how effective they really are. If someone is gonna miss the two
brake lights already on, are they really gonna notice the third one? I
have my doubts...

Cheers,
Steve O
NSW Australia
'92 Transporter WBX Kombi
'00 Transporter Double Cab
'03 Transporter Double Cab (work truck)
'78 Land Rover 109 Series 3 soft top ute (ex-Aust.Army)