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Date:         Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:18:24 -0400
Reply-To:     Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Horsehair in Vanagons
Comments: To: John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <CAH+nQ0G=B2XCZBb=Ck5xq3D78xxHMqUJvDUzxkeDNhYmUQTcCQ@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=original

Yes, VW continued to use 'horse-hair' mixed into the padding on later-model VW's for that trademark German seat feeling. For the record, it's "coir", which is coconut fiber, and has been used in many VW parts since the 50's. It's cheap, last for many years and makes an excellent dense padding for seats. I recently bought some repro molded coir seat pads for my '59 Beetle seat restoration from Wolfsburg West. It is what creates that distinctive VW interior smell, and leaves its crumbles on the floor below the seats as it wears. Love it! It takes me back to the old days.....

Mike B.

-----Original Message----- From: John Bange Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 8:46 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Horsehair in Vanagons

Everyone knows that distinctive smell of "old Volkswagen". I remember asking about it as a kid, riding in my father's 76 Beetle, and him explaining that it's the horsehair padding in the seats. Later he showed me it, visible on the back of the rear seat backrest. When I first bought my '90 Vanagon, it had the same smell, which I found surprising given the foam padding in the seats. Where does the smell come from? Today I had to remove the rear heater and cap off the hoses (the usual leaking rear core). The carpet and underpadding were soaked with coolant, so I tossed the carpet (it was trashed anyway) and pulled up the mulched and formed foam pad to hose it off. Upon closer inspection in the sunlight, I saw this:

<http://i.imgur.com/cchmh.jpg>

Is that what it looks like? Is that our old friend Horsehair mixed in with the crumbled recycled foam? Is THAT where the classic VW Smell is coming from?


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