Date:         Fri, 21 Oct 2022 19:21:26 -0700
Reply-To:     Rick Cooper <rick@WEBLEAF.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rick Cooper <rick@WEBLEAF.CA>
Subject:      New dash foil replacement

A couple of months ago Alistair Bell mentioned that his friend Greg had developed a new dash foil replacement.  Alistair's note was mostly about Greg's dimmable, drop-in replacement for the vanagon kitchen light but I was more interested in the foil.  Two of my instrument lights have not worked for ages because I had damaged the foil in that area by trying to force the wrong LED bulbs into place.  A local supplier had sold them to me as suitable for an 1987 vanagon but they clearly were not.

It turns out that Greg lives not far from me and when I contacted him, he asked if I was willing to beta test the new foil.  Indeed I was.  So a few weeks ago, Greg installed one of his foils in my van and I can tell you that it is a thing of beauty.  It's made from a very strong, probably indestructable, material called Kapton.  It is very close to the stock foil in size and shape and is truly 'plug and play'.  Installation was dead easy and took less time than removing the old foil.

The new foil comes with LEDs for the center lights (turn signal, high beam, oil, alternator and O2 sensor) already soldered in place.  Apparently vanagons for the Canadian market did not have the O2 sensor light, so Greg simply snipped it off and that was that.  But other owners of Canadian vans could probably re-purpose it as a fog light indicator for example.  The main difference from the original foil that I could see is the main connector which Greg designed and produces on a 3D printer.  The connection feels more solid and secure than the stock approach.

The only quibble I could find with the foil is that the blue hi-beam indicator LED is on the bright side.  Not a problem night driving in the city but out on a dark country road it could be annoying.  Greg says he will try to dial it down on the next build.   The red LEDs for the alternator and oil pressure are equally bright but they are only on momentarily.  The green LED for the signal lights is perfect.

Greg says there is still some testing to be done but he hopes to get these into production later this fall.  The initial run of 25 will be for 1986-and-later vanagons, with other versions coming next year depending on demand.

Rick