Wally
Veteran Member
So I have a 98 beetle that I was selling last fall. Actually sold it at full asking price pending a couple of odds and ends. One of these odds and ends was the newly replaced hood. The original had a dent and some road rash, so I got a replacement, had it painted and installed by a local body shop and it looks great!
Problem is VW obviously changed the latch design because this hood catches, but does not close. It is safe to drive, but is constantly in the "popped" position. After bringing it back they said they tried a new latch to no avail. After getting it back, months later (hence the loss of sale) a brief inspection revealed that nothing at all had been done.
The donor shop could not locate the car and get me its latch, every VW parts source says that all latch part numbers cross ref to each other and there is only one. This is obviously not true unless the newest part number super-cedes all previous revisions. But no one I've spoken with has this information. If there was such a revision, shouldn't the dealer know about it? Wouldn't there be a note? Worst yet, because the part is special order no one is willing to take the part back if it's the same as the one I have.
Any help is appreciated!
This is a picture of the catch inside the hood:
The slot to receive the latch is significantly smaller than the original hood. Note the couple of marks to the left of the catch-bar. This is the interference zone from the latch.
Here are a couple of shots of latch:
and
So, if someone has a hood that looks like the first picture, could you send me a picture of your latch along with the year and the number part of your VIN?
Of course, if someone knows the answer off the top of their head, that'd be great too.
Thanks in advance,
Wally II
PS-yes, the heavy duty "wire" is my beetle's hood "tongue". After it broke many years ago I decided I didn't want to risk another plastic one. No, it doesn't (and didn't) keep the hood from closing
Problem is VW obviously changed the latch design because this hood catches, but does not close. It is safe to drive, but is constantly in the "popped" position. After bringing it back they said they tried a new latch to no avail. After getting it back, months later (hence the loss of sale) a brief inspection revealed that nothing at all had been done.
The donor shop could not locate the car and get me its latch, every VW parts source says that all latch part numbers cross ref to each other and there is only one. This is obviously not true unless the newest part number super-cedes all previous revisions. But no one I've spoken with has this information. If there was such a revision, shouldn't the dealer know about it? Wouldn't there be a note? Worst yet, because the part is special order no one is willing to take the part back if it's the same as the one I have.
Any help is appreciated!
This is a picture of the catch inside the hood:
The slot to receive the latch is significantly smaller than the original hood. Note the couple of marks to the left of the catch-bar. This is the interference zone from the latch.
Here are a couple of shots of latch:
and
So, if someone has a hood that looks like the first picture, could you send me a picture of your latch along with the year and the number part of your VIN?
Of course, if someone knows the answer off the top of their head, that'd be great too.
Thanks in advance,
Wally II
PS-yes, the heavy duty "wire" is my beetle's hood "tongue". After it broke many years ago I decided I didn't want to risk another plastic one. No, it doesn't (and didn't) keep the hood from closing
Last edited: