Dieselgeek
TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor , w/Business number
Hey Y'all,
I've been around the block with VW's and in the last couple of years I've noticed that there are a bunch of New Beetles with broken or cracked door handles and door panels. Well, I looked into this recently and found that when the door handle cracks there hasn't been much you could do other than buy a new lower door panel for over $500! The handle is molded into the door panel. This $500 price also does not include the painted top part of the door panel so you have to detach your stock top panel and reattach it to your new door panel which is dang near impossible to do well. Also, salvage yards and ebay sellers want up to $300 or more for a set of "good" used panels but they are subject to the same cracking that your handle suffered. Here are pics of typical cracks:
So, what I have designed is a repair kit called the Beetlebrace. The Beetlebrace can be used as a repair or a preemptive fix for the weak New Beetle inside door handles. It bolts underneath the dimpled trim cover present on all New Beetle door handles:
It is a thin stainless steel exoskeleton that is under tension to keep the plastic door handle from flexing every time you pull the door closed. The aluminum standoffs put the tensile load right into the sheetmetal under the door handle which keeps the door panels and handles from cracking in the first place. If your handles are already cracked, the Beetlebraces make it super easy to repair the crack with the correct ABS compatible epoxy. (We sell that, too.):
The super sweet part to mention is that after the Beetlebrace has been installed and the dimpled cover has been modified, the stock dimpled trim cover snaps right back on the handle so you don't even see the Beetlebrace. It will be silently protecting your door handle or panel from cracking in the future (or further cracking):
The Beetlebrace joins the Love Handle and economical Like Handle full replacement door handles from Dieselgeek.com. The install is detailed by short YouTube videos on the product page. The Beetlebrace is less than $25 per door when bought in pairs. Every New Beetle on the planet needs Beetlebraces!
I've been around the block with VW's and in the last couple of years I've noticed that there are a bunch of New Beetles with broken or cracked door handles and door panels. Well, I looked into this recently and found that when the door handle cracks there hasn't been much you could do other than buy a new lower door panel for over $500! The handle is molded into the door panel. This $500 price also does not include the painted top part of the door panel so you have to detach your stock top panel and reattach it to your new door panel which is dang near impossible to do well. Also, salvage yards and ebay sellers want up to $300 or more for a set of "good" used panels but they are subject to the same cracking that your handle suffered. Here are pics of typical cracks:
So, what I have designed is a repair kit called the Beetlebrace. The Beetlebrace can be used as a repair or a preemptive fix for the weak New Beetle inside door handles. It bolts underneath the dimpled trim cover present on all New Beetle door handles:
It is a thin stainless steel exoskeleton that is under tension to keep the plastic door handle from flexing every time you pull the door closed. The aluminum standoffs put the tensile load right into the sheetmetal under the door handle which keeps the door panels and handles from cracking in the first place. If your handles are already cracked, the Beetlebraces make it super easy to repair the crack with the correct ABS compatible epoxy. (We sell that, too.):
The super sweet part to mention is that after the Beetlebrace has been installed and the dimpled cover has been modified, the stock dimpled trim cover snaps right back on the handle so you don't even see the Beetlebrace. It will be silently protecting your door handle or panel from cracking in the future (or further cracking):
The Beetlebrace joins the Love Handle and economical Like Handle full replacement door handles from Dieselgeek.com. The install is detailed by short YouTube videos on the product page. The Beetlebrace is less than $25 per door when bought in pairs. Every New Beetle on the planet needs Beetlebraces!
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