VW Beetle Repair: Loose Headlight Switch
Back to Craig's main Beetle page
From the time I bought the car, the
headlight switch, in the middle of the dashboard worked, but it
flopped around loose. I knew that was a bad situation; it was only a
matter of time before something shorted out inside the dash. (Keep in
mind--the people who designed the beetle's electrial system didn't
believe in as many fuses as might be).
Fortunately for me, this was an easy fix. It was just a matter of
getting the right tool. The switch body is behind the dash board, and
is held in place by a special round (not hexagonal) nut that threads
around the shaft the carries the switch. However, since the knob
shaft runs straight through it, you can't get a screwedriver to turn
the nut.
Here's the specialized tool that I bought to tighten the mounting
nut. It's like a screwdriver but with a slot cut in the middle that
bridges around the knob shaft.