Dubs Do's & Don'ts

The Importance of Protecting your VW

Never underestimate the importance of proper Waxoyl® treatment.
These example photographs are where a customer, in trying to save some money, carried out the Waxoyl® treatment themselves. Unfortunately, they failed to treat the sills, box sections, steps and wheel arches and only carried out only a cursory aerosol spray of the doors, without cleaning out 30-odd years of dust and debris.

Bare metalling removes damaged paint and rust which has tracked underneath the original paint.

Here we see where the cab door is rusting
from the inside, not to be confused with a
stone chip which would have broken the
paint and show a rusty spot in the middle

Bubbling paint is a clear indication of rust
coming from within and will eventually break
through the paint

This is very typical of the dust and debris that collects unseen inside enclosed body sections of vehicles from dry and dusty climates like this Australian import.
This will soak up and hold moisture like
a sponge in our UK climate.

Even the easily accessable areas such as
this front jacking point were not treated
sufficiently

When you open up the section this is what
you'll find inside

A weekend's work and around £200 spent could save a lot of expense and hassle, especially if the vehicle is kept outside in coastal areas.

If there is one thing for certain (besides death and taxes), it is that as your VW matures,
it will rust from the inside out if not properly protected. It is impossible to protect against rust from the inside without drilling; all debris and dust must be removed; all enclosed sections should be drilled and wax injected.

Waxoyl® is not the only brand. Other wax treatments are available

When carried out by a professional, you can expect long lasting protection, but without it, you might as well wave goodbye to your shiny paint job.

Ask about our Waxoyl® treatments.

We have put together a few simple tips to help you keep you air-cooled vw running smoothly.

Do stick to the recommended 3000 miles between oil changes. Oil is cheap; engine prices doubled between 2007 and 2011.

Do check tyre pressures regularly. A couple of pounds low tyre pressure will cost many pounds out of your pocket in petrol costs.

Do ensure that all the tinwear and seals are present and in good condition. Holes and missing seals make the engine feel it's wearing a coat, hat and gloves on a sunny day!

Do carry out a full service when you buy a new vehicle - you never know what the previous owner did or didn't do

Do wax your pride and joy regularly. Wax keeps water and dirt from hurting the paint surface and makes cleaning quicker. If rain doesn't bead up it needs waxing.

Do check the automatic choke opens and closes correctly. Many cold-running problems can be attributed to failure or incorrect settings.

Do use glass coatings such as 'Rain -X' to help keep the glass and mirrors clean and make frost scraping a lot easier.

Don't ignore the warning lights. Stop immediately and investigate the cause.

Don't forget that air cooled engines have a thermostat (under the right-hand cylinders). Ensure this is fitted and working for quicker warming-up and long life.

Don't over-rev the engine - it won't make any more power! Our old flat four air-cooled engines prefer to lope along at lower rpm.

Don't ignore gearbox servicing - it's full of oil too. When was it last changed? An oil change provides a good opportunity to add a low-friction additive such as Slick 50.

Don't let the oil level get low as the engine runs hotter which will shorten its life.