Hey, things; have not quite gotten to the point or the same demand, to "restore" these cars as in the air cooled VW scene.... YET. Whether, that will ever happen or not; is up for debate. As you are a typical example; these cars are getting affordable enough now, many people are fixing them up to make them a reliable, daily driver. So, I am seeing a "second wind" of sorts; in interest in fixing these cars up and I think this trend may continue.
Many parts; are getting to the point, the aftermarket is making most of the "maintenance/failure" parts and thus, we don't have to rely solely on the VW dealer for parts. That being said; some stuff, you don't have a choice and probably will only be available direct from VW.
There are many vendors; online that sell good quality OEM mechanical parts for Volkswagens and they should be able to get most things you need. What type of parts are you looking for? Many of us; are having to resort to the junk yards and online sources like ebay, for things that are very expensive or not available anymore from Volkswagen (e.g. interior parts, etc.). Be sure to the classifieds here and on vwvortex, people seem to be parting out New Beetles, allot these days.
Here are some sites; that I have found useful:
direct from VW; good for looking up part numbers and seeing a typical price for VW dealer parts:
Volkswagen National eStore
VW Parts | Volkswagen Parts (vw dealer better prices)
aftermarket european/german/vw parts shops:
Auto Parts at AutohausAZ - OEM Auto Parts - Discount Replacement Parts, Resources and Car Care Tips
https://www.fcpeuro.com/
OEM / Performance / Maintenance / Repair / Replacement Parts and kits for Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Mini, Porsche and Volkswagen - ECS Tuning
GermanAutoParts.com
Deutsche Auto Parts - Specializing in Volkswagen and Audi Parts and Accessories
BMA Auto Parts | Bumper to Bumper since 1978 | Oem auto parts, vw parts, sachs boge, mercedes benz parts, honda auto parts, saab parts
http://www.rockauto.com (surprising amount of affordable parts available; just be careful to not buy the cheap poor quality aftermarket stuff)
Unique; specialty VW parts places; make parts that address common failure parts or weaknesses in Volkswagens in general:
VW Diesel Parts | VW Skid Plates | TDI Parts | Dieselgeek (engine skid plates, door pull repair kits, shifter repair kits, upgraded performance shifters)
VW Parts and Malone Tuning by AARodriguez (affordable parts: common fail parts, glove box repair kits, center console repair kits, key cutting, etc.)
http://blauparts.com/ (great place for timing belt/waterpump kits, suspension rebuild kits, VW spec fluids, engine/trans maintenance kits, etc.)
Aftermarket brands to AVOID:
URO: asian offshore cheap parts
Hamburg Technic (despite the German sounding name) asian offshore cheap parts
beware of "house brands" from many typical auto parts store: Autozone, Orielly's, PepBoys etc.: you have to inspect the parts to know for sure, one time I got a genuine VW part in a Autozone "Duralast" parts box! So, you never know!
There are TONS of tuning companies; that make stuff that will work on our cars (as they share many of the same parts; being part of the Mark IV platform: Jetta, Golf, etc.)... let us know, what you are looking for and we will do our best to point you in the right direction!
Many parts; are getting to the point, the aftermarket is making most of the "maintenance/failure" parts and thus, we don't have to rely solely on the VW dealer for parts. That being said; some stuff, you don't have a choice and probably will only be available direct from VW.
There are many vendors; online that sell good quality OEM mechanical parts for Volkswagens and they should be able to get most things you need. What type of parts are you looking for? Many of us; are having to resort to the junk yards and online sources like ebay, for things that are very expensive or not available anymore from Volkswagen (e.g. interior parts, etc.). Be sure to the classifieds here and on vwvortex, people seem to be parting out New Beetles, allot these days.
Here are some sites; that I have found useful:
direct from VW; good for looking up part numbers and seeing a typical price for VW dealer parts:
Volkswagen National eStore
VW Parts | Volkswagen Parts (vw dealer better prices)
aftermarket european/german/vw parts shops:
Auto Parts at AutohausAZ - OEM Auto Parts - Discount Replacement Parts, Resources and Car Care Tips
https://www.fcpeuro.com/
OEM / Performance / Maintenance / Repair / Replacement Parts and kits for Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Mini, Porsche and Volkswagen - ECS Tuning
GermanAutoParts.com
Deutsche Auto Parts - Specializing in Volkswagen and Audi Parts and Accessories
BMA Auto Parts | Bumper to Bumper since 1978 | Oem auto parts, vw parts, sachs boge, mercedes benz parts, honda auto parts, saab parts
http://www.rockauto.com (surprising amount of affordable parts available; just be careful to not buy the cheap poor quality aftermarket stuff)
Unique; specialty VW parts places; make parts that address common failure parts or weaknesses in Volkswagens in general:
VW Diesel Parts | VW Skid Plates | TDI Parts | Dieselgeek (engine skid plates, door pull repair kits, shifter repair kits, upgraded performance shifters)
VW Parts and Malone Tuning by AARodriguez (affordable parts: common fail parts, glove box repair kits, center console repair kits, key cutting, etc.)
http://blauparts.com/ (great place for timing belt/waterpump kits, suspension rebuild kits, VW spec fluids, engine/trans maintenance kits, etc.)
Aftermarket brands to AVOID:
URO: asian offshore cheap parts
Hamburg Technic (despite the German sounding name) asian offshore cheap parts
beware of "house brands" from many typical auto parts store: Autozone, Orielly's, PepBoys etc.: you have to inspect the parts to know for sure, one time I got a genuine VW part in a Autozone "Duralast" parts box! So, you never know!
There are TONS of tuning companies; that make stuff that will work on our cars (as they share many of the same parts; being part of the Mark IV platform: Jetta, Golf, etc.)... let us know, what you are looking for and we will do our best to point you in the right direction!
