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Contact
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How the
rear seat goes forward |
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1) Open trunk
2) Pull out black knob
3) Leave trunk open and pull rear seatback
forward with strap
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Click here for image |
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If your rear seat does not have the pull strap, follow steps 1 and 2 above. Then, lean inside the
trunk and push the rear seatback hooks (one on each side of seatback) up and
away from you. Replacement straps can be made or bought; see the Parts page
for more info. |
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| Installing seats from another VW |
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Swapping seats depends on the model you're
swapping from. Generally, any A1 and A2 chassis front seats should be a straight
swap (Rabbit, Golf, Jetta, Scirocco, Corrado). The rear seat, however, is not a straight swap; the Cabriolet has a
"special" seat. If you take the rear seat out of a Rabbit hatchback, for
example, you'll need to do some modifying to make it fit (most remove the
seat covers and fit them over the Cabriolet seat); swaps have been
done from most A1-A2 models to the Cabriolet, so it's not an impossible
task. Many people fit "new" front seats from an A1, A2 or Corrado and
re-upholster the Cabriolet's rear seat to match the fronts. Swapping the
front seats from an A3 or
A4 chassis VW
is possible, but because the frames are different, you'll have some
modifying to do.
Front seats that sit a bit lower than the
Cabriolet seats:
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Scirocco II
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Jetta II Recaros
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Corrado
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| How
to remove the headrests |
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There should be a metal spring clip in the
center of the black plastic trim pieces where the headrest slides into the
seatback. That spring clip needs to be pulled out/off of the trim piece in
order to pull the headrest out.
Click
here for picture.
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| Heated seats |
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Only the front seats
are heated. There is a switch (seen at right) for each seat in the
instrument panel that controls the heating elements. Heated seats were
an option on particular Cabriolet trim levels from '91-'93*; the
"Cabriolet Classic" trim level for 1993 came standard with heated
leather seats.
*Cold-weather climate nations, such as
Canada, had heated front seats as an option from about 1985 onward. |
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| Seat
fabric |
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Many people have asked where to obtain the
original seat fabric for restoration projects. Unfortunately, OEM seat
fabric is unavailable. You'll either have to source a close match,
have all four seats re-upholstered, or have matching fabric custom-made (you
might try contacting http://sitzklinik.de/
in Germany).
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Installing
rear shoulder belts |
| The
rear shoulder belts in the '91+ Cabriolets are installed as such: the belt
guides are mounted to the seatback and the belt retractor assemblies are
welded to the car (inside the trunk and behind the rear seat). Therefore,
if you want to install the rear shoulder belts from a '91+ Cabriolet, you
have some work to do. If you feel uncomfortable with only lap belts in the
rear seat, it would be wise to buy a '91+ Cabriolet. Installing rear
shoulder belts, whether OEM or aftermarket harnesses, is, however, a doable
project. Click
here for further information. |
|
Rear windows
will not roll down all the way |
The
rear windows will not roll down all the way due to a) the shape of the glass
and the space inside the rear quarter panels; b) the speakers are in the
way. |
| Tonneau
cover |
A tonneau cover is an
accessory that covers the interior of a convertible when the top/roof is
down. Volkswagen sold an OEM accessory tonneau cover (pictured below)
to European Cabriolet owners, which is now no longer available. North American Cabriolet owners will be
hard-pressed to find an OEM tonneau cover and will most likely have to
source a custom-made version, if one is even available. A custom
Cabriolet-specific tonneau cover is in the works from this site's owner...
stay tuned.
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| Making
the instrument cluster lights brighter |
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Easiest way: Remove the instrument cluster,
carefully open it up and remove the green film covering the lights.
More complicated: Remove the cluster, carefully
open it up and
replace the standard-issue bulbs with LEDs.
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How
to set the clock |
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Using a sharp pencil, ballpoint pen, toothpick or pin, press the black
"buttons" on either side of the clock at the bottom of the instrument
cluster to advance the minutes and hour. |
| Installing a dash from another
Volkswagen |
| Another
model's dash can be installed,
but with major or minor modifications depending on the replacement dash and
its compatibility with the kneebar. |
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Swapping the radio with
the console gauges |
| This
is a common swap;
it's simply a matter of some re-wiring and cutting (and obtaining/making a
new gauge face-plate).
Note 1: Depending on the head unit, the heater core may block the
head unit from being installed properly. Note 2: Airbag-equipped
Cabriolets will have a problem: The airbag control module is located in the
space behind the cassette storage/cubby and will need to be removed if the
radio head unit is to be placed in the center console (this means your
Cabriolet will be without an airbag!); cutting all of the wires will
result in your Cabriolet not starting so please research which wire(s) to
cut as well as working with the airbag system before proceeding (it is
possible to move the module to another location as well). The gauges can
also be installed in place of the center vent in the dash. |
| How
to remove the dash and kneebar |
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1980-1989 kneebar: On the passenger side, if your Cabriolet has it, remove the 5 screws
holding in the Jetronic computer (3 for the ECU, 2 for the ECU's bracket).
Remove the two 13mm bolts and two 13mm nuts on both
sides of the kneebar. Remove the 3 screws (2 on the kneebar) holding in the
center console. Kneebar is now ready to be pulled out. The wiring harness
to the ashtray needs to be disconnected before removing the kneebar completely.
1990+ kneebar: Detailed
instructions can be found here:
(Link is no longer active; new
instructions coming soon.)
Dash removal
instructions (unless you have the proper screwdriver, the kneebar
will need to be moved out of the way in order to access the 3-5 screws on
the dash just above the kneebar). |
| Removing the glove box
and/or the glove box lid |
| The glove box is heat-welded
to the dash. The dash must be removed first before attempting to
remove the glove box. The glove box
lid is separate from the glove box; however, to remove the lid completely
the side vent must be removed in order to gain access to the lid's spring.
Remove the lid screws and the spring to lift out the glove box lid. |
| Removing the
cassette tape holder |
| The cassette tape holder in
the center console simply pulls out. The later cassette holders that
are lighted will have a wiring harness to disconnect prior to removing the
cassette holder completely. |
| Removing the airbag
system |
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The airbag system can be removed, but the
system will need to be deactivated first and permanently. Changing
steering wheels may require the use of a non-airbag shaft and/or column
and/or hub. Other minor modifications may be necessary as well.
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Making the trunk floor
more sturdy |
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Have a piece of
plywood cut, insert it into the trunk and lay the carpet over it. |
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The trunk light
doesn't work |
The trunk light is wired
into the lighting circuit with a separate "switch" installed at the trunk
opening. The light switch on the dash must be turned to the parking light
and/or headlight-on position(s) in order for the trunk light to switch on
when opening the trunk lid. If this doesn't solve your problem, check the
bulb. |
| Keys
your Cabriolet should have |
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Key |
How Many? |
Type & Function |
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2 |
Master Key
Locks/unlocks driver's
door, passenger door, trunk and glove box and is the ignition key |
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1 |
Valet Key
Locks/unlocks driver's
door and is ignition key |
|
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2 |
Gas Cap Key
Locks/unlocks gas cap
(3-digit key code is
stamped into key) |
|
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1 |
Key Code Tab
Key code for master and
valets keys |
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| Key
codes |
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Key Code |
Key |
Part # |
Years |
HV key is also considered a universal key
that will fit 1988-1993 cars. |
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HV |
Master key |
161837219 |
1979-1987 |
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VB |
Valet key |
111837219A |
1979-1984 |
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NV |
Valet key |
111837219A |
1985-1987 |
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AH |
Master key |
357837219A |
1988-1993 |
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AN |
Valet key |
357837185 |
1988-1993 |
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Key blanks are available at
www.vwkey.com and/or eBay and/or
at your local VW dealer. Some dealers will cut the keys for
you, or a local locksmith will too. |
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| Cleaning
products |
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Vinyl Interior |
Leather Interior |
Cloth Interior |
Carpet |
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Simple Green®
+ water + damp cloth + plastic scrub brush. For best results, do not
dilute the product before applying; instead, spray the product on, scrub
a small area then spray the area with a bit of water and scrub again,
then wipe off.
A concoction of 5
parts water, 5 parts Simple Green®
and 1 part bleach is said to clean and restore dingy white vinyl to
white.
Mr. Clean Magic
Eraser® + a damp cloth.
Regularly apply a
vinyl conditioner like
303. |
Leather cleaner (follow bottle's
directions);
many different manufacturers are available, visit your local auto parts
store for a selection of products.
Vacuum all seams
regularly.
Regularly apply a
leather conditioner. |
Best method is to use a carpet cleaning
machine's upholstery attachment (vacuum the upholstery first). If you
don't have a carpet cleaner, you can rent one.
Spray-on, wipe-off cleaners are also
available at your local auto parts store. |
Vacuum regularly; use a carpet cleaning
machine to wash the carpet. |
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NOTE: Just because it looks like leather
doesn't mean it is! Those cars with leather interiors have leather
only on the seating surfaces of the seats as well as the headrests; all
other parts are vinyl (one exception to this: some European leather
interiors were indeed all-leather). However,
leather products can usually be used on vinyl. |
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