Product description

What many do not know is that for the 1302 and 1303 Beetle originally no separate shock absorbers were supplied, but only semi-complete struts (of which the shock absorber was a part, the strut outside was also outside of the shock absorber). The after-market has cleverly capitalized on this by developing a shock absorber that can be mounted in the housing of the existing strut. Thus, the strut no longer serves as a shock absorber, but only as a spring strut. This makes the after-market shock absorbers a lot lower priced than the original and, by saving time, also a lot cheaper to mount if you leave the job to a professional. There will be few Beetles driving around with factory shock absorbers, which have been replaced over the years by loose "inserts" from the after-market.

When replacing the shock absorber, you have to make sure that the upper side of the shock absorber fits the inner side of the strut. Most shock absorbers come with a retaining ring that fills the space between the inner side of the strut and the outer side of the shock absorber at the top. Do not forget to mount this ring, if you don't do this the shock absorber will move loose in the coil with every spring movement, which will not only cause a clunking sound but also a lousy road holding and a very fast wear.

If you have lost the retaining ring or are not factory supplied as is the case with the #1315 (gas-filled shock absorber through July 1973) then they are available separately.

Note: suitable for most after-market shock absorbers, but check the dimensions of the ring.