On the very first Volkswagen Beetle and VW Split Bus, the doors were fitted with centring rubbers that ensure that the door is correctly guided towards the lock and also hold the door firmly in place while driving. Later, Volkswagen improved the whole thing so that it was no longer necessary with the VW Beetle sedan and the VW Bus, with the VW Beetle convertible it remained until the end of production. At Karmann Ghia, this system was only introduced in the 1960 model year and remained in use until the end of production.
The centring rubbers fall into a recess in the B-pillar, on the latest VW Beetle convertible and Karmann Ghia models the rubber does not fall directly into the bodywork but into a chromed housing so that the paintwork is not damaged when the door is closed. In the old VW Beetle models, two rubbers per door are used, while later on, in the VW Beetle convertible, the latter was replaced by one rubber per door. The Karmann Ghia and the VW Bus have always had only one stopper per door.
In most Volkswagens, these rubbers have perished or disappeared completely.
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