Skip to main content

Choice Gear: All Safety- No Dance

What will come as absolutely no surprise to anyone, our mk2 restoration has resulted in a car that’s beautiful, period-correct, nearly-original in terms of mechanical reliability, and yet still not in the top 1,000 list of ideal road trip vehicles. With our annual 2,000-mile fall road trip to H2o looming, we turned to the Volkswagen Accessories catalog for what vintage car owners will agree are must-have options.

vw-pump

Because we upgraded our stopping power with larger rotors & calipers, the factory original wheels—and, therefore, the factory spare tire—will no longer clear the brakes. And since an extra custom-built BBS RS isn’t in the budget, we decided that the VW Accessory Air Compressor (combined with an off-the-shelf tire plug kit) is by far the best option to have in case the GTI gets a flat on the road. About 6” x 5” x 2” in size, it sits just fine at the bottom of our the now-superfluous spare tire well.

 

vw-roadside-kit

Next to the Air Compressor (it turns out that removing a 13” OE spare wheel leaves a convenient, and pretty decent-sized storage bin) we fitted the VW Accessory Roadside Assistance Kit. With contents that include a warning triangle, jumper cables, LED flashlight, a multi-tool, and—most importantly—a bag of cable ties, it should cover just about anything that the highways can throw at us. No bar of soap to wash our mouths out with, after we will invariably bust open some knuckles while under the hood, but it does include a few bandages.

2015_Accessories_Touareg_Accessories_ComfortandProtection_FirstAidKit_o

If those few bandages turn out to be insufficient, the last bit of “just in case” gear we were able to fit is the First Aid Kit. Besides the typical packet of bandages and sterile wipes, it also includes larger gauze wraps and tapes—and even a sling—for when we really injure ourselves on the road. And, just like the Roadside Assistance Kit, the carrying case is backed in Velcro. So if your spare tire well is taken up with a Fender Subwoofer (or, you know—an actual spare tire), the kits can fit right into the corners of the trunk, and stay securely attached to the carpeting.

All of these accessories can be found at www.parts.vw.com or through your local dealer parts counter.

The post Choice Gear: All Safety- No Dance appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/1JADjtV
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Watch: The Stig Drives (nearly) Seven Generations of Golf GTI

With Volkswagen announcing “major” updates to the Golf, it seems an appropriate time to look back on what we’ve had so far. And who better to guide us through the rich history of the most popular European car ever made than Ben Collins, the former Stig? Some say he’s never met a GTI he doesn’t love, and that he can’t grow any of his own facial hair. All we know is … Ben Collins is actually a pretty solid presenter. Working his way through seven generations of the GTI (skipping over the Mk6) Collins tells us a little bit about each one and matches each mark to its corresponding facial hair craze. The Mk1 GTI for instance, is light and quick, but can lose traction under hard acceleration (in heavy rain). Despite that, Collins calls the Mk1 a “pure gem.” The Mk4, meanwhile, is a powerful return to form after the perhaps too sensible Mk3. Collins ends in the only way he could, with the Mk7, which accelerates faster than a Lamborghini Countach and is all kinds of wonderful. Watch, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Watch: The Story of the Ads that Made VW Big in America

The ads for the original Beetle are almost as famous and well-loved as the Beetle itself. Looking back now it’s easy to forget, though, just how easily things could have wrong. A new short from Dial M Films tracks the history of those early Volkswagen ads that sold America on the people’s car. The story, of course, begins with the visionary agency that made the ads: Doyle Dane Bernach (DDB). As a popular agency for Jewish products, no agency was more aware of the implications of Volkswagen, and no one, it seems, was more skeptical of the brand than DDB. “Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?” from Dial M Films on Vimeo . William Bernbach, though, was adament that the firm take the client, probably as a way of attracting other lucrative automotive clients. Saddled with a client that he didn’t want, art director Helmut Krone says in the film that he originally came up with ads that were all wrong. Krone tried to do what other manufacturers did and was intent on selling the Beetle ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...
Post a Comment
Read more