I have seen on the list before that these beige clips are NLA but I
bought 13 from my local VW Dealer just last week. Mine are for an 82
Westy and cost $1+ each. The replacement are a perfect match to the one
good original I was able to remove. All of the others broke or were
drilled out by me. It was an effort to get the right ones as first they
said NLA, then they got the wrong ones, then I saw over his shoulder
that there was a suffix in his book and that made the original part
number work in his computer. They arrived the next day.

Mark

"ThomasD. Hanlon" wrote:
>
> Listees,
>
> Instead of the sliding door handle being situated at the normal 9
> o'clock and 3 o'clock position, it is now drooping to a 7 o'clock and 1
> o'clock position.  Opening the door is becoming increasingly difficult,
> especially in the cold I experienced in two trips North, one 3,500 r/t
> miles to Banff, Canada and one 3,500 r/t to St.Louis via San Antonio,
> within the last two months..
>
> Removal of the panel on the door interior, to access the mechanism,
> looks to be simple enough, but the local VW dealer has a "no longer
> available" report on the clips (beige plastic discs) for the panel, and
> I am sure I will break more than one.
>
> Has anyone had a similar situation with the sliding door handle?
> Sources for the parts and for the clips?  Bentley and Haynes  provide
> sufficient information to replace the mechanism.  The problem appears to
> me to be a worn element, though, probably the shaft of the handle, and a
> minor component to replace, if the panel can be removed without too much
> damage, using the "tableknife" technique posted on the List recently.
>
> Tom Hanlon
> Palm Springs, CA
> 84 Westy
>
> .