The brown plastique has not failed, it's the screw attachment of the
nob to the handle which has worm holed its way to freedom. Other than
that, the brown dash, etc. is still perfect  after almost 24 years.

Tom B.- what can brown do for you?

> lways fun when you go to adjust the rear view mirror in a early
> vanagon
> westy with the brown plastic and the mirror crumbles away and
> cracks off as
> you touch it..
> volkswagen never really learned how to make brown plastic bits that
> held up
> to the sun..    but the black - they always hold up well. its the
> carbon black
> in the plastic that makes the black plastics last longer than the
> brown ones.