Oh, THAT switch. Sorry. when you said dimmer I assumed you meant the
dial portion of your headlight switch that controls the brightness of
the instrument cluster, not the switch that controls your high-beams.

Sorry for the the misdirection.

On Jul 20, 2009, at 4:06 PM, Mike Frost wrote:

> Turns out that the headlight dim switch is actually part of the
> wiper switch
> assembly (251 953 519). There is a mechanical interface from the
> turn signal
> switch assembly (251 953 513) but the actual switch part (the part
> that
> fails due to the entire current of the headlights passing thru it)
> is part
> of the wiper switch assembly. Fascinating!
>
> On Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 7:33 AM, Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@mac.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Yep. All one (expensive) unit. The main reason these switches fail is
>> oxidation of the contacts, leading to overheating and melting of the
>> plastic. VW puts the whole current going to the headlights through
>> the
>> switch, so the best method to preserve your replacement switch is
>> to put
>> relays into your headlight circuitry.
>>
>> Also note that 91 Vanagons use a different switch than earlier years.
>>
>>
>> On Jul 20, 2009, at 9:48 AM, Mike Frost wrote:
>>
>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> While camping this weekend my headlights failed and I traced it
>>> down to
>>> the
>>> dim/bright switch on the column. (replaced the main headlight
>>> switch last
>>> year) If I purchase a turn signal switch, does it include the
>>> headlight
>>> dim
>>> switch?
>>>
>>> Mike Frost
>>> 1986 Vanagon GL
>>> 'Wasserleaker'
>>>
>>
>>