Owners of '71 busses take note. Many of you have probably already
discovered the secret of the little spring buried deep inside the
front-door lock mechanism that helps the lock control arm to rest in
the correct position. Here is what happens if the spring breaks:  You
lock the door with the key. Then you check the door to make sure that
it is locked by trying to open it with your finger.  You go away and
come back later. You then insert the key in the lock, but the lock
will not let your key turn to the unlock position, just to the lock
position. So you give up and use the sliding door. The front door is
now also very hard to unlock from the inside, but you can still do
it, but your wife can't.

There are two solutions. (1) Lock the car with the key, but do NOT
check the door to see if it is really locked (just look through the
windshield at the inside door lock).  (2) Replace the broken spring.

Tell me, does anybody know where to obtain a spring that will not
break? I have gotten them from wrecking yards, but they usually break
within a year. Then I have to pound on the door just above the latch
while wiggling the key to get the door to unlock from the outside.

Bob and Penny Lee   vw@gulbransen.com   San Diego, CA
'71 VW Bus White/Blue with sunroof '72 VW Super Beetle White Herbie          
'71 VW Bus Dark Blue with sunroof  '72 VW Super Beetle Orange with sunroof

�