Wolfsburg, Germany is known among #VWBeetle enthusiasts as the place where the highest quality Bugs roll off the assembly line before being scattered around the world—they’re set apart from VWs assembled elsewhere in the world by the logo you see above.
Today, Wolfsburg still serves as the Volkswagen world headquarters, but there’s a company in the United States that bears a similar name: Wolfsburg West [1, 2]. WW (the abbreviation is, purposefully, very similar in appearance to “VW”) is known as the highest quality producer of replacement parts for VW Beetles and Busses, as well as importing high quality parts from Volkswagen factories in Germany, Mexico, and Brazil.
Most of WW’s business is done through mail. Their California warehouse provides parts for any level of repair and restoration. As explained on their website, WW does not devote parts and materials for original modifications to Volkswagens, but rather assists in efforts to return (or maintain) these classic cars to their original state:
“Our focus is strictly on originality and therefore, we do not carry high performance parts or accessories that were not available for the period.” [2]
When it came time to restore my own Volkswagen (I bought a white 1963 bug with red interior in 2012), I carefully researched several companies. My car had been ignored for decades and was in need of many basics. The seats were original from fifty years previous, the headliner was missing, and there was no carpet. Needless to say I needed to find a lot of parts.
After much research I learned that Wolfsburg West and another company located in California, JBugs, were the best options for someone based in the U.S. [3]. Upon ordering several parts from both companies, though, I quickly found that one (JBugs) provided a pretty good product for an affordable price, while the other (Wolfsburg West) provided the highest quality parts, even if they were a bit more expensive.
Both JBugs and WW have their place when it comes to the VW Beetle enthusiast’s maintenance and restoration efforts. JBugs offers professional customer service, low prices, and DVDs that walk you through the restoration process in a way that makes the project seem a lot easier. In fact, I used a JBugs DVD to install the upholstery you see above. But a conversation about JBugs is for another time. For now, I offer my highest praise for Wolfsburg West. The quality of their products, knowledge of their customer service team, and prompt, professional packaging of their product can’t be beat. If you want to restore or maintain your car right, Wolfsburg West is the only choice, and truly lives up to it’s namesake.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfsburg
[2] https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wwd.cfm
[3] http://www.jbugs.com/