Just to be different (and have better cooling) I was wondering what the legalities are of having an exposed engine. I would move the licence plate to the bumper. Anyone done this or seen it in Australia?

Illegal......But, you could always forget about that!

N!

I got a 'yellow sticker'(defect notice) for having stand offs on my bug(+ some other mods)...so having no lid at all is def a nono!
Mind you I am in WA

Unless you put a cage around it, like on some bajas.

It comes back to the safety issue..... :cussing

What colour / type is your bug ? I'm surprised that you got a canary for running hood jax.

Then again, it all depends on the cop.

Try having a baja - you cant get a straight answer as to what constitutes a safe engine cage.

Oh well there goes that idea!

Thanks guys

In the Uk i ran a buggy all year round for 3 years or so and the cops were strict. Apart from a engine/bumper bar i had to have a fan belt cover. Also had some "don't touch hot" small stickers made up by the exhaust header. The only hassle i had was running an open tri mill stinger system ( suprise , suprise)so i used to put the quiet pack in the back of my buggy and blag it that i was changing it anyway as soon as i got home.LOL , things you do!! I'm not 100% but aslong as any moving parts are covered you'd be okay. I was actually thinking the same thing but i don't know if it's legal to have your license plate mounted on the bumper bar in Oz , You would maybe have to temp hang the plate off the bottom of the air intake as seen in Ultra VW etc and also rig up a light to be legal. I have a mate who's a traffic cop (great!NOT) )so i'll ask him about it. I have seen a few bugs in Sydney without deck lids and aslong as you've got a tidy engine bay and something worth showing off i personally think it looks cool. Love turbo moters that stick out all over the place!! Iwish.

Danny

yeah i drove around with out one for over 3weeks , got a heap of smiles for ppl. i even drove 5hrs down the coast with it off and went passed about 5cops they didnt pull me over but if they had i bet they would have had something to say about it. but when i had it off i took to driving the back roads, must have still driven past a good 15 cops talked to the guy i got my blue slip off and he reckoned it was illegal and 2points and a $80 fine , not allowed to have moving parts , sharp edges or hot bits :repuke still u only have to pay when u get caught. by the way ive got my decklid back on with lift off kit, hate bein hassled by the cops specaily when im on green p's
cheers brenton

how bout a transperant lid??? Recon it could be done...or if u like use ur current lid and put plastic windows (like computer case mods) in.....then maybe some neons and flshing lights and oh round ide cables...:P

OK in Sydney / NSW it is illegal to have moving parts uncovered (thats why new cars it take an hour to find the fan belt) even the xd xe era fords have a belt cover attached to the radiator
Belt covers are readaly availible from most good vw places
As for the cooling you will find the engine will actualy run hotter due to the disruption in the air flow ( I can send you the test results if you like ) If you duct the air in from under the pan this will solve the cooling problem

just a little comment on the "draw the air from under the pan " idea.
i like the idea however - have you ever felt the tar on a Hot day.?
Have you ever seen the heat haze hanging just above the tar surface.?
I believe that the air temp swirling above the Tar surface would be a lot hotter than the air at windscreen height. That is the height of Volkswagen air intakes - although the kombi sucks a bit higher.
(thanks to Larry for setting me straight on this.)