Technically not to hard a job, so defintley one of the first ones to start with if your Beetle needs it.

On our Beetle the engine lid seal was flat and cracked as was the bonnet one. This made opening the bonnet hard as it would not 'pop' up when the lever was pulled.

It is also good to seal air in the engine bay and the water out of the bonnet.

This is what we started with.

First of all the ends of the seal retainer will need to be lifted slightly as they are 'pinched' at the ends to hold the rubber from slipping.

This shows the end pinched.

This is the same end after it has been lifted carefully with a flat end screwdriver. Just enough to get the old rubber out and the new one in.

Here you see another end pinched.

The front bonnet seal corner up near the windscreen.

Lots of dirt underneath. The corner has three nipples of rubber on the corner that you can break the old ones off. You will have to locate and pull these through on the new rubber.

Get an old toothbrush or similar and clean all that old dirt out. Dirt is one of the ingedients along with water that promotes rust. Remove the dirt and you are better off. If you have any surface rust, treat it with a rust converter. If there are rust holes, then you have to get that fixed before putting the new rubbers on.

One of the ways I find it easy to fit the new rubbers is to stretch it as it is fitted. Using a lubricant is good, however try not to use an oil based lubricant as they can change the composition of rubber and make lots of black mess. Water based, or even talc powder will help. I did this rubber dry, and on my own. It is possible. Having another pair of hands to stretch the rubber as you feed it in does make it easier.

Once the rubber is fitted, you must make sure it is not still stretched inside the retainer, or bunched up and wrinkly. gently pull it side to side and press it down to make sure it is fully located in the retainer. Then press down the ends of the retainers to pinch the rubber and stop it sliding out. Do this with a rounded edge of a tool, so the paint is not chipped off.

Here is the finished pinched end. I have left the rubber a little bit longer at the back. I prefer longer rather than too short.

The front is fitted in a very similar way with the start being the section behind the bonnet to the two corners with the three rubber nipples. From there make the two sides come down to the front centre. Once the rubber is in and not still stretched in the retainer, the ends can be trimmed to meet in the middle at the front, and even superglued carefully together if you want to.

hmm i'm going to need to find a hoofpick somewhere haha

OR
You can use the mexican engine lid seal...
that just pushes over the edge of the engine lid it self....

Same with the bonnet....
although You will still need something at the top of the bonnet to stop water getting in there...
You can glue a piece of foam across the top....
I have seen this done... and have done it on My beetle..
I took the rubber tracks off as they can be a rust trap...
The mexican bonnet & deck lid seals are avaiable from VVDS, but I've heard of people buying them from auto shops...

Lee

Great little how to... you've inspired me. A question though. If these seals on the boot lid make the air stay where it should, why do people fit the deck lid spacers? Are they just for looks or is that what is needed with much more than stock engines?

Cheers...