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<x-charset iso-8859-1>Wilson=> why you think it will help and why => we will appreciate it? KeithP=> Replacing the harness on either of my cars => would be a HUGE job. Doing this fix, which as I said is a *big* fix, is much harder with the interior in the car, of course. I don't mean to say that it's a job that should be undertaken lightly, but of the big fixes (engine rebuild, suspension overhaul, body work, rubber, paint, interior), I think it's the easiest and it's definitely the cheapest if you do it yourself. I don't recommend taking this job on by itself in the absence of major problems, but rather as part of the process of major work involving substantial removal of the interior and electrical components. In a major project, when you've taken everything off for paint, for instance, the process of removing electrical components will inevitably disturb the harness, breaking connectors, cracking insulation, like that. This is inevitable because over 30-40 years of age and vibration the plastics and conductive metals have corroded, got brittle and weakened. Add to that accumulated dirt that obscures the color coding, and you have a large, fiddly and frustrating job on your hands when reassembling. Doing it right means cleaning every connector before or as you reassemble, creating yet more opportunities for damage. Leaving aside the issue of previous-owner-created funkiness, this is a big and important job in any case. If a PO has messed with the wiring, you've got compound problems. Several aspects lead me to advocate replacement (and I've actually done the job, I'm not just speaking from theory): * You have to put in a large amount of work on the harness anyway in cleaning it up; if you intend to do it right, it's no *more* work to replace it, and far less frustrating; and the $250 or so involved in having the new loom made is not a substantial addition to a typical resto project. * The process of reassembly is simplified tremendously, with clean, easy-to-read connections that won't fall apart in your hands, and all previous fixes and mistakes are swept away. When you're upside-down under the dash working overhead nine inches from your face, you'll definitely appreciate this. * A new harness prevents ongoing fatigue-related electrical problems (or I should say limits them to the old components) for a very long time; by eliminating a large and complex trouble factor, this greatly simplifies problem diagnosis down the road as well. I was very surprised at how much easier it was to do than I'd anticipated, and over the years I continue to appreciate it every time I have to make an electrical change. I agree that if your electrical system is working for you and you're not doing other major work, it's best to leave it alone; but if you're undertaking a restoration or substantial upgrade and want to be able to depend on your car, I think it would be foolish to skip the electrical system. Steven Ayres, Prescott AZ '66 Big Ghia ------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <type3-off@vwtype3.org> For more help, see http://vwtype3.org/list/ </x-charset>