Does Anyone Have a Type 4 VW, VW 411/412 Options

[Highland]

Just wondering if anyone drives a VW Type 4. I never see them mentioned on this site.

Just curious how hard it is to get parts e.g. seals, seat covers, headliners, etc? Does the transmission share engagement teeth and sncyros with our 914's?

Maybe it's me, but I can't find 411/412 parts on common VW parts store like bus depot, CIP1, etc.

[porschetub]

Just wondering if anyone drives a VW Type 4. I never see them mentioned on this site.

Just curious how hard it is to get parts e.g. seals, seat covers, headliners, etc? Does the transmission share engagement teeth and sncyros with our 914's?

Maybe it's me, but I can't find 411/412 parts on common VW parts store like bus depot, CIP1, etc.

These cars were in my country in the 80's ,apparently they drove and handled well but according to an old dutch mechanic I talked to the VW service departments weren't that fussed with them due to them overheating ,he said many motors failed and were replaced by the factory under warranty,he mentioned many he came across had experienced head failures.
I like the wagons ,the fastback was from most angles an odd looking car IMO.
Gearboxs ? the manual was unique to these cars,not sure what the internals were,most like some crossover to the beetle IRS box (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) .

[wonkipop]

Just wondering if anyone drives a VW Type 4. I never see them mentioned on this site.

Just curious how hard it is to get parts e.g. seals, seat covers, headliners, etc? Does the transmission share engagement teeth and sncyros with our 914's?

Maybe it's me, but I can't find 411/412 parts on common VW parts store like bus depot, CIP1, etc.

These cars were in my country in the 80's ,apparently they drove and handled well but according to an old dutch mechanic I talked to the VW service departments weren't that fussed with them due to them overheating ,he said many motors failed and were replaced by the factory under warranty,he mentioned many he came across had experienced head failures.
I like the wagons ,the fastback was from most angles an odd looking car IMO.
Gearboxs ? the manual was unique to these cars,not sure what the internals were,most like some crossover to the beetle IRS box (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) .

yes - funny about new zealand.
a bloke in new zealand was a real enthusiast of 411/412s.
he wrote a book which i have on my shelves i got a fair while back.
Volkswagens of the World. Simon Glen.

interesting story about overheating type 4s.
we tended to have the opposite experience in australia.
the type 4 engine was only in kombi buses but it ran very well in the hot conditions here and the cooling system was generally regarded as far superior to the type 3 pancake engine.
the type 3 engine certainly did overheat.
i had to ease off in summer with mine out on the highway and stick to 50mph on aussie summer days. flog them to 60 on a hot day and drive them long enough and they would burn valves.
the flaw was in the location of the oil cooler which was basically an adaption of the beetle. they just laid the oil cooler flat instead of vertical and received cooling air that had already passed over the front cylinder. from memory it was always cylinder #3 that gave the problem. even with care the pancake motors never lasted as long as the upright beetle engines. perhaps the dutch mechanic was talking about that engine which was in the type 3 cars rather than the type 4 engine?

there were plenty of type 3s down our way in australia and probably new zealand in the 60s and 70s?
they were locally manufactured at the australian plant in clayton in melbourne.

VW rejected the 411/412 for sale in australia. the car was unable to compete with japanese imports that were coming in to their own at the time. VW tried to stay in the market with the golf and the passat, which i think continued to be locally assembled but the japanese were just too good. all over by the very early 80s and VW left the market down here. as did just about every other european brand.