Difinitive '98 fog light/grill removal?

[garrett]

It seems there is a lot of riff raff out there regarding whether or not I need to remove the front end on my 98 Beetle TDI to replace my fogs.

It has OEM fogs, I bought new TYCs for 40$ each because mine are sandblasted to hell and back.

So do I need to remove the front bumper or can I do it like the DIY says?

Thanks

[Dee-Bug]

On my 99 Beetle,the lower grille and fog lights were murdered. When I looked up underneath the bumper cover,I didn't feel there was a good way to remove the 2 screws that hold the fog lights to the valance piece. I took about an hour and a half and removed the bumper cover(myself) and reinstalled it with great success. I looked at the supposed DIY thread and thought I'd have more time pissing around with the screw removal than just do it right. With minimal tools,a couple hours and some patience,it wont be tough. Removing the headlights for my first time was a little work,but after I seen how they came off,it went well..

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by garrett

It seems there is a lot of riff raff out there regarding whether or not I need to remove the front end on my 98 Beetle TDI to replace my fogs.

It has OEM fogs, I bought new TYCs for 40$ each because mine are sandblasted to hell and back.

So do I need to remove the front bumper or can I do it like the DIY says?

Thanks

The lower grill removal is a pain on any Beetle prior to 2001. They did finally change the design then and the lower grill can now be easily removed without removing the bumper and fenders. However, you are not that lucky. You have two choices. You can remove the bumper/fenders or you can dremel off the two top tabs that hold the two fog lights in place. You can then replace the fog lights and zip tie them on top. A lot of people have done it that way and nobody is the wiser. Plus it will save you tons of time.

But the choice is yours.
'99 NB how to replace fog lights?

Lower Grill and Fog Lights

Below you can see how easy it is on a 2002 but not on prior models:
How to: Easy fog light bulb change/fog light assembly removal

[Dee-Bug]

I agree with Indytom on it being a pain to do,but I have been working on cars,trucks,tractors,Mowers ets since I was 11 with my dad. I am now heading down the road to 50. My dad always taught me never to do things half heartedly and to do them correctly the first time. I have built my own drag race car,several tractors and the like. For me to do things rigged,it will never happen. It's your car,you have the last word on it and can do what you want. For as simple as removing the front pieces and to do it correctly,I would never settle to zip tie mine on. Heck, if someone was close and needed some assistance,I would even help out. I am taking our Beetle to a local guy who is highly regarded and have him replace the water pump,timing belt and all involved. Yes, I could possibly do it myself,but this guy has done them for several years. He has the proper tools and I will let him do it most likely,better than I could. We don't drive our Beetle in the winter so it's not a big deal. You could do the zip tie thing,but I would bet you have as much time as just removing the fenders and bumper,plus have a better job in the end without zip ties..Just my opinion.

[Opelmania]

He'll probably have to zip tie anyway because I guarantee that the aftermarket fogs will not line up with the tabs on the OEM 98 grill. Just like I had to zip tie my lights in.

[garrett]

Originally Posted by Dee-Bug

I agree with Indytom on it being a pain to do,but I have been working on cars,trucks,tractors,Mowers ets since I was 11 with my dad. I am now heading down the road to 50. My dad always taught me never to do things half heartedly and to do them correctly the first time. I have built my own drag race car,several tractors and the like. For me to do things rigged,it will never happen. It's your car,you have the last word on it and can do what you want. For as simple as removing the front pieces and to do it correctly,I would never settle to zip tie mine on. Heck, if someone was close and needed some assistance,I would even help out. I am taking our Beetle to a local guy who is highly regarded and have him replace the water pump,timing belt and all involved. Yes, I could possibly do it myself,but this guy has done them for several years. He has the proper tools and I will let him do it most likely,better than I could. We don't drive our Beetle in the winter so it's not a big deal. You could do the zip tie thing,but I would bet you have as much time as just removing the fenders and bumper,plus have a better job in the end without zip ties..Just my opinion.

This is what I intend on doing when it comes to the timing belt on mine, it's a TDI.
I work for a major TDI parts retailer too and even I won't do the timing belt.

[Dee-Bug]

I used aftermarket pieces in ours with great success. Got the fog lights from Amazon.com and the grille plus the valance. I opted to keep the black look as I like it more on the car. Fit was actually great(better than the aftermarket Jeep Grand Cherokee parts I bought before) and I was a bit nervous. If I would have painted them to match,I guarantee,our wouldn't know the difference. I was impressed to see the fogs actually had glass lenses..

[janitz]

Dee-Bug, what brand of fog light did you purchase? This is something I will need to do in order to replace a broken fog and I'd like to get something with good quality and it sounds like you did.

[Dee-Bug]

Amazon.com: Volkswagen New Beetle Replacement Fog Light Assembly - 1-Pair: Automotive


I have used these at night when the weather was good and they performed as well as the OEM's even better as the lenses are clearer. Our Bug came from Florida and the OEM lenses were sandblasted. I had absolutely no fitment trouble as the holes lined up perfectly as did the other pieces.

[Opelmania]

Glad to see that you didn't have any issues Deebug. If your grill was Yellow, I would never know they were replaced. I got some OEM nB fogs donated to me from a member on here and from my area. His is a 2003 Turbo so I had some issues.

[Dee-Bug]

Originally Posted by Opelmania

Glad to see that you didn't have any issues Deebug. If your grill was Yellow, I would never know they were replaced. I got some OEM nB fogs donated to me from a member on here and from my area. His is a 2003 Turbo so I had some issues.

I have the ones I took off in the boxes my new ones came in. The only thing is the lower pieces of the bracketry are snapped off,but I have the pieces. They could easily be epoxied or JB Welded and reused.I just figured while I had to replace the mesh grille and lower valance,I'd just get the lights too. I don't ever see me using these lights and would gladly give them to another NB owner that wants to repair them and use them. All I would ask is for them to cover shipping. I can take a couple pics if anyone is interested.