While browsing through the Gruven Parts catalog, I noticed a "Vent" fix kit. The reviews were unanimous, this was a product I needed. So I went outside to my car and looked at my dirty grimy dashboard vents. Sure enough, all four of them were broken. I didn't even notice. Furthermore, they were in desperate need of a thorough cleaning.
So I ordered them and they arrived in a small envelope. The parts themselves are nothing made of genius or are they a marvel of engineering. What they are is simply a well made replacement for the notoriously weak and poorly designed OEM VW vent vanes. All of the vanes pivot on this weak thinly injection molded plastic part. So it doesn't take much to engineer a superior replacement part. But once one understands what these tiny little pieces fix, one realizes just how ingenious the guys at Gruven are for making this part available.
They are easy to install and come with all of the necessary instructions. While my pieces are apart, I took the time to thoroughly clean and degrease the vents since they were grimy from years of dirt collection. I also cleaned the air tubes which feed through these vents. I've seen alternatives on Youtube which are much easier to install. But I think the Gruven replacement part is far simpler and more robust a solution that the other alternative. They are more difficult to install but are more like the original --only better.
I don't think I'll ever have to worry about these vents breaking ever again.
At $54.99 for the set, they do seem expensive at first. But considering that there are no replacements for these vents, i consider it the cost of owning a vintage automobile (And hopefully a collector car in the future)
I get a satisfaction in knowing that I fixed something and that it won't break again in the future. Gruven's engineered replacement parts have always given me that confidence in knowing I'll never have to deal with that part ever again.
https://www.gruvenparts.com/corrado-dash-vent-fix/
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At present, I no longer have a garage at my current home in the mountains above SoCal. So it's not an ideal location for a project car--especially in the winter.
Fortunately, I have another property in Texas that has a two car garage. So I plan to get it to Texas before the snow season begins. I don't think I'll drive it there as I don't trust it's reliability yet. Wish me luck.