ignition switch reliability

[weimarbus]

posting here for more coverage, should I pay 3x more for OG or risk a cheaper option , in the good old days of beetle stuff you could get SWF wiper bits and switches as pattern parts although they supplied VW is this still the case or should I pay more, V confused cause I like to keep good quality but also I am tight, please answer with kindness.

[Dougal devon]

Have had ignition switch problems myself . You cant buy a good one anywhere as they all come from china and are made by YANG MING . Do what i did buy 3 at six quid and change them when you need to . I have done two this year and the second os lasting as i only use the ignition key on its own so no added weight on the barrel . You cant get oe ones anywhere . So if it is 30 quid it will still be the same as the 6 quid one and it is luck of the draw as to how long it will last .

[Dougal devon]

Have had ignition switch problems myself . You cant buy a good one anywhere as they all come from china and are made by YANG MING . Do what i did buy 3 at six quid and change them when you need to . I have done two this year and the second is lasting as i only use the ignition key on its own so no added weight on the barrel . You cant get oe ones anywhere . So if it is 30 quid it will still be the same as the 6 quid one and it is luck of the draw as to how long it will last . as for barrels they are available from any good parts company and you can spend what you want on them some give you vw logo keys and some dont . Hope this helps . Dougal

[syncroandy]

Brickwerks sells German Vemo ignition switches.

[CovKid]

May be German company but could still be made in China: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=733227" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Simon Baxter]

Hundreds sold, zero returns.
Make of that what you will.

[Simon Baxter]

I'll rephrase that, we've sold a couple of hundred in the last 2 years.
We've been going 10.5 years.
No idea where they are made, the Meyle, Febi or Vemo ones don't say, they are sold by German re-boxers but they don't disclose their source.
You can only assess something like this on it's merits, and to us they are 100% reliable.
It doesn't matter where a part is made, what does matter is the materials it's made from and the quality control of the company producing it.
Even the big boys who make stuff for the manufacturers have factories in Turkey, China etc.
The other thing that you have to remember is the ignition switch is fitted behind the ignition barrel and as that is also a mechanical part it is also subject to wear.
It's really easy to blame a faulty part on the country of manufacture but a lot of the time the fault can be down to something else in the system.

[CovKid]

Thats it at the end of the day. No matter who made them originally, as long as the face company carries out quality checks, then all will be well. Mind you, I've come across some REALLY bad reverse light switches, put together by someone who clearly couldn't give a stuff.

[California Dreamin]

As most of you will know, the very same switch was used across most of the VW/Audi range circa 80-95. Whilst we changed them on a regular basis in the dealership, I wouldn't have said they were a particular weak point as such as once fitted they usually have a good service life, however replacement
I think Manufacturer wide, replacing ignition switches is a fairly rare occurrence, so perhaps why these particular switches have a slight reputation.
Lots of users blame their failure only large bunches of keys hanging from the switch, of course this is untrue as the 'ignition switch' screws on the base of the housing and isn't under strain from the weight of the keys.

Martin