Why won't your air cooled beetles brake lights work?

Answer 1

There are two possible reasons: the brake system needs bled

the switches themselves are bad Volkswagen did something NO other car company would even dream of when they built the Bug--they used a pressure sensor screwed into a port on the master cylinder to turn the brake lights on. I absolutely hate this setup--it is almost guaranteed to make the brake lights not work, since the whole brake system has to be perfect if you want the brake lights to turn on. You will notice that VW doesn't use this scheme on its watercooled cars and with good reason. I like to buy a brake light switch off an American car, build a bracket to position the switch in front of the pedal arm, and use that to turn the brake lights on. It works much better than the VW death-trap. 2. Oh you of limited experience.... most if not all pre 1964 cars had brake fluid operated brake switches on the master cylinder or on a brake line. Depending whether you have a early,early VW with a single system brake or the later, after 1967, dual brake system, as to whether it's a death trap or not.... But do as in prior post , check for low fluid, requiring a system bleed. Bad brake light switch. Also check for corrosion on the brake light connectors on the master cylinder, this is a fairly common occurance. clean off corrosion and reinstall wire on switch.