Shock Absorbers / Suspension Struts | 1302-1303 up to 7/73

Standard suspension struts including shock absorbers.
Sold per pair.
VW Beetle 1302 | 1303 - up to 7/73.

What many people do not know is that Volkswagen never supplied separate shock absorbers for the 1302 and 1303 - the strut was also the shock absorber housing. When replacing the shock absorber, the entire strut was replaced, which prevented, for example, heavy rust damage to the strut. At the time the aftermarket responded cleverly by developing shock absorbers that could be fitted into the existing shock absorber housing. This was a much cheaper solution than replacing a complete strut, which was only available from the dealer. Now (years later) we are discovering the big drawback: the strut is designed to last as long as the shock absorber and not the life of a car. A rusty shock absorber plate is therefore a common problem, which has led to a lively trade in used struts offered at ever higher prices. Until recently you had to make do with separate shock absorbers fitted into existing struts, because Volkswagen stopped producing complete struts years ago and no reproductions were available.

They are of very high quality, similar to what was fitted by the VW dealer in the 70s and 80s.

The shock absorbers are oil-filled like the original. If you prefer to fit gas-pressure shock absorbers, you can do so by removing the existing shock absorber and fitting a replacement gas-pressure shock absorber as an insert (available separately in our shop).

04318: 1302 and 1303 up to 7/1973
04319: 1303 from 8/1973 onwards