[Spinnaker]

Originally Posted by BrokenLinkage

My key is getting a little sticky, and I suspect I'll be doing this fix soon.
The whole metal ignition housing gun-shaped thing apparently has an original and an updated version, both of which fit, but will not take the same replacement electrical ignition switch component.
How does one tell the difference between the original and the updated housing, so as to know which electrical switch to order? Can this be discerned prior to removing it from the car, so I don't have to "go in" twice?
Is there any advantage to updating to the later housing? If it is a more durable assembly, it may be worth the extra moolah to go ahead and update it while I am in there, as I'm pretty sure I'm sticking with this car for a long time!

The only way to tell for sure is to take out the electrical part of the switch and look at the part number. There is a physical shape difference, but I haven't had a chance to compare them side by side to know what the difference is. The old one and the newer style ones on the Pelican site are both black colored. I have seen the original type switches in both black and white, just depends on the manufacturer, so going by color won't be very useful to you.
There have been posts on the forum about switch failures, and the owners buying the old style switch part, only to find out that a previous owner had already updated to the newer style unit. So the new ones fail also. It is up to you to decide how much money you want to spend. Spend the $200+ to upgrade and still have it fail, or spend $12 and just change it when it breaks again.
The same switch is used on the VW/Audi cars. If you go on the VW/Audi forum sites, they are flooded with posts with the same issues with failures.
I just consider it a maintenance item that has to be replaced periodically. At $12-15 each, they won't break the bank. I carry a spare in the car, along with the small screwdriver, so I won't be caught with a failure away from home. Once you have changed it once, it gets alot easier. I am on my third switch.
I find it a lot easier to go in from the vent opening in the dash, instead of from underneath. For this you will need a short T15 driver, and a phillips screwdriver, in addition to the small screw driver for the set screws on the switch. You can take it apart to check the part number and leave the dash disassembled until you get the replacement part to put back in.
There is a diagram on how to do this at this link.
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/46411-ignition-switch-replacement-holy-crap-2.html#post346988