My friend had a split rear window beetle and it had the semaphores. It lacked a gas gauge but had a reserve valve. It lacked horsepower but other than a voltage regulator problem, would always start after sitting for months at a time during the Rhode Island winters while we were deployed. He had taken it to the local VW dealer for the regulator problem, and they tried to convince him it was not worth repairing. They "replaced" the regulator and generator and when he asked why the charge light was still coming on, they explained it was "static from the road". I told my friend that there was nothing wrong with the old generator as I had flashed the field and it had picked up immediately. We got in the car and drove to the dealer. The waiting room was filled with customers. I asked, probably louder the necessary, who had told my friend about the "static in the road". The service manager answered "I did, why, who are you?" I explained that I was an aircraft electrician and that I was aware of the cars value and how it appeared he was pulling a fast one. The dealership replaced the regulator and the original generator without cost. Several customers got an education that day.