Wire harness from MAGIC

[John Black]

Hi Guys.

Does anyone have any experience with the MAGIC TDr wiring harness, the one they sell for $89 and some change. Seems like a great deal at that price so whats the catch?

I was going to make up my own harness until I saw the price of that one. I now have the schematics thanks to the forum, its just a chore to go and get the various gauge wire plus the connectors etc.

I really   need to get the wiring sorted as its very very brittle and the insulation cracks and peels at the slightest touch. I have lost one car to a fire this year and I don’t need another one.

Thanks once again for the help.

John the Brit

[secretagentcat]

Hey John
I also have a Duchess and I was going to use a VW harness to rewire my car. I bought the kit but decided to use the color schematic to make my own harness using bigger wire for added safety. I know its overbuilt but I wanted the peace of mind.
I dont know what MG Magic is offering with their kit but I felt better makinng my own. Remember to really build your grounding system well.

[John Black]

Hi Rick.

I have been deep in thought over this matter and I have come to the conclusion that I will just make up my own harness. It may well cost me a few $$ more but I will be happier with the end result.

Maybe we should trade notes as wel move through the process. Two minds working on the same project may well help.

Regards John the Brit

[John Simion]

“… I will make up my own harness.”  Good luck with that.  The previous owner of my TDR botched the job, used all wire in the same color (!), and about half the old gauges didn’t work.  I replaced the dashboard and the gauges, and what was left after removal of the old stuff was “a complete mess.”  I don’t do electrical and so I turned it over to a mechanic who sat on it for two months without doing anything.  This guy has been working on VWs for 36 years and I think he didn’t want to mess with my job because he didn’t feel competent to do the job.  When I took the car away from him, he seemed relieved.  That should tell you something.

I finally found a mechanic who advertised that he specializes in wiring, and I was happy with his work.  Took him two weeks and a lot of hours.  He had the wiring diagrams but trying to puzzle his way through that rat’s nest was a VERY VERY VERY expensive undertaking, especially since he also went through the rest of the wiring and found loose wires, missing fuses, and everything else was FUBAR — including work done by my previous mechanic.  He even apologized for the cost but he documented dozens upon dozens of hours trying to figure everything out and get it all working again.  I think he was truthful because he kept calling me and explaining as he went, and I visited his shop a couple of times and he was pretty forthcoming.  The good news is that this guy really was professional in his work; everything works now and it’s all nice, neat, orderly, and properly labeled in case any changes are necessary in the future.  I don’t mind paying professional prices for professional work, but it is pretty obvious that I would have been far better off if I had ripped out everything and started from scratch with the pre-made wiring harness.  In fact, I would have been far better off if I’d just left the entire dashboard and instrument panel alone and just had this guy fix what was wrong.  Hindsight is always 20-20.

FYI, I had bought a “real” TD ignition switch to go with my “real” (but modified) TD instrument panel.  Not recommended because (a) the switch doesn’t start the car, a starter button is required (I guess I should have known that), (b) the switch would only turn on the lights and parking lights together, not separately as it was supposed to (bad switch or bad design, I don’t know), and (c) the switch was wired with only one fuse, so if a light blew a fuse, it would take down the ignition with it.  My mechanic worked around that problem but generally this was just a huge PITA and I would not do it again.  At least we finally got it to work, but this was typical of the wiring problems with my car.

johnsimion2015-05-19 23:32:40

[Derek]

I say go for it, just make sure to measure lots and label all the wires. I had to completely rewire my car when I got it, I based it off a used beetle harness, but it’s not too difficult of a job if you take it wire by wire. When you do it you might want to do the loom in sections (so that it can disconnect in a few places) to make it easier to install. Last tip, make sure you’ve got good ground everywhere. I tied in everything I could to the pan on mine but a dedicated ground wire running the length of the body could be nice too.

You can probably order small spools of everything you need from somewhere like McMaster and it will be cheaper than Lowes or something.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[Rich Kallenberger]

I ended up repairing my wiring, which was a mess.  Three tips:
1.  Plan ahead on how the wires will be routed and secured, leaving slack enough to remove switches and gauges while still attached for troubleshooting but tucked away when the job is done. I flipped my fuse strip over so the majority of the wires would route up under the dash instead of down into the footwell.
2.  Avoid crimped on connectors as much as possible.  Take the time to solder and insulate all connections.  Your car will be so much more reliable.
3.  Try to match the colors of the kit wiring so your diagram will be accurate.

Good luck:-)

[Dbanta]

The wiring harness that you are referring to is a dune buggy type of wiring harness. It does have proper sized wiring for ignition (#10) and for headlights (#12). The fuse box is a regular VW type of fuse block and any busing you want to do has to be done via the wiring connectors on the outside of the fuse block. It is a good option for rewiring a standard car. I would recommend changing out the fuse block for a 10 position AT type fuse block, which is a simple matter. This type of wiring harness can be purchased on e-bay for about $65. Just search for VW Dune buggy harness. The direction are simple and this will accommodate pretty much what you would want unless you are adding a ton of accessories.

In wine there is truth, in water health.

[Anonymous]

John: If you ar looking for a low cost wiring harness California pacific J Bugs has off road wiring harness listed on their web site for $52.95. All of the ones I have seen are like EMPI wiring harness.

[secretagentcat]

When I started the project I kept the existing wires intact then I thought that if I wasnt happy with it in the first place then why keep looking at it. It was a real mess. I ripped it all out then proceeded to overbuild everything. Ive got a 12 fuse box and most of my wires are 12 guage. The headlights are 10 guage as well as the ignition wires. I built a custom grounding system to avoid shorts. I used the VW wire kit for the color schematic and a hotrod site to help simplify things where I could. Didnt care much about the cost since Ill be keeping this car for life. Think of the money Ill save over the long run.

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