Is your OXS dash indicator light illuminated? No need to panic! It's only a mileage-based service light telling you to replace your oxygen sensor. You see, German engineers (being both German and engineers) seemed to harbor doubts as to the longevity of the VW O2 sensors. Remember, this is back in the dark ages before vehicle on-board diagnostics (OBDI and OBD2) could tell someone attempting to diagnose a running issue as to what exactly the issue might be. The answer these engineers came up with was proactively replacing sensors, in this case the O2 sensor. If your OXS light has come on and your Vanagon is running as it should, you can probably ignore the warning and reset the light.
Here's how:
- On the driver's-side under the van (tucked up near the spare tire holder) you'll see a black box with two black cables attached to it(each about a cm in diameter). Look more closely at this box and you'll see there's a small round protuberance, and inside that is a small white push button. If you take the tip of a screwdriver and press that button, low-and-behold, the mileage counter is reset and the OXS light goes out.
- Many people delete the black box as it is a common culprit in a noisy speedometer. To do so, just order and install a one-piece 2WD Speedometer Cable. Voila! No more box, no more light, and no more noise! Now if you want to get REALLY creative, you can repurpose the OXS light on the dash into some other warning light. Maybe an inverter light? Maybe a sliding door ajar light? Use your imagination!