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Maintenance & Repair Maintenance & Repair - Archived Discussions VW New Beetle Problems 
94 messages, Last post on Aug 30, 2002 at 4:55 PM
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My 1999 TDI Beetle is going through some growing pains. I love this car but it is wearing me out lately! I purchased it new two years ago, and aside from some early quirky incidents with the glow plug light it has been REALLY low maintenance. And the MPG is fabulous--I only fill the tank once a month or so. So, in general, no problems. Until this spring. Within the past month (at 26,000 miles and five months from the 20,000 scheduled maintenance) I have replaced the fuel filter, the battery and now am looking at the passenger window, which started sinking into the passenger side door this morning. I called VW about the fuel filter, because the Owner's Manual says that it should be replaced at 20,000 and it wasn't--the gentleman on the phone said that he'd "have to look into it" because they had been replacing it at 30,000 miles, not 20,000. I offered the page number in my manual. Of course, I haven't heard any updates there. The battery really has me stumped--as well as my mechanic. He said it just didn't make sense to him that the battery should be dead at 26,000...but then he doesn't work for VW. The only VW service departments that returned my call within 60 miles couldn't set an appointment for three weeks. I understand that we Americans have grown accustomed to no-maintenance cars, and on some level we sound like whiners most of the time...but dropping more than $300 (not including the upcoming window repair), and having to use non-VW service because the dealerships are booked for weeks--that is exasperating. And now I'm reading about problems with clutches...yikes. I thought I would have this car forever, and I'm really thinking about ditching it. THAT'S really disappointing. I have a friend with a Jetta and he has had lots of problems with his power windows as well. He's an avid VW fan--talked his parents into buying one too--and he's switching to Suburu. I may just follow suit. |
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| hi, i also have problems with my 2000 NB. it's 2.0L and burns oil. let vw fixed it with the "repair kit" they came out with. still burns oil, together with new problems. the engine is so noisy when the rpm hits 4000. also, engine temp light went on in blue, while driving on the freeway for over 30 minutes. the car is totally screwed. i'm waiting for BBB to contact me for an arbitration. but if i can trade that car in or sell it at a reasonable price, i'll get rid of it instead. i tried to trade it in at anderson honda, but they are willing to pay only $11,000 for that POS. please let me know where did you trade your car in for a value higher than blue book. thanks. | |
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The dealer finally looked up a fix in the repair manual. They ended up replacing wire connectors in ECM and wire connectors in throttle housing. Seems to be running just fine now and has for the past few weeks. |
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| I have a 1999 New Beetle (black) with about 25,000 miles on it. I have written to VW because my paint is cracking in circles and wearing off... quickly. I know I take excellent care of the car, washing and waxing regularly, but fear that the company will blame owner care for the problem. So, in preparation for that response, I have checked out some other black New Beetles on used car lots in the area and found that they, too, are losing their paint. It occurs on any surface that faces into the wind when you drive... like the hood, the fronts of the protruding wheel wells, and the front bumper. In fact, on the areas worn near the rear wheels, the finish looks gray instead of black. I have already talked with a local dealer and all he could say was that it was out of warranty... nothing he could do. At 25,000 miles, warranty or not, this is wrong. Does anyone else have this problem? So far, I have only seen it on black exteriors. | |
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I just started reading these posts. My wife has one of the first 98 New Beetles in our area. Last year the battery in her car failed. The guy from AAA who came out to jump start it, said his boss had replaced the battery in her Beetle. Of course at 6p.m. the only place we could find that had a battery was the dealer. She also has had to replace the driver's power window switch and the radio...she said the tape player is acting up again. I guess the problems are not so unusual. |
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My 2000 2.0 burns oil too! This is the first car I have that requires me to add engine oil, and the funny thing is, the dealership calls that 'normal'! I didn't know about it until a few months ago, when I took the car to a nondealer for my 15000 service (not covered by the 'free scheduled maintanence service for the first 24,000 miles'). No one in the dealership ever told me anything about burning oil. If this is normal, why didn't they say anything so I can properly maintain the car? I don't understand why VW schedule maintenance service every 5000 miles if they know that the car burns oil, and without adding engine oil, the car will consume ALL the engine oil! VW should really do something about it. Can we file a class action lawsuit under the lemon law or something?! |
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I bought a 99 Beetle and have had the following problems: -A/C did not work right off the lot -Battery died at 24 k, I had to pay $200.00 for the dealer to reset the computer -The trunk will not open with the remote, or using the console. -I just paid $277 to replace the driver side electronic window opener -Oil pan ripped open with a small rock -Door panel vinyl is coming off -Cap on emergency brake came off I will never ever buy another VW and would advise others to do the same. It is no wonder you see so many used Beetles for sale right now. I don't even feel good selling the car directly to somebody, so I will have to let the dealer have that on their conscience after I trade that piece of shit in. |
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I own a 2000 VW GL2.0...Beginning at about 3,000 mi., I have had the following problems: -electrical problem -clutch slave cylinder went out (towed) -ignition switch loose - replaced - still loose -A/C works intermittently -unstable idle hunt -suspension loud squeak over sp. bumps -interior door handles delaminated -gas intake switch broke twice My questions are these: I have had this car at the dealership six times to fix the squeaky suspension. It keeps getting worse instead of better, and the service dept. does not know what it is, just replacing parts. Also, does anyone know about the unstable idle/hunt problem? There is a tech bulletin on it, but when I asked for it at the dealership they would not give it to me, and said this is the way VW engines run. I also tried to order it from VW, and they were "out" of it. Now we are trying to make a deal with the dealership and VW to trade this car in for a new 2001 model without loosing our shorts! This may be a mistake after reading complaints on this site. |
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I'm starting to be bothered by the hardware problems that I have run into with my Beetle. It has 20,000 miles and is 17 months old and I had it in service for several times: - Fuel door didn't close ("repaired" twice) - Window lift switch fell off - Wheel cover fell off - Fuel door didn't open The VW "service" sucks. Despite having a repair appointment today, bringing it in at 12:30, they told me at the end of the day that they didn't get to work on my car due to scheduling problems/work load. They don't care that customers take time off work to accommodate their schedules, and how they get to work due to their delays. Quite upset here. |
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Finally, VW repurchased my oil burning New Beetle. I suggest everyone who has tons of problems with their VW to check out the lemon law of their State, and hire a lemon law attorney if necessary. After driving a VW, I think they are making cars that have poor quality and reliability.
Below is a link to the Federal Trade Commission web site http://www.ftc.gov/opa/predawn/F88/vwcons.txt
Oil burning is not a new problem of VW. However, according to the consent order from FTC, Volkswagen must place advertisements in national magazines, distribute posters to its dealers, and add statements to its owner's manuals which disclose the availability of arbitration to owners. These notices will also highlight the fact that arbitration is available to remedy certain past oil consumption-related problems. Under the consent order, Volkswagen also will make publicly available, for 1984 and later model cars, the product service bulletins it routinely sends to its dealers. In addition, it will also prepare easy-to-understand summaries of the more Did VW really comply with the above consent order? How many VW oil burning victims bought the vehicle without knowing the previous oil burning issue VW has because VW didn't disclose it? If these victims knew ahead of time, will they still buy the vehicle? Oil burning victims, please document all your repair orders, and file a complain at the www.ftc.gov. Hopefully, when the FTC is flooded with complains regarding similar issues, they will investigate into it. Also, remember to check out the lemon law, hire a lemon law attorney if needed, or check out the BBB arbitration program. |
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