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VW New Beetle Problems - READ ONLY

94 messages,  Last post on Aug 30, 2002 at 5:55 PM

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What is this discussion about? Volkswagen New Beetle

Messages Page 6 of 10

#48 of 94 Electrical gremlins by turbotexas

Dec 31, 2001 (11:30 pm)

I have a 2000 tubo new beetle. First thirty days both power window switches drivers door broken. Arm rest latch broken. Interior dood handles delaminating. Poorly operating remote latches, gas,hatch. Dec 31 2001 all ready to go to lunch . Car won't start. Push start, take to dealer. "can you bring it back Wednesday? It's New Years Eve." No joke sherlock and my 20,000 Turbo NEW Beetle should work ^%$%^$$^#!!!!. Buy a new battery $115.00 and installl battery in parking lot of dealership with the wrench from the tool kit, Car will still not start !!!! Push start car and go home. Try it again, it won't start. Push start car and idle in driveway for a few minutes. Airbag light comes on won't go out. I checked the post on this site. This has happened to folks before something about a low voltage condition. The dealer and VW obviously know it!! I have read all of the complaints and I could have written them all myself. A co-worker had an identical car and had identical problems.He sold his. VW is selling junk.

#49 of 94 Oil Consumption by carlam_8

Jan 07, 2002 (8:21 am)

My beattle is only 10K and it's burning 1.5 qt per 1000 miles. This is unbelievable, I took it for the second time for an oil consumption test because the VW it's telling me that it's normal. Have anybody found any written document where it says that it's normal???? They haven't been able to show it to me...

#50 of 94 Silver Beetle should be LEMON yellow by sunny_in_hol

Jan 08, 2002 (4:20 pm)

We just got rid of our lemon. It was a silver 2000 NB GLX with the 1.8T & 5 spd trans. It had 18,900 miles when we dumped it. During that period of time the following parts needed replacement:
Clutch
Fuel pump relay
Timing belt
Timing belt tensioner
Cam shaft oil seal
2 valve cover gaskets
Cruise control module
Outside temp display
Outside temp sensor
Instrument console
Rack and pinion
 
The lower intercooler hose popped off requiring the car to be towed back to the dealer. The rear trunk lid could not be adjusted correctly. When we dumped the lemon, the airbag light had come on as well as the check engine light. The car was well maintained and not abused. It is a fine example of German engineering gone haywire.
Beware of the NB. Look at car point for all the other horror stories.......

#51 of 94 My 2001 2.0 Automatic New Beetle-Also drinks oil.... by njmikeb

Jan 08, 2002 (5:51 pm)

Hello all fellow VW owners. I know one thing I am going to purchase the extended warranty on this car. So far my only problem is the oil consumption. I use exactly 1 qt per 1000 miles driven. I know eventually the consumption will catch up with the engine or at least the catalatic converter. Since the oil isn't leaking it's gotta' be going out the tailpipe eventually.
My driving habbits are pretty much the same.
A daily 60 mile commute on a busy Highway. Rt 17 in North Jersey. I sometimes drive a little fast around 70. Normally it's around 62 mph. I am surprised that I use so much oil.I am equally surprised that the dealer & VW of America say that is the normal consumption on this vehicle. After reading the Manual I knew I was toast. It has an entire page on oil consumtion. VW might not spend time fixing the problem but they quickly added the disclaimer to the Manual.
Oh well, Since I Love My New Beetle
I'll be adding the oil. My Dad is a mechanic & you would be surprised on how tough it is to find the specified oil 5w 40 / The book says I can use 10w 40 so I'll have to settle. Because of the consumption I'll try to find the exact oil.
Other than that I've been lucky.
I am checking with the New Jersey Lemon Law people. They are going to send me an info kit.
Hey Ya' never Know.
Peace Love & Happy Motoring..
Mikey............

#52 of 94 Response to Message 49 by melodyb

Jan 10, 2002 (2:59 pm)

What problems were you experiencing to know that a rack and pinion was needed? Did you have it repaired? How much? It was explained to me by a individual who worked in an auto parts store that a rack and pinion will usually give you problems if the car was in an accident. Mine was not.

#53 of 94 1998 Beetle 2.0L for sale by lepto

Jan 14, 2002 (9:30 pm)

Here it is! The beauty you've been reading about can now be yours!
 
1998
50K mi
2.0L 115hp
5-speed
White/Black cloth int.
LoJack
6-CD
100,000/80mo VW Masterguard Warranty (BadAss)
$12,000 obo
leptojuno.com
Southern CA area
 
link to pics : http://home.socal.rr.com/lepto/bugpics.htm
 
i had some basic problems that were fixed under warranty (ie. window switch, dash replace, stereo update)

#54 of 94 VW Beetle Automatic Transmission Fluid Check by gozing

Jan 23, 2002 (11:11 am)

Help. Wife's GLX has been grand but with only 4300 miles and all the horror stories, I'm wary.
How does one check the Automatic Transmission Fluid level?
I think I've read the big fat owners manual from cover to cover and have not a clue!
Must have missed something as apparent as the Rocky Mountains on a clear day but I can not find out how to check the fluid level in the transmission.
Checking the oid is a snap.
The engine oil level stays at full so consistently I suspect there is a can of oil down there not even part of the engine at all just there to placate me.
But the transmission fluid check is a complete mystery.

#55 of 94 Burned up brake system by hkb50

Jan 23, 2002 (4:32 pm)

Help! My new beetle is in the shop because I burned up the braking system. They claim the parking brake was on, of course it wasn't but some how the system went into brake lock mode. Now, because I have 14,000 miles, I might have to pay for something I didn't do. Has anyone hear of any problems with the braking system on the new beetles? Please let me know. I can't afford to replace the damage, my car is only a year old.

#56 of 94 In good company by sushigurl

Jan 23, 2002 (9:00 pm)

I just found this message board -- and as sorry as I am that you've all had such problems with your Beetles, it feels good to know I'm not alone. After almost 3 years of complaining about my oil consumption problem, (1 quart every 1000 miles) VW finally agreed to replace the piston rings -- thus solving the problem. It took such lengths though -- visits to the seemingly useless service departments, calls to VW customer service -- and then when my car actually RAN OUT of oil (1 week after I added the usual quart) and broke down -- I wrote a pretty stinging letter to VW of America. It didn't happen right away, but I did become a bit of a thorn in their side until they FINALLY admitted there was a problem and fixed it. Don't even get me started on the broken power window buttons or the "one-touch" windows that magically go up and down without touching anything ... no more VW's for me.
Too bad -- such great design.

#57 of 94 Bad odor by odor1

Feb 05, 2002 (5:18 pm)

I have a 2001 Beetle (5,000 miles). The interior has a bad smell. Dealer said odor would disappear after additional driving. I drove the car 5 more months and 3,000 miles. Odor is as strong as ever.
 
The odor smells like burning crayon. It is different than the sour smell that appears when the air conditioning is on.
 
Today, I started a lemon law effort. The local dealer is completely arrogant and refuses to discuss the matter any further. The service manager now refuses to provide any warranty or scheduled maintenance service for my Beetle. VW customer care doesn't know how to listen; talking with customer care is similar to talking with customer care at an HMO.
 
My 1972 Super Beetle didn't smell. My 1969 Fastback didn't smell.

Messages Page 6 of 10

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