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Hatchbacks Volkswagen Beetle Volkswagen Beetle Transmission Problems
124 messages, Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 4:49 PM
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I recently got an 01 Beetle - 2.0 engine w/ 4 speed auto trans. I've had it for 5 months and maybe put 300 miles on it, most of them to and from my mechanic. My current problem is something that I've seen other posts about but haven't really seen any solutions. About 4 weeks ago the battery died. Interestingly enough, when I went to get a new one and when they pulled up which one for the car a big warning came up on the computer saying NOT to remove old battery because it could render the car undriveable. So what the hell are you supposed to do? You gotta replace the battery.... So of course now it won't shift right. From 2nd to 3rd it races the engine before it engages in gear. I have a really good mechanic and he suspected the computer and tried several things that didn't work. He has a VAG Com but apparently the software to get into that part of the computer is VW propietary. So, we took it to VW and specifically asked them to simply reprogram the computer and of course they said it needs a new tranny for $4000. So my mechanic thought maybe the problem was the valve body inside the tranny. We replaced it and the problem's still there. So now I'm faced with having to replace the damn transmission but it just doesn't seem right. I still believe there's something electronic going on, especially reading some of the other posts. Does anyone have any feedback for me on this problem??? PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!! I'm at the end of my rope and the noose is getting tighter.  Scott |
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My heart is broken - I bought my used VW bug - (yellow, of course) - early December of 2007. I paid $5,000 and the vehicle barely had 50,000 miles on it. The person I bought it from, a reputable mechanic in my area, had done work on it before putting it up for sale - however, he did not replace the clutch because he noticed that it had already been replaced (prior to him getting the car). Truly a GREAT deal ... absolutely LOVE the car - until this past Sunday. The clutch started slipping - severely - so I took it back to the fellow I bought if from so he could take a look at it ... long story longer - it will cost me nearly $1,000 to replace the clutch/assembly - due to it being a labor intensive job. The car has 62,000 miles on it ... I have been driving a manual transmission for the past 30 years .... I know how to drive stick .... What I don't understand is how the heck can Volkswagen NOT address this issue.... it is plain to see that there is problem with this car. How can my car - with only 62,000 ORIGINAL miles be on its 3rd clutch!???!? |
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My daughter has a 98 Beetle with about 105,000 miles on it. We bought it used about a year ago with 98,000 miles on it. I don't have any history on it - a Carfax turned up only regular maintanence for a couple years. I checked the fluid level when we bought it and it was good. It ran perfect for about a year then started lurching in drive every once in a while. Recently it started slipping bad and it's basically not driveable. I pulled the pan and replaced the filter and gasket. The fluid was brown but did not smell burned. There was a small amount of metal shavings on the pan magnet but not much considering the mileage on the car. After servicing it, it still slips in and out of drive. Is there anything else I can look for before I take it to a mechanic to have it checked out?
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Replying to: regnef (Jan 06, 2008 5:52 pm) Finally, driving on the freeway, it finally stopped shifting at all. I was stuck in third gear on the 405 in LA. I had to pull to the shoulder and call a tow truck to tow me to the dealer. It took them three days to even look at the car, at which point they told me it needed a new transmission. Incidentally, the car had 66,000 miles on it and the powertrain warranty expired at 65,000. They wanted $6,000 for the new transmission. Rather than pay it, I had the car towed to a transmission specialist who's been in business since 1963. After sitting for a few days, the car was shifting somewhat normally again. The transmission shop took it out for a drive and told me they couldn't find anything wrong. I told them they had to take it for a longer drive, and then they discovered the problem. They proceeded to take the entire transmission apart - it's burned and black and does need to be replaced. However, the problem isn't caused by the transmission. It's caused by the computer forcing the transmission to shift at improper times - wrong signals or whatever. So the computer is messed up and that's messing up the transmission, causing it to burn itself out. I have to have the computer fixed as well - if I just replace the transmission, it will just happen again. Still waiting to hear how much the transmission replacement and computer repair/replacement are going to cost.
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Replying to: ghuds (Jun 30, 2008 3:20 pm)
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Replying to: efonteno (Jul 18, 2008 5:36 am) |
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Replying to: briscoek (Oct 11, 2007 6:12 pm) |
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I've had the exact same thing happen to my 2000 Beetle. It started with having to over rev the engine to get from 2nd to 3rd when driving around town, you park it to do some shopping come back everything 's normal. Took it in to the dealer and was told that the tranny needed servicing, of course while your here you need a timing belt. I had my beetle serviced and a week later the same problem. Took it back to the dealer with Hey! maybe it's a sensor problem, No I was told You need A transmission It,s a nightmare. To anyone reading this don't feel alone you see I don,t have 4000 dollars and no way to get it, Can't sell a car with bad transmission. |
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Replying to: nataliemac (Jul 17, 2008 9:27 pm) After rebuilding the transmission, the kicking problem was still there once the engine warmed up. The transmission shop and I (with the help of this message board) identified three possibilities: * The sensors in the transmission * The transmission computer * The valve body (I have no earthly idea what this is) We started with the cheapest - the sensors - and replaced those. It didn't fix the problem on my car, though someone else here reported that fixed their car. The next lest expensive part to replace was the valve body. Luckily, in my case. That fixed the problem. And we didn't have to move on to the computer. Another transmission shop we consulted for guidance said they had solved a similar issue by re-programming rather than replacing the transmission computer. None of this was cheap. The total cost to me for rental car, transmission rebuild, parts and labor was almost exactly $6,000. The dealer was in no way of any help throughout the process, and they continue to insist that the only way to fix the problem is to replace the transmission. But at least two other people have posted here with the same problem and reported that replacing the transmission didn't fix the issue. So, there you go. I still owe $6,200 on the car. It could have been very nearly paid off for the cost of this one repair. |
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I have read all your problems with automatic transmission stuck in third. Did anyone resolve this problem. HELP Jeanne
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