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I had nothing but problems with my Beetle. Three O2 sensors, five window switches, a hatchback that refused to open on the first try, AC compressor/ and a driver's side window motor that failed (and controlled the door locks and side mirrors) later, I couldn't take it anymore.
My MPG's went from 33 to 25 after the third O2 sensor was installed.
Though the car was fun to drive, I am glad to be rid of it and sincerely hope the buzz I read about Toyota quality is correct.
I am not a great fan of Ford products but one can buy a Mustang GT convertible for less than $30K and at least enjoy the power of a V8 and probably a lot better reliability than VW beetle.
Factoring in how much the workers who make the Bettle earn, I think this car should be priced at $ 10K at most.
Where or ow can I mount a CD player?
Thanks for your help!
Ted
Volkswagen of America, Inc.
3499 West Hamlin Road
Rochester Hills, Michigan
48309
Dear Mr Klauss,
As the President of Volkswagen, I thought you might like to hear of my recent experience in purchasing a product from your company. It is a story from which not only you, but many others, can learn, and one which I am anxious to share.
I spent many years admiring Volkswagen cars for both their styling and espoused reliability, before I could finally afford to purchase one after I completed graduate school in 2002. In 2003, I proudly purchased a second-hand 1999 New Beetle GL, 2.0L, with a manual transmission and 50540 on the odometer. I had the car service checked by a AAA technician prior to purchase, to make sure it was in good condition, and I drove away a relatively happy customer. I was given no warranty brochure and no information about the manufacturer's warranty at this time.
As I rarely drove the car in the first month of ownership, I made my first journey in it when I moved from*** to ***. This is the last time I drove the car happily. My ten year admiration of Volkswagen began to dissipate one month into ownership. Immediately after the 350 mile drive, the 'check engine light' came on in my vehicle, and I lost power between gears. I spent the next four months and nearly $700 trying to fix this problem, including two visits to an extremely unreliable, unfriendly and not especially knowledgeable dealership (about whom I complained to VW USA).
It was during the next couple of months (September--October 2003) that I discovered the excessive oil consumption of the car. I drove one thousand miles without checking the oil in the Beetle, and the level went so low it caused the engine to knock. VW claims in one of their technical service bulletins (1701) that this level of consumption (one quart per thousand miles) is normal. If so, may I suggest that oil gauges similar to petrol gauges be fitted into the instrument panel? Since this is a most unusual characteristic of an automobile, the ignorance of which could cause the destruction of the engine, I think the driver should have an easy way of knowing when a refill is needed (usually every 2-3 weeks), as with the petrol.
In the new year, the Beetle suffered a spate of small problems. The battery died at 58K. Door handles and the finish on the parking brake wore. A cupholder broke off. The plastic grid at the front snapped. No one could fix the power mirrors which had never worked. However, this was a time of relative peace between me and the Beetle. Although I dreaded the return of the infamous check engine light , everything seemed to be fixed for the first time. I call this period, 'The Calm Before the Storm'.
The storm blew in around June 2004, with 60000 miles on the odometer, to mark the anniversary of one year of unhappy ownership, I heard a noise upon releasing the clutch at start up. Taking the car to the shop, I was told to replace the starter motor. This cost me $500. I also had the car fully serviced, which cost me $600. The replacement of a blown tail light and a new windshield blade cost another $130.
At this point, my family and friends began to beg me to sell the car. And at this point, I was afraid to pass on my problem to someone else. And would it were, but that's not the end of my story.
Whilst on my way home from work (odometer 67000) at the end of July, I heard an awful scraping sound coming from the transmission. I feared the worst, and received it. The mechanic diagnosed an 'internal failure', very similar to the one I suffered when told my repair bill, to replace the entire transmission: $2900! One third of the purchase price of the car.
It was at this point I called the customer service representatives at VW USA, and was informed that I was not covered under the 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. as I was not the car's original owner. I was however told that, due to recalls, I could have my Mass Air Flow Sensor replaced; my windows fixed if they fell into the door; and my complaint documented. And that was that. Mr Klaus, don't you think a warranty should stand behind a car, not an owner? I should very much like to know why, if VW have faith in their product, this policy is in effect.
A week ago I collected my car from the mechanic. The clutch, they found out, was also 75% worn, and also needed replacement. The bill was nearly $3500. A day or so after I collected it, the lock system was mistiming, and a $1 door switch needed replacement. VW, however, only offers a whole new latch. This repair cost me $250.
A year of VW ownership has cost me nearly $6000 (not including routine service, such as oil changes), as well as untold amounts of depression and inconvenience. It has sunk to me a level of debt I did not anticipate.
Additionally, the car has spent over a month in total in repair shops, leaving me stranded. It is now for sale, despite my qualms of conscience over selling such a sour lemon to another unknowing human being.
Mr Klaus, the one thing you should know, if you learn nothing else from my story, is that I am not alone. You can refer to websites such as myvwlemon.com, suckercars.com, and others: a short Google search brings up many such websites entirely devoted to problems with modern VWs. On these sites, you can, and you should, read about some of the misery, expense and inconvenience these cars have caused their unfortunate owners.
To satisfy my own curiosity, and to sooth my misery with company, last night I looked through moderated discussion groups on other web sites: edmunds.com, carsurverys.org, Consumer Reports. Each and every site had a long discussion regarding problems with VWs. For the two good reviews I read, I must have read 100 very bad ones. Included in these were some very negative comments about VW Customer Service and poor quality dealerships (corroborated by my own experience).
The complaints myself and other owners have voiced are not minor problems. They are major issues, and they have a routine similarity: transmission and engine failure, fuse boxes melting, persistent check engine light, electrical fires, window collapses, and so on. These issues are not only excessively expensive to repair; they are also safety hazards.
As I sure you know, modern companies are based on brand image. But perhaps you do not know that the current brand image of Volkwagen-- among the volks, anyhow, who actually drive the car-- is failure. We unhappy few have found to our misfortune that, due to the cost of repairs, a total lack of reliability, poor customer service, poor dealership service, and the refusal of Volkswagen to stand behind the car with their warranty (rather than use it as a buyer incentive), these cars have become one of the least attractive options on the market.
The drivers Volkswagen advertised for are out there, telling their stories. I think you should listen.
Quite soon I should think that Volkswagen might be saying in a rather different sense: 'Drivers wanted'.
Well, President Klauss, I very much hope you enjoyed my story. For I believe that very soon you will be reading it everywhere.
Sincerely yours,
Dissatisfied VW Owner
The console doesn't have an armrest or storage compartment.
I was wondering if anyone knows of an after market one that is available. I seen one @ JC Whitney that might work.
Can anyone help me??
About how much would that cost?
Has anyone ever known duck tape to stick to a canvas top? Well, I now know from experience that it doesn't, especially when wet...how convenient.
Ugh. The PT Cabrio is starting to seem like the better choice.
I smell lemons.
This is the worst quality piece of crap that I have ever come into contact with. I would have been better off buying a 10 year old kia from a wrecking yard.
As a result, I am pursuing the lemon law buy back program.
ANYBODY WHO READS THIS, STAY AWAY FROM THIS CAR, IT IS NOTHING BUT A PIECE OF CRAP!!!! JUST READ ALL OF THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS HERE AND YOU WILL SEE THAT I AM NOT ALONE!
GET THIS, IT HAS NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT! Just 2 timing belts and regular maintence. Imagine that, a car that is trouble free.
AGAIN, STAY AWAY FROM THIS CAR!!!!!!!
I think that given all the convertible top problems in this car, VW should develop a manual top conversion kit, or at least there should be a way to open and close the top manually (is there?).
You do not have to warn me not to buy this car. I have resisted any temptation to buy any VW vehicle for the past eighteen years. VW sold me a giant and expensive new lemon in 1986, never fixed it, insulted me repeatedly, lied to the arbitration board despite evidence presented by a certified Audi mechanic, and refused to repurchase the car. No more VWs. I have been a lot happier with Japanese cars.
The best part is the service manager scolded me for having the loaner car for so long...until I pointed out that he forgot to tell me that my car was done.
All the while I am waiting for VW to call with the lemon law status investigation to finish.
This means replacing the top, the radio and all of the power window mechanism. They will also need to replace the engine for the high pitched whining sound and now blue smoke that always comes from the tailpipe.
In case anybody missed my earlier post...AVOID THIS CAR AT ALL COSTS!!!!
BTW, the people who built your car make about 1/10th of what their counterparts in Germany make. Not that the sticker prices reflect that...
VW as the worst performing auto manufacturer in the linup. Of the cars with the worst reliability and the ones to avoid, Consumer named the VW:
Passat
Jetta
New Beetle
Tourag
Golf
That pretty much includes every car that VW makes sans the Pheaton but give that a year and it will be on the list.
Of the two months that I bought my wife a new bug convertible, it has actually resided at the dealership for 6 weeks. VW and the dealership are now refusing to return my calls.
I do feel for anyone that has continual problems with their vehicle. I have dealt with the same things in the past with different makes of cars and it's not fun.
So, I do enjoy reading about people's experiences with their VW's, but I don't enjoy reading the same rant over and over.
Seriously, I feel your pain. These stories would be funny if these cars cost $ 250 instead of $ 25,000. As it is, they are only entertaining to the outsiders.
In response to the recent Consumer Reports survey, VW Executives agreed that they have quality issues and stated that the new Jettas and Passats will be improved greatly. I sure hope so for VW's sake. If they don't reel in these issues they will be where they were in the early 90's.
Horsepower: 45
Acceleration (0 to 100km/h or 62 MPH): 27.2 sec
Top speed: 124km/h or 77 MPH
Bob
I may lose my nerve after reading the posts as you say. I have an Audi A4 now and it scares me whenever I start it up. So many lights have gone on and forced me back to the dealer. And the dealer never has any parts. They always have to order them. I thought perhaps the beetle might be less complex and therefore more reliable. But alas it seems like the problem is in VW's genes.
Bob
I have a 2000 New Beetle 1.8 Turbo, and am having trouble with the EPC brake light coming on. The dealership told me that that had happened to almost every New Beetle, and that it had been recalled. I am going today to have it repaired. Because I am the second owner and it is over 2 years old and more than 24,000 miles, it won't be paid for by VW. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, after having it repaired, did it stop? I have only had this car since September, and have had the battery die, the EPC thing going on, the brake line broke...I almost over it! And to think this was my dream car...
Thanks!