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I am curious - you mentioned that the "kit" from TDIparts had the "wrong" timing belt.... Are you aware that those kits PURPOSFULLY include the 100,000 mile TB? This is intended to allow you to "convert" your VW over to 100,000 mile TB changes.
What was the problem you encounterd with the TDIPARTS TB? Did you send eMail to TDIPARTS to get refund? (I have always found them very easy to work with)
Cheers!
My 2003 Jetta is only at 77K miles.
I realize this is a NewBeetle forum but on a roadtrip from Vermont -to- Pittsburgh and back. It is measurably getting 58MPG on the highway. (which is over 800 miles per tankfull.)
I still wonder why most other folks are driving gassers. I could never again contend with under 40MPG from a passenger car. (Like my daughers 2001 NewBeetle)
Question......does this sound right to you guys? Is there a short-cut or "trick of the trade" to do this at home? I will have to tow this thing 100miles if not. As always...any and all help is greatly appreciated.....
It is NOT normal for the enrire electrical system to go haywire.... somtimes your radio may think it has been stolen and go into "SAFE" mode... but the rest of the symptoms you describe are NOT normal.
Greatly appreciate any replies.
Thanks All,
Guns
I had to disassemble and lubricate the latch on the hatch of my daughters Gulf a couple years ago. As I recall, I had to open the hatch and remove the trim from the inside to gain access to the latch mechinism.
Once it is apart, you can follow the wires to the microSwitch which acts as the sensor. I dont recall if the uSwitch was in the latch or not.
In any case, I would be very surprised if the design is much different from the Gulf. The Gulf, Beetle and Jetta are all built on the same basic platform.
Things I have to change: heater core, timing belt, coolant leak, oil leak, alternator bearing, serp belt that burnt away because of the alternator bearing...
Defective brake lights on Golf, GTI, Jetta, New Beetle and R32 are a potential safety hazard and should be replaced.
February 26, 2007 - Around 800,000 Volkswagen vehicles have been recalled Monday because of faulty brake lights, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
The 790,000 vehicles include Jettas, New Beetles, Golfs, GTIs and R32s...all in the United States.
The specific years and models affected are:
1999-2005 Jetta sedans
2001-2005 Jetta wagons
1998-2007 New Beetle
2003-2007 New Beetle Convertibles
1999-2006 Golfs and GTIs
2004 R32
The malfunctioning brake lights and brake light switches could fail to come on or remain stuck on.
This recall expands on one announced by the carmaker last year, when 362,000 Jettas and New Beetles were recalled due to the same defective part.
Gees.
Uh...no the Gulf is not. However, the "Golf" is.
Besides , this is ooolllddd news.... Anyone that has properly registerd their VW with VWOA will have already received their recall notice by now anyway.
I really like beetles, but also don't know much about how to maintain a car. Please give me some suggestions! I really appreciate!
I have just purchase an used 01' NB with 99,000 miles and it seems fine save for a touchy alarm that goes off at night at arour 11 pm. The carfax looked good and the dealership did an inspection and all that jazz....was this purchase a mistake?? I really wanted a Beetle, so I chose to buy for a dealer and was very picking about the one I wanted.......Is someone on here going to tell me that without a doubt there will be a 5,000 repair on the horizon.
On these forums, you will read mostly BAD experiences from people who are disgruntled in some way. It is human nature to not say anything unless there is a problem. You should read these Edmunds forums whith this in mind.
VWs are very nice vehicles. VW would have gone out of business loonng ago if they were not. Lets keep things in perspective here.... VWs are sold in nearly every continent of this planet. The NorthAmerican (NA) VW market is MINISCULE compared to the rest of the world.
ALL vehicles have their share of issues/problems. These very forums are testamant to that fact.
The bigger problem with VWs here in NA is that decent repair shops are hard to find. There are not a lot of competent VW/Audi technition to be found. The result of this fact is overpriced repairs that may not fix the problem. (and may cause other problems)
Another thing about VWs (and German cars in general) is that the owners are EXPECTED to follow the maintainance schedules explained in the owners manual.
As a comparison... many Asian vehicles are designed for owners which generally ignore the maintainance schedules.... (You drive a reliable- but BOORING car)
the car should never stall like that of course. something is rotten if it stalls and you are right to suspect the previous service. dealer would have charged a lot more than $600 for that work, i bet.
I can have it armed all day at work, then take it home at night and about 6pm or so it goes off, I can shut it off by pressing the unlock button on the remote, but a while later it may go off again. I just took it to the dealer for 2 days and they thought it was some wiring issue to do with the radio, I picked it up and at 5pm it goes off.
Has anyone had similar problems...please let me know..can I simply have them unhook the alarm all together?
Are you suggesting that the alarm will go off again EVEN WHEN IT IS NOT ARMED?? (the doors are unlocked)
I know this much, the alarm will sound if ANY of the following are sensed as being opened.
*) Hood
*) Hatch/Trunk
*) Any Door
I am suspecting that one of the micro-switches that sense the above may be the culprit. It may be very difficult to isolate the problem. You may have more luck using the process of elimination.
Since you did not mention that the indicator on dash which shows Doors and Trunk open has not been seen while driving... I am suspecting that the switch on the hoodlatch may be suspect. (because there is no indicator on the dash for it)
Try this, with alarm set... try to wiggle/jiggle the hood open and see if you can trigger the alarm.
Another thing you can try is to bypass the hoodswitch with a jumper. Leave jumper in place for several weeks to see if that fixes the problem. The hoodswitch is pretty easy to get at while the other switches are burried inside the body-panels. This is another reason to isolate that one first.
(i think car alarms are essentially useless and far more trouble than they are worth).
I just bought an used 2001 GLS,auto that seems to a diamond in the rough...after 400 miles of my use that is. It has 99,000 miles on it and according to the carfax and various records I have has had it's small share of the problems...brakelights, window motor replaced, but that's largely it. It had a radiator replaced at 99,000 miles, but isn't that kind of expected?
Does a car have to be a Honda or a Toyota to last a long time and provide reliable service? I do read the Toyota forums because I am also a Camry owner and it has had it's share of bad PUB recently, but it still retains that gleeming reputation of great reliability with the public at large.
Can I expect to get to 150,000 miles or more without a terrible multi thousand dollare repair bill. Thanks for reading my post .
I can tell you that each of my daughters and myself have VWs and would not even consider anything else.
With the new 140HP TDI coming out in 2008... why would ANYONE consider a car that gets less than 45MPG?
Among comparable models, VWs consistantly has better-quality features, attention to details and that German roadcar handling not available anywhere else. Many folks forget that VWs are essentually Audis at a lower price-point.
With VW, you get things like 4-wheel disk brakes and indipendant suspension and antiroll bars that actually do somthing for you. For grins, I just went online and compared my 2003 VW to brand-spanking new 2008 Honda and Toyota models.... It is my VW which gets better MPG and has more features. I think I will keep my TDI for awhile longer. (like 200K miles)
As for predicting repair-bills - any vehicle on the planet is a crapshoot... but at least with VW, you are starting with high-quality components and great engineering.
I decided to choose either the Michelin Pilot Sport AS (around $180) or the Michelin Pilot Exalto AS (around $165). Both gave exemplary reviews from VW owners, including the GTR. None were from Beetle Turbo S owners, so was I curious if anyone, esp turboS drivers, had any good advice. I know these tires are pricey but improvements on ride, performance, and traction from the original tires is of utmost importance. Any advice would be appreciated.
One cannot fix a problem until one know exactly what the problem is. The VagCom tool can tell you exactly why the CEL (Check Engine Light) is on Only with that information can you even begin to figure out what to do to resolve the issue.
You asked for ideas....
If you do not wish to invest in a VagCom, there are lists on the internet of people that own a VagCom who are willing to scan your car for you. Example of one ==> http://vag-tool.kicks-[non-permissible content removed].net/
Additionaly, if you had used the search feature, you would have found that it has been discussed many times that some autoparts stores (Autozone?) will scan your car for free and tell you what code is flagging the CEL.
In any case, you need to know why the CEL is on before moving forward. Once you have the specific code, then you can look it up here
At that point - you can come back to this forum and tell us the code. We may be able to assist you from there.
does anybody have any ideas.
My mechanic says the fluid is a little dark, what does it mean? How long do these trannies last....
This is my second VW and my take on them is this.
They are a good car that require owner involvement.
They are different cars. They behave differently than the run of the mill Japanese or American car. They offer unique value, like the suspension, handling, 4 wheel disc brakes, heated seats,one touch power down windows all around, etc-> at a competitive price point. They have a diesel option. They are the only passenger car right now in the price point with the diesel.
But this comes at a trade-off. You have to be involved with them. You will have quirky things act up and go, that you have never seen on your other cars. You need a reliable VW dealer for warranty work, and a really reliable independent VW repair place for out-of-warranty. You have to read forums to get advice to manage costs that come up. You have to really adhere to the maintenance schedules.
Most of the above you could probably lapse or take a short cut on with a conventional Japanese or American car. Not with a VW.
Now having said that, I truly feel with active maintenance, that my Beetle could go well over 200k miles. Plus, VWs have great bodies and rustproofing. They don't rot like Toyotas.
In general stay away from early years of a model, and avoid certain automatic transmissions. Mine has the 4spd auto 01M, and they have a reputation for failing. Although mine drives great.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the 01M that you have, I also have, and unfortunately they have a bad reputation.
But, I wouldn't worry over it. Mine drives perfectly. I've had it for 32k miles.
You have to change the fluid and filter at least every 100k miles if not sooner. It is supposed to be lifetime fluid, but that is a crock. Have a good, reputable independent VW place change the fluid and filter if it hasn't been done.
A number of people have these lasting well into 150k+ range, some over 200K+. It seems the valve bodies on the trans can go.
They only gave me one key fob, I have no key code....so who will be the 1st on here to tell me I'd better not lose this key because I can't copy or replace ...or am I wrong. Does anyone have exp. with replacing one of these and the cost of it. Can it be cut from the one I have....as far as the immobilizer is concerned can the VW dealer simply reprogram my key fob and one I may purchase....can someone tell me if I;m making sense. Thanks.... and yes I asked if the dealer had anymore keys for my car.
Basically, a replacment needs several steps taken including cutting and reprogramming.
If you have a known-good one, then re-programming it involves plugging one in the ignition and the other in the drivers door.
This is another great time to remind others to INSIST that both keyfobs and the valet key is supplied when purchasing a used VW. Make it part of the purchase-agreement that the seller will purchase any missing keys. (Keyfobs can cost over $100 each!!!)
If you do find the old keyfobs, they should just work. Are you suggesting that they would somehow become DEprogrammed just because you misplaced them?
If you DO need to reprogram a keyfob, you can reprogram them yourself. There is no need to pay dealership to perform this simple process.
As I said before... to reprogram , one goes in the ignition and the other in the drivers door.
The moral of this story is... The security of a system that makes your car almost impossible to steal also means that lost keyfobs are expensive to replace.
Incase you did not know... your RADIO is also protected by a security system. I sure hope everyone has writtten down the code to unlock their radio.... lest another expensive trip to the dealership is forthcoming. (example... replacing the battery in your VW may cause the radio to go into SAFE mode and reqiuire that code to unlock it)