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Volkswagen Beetle Body Work Problems

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    khaotik1khaotik1 Member Posts: 2
    The airbag light is a $170 peice...It is a sensor in the seatbelt that is bad. Just had to replace mine and VW IS NOT CHEAP. Their taking care of customers sucks bad.
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    vwbugssuckvwbugssuck Member Posts: 15
    I have a 13 yr old Plymouth Grand Voyager van with 208,000 miles on it and while I've had to make minor repairs, I've never had to replace a transmission at $8,000 after 5 yrs or window motors after 1 and 4 years. My bug is an '05 that I have not driven in over a year because I can't afford to have the transmission replaced. And, the convertible top never worked right, the liner keeps coming off and the headlights do not consistently work. I bought it brand new and took care of it. So, while there may be some validity to your comments there are a lot more out there that bought their car new and even when it went back to the dealer, they found "nothing wrong".
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    disneydelsoldisneydelsol Member Posts: 4
    Where are you located? I love my '04 beetle, but I am constantly ending up at the dealership replacing something. Now my top is coming unglued from the window. I can't afford dealership costs, even though I have an awesome warranty; this last thing isn't covered.
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    my2008vwmy2008vw Member Posts: 1
    I have a 08 convertible, after just a few years I recently noticed the paint on my front bumper is coming off, I have taken it in to the VW here in my area they had a manager look @ it and now I have to wait on a "specialist" to come look @ it to see if it is there fault,and to see if they will cover it. I wanted to know if this is a common problem and if anyone has had this happen to them??
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    5burfs5burfs Member Posts: 1
    The problems with the VW Beetle convertible. Mine is a 2003. Have spent over $5000 in repairs and still it's not working properly. I must wonder if most of this is the design/engineering of the car or is just VW in general with sub-par workmanship. Have replaced two motors for the windows. Spent over $1000 to "repair" the top and it still doesn't work. Airbag light replaced. Theromstats replaced. Now the alarm for the top has started to buzz when I take off from the stop position. Is there a class action suit anywhere about the lousy performance of these cars. Never Never buy a VW again. Shame on you VW!
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    meloyellow3meloyellow3 Member Posts: 1
    I've had the same exact issues with my 2003 beetle. I have a VW mechanic that works on my car and he is the only mechanic who works on my car there. He told me that those cables and motors go bad after a while and its very expensive to replace them. I spent $130 on the motor for my drivers window. My drunk switch went bad and I had to use the key switch for a while. Then my passenger window motor went out too. As far as the transmission, they've been sluggish lately. My car was like that and he told me that there is a major recall on the transmission and it's free but the total work costs about $2,400 dollars. I had that done and now my baby runs like a pro. Then, the back window glue has been melted since last summer and it rains quite often in my car. He said that it can't be glued because they manufacturers glue failed and that the entire top needs to be replaced at a total of $2,400 and that doesn't include labor. But don't worry, it's not you , it's the car. I've spend almost a total of $3,400 on work for this car and I want to jump off a bridge every time something else breaks. And to make things better, a few years ago, my mom was driving my car, and hit a drain pipe (not paying attention) and broke the oil pan and cracked the transmission. The poor car was smoking to death and was completely empty of oil. Believe me, I can go on and give you a list of parts and prices for all of the work done. I'm fed up! And not to mention that I spend $54/week on gas which doesn't last the entire week. The thought of it makes me cringe. But hold on and be strong! You are not alone in this crazy beetle word.
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    sdistortion51sdistortion51 Member Posts: 1
    Hey, I just snapped the plastic ball end joint that connects the flap to the motor on my girlfriends 2004 convertible new beetle. I was sad to see that I will be having to purchase the entire rod assembly instead of just one of the end joints. I've been searching for replacements all night and am not making any progress. Would you be able to attach a link of where you got yours from or help me out in any way. At this point I don't mind paying the 50$ I feel bad and just want to fix it before she kills me..
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    drownedbugdrownedbug Member Posts: 2
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    quellquell Member Posts: 1
    Hey there, I was able to find someone in Oakland Park who helped me fix the rear window. His name is Scott at Quality Interiors.
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    rvilanorvilano Member Posts: 1
    I have read several poor reviews on the Volkswagen beetle.my best advice to anyone who owns one is to find a good foreign car repair outside a volkswagen dealership.after purchasing a used Volkswagen beetle,I went to a dealership to have a spare key made.when key was made,I was also presented with a long list of services that would be needed for my car.one specifically at 80k miles,a new catalytic converter.and like clockwork ,when my odometer reached 80k miles ,emission light came on.took car to my mechanic,who replaced a small part for emission control.one week later,light came back on.returned car to my mechanic,who has been checking it religiously.he told me there is nothing wrong with the car,except the computer wants to tell me there is.i have had some small issues,cable on convertible etc.,but feel my mechanic has saved me a lot of money by not going through Volkswagen service,especially after reading customer complaints.
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    barb63barb63 Member Posts: 1
    My 2004 Beetle has 54,337 miles and the dealer has made all repairs to date. Now I am informed the value body needs replacing at a cost of $1900. We've already spent close to $3,000 on repairs on this car, window rotors, brakes, transmission plug, etc..I could go on and on. This was an emotional buy and I loved the car but all the money spent in repairs on a car with this low mileage is crazy. Talked to a mechanic today about the value body and he was only going to be $200 less so taking it back to the dealer. I had extended warranty; however, it expired year and half ago and VW won't do anything to help now but offer a $1,000 voucher on new car which now after owning two other VW's, I will never buy another one. this was my dream car, my therapy car, but it's about done with low miles, it's breaking my heart. Anyone know of a class action suit against VW for this as I am told they know of the problem and refuse to fix it.
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    sch2004sch2004 Member Posts: 2
    Sorry to hurt any feelings, but it's not the car. You have to change fluids constantly. Windows break, etc. but good solid car. As for the back window on convertable top, the only material that will stay together in heat or cold is just plain black gasket maker. make sure the window has enough wiggle room and use plenty between the canvas and glass. it is good at filling gaps and tears also.
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    sch2004sch2004 Member Posts: 2
    get 3 or 4 tubes of the gasket maker it's the same brand at walmart autozone etc. just be neat. once it dries it's a done deal
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    notgivingupyetnotgivingupyet Member Posts: 1
    Am seeking a solution to random, weird electrical problems:(in order of appearance over 9 months)
    -stall on starting, then won't start at all: new fuel pump and fuel pump relay, helps but still happens
    -new rear oxygen sensor but still codes this problem
    -new ignition because code called for it (gratis from the mechanic, as he can't figure this out!)
    -new main computer (ECM) because it blew out in a fantastic dash lite show
    -unsolved, random problems:
    --left blinkers freeze on, sometimes while driving but not using blinker, sometimes while locking car with key fob, sometimes in an abandoned parking lot with no one near!! Must toggle key fob repeatedly to cancel.
    --car alarm arms itself while holding the fob loosely in your hand and not pressing any button
    --cruise control quit suddenly and entirely never to be seen again
    --alarm for "you left on the headlights" is intermittent
    --new problem: car doesn't shut off when ignition is turned off. But shift into reverse and it shuts off nicely. This is random, has happened twice yesterday.
    --time/temperature gauge--temp is mostly blank, tho a couple times has read -126 degrees. Yes, minus!! Then it slowly warms up to -40 before going off completely. In sunny California, no less.
    --airbag warning light is on all the time, probably passenger side.

    Much searching by mechanic has been done. They feel so bad they can't find it, they aren't charging me for anything since the computer install 3 months ago. They are mystified! Dealership has been abominable, will NEVER work with them again! Can anyone suggest a fix? Please! I love my car and my husband now hates it!
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