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Comments
It is underneath my car the water drops from the bottom middle location. Thanks.
Sorry forgot to mention it is a 2005 Turbo Diesel Beetle
turns out there was some sort of hose or something not hooked up precisely.
it was about 2000 dollars to fix.
There are other small things not working which are related to the latch and the only thing I really want repaired is the headlight on chime. I'm posting to ask for verification that replacing the door latch will restore the warning signal.
I bought it new, love this car, and have taken good care of it.
Appreciate anyone who had this drama respond, needless to say the CVC joints had to be replaced . The aluminum bolts seem way undersized to carry half the engine. Thanks
tisk tisk.... Those are very special Torque To Yield bolts that MUST be replaced if they are removed. (Using only the replacement bolts supplied by VW) This is becasue they are designed to s-t-r-e-t-c-h when they are tightned. The bolts end up in an elastic state. This ends up with a constant tension on the connected components.
BTW: These bolts are not aluminum! The xmission housing is Aluminum.
The reason they break is because someone has REUSED them after they were removed.... perhaps to perform a timing-belt replacement. They get stretched agan beyond the point of yielding (to the breaking point). Or some of them loosen and put all the stress on the other bolts.
If a VW dealer does not know why they break... then I would be wary of that shop. (They should know why)
A situation like this would make me suspect that a timing belt change was perhaps done "on the cheep" and may not have replaced all the pullies, seals, waterpump and other items that should be replaced during a timing-belt change.
For a 2002... I beleive the timing-belt should have been reciently replaced at your 70K mile mark.
One appender to the above suggests that dealerships are notorious for NOT replacing the TTY (Torque To Yield) bolts.... and then charge people for the resulting bolt failure.
1)When you 1st start the car, the antifreeze is so low that it triggers the alert.
2)After running the engine for awhile, the antifreeze heats up and expands. This expansion "fills" the resivour enough to turn off the alert.
Since VWs REQUIRE special "G12" antifreeze and there is no substitute... I would suggest you add no more than about 1/2 cup of distilled water to bring the level up a bit. (or purchase and mix with distilled-water your own batch of "G12" antifreeze)
Of course - do this when engine is stone-cold so your level-reading is accurate. As the engine warms up, the antifreeze level goes up.
I am having the same problem and this only happens when the weather gets under 30 degrees or about there. Now once the weather warms up it will start , did you ever find a solution to your start up issues? Thanks for your reply.
Thanks,
kssd62
Owners experiencing problems or issues with a vehicle are certainly more likely to make noise about it than those who simply like their car. That can sure make it seem like more cars have an "issue" than they really do.
I'm concerned about expensive repairs once the warranty runs out. I've heard bad things about the Cooper and VW re. expensive repairs
Also concerned about gas mileage - not good with the VW Beetle.
Reliability?
Cost...The Chevy Sonic is much less expensive to purchase than anything else, and repairs are probably less too. Mileage is great. But the VW and Cooper are so much cuter and more fun.
I need some advice! Thanks!
Bel Air Cary Guy
We once went from Vermont - Colorado - Vermont and the engine never cooled off. 3 drivers taking turns on the way to CO. and 4 drivers coming back to VT.
The 750+ miles per tank of fuel made the trip not too expensive either.
Personally, I have always changed my own rotors/pads. For less than $200, I can have VERY high quality Zimmerman rotors and Akebono pads on all 4 corners. My wife helps bleed the hydrolic system by pumping the brake-pedal as I crack open the bleeder-nipples.
When your 2003 VW needs timing-belt change ... do NOT go for the cheapest offer out there. While it is apart, EVERY moving part needs to be replaced... lest you may have troubles later. If you do some research, you will find some competent VW mechanics to perform this critical job.
While stopped with car running, the car does not roll down a hill at all. But once I turn the car off for a few seconds and re start it, all is fine no shake in the steering wheel and brakes are fine and car will free roll if desired.... until the next time it happens...
When the problem does happen , I can smell the burning of pads.
Any feedback would help.
Try using compressed air to clear it first, as it's the least expensive solution.
(Free - $6.99)
If that doesn't do it the next step is to replace the turn signal relay/hazard light switch. I bought the part for $36 from our local vw dealer. If memory serves you will need a phillips and flat blade screwdriver. (If you have hex keys you may want to have them handy but those might have been for adjusting the headlights. I did both the same day!) It took about 40 minutes.
If that also doesn't work, you've gotten so much dust and gunk in the turn signal selector that you'll need to replace it. I did not need to do this step, so I have no idea of the the cost, or what is involved in swapping it out. There is, however, a video on You Tube that shows the whole process!
Good luck!