Volkswagen Cabrio

dawsini · January 2006

How do you remove the cigarette lighter holder from a 98 Cabrio?

dawsini · January 2006

How do you temove the radio from a 98 Cabrio?

dencabby · January 2006

:confuse: I turn off the car, remove the key and... The radio stays on, the windows can be opened/closed and the bell chimes when the door is open. The only way to stop this is to re start the car and remove the key (sometimes more than once). So, is it better to re start the car and turn the electrical off or to leave the electrical on and not overuse the starter?

ibmelissa · February 2006

I just purchased a 2001 Cabrio GLS. I LOVE this car. Before I bought it I read this entire forum to see the problems. You guys are very informative. I have a few questions though. First thing is taking care of the top. It's still winter and I'm worried about snow/ice damage. Is there anything I can do to prevent it? I'm not sure of how much weight it can hold if we end up with a lot of snow. Is there anything special I need to do when cleaning the top? It's cloth, not vinyl. Also, there is no cd changer/player. I'd rather not go the cd changer route. Is it safe to take the head unit out and put in a new one? I read about the safe mode thing, but I'm not sure if that applies to the cd changer or what. I hope this car lives forever. I drove it with the top down today and it was so exhilarating. You guys rock!

ilovemyvw · February 2006

I have a 2002 cabrio I purchased 6/06 I know how you feel ! I LOVE THIS CAR !! I recently bought , on ebay. a "boot " cover for the top when it is down so while I was trying it on I let my son drive it the other day , with the top down ...It was like 55 degrees ! I said "this is what skiing feels like !" He said "you ski at 90 MPH"?
I actually bought some convertible top cleaner/protectant. I think I found it on ebay. It is a 303 uv product. We have used 303 products on our boat canvas , so I feel confident using it ! (I actually haven't got the chance to use it yet ) . The top is in great condition so I want to keep it that way ! I will NEVER not have a cabrio ,,,now that I finally got one !
also ...You know the vw ads "drivers wanted" I had a sticker made up "DRIVER FOUND". I love my car !!

ibmelissa · February 2006

That sticker is sweet. There was one on my car from the dealership when I got it, but I took it off. I couldn't make myself take a chance on damaging the paint. I would cry. So is there a special way to wash the top? Mine is in amazing shape, and I don't want to ruin it. It looks like they washed it before I got it because it has lint on it, but I don't think a linty towel is the best thing. I have no idea. I looked at Pep Boys for a cloth top wash, but I didn't see any. Also, I found a cd player unit that I want, do you know if I can have one put in, even though there's an anti-theft on the normal radio? I just love this car. I can't wait for spring now. Spring fever baby!

ashe1 · February 2006

I have a 99 cabria. I have to lock and unlock my car from the passenger side with my key. A few years ago, I had the ignition swith and both door locks replaced. A couple of weeks ago, both door locks froze up. I could get the door unlocked with a key, but the factory alarm would not turn off. (the blinking LED kept blinking. The alarm sounded and the ignition was disabled. I disoconnect the battery and had the car towed to the VW dealership. They unjamed my door locks, but the electronics are still finnicky. Kirk

ashe1 · February 2006

My 1999 Cabrio needs a new top. Motor is fine. The dealership quoted $4500. Any suggestions?

Kirk from Carolina

readyyyfreddie · February 2006

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I have a 1997 5 speed Highline Cabrio & I was wondering if anyone else had ever had problems with the smell of antifreeze inside the car? It's not bad when I'm going down the road, but when I'm idling it starts to smell horrible. Plus I'm car stupid, so that doesn't help.
Any suggestions as to what it is?
Thanks!
-audrey.

dencabby · February 2006

I like Raggtopp. They have a line for cloth and vinyl. It's a reasonable price as well. :shades:

gfish2 · February 2006

The canvas top on my cabrio is in perfect condition. I found the wash/uv protector on ebay. I will follow the directions carefully cause I also want it to last forever ! When I washed the car over the summer, last summer, I pretty much just hosed the top off and if there was a spot (bird crap) or something on it I wiped it with a we soapy cloth and rinsed it well. I like the canvas top much better the the vinyl ones I have seen.

tarsus · February 2006

I lost my spare key for my cabrio. Can I make a key for this car anywhere or does it have one of those chips in it. thanks

debob · February 2006

My wife's 02 Cabrio GLS has a problem. When she pumps gas it will not allow her to fill it at 'full speed'; she can only pump at partial speed or the pump shuts off. Anybody had that problem?
If I don't get an answer I'm going to be filling up for both of our vehicles!!!
Thanks

mlcorejr · February 2006

I just found this website/Cabrio Forum! I found your message about the CD connector being located somewhere in the rear-right of the trunk. I have the same question! Did you ever find an answer? Thanks for any help!

cab98 · February 2006

Try not putting the nozzle in to far, back it off a little, but not so far as to spill on the car.

iamnjt · March 2006

As I live in New Jersey, we are Not allowed to pump our own gas. Its one of the most attractive parts about living here. Seriously though - I have had my 02 Cab GLX
for over 3 years and I would say at least 1 in 4 times the attendant has problems pumping gas in my car. The set it up, walk away and it clicks right off within the first 30 seconds or less. This is so annoying because then I have to get there attention to restart it again.
Now that I have read your posting - I understand what is happening. Too fast, hmmmm. So yes this does happen to others. Some gas stations I find - it never happens in- so either they are aware and pump it slower, I am not sure.

Thank you for your posting - now I feel smarter.

ibmelissa · March 2006

I'm not too sure why it won't let you, but in the manual it says to use partial speed. Maybe we have brilliant cars?

scup1 · March 2006

Would welcome any input on this. Stopped at the groc store and when I got back in the car, it wouldn't start. New battery and recent tune up, etc. Mechanic said it needed a new Computer/ECM. The price he quoted for the part and labor was over $400 and a friend told me to look online for the part and he would install it for me. I've found it on EBAY and they claim it is from the same make and model in good working condition but the part # is different than the one on mine. The ad states that it will work in any VW cabriolet from 1990-1993. WOuld these years part numbers be interchangeable. I asked a dealer and they didn't think so. What do you all think? Other part sites quoted me the same price as my mechanic $300-$350 for the part. HELP!!!!

fatula · March 2006

I have a 02 cabrio conv w/33000 that has been to the VW dealership for elec. issues in Nov. The check engine light was on, when I put the key in the lock, the windows would roll down, alarm would sound or if I was inside the car with the key in the ignition the doors would sometimes lock. They said they fixed it, under warranty. Didn't take it back in Dec. my mistake-had same issues, called and made appt's but had to cancel them. I was in an accident to the back end of the car on 12/31 had that fixed thru another place and took the car back to the dealership in Jan. complaining of the alarm, check engine light, etc. The dealership said they put 20 hrs of work in, and it wasn't covered under warranty, since I was in an accident. I contacted the other mechanic, and the insurance co, the insurance co sent an adjuster out and said it was the responsibility of the dealer. Called Volkswagen of America twice, they said they agreed with the dealership. I just paid $2000 for that fiasco, picked up the car yesterday and took the car back at 7am today for the check engine light, delay wipers don't work, back windows won't roll up without holding the button, the door lock now spins instead of locking and all of the windows are down. The dealership said that the door handle is faulty and that's not covered under warranty. Oh, by the way, the warranty just expired earlier this month. Please help! Has anyone else had these kinds of crazy problems? Any advise on what to do now? Arbitration?

vwed · April 2006

Hi everyone!! I am looking for a little advice on my 98 Cabrio. Acouple of weeks ago my car stopped being able to sense when my parking brake was down.. so because of that my headlights aren't working, neither is my ABS, my heater or A/C fan or my windsheild wipers. My friend bypassed the emergency brake switch but everything still did not work. I can still drive at night as long as I turn my headlight switch on and hold back my bright flashers, also everything else works when I do that.. Anyone else had this problem??? thanks for reading !:)

vwed · April 2006

I had mine replaced at an autobody shop after someone broke my back window it cost $1500 don't get your top replaced at the dealership!!!!!!!!! with my insurance it cost me $500

huntmingus · April 2006

The passenger side door is stuck closed. It can not be unlocked and it can not be opened.

How do I get into the door from the inside and what are likely issues / fixes?

pennster · April 2006

Well Glad to hear I am not alone. I have had my 2002 cabrio into the dealership about 25 times for this problem, at first they told me I was crazy basically never heard of this problem, then I asked the service manager to go and fill up the car. He came back not very happy. I took him forever. He now believed me. Well they replaced the fuel tank, right from the top (filling opening) and it was better. For about 3 weeks and then it started again. does it sometimes and not others. They said that the original one had a kink in the line stopping the fuel for entering properly so it would back up.
I don't know what it is but I would get rid of this car in a in a New York minute if I didn't love it so much. So If yourself or any one knows the magic answer please let me know also I am desperate.

tennis4 · May 2006

I just bought a 2002 cabbie and love it. It did not come with an owners manual and the dealer wants $50.00 which I don't care to pay are there any online??
I can't figure out how to get the back seat down. I pulled the knob in the trunk and that releases the back portion but I can't figure out how to release the bottom part. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks, Vicki:)

misswendyt · May 2006

Hi all,

I live in Massachusetts, and I sort of have my heart set on buying a cabio, preferably a 2000.

Can anyone tell me if I am going to regret this due to either service issues, or the fact that I would need to drive it in a New England winter?

Should I just stick with the trusty, yet not nearly as hip Honda?

Wendy

rocky54 · June 2006

Go with your heart. If it's what you really want, go for it. You only live once, enjoy life!

Ken

koolnessgoddes · June 2006

I have a '92 cabriolet and when i bought it the previous owner did not leave the owner's manual. it was in fair shape and i knew it was going to be a risk to take the top down but i did anyway and now i can't get it back up again, is there something specific i have to do or should just pulling it back up work? if i can't get it back up should i bring it to a dealer, do you think that it will cost money?

ppvalentine · June 2006

there should be a hand crank and an electric open close think in the trunk. did you open it from the dashboard?

mas3 · June 2006

I have a 97 cabrio highline with 82K miles on it, I bought the car in November, we start having hot weather here, I noticed the car won't start from like 11-6 pm when it is hot outside, the car will start fine late evening when it around 70's.
I just replaced the battery, that did not fix the problem !
Anyone else had this problem ?

jessicale · June 2006

Hi,

I am new to the group, but I am a 2002 Cabrio owner. I have been fighting with VW over this issue for 3 years. They finally just fixed this. My car would not fill up at full speed. They just replaced the EVAC container which is right inside the fuel tank. It was under warranty, so I can't tell you how much it was... It is a pain to pump gas at half speed. I have only had it fixed for 3 weeks, so I hope the problem is taken care of.

Thanks,

Jessica

mourninglory · June 2006

Hi all, Im a new owner of a cabrio. I bought it used and was trying to check all of the fluids today..and as dumb as this may sound I couldnt seem to find out how to check the transmission fluid. I have a 97 highline cabrio..can anyone help?
thanks,
Nova

timy · June 2006

I have a 2002 cabrio with 39K and Just started to hear a loud rattling noise when I accelerate. Took it in and they said both exhaust outer shell are rusted thru. Of course I'm three months out of basic warranty. When they fixed your did you have to contact VW Corp to get authorization?

Thanks :sick:

fiestyvermin · July 2006

Hello everyone I just today bought a 97 Cabrio Convertible the leather seats inside are rough and the convertible top is not as pristine as can be but I got it for 4k which seemed like a decent deal not as great as I would have wanted but still not bad only 76k miles I notice a rattling in the front end almost like a tire out of balance or something I havent taken it to a mechanic yet that will be tomorrow but I am wondering if any body else noticed that when they accelerate it has vibration then once I hit speed it stops any thoughts I would appreciate thanks

jdeghart · July 2006

:confuse: I just bought a 1995 Cabrio with ABS for my daughter. Every so often, the brake pedal will push all the way to the floor and the car won't stop. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

vdubdad · July 2006

Hi, not a dumb question..you cant check it. it's a sealed unit.

skijulater · July 2006

I purchased my 98 Cabrio brand new from the dealer in February 1999. From the very beginning I have had the following problems: 1) Check engine light. This goes on and off on a regular basis for no apparent reason 2) Alarm on car is triggered during very wet weather (this happens occasionally) 3) Problems with drivers side rear evening running light. The first time dealer thought the bulb was out, replaced it, 2 weeks later it was out again, they replaced it again, it went out again within 2 weeks. They took the whole thing apart, spent several hours on it and told me they couldn't figure out why it was out and they would need to put their best guy on it and would cap the cost of doing this at $500. I told them I wasn't going to pay that I'd rather keep replacing the bulb every couple of weeks. So I got the car back and figured I'd take my chances. That was over a year ago and the light is still working without a problem?! 5) Have a power top on my car, one day I try to put the top down and it wouldn't work (thankfully it was stuck in the 'up' position!). Tried to get the top to go down several times over the next few days, wouldn't work. Week later tried it again and it worked, this was 3 years ago and have not had the problem since.

5) Craziest thing to happen with car so far: the passenger window stopped working, it was like this for over a year. A friend of mine is a good mechanic and he dismantled the entire passenger door to see what the problem was, he thought I needed a new motor, priced it out and it's not cheap ($400+ at the time). so since it's a convertible and I have a/c and it's the passenger side window I figured I had not need to get it fixed. Brought the car to VW for service a couple of months after this problem and specifically told them to LEAVE THE WINDOW ALONE I did not want to pay to fix it, the guy at the service desk said he thought there was a recall on it so they'd check it out. They called me a couple of hours later and told me I needed a new motor and it wasn't covered under a recall. I told them to leave it alone don't replace the motor, of course then they wanted to charge me for taking the car apart (think it was about $200-$300) I refused and they wound up caving on that. Get the car back and confirm passenger window still does not work. Approximately a year later my nephew is sitting in the car with me and he hits the window button to try and put the window down and AMAZINGLY THE WINDOW WORKS?! It has now worked for approximately 3 years. Occasionally when I have that window down and I hit the button to put the window up it will go up and down on it's own a few times and ultimately will close. HOW WEIRD IS THAT?!

Anyway, I thought that sharing some of my experiences with this car would help others to understand the fickleness of the Cabrio. I live in CT and I ski, so I've driven it to Vermont through snow storms (I did have snow tires) and I never had a problem getting anywhere with it. I still love this car and while I am in search of another car now (SUV) my intention is to keep my Cabby until it won't run anymore. It's a fun vehicle and was worth every penny and every frustrating experience I've had with it.

mschoger · September 2006

I have run into the same problem. Anyone have a reason for this occurring? Could it be the master cylinder?

antoci · September 2006

Hello Wendy
Did you choose? I have the same dilema!
- Joey

ljbelle · September 2006

Just wondering how you hooked up your kids car seats with no shoulder belt. I just got a 1990 Cabriolet and it does not come with rear shoulder belts. Trying to find out what other people have done. I have two kids...2 and 4.

Thanks!

rtc1 · September 2006

We use the toddler car seats with the built in 3 point attachment for the kids. The car seat itself is attached via the regular waist seatbelt in the backseat + the long belt that is used with the central latch system tied to the top center rear of the carseat; I thread the belt between the back of the rear seat and the rear dashboard into the luggage compartment. I hook the latch onto the back upper rim of the luggage compartment (where the rubber seal is for the compartment) and tighten the belt. This provides a secure 3 way seating for the carseats. The older child is now eligible for the booster seat, but we've kept her in the toddler seat due to lack of a shoulder harness to go with it.

sassytoez · October 2006

I hit a tractor on September 11, 2006. On September 13, 2006, we took my car to the body shop to get repaired. Today it has been ONE MONTH and still NO CAR. They said that VW parts are the hardest to get. So, I'm just curious. How long does it take to fix a damn CABRIO. The only thing they have to do is replace the shell of the door on the passenger side and put on a new front bumper. Should it really be taking this long to do? How long do most of you predict? This is just REALLY beginning to stress me out.

murph241 · October 2006

Its been a while since you've posted this so I hope you're still checking it.

We just bought a 2002 and the front drivers side wheel bearing was going bad. I found it while getting it aligned. I was getting it done since there was uneven wear on one of the tires. I bought the bearing at O'Rielly for $50 and it cost about $60 at Autozone to have put in. This included them having to take it somewhere to have the new one pressed in. It took care of my rattle.

Hope this helps.

spitfire3333 · October 2006

I have a 95' Cabrio and i've just installed a new sound system. in the trunk i put 2x 1500watt 10" Alpine subwoofers, but when the music is turned up, the trunk rattles like crazy. Does anybody have any ideas on how to get rid of the rattle? (without removing the subs)

I aprechiate any ideas anyone has to offer.
THNX

flasun · November 2006

I LOVE my 2001 Cabrio but have had the window motor replaced twice on the drivers window and now the passenger window has issues. Over the last 1 1/2 years the window works for a few hours every 6-8 months. I don't want to spend another $800.00 to replace the window motor. I do hear a clicking sound whne i hit the button on either side. Anyone else ever had this issue?

kjoynes · November 2006

I just heard that some sporty cars should avoid deep puddles. Tho Cabrios are not that low-slung, it seems to depend how low the air intake is. In bigger cars they are high in the engine compartment. Who knows where it is in my 2000 Cabrio?

edmundswitz · December 2006

I have a 2001 Cabrio GLX. The other day the trunk latch light came on, the radio was dead, the door latches didn't work, and the open door chime remained on faintly, all at the same time, all at once...for no reason. Checked the trunk everything was fine. Checked the fuse box under the dash and found a 15 amp fuse blown. Replaced the fuse and the door started smoking. Quickly pulled the fuse and the door kept smoking. Quickly disconnected the battery, still smoking. Plastic panel around the electric door switch started to melt. Dumped a cup of water into the melted hole and it went out. Pulled the door cover to find that the door switch itself had shorted out somehow on its own and caught fire. No apparent wire damage anywhere in the door. Unplugged and removed the switch, put in a new 15amp fuse and now everything works fine...except for the missing switch hole and melted door panel. Anyone heard or experienced such a thing? Any recalls, fire, or other electrical issues with this model? Luckily I had a glass of water around or I'd have lost the door or possibly even the entire car! :sick:
Thanks,
Pat

larrylezon · January 2007

After doing some minor detailing, removing and replacing the automatic shift indicator and cleaning the leather Parking Brake dustcover , the power top no longer works. Any idea where the interlocks are in the Auto shift indicator area and/or Parking Brake area?

k54frog · January 2007

Problem: drivers side window will randomly roll down without any reason. Can keep it rolled up with the switch but it keeps trying to roll down. Suddenly it will start to work right and then is ok for several days to weeks.
Also the passenger window has essentially stopped working as have the back windows.
Any ideas? I have seen several posts with the problem but no answers.
Thanks.

ppvalentine · January 2007

good morning
my cooling fan stopped working after overheating one day. I checked the fuse, i think is the only green one. does anyone know?
thanks
P

girlwhogolfs · January 2007

I have been reading some of the different problems people have had with their Cabrios. I have had some of them myself. But it's like one person said, I will keep this car until it absolutely DIES. I love mine because of how it looks and it's just plain fun. What keeps you from getting rid of you Cabrio after it has made you mad time after time?

Volkswagen Cabrio

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