What a lemon, the check engine overheat alarm goes off all the time for no reason. The dealer has worked on a fix 7 separate times! Still does the same thing. I have heard the same complaint from other owners. Anyone up for a class action lawsuit?
I have had 3 new Beetles and also had a 1970 model years ago. The New Beetle is a gigantic step forward, but still has many annoying problems. Multiple problems with warning lights, cd players, cup holders, door lock, etc. All of these things seem to be small things, but they ruin the overall quality feel of the car.
It drives great, gets moderate gas mileage, and has a great stereo system. This will, however, be the last one I buy. I think Volkswagen is sacrificing overall quality to keep the price low.
I'm thinking of buying a beetle for my wife (cos she wants one), but I am now put off by all the bad reports I have read.
After reading a load of the comments, I can't believe how some people are berating a vehicle for stone chips in the paint, (hardly the manufacturers fault) or driving to the dealers to change a bulb 3 or 4 times in three months. Bulbs blow from time to time, look in the supermarket the shelves are full of them.
It appears to me they have a couple of issues, air bag sensors, convertible roof problems and other minor electrical problems.
The problems with the New Beetle are not 'common' problems that you should expect. Sure changing bulbs is 'common' unless you try to change the bulb in a New Beetle, which is very uncommon. The owners guide warns you that you should go to the dealer for any bulb changes because they are very difficult to do.
Now for the common problems, specifically with the number of common problems found in the auto tiptronic transmission. I can testify first hand, this is a very, very costly repair and very, very time consuming, hit me totally unexpectedly. Car was kept maintained as per VW by VW. Look at the internet and see how many hits you get with New Beetle transmission problems. Terrible.
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