Comments: 1-15, 16-25
Cluster
blinkers stuck
panel lights out
hazards wouldn't work
check engine light on every month
(6 months in a row)
purge canister broken in fuel system
bad fuel sensor
CD changer doesn't work properly
car wouldn't start
window switches broken off
car seats leather wear badly
had car into shop more than 10 times big problems
air conditioner stinks
air bag light on
problems started at 11 months and continue monthly.
I have had everything done to my Beetle to keep it in good running condition. It is an awful car that is falling apart part by part. I will never buy another Volkswagon. Their customer service was awful, and they fail to stand behind their products. I am shocked at the way I have been treated, and at the way this car is "running".
Agreed. My 1999 VW New Beetle was ridiculously high in repair bills. This is a manual GL model (the basic). Its maintenance history:
1. Air bag light stayed on. Wire harness completely re-engineered and hand-delivered to the garage. It took me two garages to get this done and months of zero communication. Finally I dropped off the bug at the garage and said OK in my warranty it says I can have a rental - give me my car back when it's actually fixed. I had a rental car on VW's dollar for about a month and a half. I couldn't even show my new car to my parents upon my college graduation.
2. Both O2 sensors were replaced on VW's dollar. They kept telling me I must have been in an accident because they were missing. I had not been?! Annoyed by garage response.
3. Floor mats kept coming off the pegs. Had pegs "fixed" - problem continued through the life of the car. Gave up and dealt with the #$%@ moving floor mats.
4. Seat levers kept coming out. Had them "fixed" but every now and then an unfortunate passenger would wind up pulling it out again. Gave up dealing with it.
...and out of warranty so now it's my dollar...
5. At 34k the front brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. Rotors were warped and had to be machined down. I was told that's typical for city traffic. OK...
6. At 51k the rear brake pads and rotors need to be fixed. Grr. My mechanic is annoyed and tells me it's a crappy car.
7. Day after I get the brake pads and rotors fixed, the headlight bulb is blown. Back to the garage. My mechanic is again annoyed with the car.
8. We have been noticing that it's consuming way more oil than it's supposed to be. At 3k the check engine light comes on and the engine is totally dry - sometimes we've had to add oil in between regular oil changes. My mechanic advised me to get rid of the car and told me this could be a sign of either a very minor problem or an incredibly expensive one.
I give up and trade in my dearly beloved bug. I didn't spend 16k on this car to go through with basically used car repairs. Total cost out of my pocket for repairs alone (excluding oil changes) in the little over a year it's been out of warranty: about 1k. So ridiculous...
Interested in your problem with high oil consumption - my Golf uses 1 litre every 2000 miles (and yes, the oil light does come on from time to time). I won't bother to list the other common problems such as breaks, interior rattles etc. Not good at 18k miles (owned from new).
Definitely my first and last VW.
I have a 1999 Beetle and have had the power window motor break on both sides. It was not covered under warranty, it cost just under $300 each time. The second time the dealership called to say the car was ready. I tested the window before leaving the dealership, and the button on the driver's side did not work, I had to reach over to the passenger side to move the window. The service repairman told me the work order was for a broken motor, and not a broken button. How do I know if the button functions, if the motor is not working? I had to make a third appointment for that.
The battery died and had to be replaced at 45,000. I had two call tow trucks twice the day it died, because it could not hold a charge long enough to get to a service garage.
The car now has 50,000 miles on it and the brakes are shot. The vehicle consumes large amounts of oil and the "check engine" light comes on 2,000-2,500 miles after an oil change.
I will not buy another Volkswagen.
I purchased a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle TDI, and, for the most part it has been running great. Its the small details that are annoying and creating a general frustration.
Seems to be a recurring story with shoddy parts. We have a 1999 Turbo Beetle-- like the story above, our battery died. The engine light came on next thing the battery dies around 42K miles. After a tow truck charged the battery we had to call them again since the battery could not hold a charge. Even after letting the car run for a half hour after the second charge, it still couldn't hold a charge. It seems almost as if the car is programmed to kill the battery after x # miles. Based on negative feedback above I think I will terminate my lease sooner than later to avoid excessive repair bills on breaks etc.
Jim Wendt, RSM, CA
jim@2journey.com.
As a Mother of a new driver my husband and I put a great deal of research into the purchase of our daughters new car. We choose the New Beetle because of its obvious wonderful safety qualities. We chose the TDI engine because of the great things we had heard about the gas mileage. It has now all turned into a nightmare. On six different occasions (staring at approx. 7000 miles) our daughter has been stranded on the side of a busy highway. Twice she has been taken to school by a state trooper. The last four times the car was in the shop we have been told we just don't know what to do. (This has been within the last 2 weeks) The check engine light does not come on. No error appears on the computer, so they guess... We lose. We purchased the platinum coverage plan that was suppose to be 100,000 miles... well guess what, suddenly nothing they need to do is covered. If the computer does not show a problem they (VW) will not cover the charges. We are out many days of unpaid work, unending worry about our daughters safety, and mega buxx for a car that is now virtually worthless on trade.
The car will just lose power and die, and it does it so fast that you can barely get off to the side. If we were ever in the passing lane I am sure we would be in danger. My prayer each morning is that my daughter does not get injured or worse because this problem will not get fixed.
I purchased a 1998 Beetle just recently in September of 2002. So far, I love the car. It is fun to drive, handles great, and I get all sorts of complements on it. I never have had any problems with it, I purchased it because my sister has had great luck with her 99 Beetle. GOOD LUCK for the rest of you!
Owning our own auto repair facility, we wanted a vehicle that was kinda trendy and new on the market at the time that we could decal with our shop info. We purchased our 1998 Beetle TDI new. That's where the problem begins, or at least two weeks after. The windshield cracked from the inside, the rear view mirror vibrated (and is still hard to see out of while driving) and it had a coolant leak. Since then, under warranty, the driver's door panel has been replaced due to paint chipping off, the steering wheel replaced for paint fading, the starter, the instrument panel for inoperative fuel gauge, the EGR and the Mass Air Flow sensor. After this we have replaced the floor mats, the glow plug wiring harness, the glow plugs, the glow plug relay, the preheater in the effort to put out the check engine light. Now it has no power. It is either plugged exhaust or the mass air flow again. We sure are glad we bought a vehicle that requires so many repairs, it's a good right off for the company!
I purchased a 1998 VW Beetle 14 months ago. Within the last month and a half I have spent $1300 due to loss of power when driving and idling in traffic. I have almost gotten hit from behind twice as I hardly have any time to get out of the way. I almost got side swiped today whilst turning o to a main road. The power failed and everything siezed up.
VW has had my car in and out of their shop for a month and a half, telling me that there are no more problems and that the car is fine. They have fixed one thing after another saying that there are no more faults. Things they fixed, mass air flow metre, throttle body, main power line. They keep telling me that they've left it running and that it does ot stall. When I take it off the lot, within 24 hours I am back at square one.
It will cost VW a lot more than my purchase price if I get in an accident, due to their lack of knowledge about their own car.
MY 1999 Beetle has had the following things wrong with it:
Trunk wouldn't shut all the way unless slammed with great force for the first few months
Piping started coming out from under interior seals
Car wouldn't start, an electrical problem with the starter switch
Automatic transmission lever stuck, had to be replaced
Side view window button broke off
Window button stopped working
Windows were apparently set improperly, began going up with difficulty and both eventually broke inside the door and wouldn't go up
Driver's side handle simply fell out into the street one day
Interior door panel paint peeling
Bad AM reception with buzzing, which I was told was because of improper routing of antenna (not covered by extended warranty, which BTW was the best investment I ever made)
Gas cover latch broke and cover would not open without one person standing outside to pry it open while other pushed inside release switch, then wouldn't open at all.
I'm told that after '99, VW began addressing all of the car's problems. On the plus side it is comfortable and fun to drive. Also, in fairness to VW I'd like to mention that my husband's Passat, which he sold in excellent condition after 4 years, was an absolute dream. I'm counting the months until I can turn my Beetle in, as I've got another 7 left on my lease.
I was thrilled to drive my '99 VW Beetle right off the lot years ago...
But now all I want is to drive it off a cliff!
I have had so many problems with my beetle I am now disliking them totally.
Here is a brief list of them:
Headlights burn out ALL the time
window buttons fall off
need to replace battery too often
power window on passenger side fell all the way down one winter day
glove compartment latch is broke
check engine light loves to pop up and stay on
airbag light is now on too
tail lights burn out a lot
gas lid gets stuck... and I just can't drive without putting gas in (duh vw)
tranny slips and now doesn't work at all... so I cannot drive the darn car
brakes squeek... even after I get new pads
brake pads wear quickly
lots of weird electrical problems
cd changer sucks...won't play cds a lot of the time
radio needs to be replaces every two years
tape player eats tapes then brakes completely also
the compartment above the radio is broken of course
floor mats don't stay on the floor... snaps are all broke
air vents on floor come out
every cup holder is broken.
Hmmmmm what else...
I'm sure theirs more, but I just can't think right now
most things are small, but everything seems to be expensive
I have no warranty on the car now either so all this money comes from my small pocket
its only a '99 and it is about trashed
I purchased a new car off the lot for a reason...reliability
In my last words... VW is not reliable.
Never again will I buy a Beetle
my boyfriends 84 vw bus is more reliable then my car...
How sad is that?
I too have many problems with my 1999 New beetle. The bulbs keep burning out on me as well. First it was the passenger side, now it has led to the drivers side. The tail Light has burned out on me only once so far (fingers crossed). The cup holders are also broken in my car. They never stay mounted. I now feel the windows starting to come off the tracking. I am afraid to roll down the windows. Thank God, the air blows cold. These are only the minor problems. Now for the major ones:
1) I am nearing 40k and I too feel the tranny slipping
2) I had the oxygen (O2) sensor replaced; this was due to the check engine light that remained on.
3) At 39k, I needed to put in a new starter
**If anyone can offer help, please post. Thanks!**
Hi, I have a 1999 Beetle and have started noticing when I try to accelerate, there is no power... I thought it might be me... not having my foot all of the way on the gas pedal or something, but after reading some of the posts about loss of power... I am wondering. Also the horn has gone out and it is not a blown fuse...but...I can't find the horn under the hood to check the wires, etc. Anyone have any ideas where the horn is located?? Thanks.
My husband and I just purchased a 99 Beetle GLS (Turbo) and it's the worst car we've ever had. I haven't had it long enough to make the first car payment and I've had it in the the shop (on my $) 4 times. The Check engine light comes on all of the time. I've already had the O2 sensor replaced.
The mechanic at the shop has no idea what is wrong. The code is saying the O2 sensor is bad, but it check out to be okay. Today I noticed that while idling, the fuel gauge goes from 1/4 of a tank to a full tank and then back down.
I loved my 1989 VW Fox (200,000+ miles when it was hit and totaled) And thought this would be a great car. I'm not sure I'll ever buy a VW again.
My 2001 Beetle just needed the rear brake pads replaced at 24, 074 miles and everyone I have spoken to at VW does not seen to think this is anything abnormal. My lease is up in less than a year and due to all the service issues, blown light bulbs, etc. like many other people I can't wait to be rid of it. Too bad because I expected much more from VW.