2002 Volkswagen Beetle GLX from North America - Comments

2001 beetle 2.0 beutiful of course cute, I have two lights on so far after two weeks I got the car used, I will get them fix and see what is next, got it for my daughter, one light is the air bag the other the front brake pads, $289. and $250. hopefully that is it, otherwise I will get the new Toyota Yaris, will keep you posted, and also I will tell the dealer, they are been very nice and of course like wise, one more thing want to tell you the less electronics on your car, the less worries. :)

Check engine light on?

Put premium gas in it and watch it turn off.

Can anyone help me figure out what trim I have? It is the 2002 snap orange special edition package with the wheel inserts and black/orange leather interior. It has the heated seats, moon roof, 17 inch alloys, premium monsoon sound, all the bells and whistles, and is in excellent shape. I'm selling it and trying to find the actual value.

By the way. I have had minimal problems with mine and I had the certified pre-owned warranty. which covered it all. I'm going to miss my car, but I'm moving north and will need four wheel drive.

Thanks for any help.

Can somebody help me please. I have a 2002 snap orange turbo beetle special edition complete with 17 inch, alloy wheels. orange/black leather interior, heated front seats, premium monsoon sound system that rocks, moon roof, dark tinted windows, speed activated spoiler, etc. Problem is, I don't have a clue what trim it is (GLS, GLX, Sport, etc). I'm trying to sell it, not because of problems I've had, but because of future problems. Not only am I moving to Wyoming and will need 4wheel drive, but the closest VW dealer is in Colorado. So I need to find the value of my car so I can ask a fair price. If anyone knows this info, please let me know. Thanks, Nancy.

I have a 2000 Beetle Turbo. Like others, I have had many, many electrical problems with this car.

My most recent repairs were a new timing belt at which time they also replaced the water pump. That ran about $600 at my non-dealer repair shop. When they finished that repair, the engine light came on - before I drove it away. That was a solenoid that cost $61.

Like others, my Anti-Slip and ABS lights sometimes come on. This used to happen only when driving over mountains on long trips. Now, they seem to come on like clockwork as soon as I hit 40 minutes of drive time on any type of terrain (hills, flat, whatever). Turn the car off, and the computer resets the lights... or not. If the car is parked for over 10 minutes, they turn off. If I turn the car off at a stop light, the lights may or may not reset.

I'm just approaching 80,000 miles on this car, Currently, the air bag light is on. My mechanic says it's the air bag in the driver door. I've replaced that already a few years ago. I recall it costing $900. I'll drive with it on.

Last summer, I went for an oil change at Jiffy Lube. They checked the battery and found that the acid had eaten up along a terminal and had fried the wire which was hanging on by a few threads. It was Saturday, so my mechanic was closed. Went to drive it the next day and the wire had broken. Monday, spent $50 for a tow. They had to replace the battery and the entire contact pack that sits on the battery, an $80 part. Total repair was over $300.

Had a coil pack replaced last winter. A friend did it for me and only charged for parts. Under $80. A few months later, a $260 repair for a loose spark plug something or other.

Then, there's little things, like broken window switches and the fact that the trunk latch sometimes gets tempermental and I need to slam it shut to open it. Currently, it doesn't always open when popping it with the key or dashboard switch. Sometimes, I need to do both to get it to pop.

Here's a REALLY strange thing that happened. The rear spoiler popped up in 2005 during my smog test in CA. It stayed up and wouldn't come down. Pushing the little button under the steering column had no effect. Took it to the dealer who said the lift motor was likely burned out and it would cost $400 to fix. I didn't fix it. Last month, I'm waiting to pull out of a parking lot, and I hear a strange sound. I get back to the office, and Voila! the spoiler has come down! After nearly 3 years of being stuck in the up position, the motor turned on for no reason at all and the thing came into its normal position. Go figure.

At present, I'm just going to live with the Anti-slip and ABS lights occasionally going on. I can't afford any repairs until mid-July anyway, at which point I'll take the car to my mechanic and see what the damage is. Anything over $300 and I'll think twice about it, because I know another repair is just down the road.

I'd love to trade in the car and get something more reliable, but having sunk another $2000 into it in the past year, I'm holding off. It's still cheaper than $400 a month on a new car payment, but I do have worries about lack of reliability kicking in at inopportune times.

My first Bug was a '72. It ran great and the only repair I ever had was a new starter. THIS car has cost me a lot in repairs. Not what I expected for a $26,000 car... and that's 2000 dollars.

I can't recommend these cars. They're fun to drive, but that wears off after a while.

I to have a 2002 Beetle GLS. Great car until it hit 70,000 miles. Aside from all the recalls, the drain tube from the sun roof was clogged and causing it to leak into the interior. Oh what a smell. The drivers side brake light works less than half the time even after the dealer charged me $18.00 to say nothings wrong. New clutch for $1100, 2 new sets of tires, broken arm rest, air bag light has been on for 30,000 miles. Check engine light is on today and off tomorrow. Now its at the service station, towed in because first the battery light came on then all the lights on the dash, then death on the side of I-70. This is after an new alternator and battery less than 6 months ago. Now waiting for the diagnosis. After reading all of the related blogs... why is it no one can help us? Its the most poorly engineered car I have come across in the last 20 years. The VW dealer for sure gets a fat 0 for customer support.

To whom it may concern, I suggest to owners of a New Beetle with numerous flaws, do not sell it to a friend, only wholesale it to the dealer where you bought it as I did recently with my 2001 with only 32,000 miles. I could not afford to support a costly lost cause!!! I just purchased a new 2008 Ford Escape 2 wheel drive that can be serviced easily within a short distance no matter my location. "Thank GOD and Volkswagen, she is gone". I cannot begin to print all of the aggravation, expensive repairs and wasted time involved with VW. This was definitely my last encounter with them. Sincerely, Mel Brantner, Lindenwold, NJ.

My wife fell for looks of 2001 GLX 1.8 Turbo in March of 2001. Now, almost eight years later, it still runs wonderfully. We have changed the oil regularly. Only has about 55,000 miles on it but those are a 50-50 mix of slow around the neighborhood miles and high speed interstate race way miles where only a very few cars ever pass us going our way. It is a great around the neighborhood auto but even better on the highway. Prefer to drive it long distances because of its responsiveness, speed, acceleration, and ride. Believe it has more headroom than any other car on the market.

Have had it called back twice for recalls but no expense other than for the oil changes and gasoline.

I have a 2002 New Beetle Sport that I bought new in September 2002. It has been a mostly love, but often hate relationship. All but one of my services has been done by the dealership who sold it to me.

The leather driver seat cover had to be replaced after 3 months, and I was told it would be the only one they would replace under warranty.

The right rear tail light assembly somehow developed a short and repeatedly burned out bulbs, until after the fourth time, I told the dealer I would not leave until they fixed it.

The driver side window fell into the door on a 20 degree day and the loaner car gave me (after much protest) was a complete piece of crap.

The power rear hatch hasn't worked right since it was new, though I have repeatedly asked them to adjust it. I was told last summer they would fix it for $95.

I bought the long term warranty (good for 7 years) which has covered almost everything, except the $195 I was out for tail light repairs until they determined it was a faulty assembly. Of course they didn't reimburse me for the cash out of pocket.

In December 2008, I took it into my VW dealer for my 65,000 service and they recommended doing a fuel injection cleaning. Even with my occasionally heavy foot, it had always gotten great mileage, always between 380 and 410 miles per tank full (26.5 to 28 mpg). Still I thought it couldn't hurt since it was six years old. BAD idea. My highway mileage has dropped to less than 20 and I can barely get 340 miles per tank by short shifting and driving no faster than 70 mph.

I have a 2002 sport version of the beetle. It's been all fun with some minor problems. I'm coming up on 164,000 miles and still get 28 miles/gal. Synthetic oil every 5,000 miles. I have it serviced at a European car specialist -- never at the dealer!

My Volkswagen check engine light just came on again. I'm so sick of the problems with my cute little Beetle.

Last time it came on, it needed spark plugs. The time before it was some sort of sensor.

It seems OK to drive, I work far from home and a tow truck is out of the question - they'd charge me big bucks.

Love the car, hate the problems.

I have a 2000 VW 1.8 turbo Beetle with 97,000 miles. I bought for my granddaughter.

Every week it seems that something goes wrong with it. I've had it just about a year. It has been a total nightmare to me. I don't want to take the time to tell everything about what I've had to do. I kinda wish I hadn't found this web site, because I feel dumb and stupid that I ever bought this thing, so I know what most of you folks are talking about. As soon as I get this new A/C compressor on and working, I'm going to pass it off to another dummy.