2001 Volkswagen Beetle GL from North America - Comments

Wow!! I didn't realize so many people were having problems with their Beetles. I have a 2001 Turbo Sport Beetle. I had it in the shop at least three times for the turbo when I first purchased it. When the water pump went out, I was told that the material it was made of was a hard plastic, a piece had broken off and was the culprit. Now, I have this mysterious water leak. Whenever it rains, the driver side (front and back) floor are saturated! No one seems to be able to find out what the problem is. The car has been in the dealer and the body shop. How the water is getting in remains a mystery. My car smells like mildew for weeks after it rains. I love driving it and love the way it handles. I would appreciate any suggestions. You can email me at elmira0417@yahoo.com.

2001 VW BEETLE.

Re: Oil consumption - Burning oil like crazy - Solution: My garage said that particular model requires a high mileage oil, which I have used for 6 months, and it corrected the problem.

I have a 2002 GLS Beetle, which for the most part, has been trouble free. Other than the normal maintenance, I had to replace a thermostat sensor which cost around $150.00 for the part and labor. However, I also have been dealing with a water leak for about 2 years--it's an on and off thing. It mostly affects the passenger side, primarily in the right rear. There is a stain above the rear window, next to the light fixture. It's terrible that there are no answers to the problem and it's especially disconcerting to me to know that VW has labelled this as a "normal" phenomenon. I am worried about mold and more importantly, rust or corrosion forming under the headliner and the carpeting.

I purchased a 2001 New Beetle GLS 5spd Man May 2006 with 33,300mi. One owner, and had all the service records. I was working at the dealership at the time and got a great deal.

Nothing came up until winter 2006. Now, the owners were from Bellevue, WA (I'm in Spokane) and may have never known this, but the car wouldn't start during a cold spell (-5 and colder). After a tow to a VW dealership, it was the coolant temp sensor. $85 and a bit of frustration later, good to go.

I made sure to take her to a garage that KNEW how to oil change a Beetle during winter when I couldn't do it. I made sure the correct oil and weight was used (5w40 per manual), and had normal consumption.

The paint has come off on driver handle, as well as knob for side mirrors, and arm rest side plastic piece broke. Cosmetic and insignificant.

Air bag notification went on right after New Years 2008 (at 53k miles), only remedy is a VW shop to reset computer.

I did have one quirk a month ago. Went to start the car (was about 32 outside), turned, but didn't start. Check engine light blinked yellow (as a warning). I took key out, started it again, same thing. Tried one last time, and she chugged as if I needed to pump gas to bring up RPMs, then was fine after about 30sec. Hasn't happened since, and could have been operator error- who knows.

Besides these and wear and tear, the Beetle was perfect for my work and college needs. A safe, reliable, fun car for a mid-twenty year old, I love my green machine.

Dealership and prior owners aside, a good car comes down to maintenance, care, patience and some research. Chilton's, Haynes and the manual are key and actually do help, believe it or not.

Since I have been the owner of my 2001 VW Beetle, I have had numerous problems:

The door actually fell off during a business trip.

The seat belt had to be replaced.

The headlights at least blow every two or three months.

The back hatch doesn’t work, and nor does my drivers side window.

The paint on the door is chipping.

I dislike VW. Never will own another!!!

2001 Beetle leaking rain rear drivers side and trunk area. Anyone ever solve this one? Ruined my leather in the rear. In general a terrible car and would never own another VW.

WOW... what happened to the Bug!!! When I was a teen, a Bug was a dependable little work horse with few problems!!!

I bought my 2000 VW Beetle used from a car dealership with 17,000 in 2002. It was a second car and I didn't drive it much at first. I had multiple problems with it not starting-it took months for them to figure it out. Then the car leaked from under the dashboard-flooded the interior and damaged the airbag sensor, which had to be replaced. I didn't catch the leak before the carpets molded and they had to be replaced. The leak was "fixed" and occurred again. Its just coming out of the shop today. The rear hatch has never closed/open properly. The car burns oil like a hot griddle. I always wanted a VW Bug since the 70's and now I realize it was the biggest mistake I ever made. I will never own a VW again. Buyer beware! Denise from Northern California

My girlfriend got a 2002 VW Beetle. Got rain water in the front and rear driver side floor, can't get an answer from any one on this, it's coming from behind the dash somewhere and flooding it. Anyone got a solution?

My daughter has a 99 beetle that is leaking water from the rain too. Drivers side front and rear floors are soaked, rear actually had a pool. No, there isn't a sunroof. Anyone

know what's causing this??? Help!

I bought a used VW 2000 Beetle almost 9 months ago. The car only has 69,000 miles. I had no problems with the car until almost 3 weeks ago. I tried to start the car, which would start, but then automatically die. I tried and failed many times to get the car to stay started. I towed the car to a VW dealership. After trying a few things, it was determined the Instrument Cluster was bad, and almost $800 later, the car is fixed. I called several mechanics before I told the dealership to continue with the repair, and almost every mechanic told me Bugs have a major problem with the instrument cluster. Now, I am having problems with my drivers side window. When I want the window to go up, it goes down. There are times, even when the window is rolled up, I hear a clicking noise. Also, I hear squeaks when I change gears. I love driving this car, but wished I would have known of several problems this type of car had before I chose to buy.

For all New Beetle owners who haven't had their water leaks fixed, if you have sun roofs, I have found the culprit (s). I was required to remove the headliner in order to change the headliner material that was stained and coming off because of the leakage:

There are four rubber hose drains on each corner of the roof. When you open the trunk, you will notice the two rear tan/off-white drain hoses that are pinched at the ends, apparently acting as a one-way valve. The front corners have the same type of pinched rubber hoses. The water trough for the sun roof drains from either the front or the rear hoses.

Chances are, at least one of these hoses is stuck closed so the water collects and drains into the interior of the VW. Use a tool to free the stuck hose and your leaks will be fixed.

S.M. Gapol

Hawaii