2003 Volkswagen Beetle GLS Convertible review from North America
"An extremely unreliable and inconvenient car that comes at a high price."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I have had to service the convertible top three times. The rear passenger side convertible flap will not close fully and this causes serious wind noise with the windows down and top up.
One night, I parked my car and went inside to get something, then went back to my car, but the alarm would not work and I could not get into my car. After I unlocked it manually, the car wouldn't start. I had triple A jump the car unsuccessfully. We had to keep the battery hooked up to the jump unit and drive it down the parking garage and onto a flatbed. The car cannot be towed, so they sent for a flatbed and secured it with chains, which scratched up the rear wheel. The dealer said it was a bad battery, not a dead battery. It was replaced.
The center console wouldn't unlock after repeated tries. I finally pulled it and the plastic latch broke. It took several weeks for Volkswagon to get a replacement part.
The 6-CD changer is fickle. On several occasions, it has not worked. It gives me errors like "CD ERROR" on brand new CDs and "CHK Magazin" on random occasions. After several days, it spontaneously starts working. This time, however, it has been three weeks since it last played a CD. I have spent so much time at the dealership that I haven't even gone in to see about this problem.
The tire pressure drops randomly. There are no punctures, but I have to inflate about twice a month on random tires.
The car decides when it wants to start and when it doesn't. About 70 percent of the time, it starts just fine. On especially hot days or days when I just happen to be in a hurry or have friends in the car, it decides not to start. It takes a few attempts and then the ignition turns on.
General comments?
The wipers are ridiculously loud. Everyone who has been in my car has commented on how loud the wipers are. Consequently, I comment on everyone else's quiet wipers.
The windows rattle over potholes if they are up with the top down.
The engine accelerates very loudly.
I tried to install satellite radio, but there are no places for the antenna to fit on the outside of the car because of its design. the antenna has to hang off of the side of the car.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 liter GLS Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 13 miles |
| Most recent distance | 19432 miles |
| Date of Entry | 19th June, 2004 |