2000 Volkswagen Beetle

THE SERVICE REP AT UNIVERSITY VW REPORTED MY CAR NEEDED A NEW TIMING BELT AND WATER PUMP - COST $1,500 (THE WORD WARRANTY WAS NEVER MENTIONED, SO I NEVER CONSIDERED THIS REPAIR MIGHT BE COVERED.) ANOTHER MECHANICS QUOTE FOR THE SAME JOB WAS $448. DURING REPAIR HE FOUND THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER WAS DEFECTIVE, SO MY TOTAL COST WAS $615 - STILL LESS THAN HALF OF THE QUOTE BY UNIVERSITY VW. (I ALSO HAD TO PAY UNIVERSITY $96 FOR THEIR RIP-OFF QUOTE.) I CONTACTED VW, WHO TOLD ME TO TAKE THE PART TO THE DEALER FOR CONFIRMATION OF DEFECT. DEFECT WAS CONFIRMED BY THEIR LEAD MECHANIC. (NOTE THAT HE CONFIRMED DEFECT AND NOT WORN OUT PART. I STILL HAVE ALL PARTS.) SERVICE MANAGER STATED HE WOULD FILE A CLAIM WITH VW FOR ME. HE CALLED ON 2/19 AND REPORTED MY CLAIM WAS DENIED. THE REQUEST WAS NOT MADE TO VW, BUT DECIDED BY HIS REGIONAL MANAGER. I CALLED VW ABOUT A CLAIM. ON 2/20 VW CLAIMS CALLED STATING MY CLAIM WAS DENIED. SHE STATED THAT MY CLAIM WAS DENIED. SHE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THE REPAIR WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY - IF I HAD NOT TAKEN IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC. I TOLD HER I WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC, IF I HAD KNOWN IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY! (THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I LEARNED THE PROBLEM WAS COVERED BY THE WARRANTY!) I TOLD HER I WANTED TO APPEAL THIS DECISION, SO WHOM SHOULD I CONTACT? SHE STATED, "I AM EMPOWERED BY THE CEO OF VOLKSWAGEN, SO THERE ISN'T ANYONE HIGHER. YOUR CLAIM WILL NOT BE PAID." AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, THIS ENTIRE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY A SERVICE CONSULTANT NOT TELLING ME THIS REPAIR WOULD BE (OR EVEN, MIGHT BE) COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. AS A NON-MECHANICAL CUSTOMER, I FEEL I SHOULD HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO EXPECT THAT SERVICE. IF I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT, I DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE LEFT MY CAR AT UNIVERSITY VW FOR THE REPAIRS, BUT I FELT I HAD NO CHOICE - EITHER PAY $1,500 OR $500. *NM

CAR HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE FIRST WEEK OF OWNERSHIP. MANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. AAA HAS SEEN THIS CAR MORE THAN I HAVE OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS. CURRENTLY AT 51,000 MILES THE TIMING BELT BROKE CAUSING SERIOUS ENGINE DAMAGE. VW SAYS IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH I BOUGHT A CERTIFIED VEHICLE WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. WHOEVER HEARD OF A TIMING BELT BREAKING AT 51,000 MILES!!! *NM

2000 TURBO ENGINE BEETLE WITH 68,700 MILES WAS 'CHUGGING' LIKE A DIESEL IMMEDIATELY AFTER NON-RELATED WARRANTY REPAIR AT THE DEALER. TOOK BACK TO THE DEALER WHO QUOTED $1500 TO REPLACE TIMING BELT AND WATER PUMP. PAID $95 FOR THEIR DIAGNOSIS AND TOOK THE CAR TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC WHO DID THE SAME REPAIR FOR $450! HOWEVER, MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE "TIMING BELT TENSIONER" WAS DEFECTIVE AND CAUSED THE BELT TO WEAR OUT. THIS WAS AN ADDITIONAL $150 COST FOR THAT PART. I HAVE ALL THE PARTS FROM THE REPAIR. *JB

THE A/C QUITE WORKING WHILE DRIVING, ONCE IT WAS PARKED IT TURNED COOL FOR A MINUTE OR TWO THEN WENT HOT AGAIN. WE TOOK IT FOR A/C CHECK, ALL WAS FINE FOR ABOUT 5 MILES THEN IT WENT HOT AGAIN. THE NEXT DAY TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, JUST BEFORE WE GOT THERE THE TEMP GAUGE CAME ON. THE DEALER FOUND THE WATER PUMP, THERMOSTAT, AND TIMING BELT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO OVERHEATING. THE PROBLEM IS THE LIGHT DIDN'T COME UNTIL THE DAMAGE WAS ALREADY DONE. *NM

I HAVE A 2000 BEETLE. BOUGHT IT USED WITH A EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM STARTED FEW MONTHS AFTER THE BUYING IT. THE CONSUMPTION OF OIL IS OUTRAGEOUS. I HAVE TO CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 800 MILES. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, THE DEALER PERFORMED A CONSUMPTION OIL TEST, AND ACCORDING WITH THEIR TEST THE CONSUMPTION OF OIL WAS WITHIN THE STANDARDS OF A REGULAR CONSUMPTION. HAVING TO CHECK THE OIL LEVEL EVERY 800 MILES IS STRESSFUL. FEW WEEK AGO I HAD TO CHANGE THE SPARK PLUG BECAUSE THE CAR WOULDN'T START. *JB

I HAVE A 2000 VW BEETLE. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO. WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF BUYING THE CAR I STARTED HAVING ENGINE/ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. I TOOK IT IN........SEVERAL TIMES, SAME PROBLEM. AS I AM DRIVING THE CAR IT JUST DIES. I CAN BE GOING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY OR 1 MPH PULLING TO OR AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN. WITH NO WARNING THE CAR CUTS OFF. IT ALWAYS STARTS BACK UP, BUT IT WILL CONTINUALLY DIE. I LOSE ALL POWER TO THE CAR INCLUDING STEERING. THIS IS A SERIOUS CONCERN AND HAS BEEN FOR TWO YEARS AND APPROXIMATELY TEN TIMES IN THE VW SHOP. THE CAR DEFINITELY HAS A PROBLEM THAT NO ONE CAN SEEM TO FIX. I HAVE OR MY WARRANTY COMPANY HAS REPEATEDLY PAID FOR THE SAME AND THEN SOME REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE. SOME PARTS (THE SAME PART) WERE REPLACED WITHIN FOUR MONTHS OF EACH OTHER. MOSTLY THE SHOP DETERMINES IT IS THE O2 SENSORS THROUGHOUT THE CAR (APPARENTLY YOU HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT O2 SENSORS) OR SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE TURBO (WHICH HAS ALSO BEEN REPLACED ONCE OR TWICE NOW). THOSE THINGS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED. SOME MORE THAN ONCE. THE CAR STILL DIES. IT GIVES NO WARNING IT JUST SHUTS OFF. LOSING POWER AT 70 MPH ON A CROWDED INTERSTATE CAN SHAKE ONE UP. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER, THE MANUFACTURER, AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN. NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE OR WANT TO HELP ME. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP THIS CAR IS A DEATH TRAP!*JB

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR SUDDENLY BEGAN MAKING A LOUD, HORRENDOUS NOISE. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE AND LOOKED AT THE MUFFLER, IT APPEARED INTACT. I DROVE SLOWLY TO A SERVICE STATION WHERE THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PIPE OF THE EXHAUST SYSTEM THAT LEADS TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD DETACHED. THEY TOLD ME THE PIPE WAS STAINLESS STEEL AND THEY WERE NOT EVEN SURE HOW IT HAD EVER ATTACHED. THEY CALLED VOLKSWAGEN TO ASK WHAT COULD BE DONE. THE PEOPLE AT VOLKSWAGEN WANTED TO KNOW WHAT YEAR THE CAR WAS AND THE MILEAGE, 61,000 MILES. AFTER A HESITATION THEY TOLD THE MAN AT THE SERVICE STATION THAT IT WOULD COST $800 - $900 FOR A NEW SYSTEM. THE MAN AT THE SERVICE STATION DID AN EMERGENCY WELD, ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T THINK THAT IT WOULD HOLD. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE SAW NO DAMAGE UNDER THE CAR THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS PIPE TO DETACH. HE ALSO SAID HE WAS SUSPICIOUS OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THE VOLKSWAGEN REPRESENTATIVE HAD QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT THE YEAR AND MILEAGE AND SUGGESTED I CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN MYSELF. I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WARRANTY ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ON THAT MODEL HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO 80,000 MILES OR 8 YEARS. I EXPLAINED THAT I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS THE CONVERTER BUT IT WAS THE PIPE LEADING TO IT, I WAS ASSURED THAT IT WAS PROBABLY COVERED. I TOOK MY CAR TO PITCAIRN VOLKSWAGEN IN LANGHORNE, PA. THE PEOPLE AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THEY CONTACTED VOLKSWAGEN DIRECTLY AND SHOWED THEM PICTURES OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF MY CAR. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT I HAD CAUSED THE DAMAGE. WHEN I ARGUED THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE, I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT COVERED BECAUSE I HAD THE EMERGENCY WELD DONE. THEY AGREED TO REINFORCE THE WELD BUT THAT WAS ALL. *JB

THE CAR OVERHEATED AND THE TEMPERATURE LIGHTS CAME ON. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE AUTOMOBILE TO A SERVICE STATION. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A DEFECTIVE WATER PUMP. THE MECHANIC FOUND THE BLADES TO THE FAN LYING ON THE ENGINE. HE HAD TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMP WITH PARTS ORDERED FROM VOLKSWAGEN. THE MECHANIC WAS ASTONISHED AT THE PLASTIC PARTS USED BY VOLKSWAGEN. THERE WAS ONLY 60,000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. *JB