2000 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

I PURCHASED MY VW BEETLE IN 2005 WITH THE CARFAX - NO ACCIDENTS OR MAJOR REPAIRS. WITHIN MONTHS, THE ENGINE LIGHT AND AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. THE WINDOWS STOPPED WORKING. I'VE PROBABLY SPENT MORE THAN WHAT I PAID FOR IT. I JUST SPENT OVER $1800 AT VW SPRINGFIELD IN VIRGINIA AND THE ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON AGAIN AFTER ONLY A FEW MONTHS. IN ADDITION, THE TRANSMISSION CODES WERE DISCOVERED BY OTHER REPAIR SHOPS, BUT THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO GO TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE REPAIR. NEITHER VW SPRINGFIELD OR VW WOODBRIDGE EVER CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION. IN FACT, WOODBRIDGE TOLD ME TO TRADE IT IN AND PURCHASE A NEW ONE FROM THEM.SOME KIND OF LIGHT OR PROBLEM OCCURS IN MY CAR EVERY TIME I'VE TAKEN MY CAR TO THIS DEALERSHIP AND VW WOODBRIDGE IN VIRGINIA. THEY CONTINUE TO CLAIM THAT IT IS A DIFFERENT PROBLEM EVERY TIME WITH...

WE OWN A 2000 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE...IN 2008 THE WATER PUMP WENT IN IT...HAD THAT REPLACED AND 4 WEEKS LATER HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED AGAIN THEN THE FOLLOWING YEAR 2009 THE WINDOW MOTORS IN BOTH WINDOWS WENT..HAD TO HAVE THOSE REPLACED... THE HEADLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS ARE FALLING OUT HAVE TO CONSTANTLY PUSH THEM BACK IN....NOW 2011 THE WATER PUMP WENT IN IT AGAIN..NOW THE CAR IS SITTING IN THE DRIVE WAY ACTING AS A PAPER WEIGHT..HAD I KNOW THAT THERE WERE SO MANY ISSUES WITH THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE I WOULD HAVE NEVER BOUGHT ONE..I HOPE THAT VOLKSWAGEN IS HAPPY RAKING PEOPLE OVER THE COALS BY SELLING THEM NOTHING BUT JUNK AND GOD FORBID IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER THEY WANT EVERYTHING UP TO AND INCLUDING YOUR FIRST BORN CHILD... *TR

ODBI CAME ON WAS TESTED INDICATING CYLINDER MISFIRE TOOK IT FOR REPAIR WAS INFORMED TWO WIRES WERE BROKEN AND SPARK PLUG WAS SEVERELY FOULED NOW THERE'S A COMPRESSION PROBLEM WHICH REQUIRES THE ENGINE TO BE TORN APART. COST OF REPAIRS EXCEEDS AMOUNT VEHICLE'S VALUE AND PURCHASE PRICE I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR FIVE MONTHS WHEN VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IT HAD A LITTLE OVER 51000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER RAN GREAT AND THE VEHICLE BODY IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE. *TR

MY SON WAS DRIVING OUR 2000 VW BEETLE ON THE WESTBANK EXPRESSWAY IN NEW ORLEANS, HE HEARD A LOUD POP, AND THE CAR STARTED TO FILL WITH "WHITE SMOKE", HE PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY, AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. WITHIN MINUTES, THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. THIS CAME WITHOUT WARNING, WE DID NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THE CAR PRIOR TO YESTERDAY, 7-17-10. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR REMAINS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED, WHICH PRODUCED "ERROR CODE 5". A MECHANIC REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AND RESET THE COMPUTER; HOWEVER, THE INDICATOR CONTINUES TO ILLUMINATE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 126,000. UPDATED 02/24/09. *LJ UPDATED 02/26/09. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE BATTERY AND THE ECP WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS THE TIMING BELT. THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT PERFORM THE REPAIR FOR FREE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WATER PUMP WAS REPLACED AT 38,000 MILES AND 49,000 MILES. THE TIMING BELT WAS REMOVED TO REPLACE THE PUMP. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 74,000.

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,...

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

DT: CONSUMER'S CAR STALLED ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO WITH MOSTLY DECELERATION AND DOWN SHIFTING. WHEN THIS OCCURRED VEHICLE LOST POWER. EVERY TIME IT STALLED AND STOPPED, BUT ALWAYS RESTARTED. WAS TAKEN TO DEALER TWICE BEFORE, BUT CURRENTLY A TOTAL OF 3 TIMES. YESTERDAY AT FULL SPEED WHILE PASSING A TRUCK WITH NO INDICATION THE CAR BEGAN TO DECELERATE AND LOST POWER. WHEN TRYING TO MOVE INTO ANOTHER LANE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER, IS CURRENTLY AWAITING AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT MAKES THIS HAPPEN. *AK

CONSUMER STATES: THE ENGINE WOULD SHUT ITSELF OFF WHILE DRIVING. DEALERSHIP KEPT 5 DAYS AND NEVER RECOGNIZED PROBLEM. *TT

AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, WITHIN 15 MINUTE OR LESS THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED ON LOCATION TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE BOTH NOTIFIED. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS STILL UNDETERMINED. *JB

WHILE DRIVING AND AT A STOP VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER WOULD RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

2000 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE LEAKING COOLANT, DEFECTIVE AIRFLOW SENSOR, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND PROBLEMS WITH WINDOW SWITCH. *MR THE WINDOW HAD TO BE OPERATED A CERTAIN WAY IN ORDER TO OPERATE PROPERLY,THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON DUE TO A BAD AIRFLOW SENSOR IN WHICH THE PROBLEM OCCURRED ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE COOLANT LIGHT HAD COME ON DUE TO THE TUBE THAT HAD RUN FROM THE COOLANT CONTAINER TO THE ENGINE HAD CUT IN IT AND LEAKED COOLANT. *SCC *JB

THE VEHICLE HESITATES, SHUTS DOWN AND WILL NOT RESTART. PLEASE FURNISH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. PH

UNDERCARRIAGE OF VEHICLE WAS HARD CARDBOARD, WHEN GOING OVER A HIGH SPEED BUMP IT RIPPED UNDERCARRIAGE OFF. ALSO IN HEAVY RAIN, IT TEARS AND COMES OFF. HAS BEEN REPAIRED 4 TIMES, REPLACED ONCE. DEALER SAID IT WAS POOR DESIGN.*AK THE UNDERCARRIAGE CAME OFF SEVERAL TIMES AFTER BEING REPLACED. THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE AND THE A/C HAD FAILED. *YH

TEMPERATURE GAUGE WARNING LIGHT BROKE AND RESERVOIR TANK SENSOR FAILED CAUSING VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT. NLM

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE CHECK LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON. THEN SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN THIS HAPPENED, CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO NEAREST VW DEALER. DEALER SAID THAT BOTH ELECTRIC FANS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A KINK IN THE WIRE OF ONE OF THE FANS THAT CAUSED IT TO FAIL. BOTH FANS BASICALLY MELTED AND BLEW APART. *AK *ML