2000 Volkswagen Beetle

POWER WINDOWS AND POWER DOOR LOCKS WILL NOT OPERATE WHILE I'M DRIVING. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. LEFT IT THERE FOR 2 DAYS AND THEY STILL COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. WHEN I STOP THE CAR AND OPEN THE DOOR, THEN THE WINDOWS AND DOOR LOCKS WILL OPERATE. WHEN I START DRIVING AGAIN, THEY ARE "DEAD" ONCE MORE AND WILL NOT OPEN OR CLOSE. I CANNOT GET THEM TO OPERATE UNLESS I STOP THE CAR AND OPEN THE DOOR FIRST. WHEN I CLOSE THE DOOR, THEY ARE OKAY UNTIL I START DRIVING AGAIN. VERY DANGEROUS AND I CAN'T GO THROUGH A DRIVE THROUGH BANK, ETC. OR IF I JUST WANT TO OPEN THE WINDOWS WHILE I'M DRIVING, I CAN'T. IF IT STARTS TO RAIN, I CAN'T CLOSE THE WINDOWS UNLESS I STOP THE CAR. *TR

WE HAVE A 2000 NEW VW BEETLE THAT WE BOUGHT NEW IN 2000. IT HAS BECOME A HIGH MAINTENANCE VEHICLE THAT SEEMS TO HAVE A LOT OF DEFECTIVE PARTS THAT HAS TO BE REPLACED. MOSTLY ELECTRICAL. WINDOW ONCE FELL INSIDE OF DOOR. FOG LIGHT THAT HAS WATER IN THEM. TODAY A WEEK AFTER TAKING THE CAR INTO VW SERVICE TO REPAIR ANOTHER THING FOR AROUND $200.00. I HAD RETURNED TO THE SHOP AGAIN BECAUSE WITH IN A DAY AFTER CAR WAS OUT OF THE SHOP A NEW PROBLEM CROPPED UP. THE SEAT BELT LIGHT WAS STAYING ON. I TOOK IT INTO THE SHOP TO HAVE THE SEAT BELT LIGHT REPAIRED. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR MOST OF THE DAY. I JUST RECEIVED A CALL FROM VW SERVICE DEPT. AND WAS TOLD THE SEAT BELT DENSER WAS THE PROBLEM. IT CONTROLS ALL THE SEAT BELT AIR BAGS AND SOME OTHER SAFETY THINGS. IT IS DRIVABLE AND SEAT BELT MAY BE OK. I WAS ALSO TOLD IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATE OVER $700.00. OUR VW BEETLE ONLY HAS 69,000 MILES ON IT AND WE HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON IT FOR REPAIRS. IT OVER HEATED LAST SUMMER AND WAS IN THE SHOP FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THEY COULD FIND WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT..I THINK THIS WAS THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR AND SENSORS. WE HAVE REPLACE MAY\NY SENSORS IT SEEM S SEVERAL TIMES. MOST OF THESE REPAIRS WAS NO UNDER A RECALL. THIS IS A VERY HIGH MAINTENANCE CAR. IT HAS BEEN IN THE GARAGE MANY TIMES AND COST IS STARTING DRAIN US. I AM A RETIRED IOWA POLICE OFFICER ON A FIXED INCOME..SO THIS CAR IS A STRAIN ON OUR BUDGET. SO MANY PROBLEMS.. ALL OUR VEHICLES ARE PAID FOR AS WELL AS OUR HOME. *TR

WE HAVE A 2000 VW BEETLE WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THAT HAS SOME SORT OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT DRAINS THE BATTERY IF NO ONE DRIVES THE CAR FOR A FEW DAYS. WE DIDN'T REALLY NOTICE THE PROBLEM UNTIL OUR DAUGHTERS BOTH WENT OFF TO SCHOOL AND NO ONE WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON A REGULAR BASIS. WE ARE AT THE POINT WHERE AAA AND AMOCO MOTOR CLUB WILL NO LONGER JUMP THE CAR. WE HAVE PURCHASED SEVERAL BATTERIES IN THE LAST 3-4 YEARS OR REPLACED THEM UNDER WARRANTY TO THE POINT WHERE SEARS TOLD US TODAY TO NOT COME BACK. THE VW DEALER TOLD US TO GO SOMEPLACE ELSE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T HELP US AND VW ITSELF HAS NOTHING TO SAY OTHER THAN GO TO THE LOCAL DEALER WHO TOLD US TO CALL VW. THIS CAR HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FROM THE BEGINNING AND WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING ASKED OF US, EXPENDED FUNDS AND AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME TO NO AVAIL. TODAY THE VW DEALER DID SAY THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH VW'S OF THIS VINTAGE BECAUSE THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH CARS SITTING ON THE LOT AND DYING. WE NOW NEED TO OUR DAUGHTER TO USE IN CHICAGO, BUT WE CAN'T RISK GIVING IT TO HER AND HAVING HER COME OUT TO THE CAR LATE AT NIGHT AFTER WORK AND FIND THAT THE CAR IS DEAD. *TR

THE 2000 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE IGNITION SWITCH MELTED AT CONTACT WIRES IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CAUSE WAS THE FOG LIGHTS UNDERSIZED WIRING TO THE IGNITION SWITCH. WHEN IT MELTED THE CONTACTS THE HEADLIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, HVAC, AND GAUGES BECAME INOPERABLE, TO NAME A FEW. IT WAS OUT OF SERVICE FOR TWO MONTHS AT MY COST AND MY REPAIR. I COULD NOT AFFORD THE REPAIR THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP AND THERE ARE NO RECALLS ALTHOUGH THOUGH CONVERSATIONS WITH VW MECHANICS AND OTHERS THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT UNCOMMON. THERE ARE STILL NUANCES WITH ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS IN THE BEETLE TO THIS DAY. I WOULD HOPE THERE WERE NO FIRES OR INJURIES. *JB

2000 VW NEW BEETLE- DIESEL: HAS HAD RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE GLOW-PLUG SYSTEM. COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY REPLACED STARTING 11/2004. SERVICE DATES INCLUDE, BUT NOT LIMITED TO 5/2005, 8/2006, 12/2006, NOT INCLUDING SEPARATE DIAGNOSTICS. TOTAL CHARGES TO DATE IN EXCESS OF $1200.00 OF THIS SINGLE SYSTEM. NO HELP FROM MANUFACTURER OR ACKNOWLEDGEMET THAT A PROBLEM EVEN EXISTS. VEHICLE IS LOCATED IN AREA (SE TEXAS) THAT WOULD NECESSITATE THE USE OF GLOW PLUG ONLY A FEW DAYS A YEAR. THE SYSTEM IS SUPPOSED TO BE DESIGNED TO ACTIVATE ONLY BELOW A CENTIAN LOW TEMPERATURE. IT IS OTHERWISE A 'STATIC' SYSTEM WITH NO MOVING PARTS THAT SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO WEAR AND TEAR. YET, COMPONENTS OF THIS SYSTEM HAVE REGULARLY FAILED, CAUSING DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT. HAVE TOTALLY LOST CONFIDENCE IN THE VEHICLE, OR VW'S AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS TO ROCOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM, AND PROVIDE A SOLUTION FROM THE MANUFACTURER'S SIDE THAT IS A PERMANENT FIX, RATHER THAN JUST REPLACING THE SAME PARTS REPEATEDLY.

FAULTY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT EFFECTS ALL ELECTRONICS OF THE VEHICLE. CAUSES DOOR LOCKS AND REMOTES TO NOT WORK PROPERLY. CAUSES DOOR WARNING AND SEAT BELT WARNING CHIMES TO NOT TURN OFF FOR A MINUTE AFTER EITHER STARTING THE CAR OR TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS. MAY ALSO EFFECT ENGINE IMMOBILIZER CAUSING THE CAR TO SHUTDOWN AT ANY TIME OR PLACE. *NM

I DROVE AN HOUR AWAY IN THE RAIN, PARKED FOR 15 MINUTES, AND WHEN I RETURNED THE ENGINE WOULD START BUT I HAD NO USE OF WIPERS, HEATER/BLOWER, OR DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS. SINCE I DARED NOT DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITHOUT WIPERS, AND SINCE IT WAS A SUNDAY, I HAD TO GET TOWED HOME. IT WAS THE IGNITION SWITCH -- AND WHEN THEY TRIED TO REPLACE IT, THEY FOUND THAT ITS RECEPTACLE AND NEARBY WIRES WERE ALL MELTED! VW SAYS TOUGH LUCK, IT'S MY PROBLEM. *NM