Better Years for New Beetle

943 Views 7 Replies 3 Participants Last post by turboturbo, Oct 9, 2014

beartoothweb

Discussion Starter · Oct 8, 2014

Okay, so my wife has a 2003 VW Beetle, Convertible, 1.8L Turbo with the 6-speed Auto

We've had it for about 18,000 miles, and I can say out of the almost 50 cars I've owned, this is the single WORST car, and least reliable of any that we've ever owned.

We literally can't go for more than about 1000 miles (more like 500) without something going wrong. I've replaced axles more than once, the transmission is slipping in 2nd gear, tires wear out (by design) by the time I get to the end of my driveway, coolant tube worn out and broken, constant headlight burn outs, and just overall crappy build quality. The turbo sounds like an Apache helicopter now, and the idler pulley is starting to rattle.

I have never hated a car more than this. ;->

The PROBLEM is my wife loves this car, "it's so cute"! Granted, it's definitely unique and a nice looking car.

I'd probably go with something like a Mercedes next (used) or something like that, but she wants another one just like it.

When I looked up the ratings (should have done that before, huh?) the overall ratings on these are terrible, especially 99-04 or so.

Are ALL years of these beetles this bad, or did I just get a Friday afternoon/4:20 car?

If I could find a year that was a little more reliable, I'd be all over it. I'm not a huge fan of the new squattier versions, but we never buy new anyway.

Any advice for this very disgruntled owner's hubby? Thanks!

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Smileybug

· #2 · Oct 8, 2014

Sounds like maybe it wasn't maintained well before you picked it up. What brand of axles were used? What brand of tires? How many miles on the car?

The auto transmissions are known problems. I never had issues with axles or my tires wearing prematurely. I wonder if you have some sort of suspension problem since you've had both axle and tire problems...

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beartoothweb

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 8, 2014

Smileybug said:
Sounds like maybe it wasn't maintained well before you picked it up. What brand of axles were used? What brand of tires? How many miles on the car?

The auto transmissions are known problems. I never had issues with axles or my tires wearing prematurely. I wonder if you have some sort of suspension problem since you've had both axle and tire problems...

It's got 120,000 on it now. I originally used a cheap axle, learned my lesson, I went with Raxles the 2nd time.

This has the 17 inch wheels and the rear axles have a factory set camber (tires go slightly in at top of tire) that can't be adjusted, so that's what causes the extra wear, plus these are super low profile tires anyway, so there's no much tread to start with.) I can't remember the tire brand off the top, but they are mid-range, not Pirelli or that high end, but not Chinese cheapos. Frankly, after how fast they wore last time, I didn't want to drop $1200 on tires.

I can tell you it wasn't maintained the way I would for sure.

I also put all new brake rotors (vented) and brakes as soon as I got it. Some of the maint items like tires and brakes, not a big deal. But, after just doing the axle 2 weeks ago, the Check Engine light came on within 150 miles...unrelated, but freakin' annoying!

I'm a big hot rodder, currently finishing my 65 Cobra project. I'm considering getting her a 60's Vette, at least I expect the thing to break all of the time. ;->

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Smileybug

· #4 · Oct 8, 2014

I had my beetle for 6 1/2 years and I never had any issues with wear on my tires. They all were worn evenly. I would look into things a bit more. Also, I now own a GTI with 18" tires. It got a good 6 years and probably 40-50k out of the tires (I wasn't the one who put them on, just going by records I have). Again, even wear. And definitely not much sidewall to start with.

Do you know if the timing belt was ever changed?

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beartoothweb

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 8, 2014

Smileybug said:
I had my beetle for 6 1/2 years and I never had any issues with wear on my tires. They all were worn evenly. I would look into things a bit more. Also, I now own a GTI with 18" tires. It got a good 6 years and probably 40-50k out of the tires (I wasn't the one who put them on, just going by records I have). Again, even wear. And definitely not much sidewall to start with.

Do you know if the timing belt was ever changed?

Do you have the 1.8T? I talked to my tire guy about it, and we looked at it in detail, and I put it up on the list. I can see the camber, and there is NO adjustment, it's actually set that way from the factory.

I just did the timing belt a couple of months ago, so yep, I know it's been done. Since I bought it, I've maintained it to my standards, but it literally spends more time on the lift than on the road. It is a low-usage vehicle anyway due to long Montana winters, but I'd rather have a classic hot rod if that's the case.

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Smileybug

· #6 · Oct 8, 2014

My Beetle was a 2.0, but my GTI is the 1.8T.

You can use shims on the rear. Here is a thread about it: http://newbeetle.org/forums/2-5-liter-gas/53340-rear-wheel-alignment.html

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beartoothweb

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 9, 2014

Smileybug said:
My Beetle was a 2.0, but my GTI is the 1.8T.

You can use shims on the rear. Here is a thread about it: http://newbeetle.org/forums/2-5-liter-gas/53340-rear-wheel-alignment.html

Thanks for the link, if I end up keeping it, definitely will look at doing that kit.

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turboturbo

· #8 · Oct 9, 2014

Rear tire wear is usually bad shocks on these cars. Speaking from experience. I've got experience with just about all your other problems, too, if you want to talk about them sometime... lol

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