[tedybear]

Hello,

First time poster so 'bear' with me.

Gent down just south of my area has a 2000 Beetle for sale. He stated that his daughter wanted it for driving back and forth to school, but it was giving him nothing but problems so he's unloading it.

So far he's done the rack, exhaust, spark plugs, both window regulators and a couple of tires. (Also timing belt and water pump..and the fuel pump as well) According to him? (And he's been very frank about the condition of the car) He's spent a truck load of $$ and gave up.

Car's body and tires? Outstanding shape. Can't find any faults.

Here's the issues. He's been chasing down CEL codes left and right and the car he states is running like crap at low speeds. At highway speeds he states it's running fine. There are no plates on the car, so I can't test drive.

P1780
P0725
P0134
P1850
P0300
P0301
P0302

The P03 set I feel is most likely a bad coil pack. All misfire codes.

The P1780 code? Frankly scares the hell out of me. On one hand? It states park/net. switch. The other def I found? Points towards the transmission valve body or other issues.

The P0725? Most likely is a faulty crank position sensor.

P0134? Seems like it needs an front o2 sensor.

Now the wild card? P1850--I have no idea exactly how to deal with this. Wire issue? Connection? **shrug**

I'm a former auto mechanic and I do have basic training in OBD 1 and 2 systems. So I have a few ideas.

I get the feeling, if all these issues kicked at the same time? I'm thinking wiring issues, or a faulty ground set at the engine/transmission. But I'm no expert on VW's. (decent with Ford but not really with VW's)

Please respond with suggestions and ideas. The car is priced decent, in fact I'm sure we can negotiate it down a bit more. Just need to know if this will prove to be a fools errand.

Thanks!!

S-

 

[red99]

I've seen several people with A/T report P0725, P1780 and P1850 all occurring at the same time. It doesn't seem to correspond to any particular problem. Some report getting them after disconnecting/reconnecting the battery. Others get them as their transmissions are failing.

The automatics are very trouble-prone in these cars. Without being able to drive it you should probably assume that the transmission is no good. Search the forum for jfoj's messages to get good info about the automatics.

 

[jfoj]

One thing to check is the Long Term Fuel Trim value at warm idle and also check the Freeze Frame data for the all codes that have data.

Freeze Frame data can give a lot of clues.

If your ODBII tool does not have Freeze Frame or Live Data, then get one that does. For between $20-$30 you can probably get one that does support these features. See the first link below in my signature.

Probably clear codes then see what ones pop back first, then get the Freeze Frame data.

Also if the car has sat a long time, rodents sometimes chew up wiring. I would never believe all the crazy things if I had not seen them or talked to people that had to deal with some of the issues.

Search YouTube for New Beetle cabin air filter replacement. Pull the front dash panels, actually easier than you would think.

Remove both passenger and drivers side front dash cover, then the both access panels. Check the ECU area for rodent nests and clean out all the leaves and other debris in the cowl area. May want to also pull the wiper arms and plastic cowling as well to really clean all the trash out under the cowl. You would be surprise how much crap can get in these cowl areas.

Good luck and hopefully you can chip away as some of the issues. On the 2.0l I would probably replace the crank sensor as well just because they are so failure prone.

 

[tedybear]

Sounds like it may be more trouble then it's worth. I currently do not own a scan tool. (I have not been a professional mechanic for 20 years) I've had major headaches with the wifes former Tiburon with check engine codes and have had fair success with the exception of the evap code.

First thing I would have to do is invest in a decent scan tool. I'll check the link you've suggested and give it a look. (need to get one regardless...my 'shade' tree needs an upgrade)

If the gentleman is being honest? Rodents and nesting shouldn't be the issue--but it's something I won't dismiss (I've found mouse nests in engine compartments before, including air cleaners) It's worth checking out. The thing that puzzles me is that a local shop thought it was the fuel pump causing all the issues---and they charged the owner $700 to replace it--and the problems came right back! (that's when he gave up. I would have demanded the shop fix the car at their expense for such a goof)

I think it might be wise to pass on this one. My gut feeling is that we have a high chance of needing extended work. As fantastic of a body that this Beetle has? All those issues kicking at the same time? I'll have to talk with the owner and see if I can get any more info out of him---or a much lower price considering a transmission runs over $850 from our local yards for 'a' grade. (I hate installing used transmissions. It took us 3 tries to get a good one for my Bronco II)

Thanks again all. Please continue to respond! If this points to something else? All might not be lost

S-

 

[esse10]

don't

I wouldn't buy it unless you need a project car and he's giving it to you real , real cheap price.

 

[tedybear]

Can't say it was an 'outstanding' price. But we probably could have nailed the car for about $1500. If it did need a transmission? That would run $850 at our local yard (they have several 'a' grade ones in stock) Can't afford that much investment and risk.

Then again? Speaking of risk? We found one about 3 hours away, a 2001 GLS with a standard. Needs exhaust work, but that's easy in comparing to a transmission replacement.

Provided the car runs and drives okay? We'll take ownership of the car this weekend. I've had to rent a tow 'dolly' from the local U-Haul center. So I'm already into this a few hundred in just gas and rental alone.

I'll let everyone know how I make out.

S-