[SlugBug03]

Hey All!

I am new to the group but own a 03 2.0L beetle.

I replaced the CV axles and suspension about a month ago. Once I replaced them, I noticed my beetle had a vibration accompanied by a loud "hole in the muffler" type sound whenever I hit 3800-3900 RPM in any gear. I re-checked the work and everything is installed correctly. The CV axle is after market and I am wondering if the axle could cause this type of issue. I ended up taking the beetle to the VW dealership to see if they could figure out what was causing the noise and they thought it was due to the engine mounts needing replacement. I ended up replacing the engine mounts and it did not solve the problem. Now, while I am happy with the performance with the new engine mounts, it did not solve the noise and vibration issue. Has anyone had this issue with their beetle after replacing CV Axles? I am thinking it has to be the axles but don't want to spend another grand replacing them since they are brand new unless I have more info to go off of. This happens only at that RPM range and is not altered or changed by varying speeds.

Thanks for your input!

 

[KISSMELALA]

I have the same issue, I have a 2000 1.8L turbo with a manual transmission. I have only replaced the passenger side CV axel so far but the strange part is that the axel that came off my car is listed at the auto parts store as the one for the automatic transmission. Not sure if that has anything to do with the issue, but my car started doing that same thing after I put the new axel on. Now the driver side inner CV boot is torn away. I also have a slight loss of power in that rpm range as well as the noise. I thought it might have something to do with turning the driver side wheel after the axel was out to get to the bolts that are unreachable, I'm still trying to figure out what is causing it. the dog bone tranny mount on my car is also missing which could also be a factor in that the axel wasnt lined up correctly. It would be great if someone out there knew and could help. I will post anything I find useful.

 

[Thejarhead]

The dog bone mount needs to be put in first. Every time your engine accelerates or decelerates the engine will move significantly. A dog bone could be had from the junkyard or vw dealer and many aftermarket auto parts stores. If your dog bone is indeed missing I would not drive the car.

The axles for automatics and manuals are different, however many parts stores wouldn't know the difference and may have unintentionally listed it wrong. Put the dog bone back in first and then see what you have.

 

[billymade]

There is a long history of cheap non oem axles; causing, the vibration issue you are referring to. What. Rand are the replacement axles; most axles sold from typical auto parts stores, will be cheap Chinese sourced parts.

The axles that work: are the genuine VW or the VW oem supplier brand GKN/Loebro/Spidan and some have had good luck with axles sourced from Raxles.

Some parts must be oem quality parts; to work correctly and last a long time, cv axles are one of these parts.

Aftermarket

GKN Automotive - a trusted aftermarket supplier

www.gknautomotive.com

Raxles, America's premier supplier of OE quality CV Axles and CV joints - Raxles Inc.

Raxles, CV Axles for ALL front-wheel-drive cars, All featuring NEW outer joints and a lifetime warranty!

www.raxles.com

 

[KISSMELALA]

Thanks, guys I appreciate the advice. There are a few plastic parts also missing from the undercarriage as well. I have had the car since Feb. I haven't had it serviced and no one has worked on it but me since I have owned it. It's a shame that the previous owner didn't take very good care of it. It even had the wrong coolant in it. I'm working on it little by little. I will definitely get a dog bone on there this weekend and also take a look at Raxels and the others mentioned. At least it's easy to work on. Anyone know where I can get my hands on the Beetle Bible..aka...vw factory service or shop service manual. Again thanks for the advice.

 

[billymade]

free online manuals here: Volkswagen Workshop Manuals

paper manuals are sold by chilton, haynes and factory vw manuals are by bentley publishers.

Amazon.com : new beetle service manual

another option are the factory manuals from vw's online service called eRWin; probably best bang for the buck. pay 24 hours access and download as many manuals as you want in .pdf format.

erWin Online | Volkswagen of America | erWin Online

erwin.vw.com