[Nivicola]

Hi everyone! My name is Caity and I just bought a 2000 VW New Beetle Automatic. It's my very first car (I've been saving up for months to buy it) and while it has some problems, I absolutely love it! I'm here because I'm not that car savvy but am eager to learn how to do my own work on it because I feel that it is an important skill to learn.

So without further ado, meet Cupcake!

This is Cupcake the day I drove him home. His right taillight is out and I used youtube to learn how to replace it.

He's only got 69k miles on him! Well, supposedly. I also noticed that while driving him, that the blue coolant temperature light came on and off. According to the manual, that means that the engine is too cold (?). Does anyone have any idea what that could mean?

Cupcake's interior has some issues and like most Volkswagen Beetles looks a little outdated. I want to give him a nice chrome finish so that when/if I resell him in the future, he appeals to a more general audience. His biggest interior problem is his sunshade, where the headliner is beginning to come off.

Does anyone know how to remove the sunshade and reattach a headliner to it?

Electronically, for some reason the door on the passenger side does not unlock when I use the remote. It seems to unlock (the piston goes up) but when the passenger tries to open it, it will not. Once in a while this will also happen to the driver's side.

Right by the hood the second release has lost its Volkswagen emblem and now sticks out from under the hood. The man we bought it from told us that if we took it to the VW dealership that they could fix it (but I'd rather not take that route).

Otherwise, after a nice bath and cleaning Cupcake will be ready to have some fun. I'm excited to join the community and learn! Thank you so much and sorry for the long wall of text XD!

 

[dnyed]

Welcome to the Org, :wave2: and Welcome to the New Beetle! arty:


I'm glad you adopted Cupcake. He needed someone like you.

The blue temp light is there when you start up after not driving for awhile, such as overnight. It will go off when the engine is warm. What it means is to not drive it hard, until it's warmed up. It's the RED temp light that you should worry about.......

There are several Org members who have re-done their headliners. It's a chore, but very worthwhile. You can add a truly personal touch with that!

Get your projects done one by one, and enjoy your new-to-you New Beetle! :clap:

 

[IndyTom]

http://newbeetle.org/forums/new-member-forum/51021-newbie-welcome-kit.html

Welcome to the ORG.

Don't worry about the Blue coolant light is it normal for it to come on when you first start out and then go off when you reach operating temperature.

Two things you should get done ASAP.
1.) Timing Belt, Water pump, Tensioner and Pulley.
Even thou your car only has around 70k miles the timing belt is almost 13 years old. Rubber ages and you don't want to trust a 13 year old rubber band with your engine. Once it goes your engine will have a very headbanging party where the pistons and valves will collide. Once that happens it's bye bye beetle until you get the head rebuilt and that will cost over 2000 Dollars easy. More if you have the dealer do the work.

2.) Change the transmission fluid and filter. ASAP. Since you have the worst transmission ever built by VW which has a weak valve body and is prone to failure you should change the fuild in it as soon as you can. VW deemed it a lifetime fluid but it basically means the lifetime of the warranty. That fluid in there will be as dark as night but since you don't have any symptoms of hard shifts etc. it may not be too late to get some fresh fluid in there and keep that transmission going a little longer.

Good Luck and Please don't be a stranger.

 

[IndyTom]

Is it a 1.8 or 2.0?

 

[IggysMom]

Welcome...hope you enjoy your new beetle.

That hood latch looks like a jerry-rig. The original is plastic and T-shaped and only sticks out when the hood is released to open it up. Common issue is that they stop popping out or break off altogether. Common jerry-rig is a bent coat hanger sticking out from under the hood. Mine doesn't like to pop out when I pop the hood release so I will be scouring the salvage yards for one myself soon .

Good luck with Cupcake, doing the fix-ups yourself is fun.

 

[02SilverSport]

Great having you here at the greatest ORG on the web! Lots of great people here and with answers too!

 

[IggysMom]

Great having you here at the greatest ORG on the web! Lots of great people here and with answers too!

It is isn't it?

 

[PRM502STREET]

Welcome to New Beetle.org you are going to have lots and lots of fun here. Watch out it is addicting!

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[VWShananigans]

Our Beetles are twins!
Welcome! I'm sort of a newbie too. The people here are awesome, always so helpful! You should find everything you need here!

 

[woodhog]

Caity, your NB looks great!
The best thing you can do if you truly want to do your own repairs and such, is to go to your local parts store (oreilly, auto zone, etc) and purchase a repqir manual. It will contain almost all of the info you will need to make most repairs to your car.
The first thing I had to do when I got my NB (now a Pink Zebra)was to replace the water pump. I was somewhat apprehensive about the job ahead of me but when I got into it it became a simple task (just follow the directions in the book). All went wel and I replaced the timing belt and such while making the repair. I suggest you purchase a OBD-II reader, a valuable tool when trying to determine why you might be having problems.
The remote locking problem you are having could be several things. The most likely are the locking mechanism in the passenger door needs to be lubricated or possibly the remote needs to be reset. The procedure to reset the remote and key are in your manual or the repair manual. This is a very expensive fix if done by the dealer. Learn to do it yourself or find an intelligent locksmith with the tools to do it. I was able to find a locksmith here who came to the car and reground new keys and reprogrammed all for $200. Best of luck with your car and if I can be of any help please ask. [email protected]

 

[IndyTom]

The OP never responded to any of our posts and questions. I wonder if she got tired of her New Beetle already?

 

[IggysMom]

The OP never responded to any of our posts and questions. I wonder if she got tired of her New Beetle already?

Oh noes...I hope not

 

[Nivicola]

Hi there guys! Sorry for the lack of replies. I definitely did not get tired of Cupcake!

Cupcake is 2.0 Automatic.

So far Cupcake hasn't had much work done on him because of money issues. I'm starting to work on him slowly again, and trying not to force him to drive too much while I repair. I had to get my registration, title transfer, and tags which ended up amounting to 700 dollars (yipes).

Debris was flying through his air conditioning, so I did my first diy today and replaced the cabin air filter myself. The filter cost about 15 dollars and it took me about 20-30 minutes to replace completely.Here is a picture of the inside when I opened it. This weekend I will be changing the transmission fluid (not by myself as it seems a bit too complex for me) and have made a mental list to change the other things that were suggested by you all. My boyfriend and I had to replace the battery last weekend because someone (me) accidentally left my lights on.

Otherwise I have begun to remove the disgusting gunk on the interior of the car and plan on maybe giving some of the parts a chrome finish when I have some time.

I also plan on replacing the door panel liners (?) because someone replaced one without replacing the other. I thought maybe a suede might look good there instead of the vinyl (I'm not a huge fan) but am not so sure how well it would be adhere to the door.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and I have used this site extensively since I bought Cupcake! XD

 

[IggysMom]

Check out the picture thread on Marvin by Antoine...Marvin's dad. On last couple of pages he just did suede door inserts and headliner. They came out great. I'd link here but idk how from my phone.


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[IndyTom]

Hi there guys! Sorry for the lack of replies. I definitely did not get tired of Cupcake!

Cupcake is 2.0 Automatic.

So far Cupcake hasn't had much work done on him because of money issues. I'm starting to work on him slowly again, and trying not to force him to drive too much while I repair. I had to get my registration, title transfer, and tags which ended up amounting to 700 dollars (yipes).

Debris was flying through his air conditioning, so I did my first diy today and replaced the cabin air filter myself. The filter cost about 15 dollars and it took me about 20-30 minutes to replace completely.Here is a picture of the inside when I opened it. This weekend I will be changing the transmission fluid (not by myself as it seems a bit too complex for me) and have made a mental list to change the other things that were suggested by you all. My boyfriend and I had to replace the battery last weekend because someone (me) accidentally left my lights on.

Otherwise I have begun to remove the disgusting gunk on the interior of the car and plan on maybe giving some of the parts a chrome finish when I have some time.

I also plan on replacing the door panel liners (?) because someone replaced one without replacing the other. I thought maybe a suede might look good there instead of the vinyl (I'm not a huge fan) but am not so sure how well it would be adhere to the door.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and I have used this site extensively since I bought Cupcake! XD

Where do you live where a title transfer and registration on a 10+year old car is $700 Dollars?? :calvin:
That is just crazy. We in Indiana have one of the highest Excise Taxes on Cars except for vehicles 10 years and older. Those are all $49.95. I can see a couple of bucks more at first to get the title transfered but $700??? that just doesn't make sense. My 2010 Chevy Impala when it was brand new only cost me about $375 Dollars for the first year and a half so I don't get why it is so high for a 10+ year old Beetle??

Anyway, glad you still have your headache... ehm.. I mean your Beetle Congrats about installing a new Cabin filter, however that will not fix your issue with the foam coming out of your vent. That is a totally different issue called the "Blend Door" and that is a little bit more involved than the easy peasy cabin filter To fix that issue you will need to completely take the dash apart. Here is a Great DIY by D2Beetle with pics and everything.

http://newbeetle.org/forums/questions-issues-concerns-problems-new-beetle/41973-blend-door-diy.html

When you do change the transmission fluid make sure you change it with VW approved fluid and not some Autozone brand. If you do you will be worse off than before simply because the Chevy and Ford fluids are not designed for the internals of a complex VW Transmission and second you will only get less than half of the fluid out when you take off the transmission pan and one thing you do not want to do is mix VW Transmission fluid with any other transmission fluid. You will end up with Jello in your transmission which will make a transmission shop very happy. Here is a complete kit you can order for your O1M 4speed Automatic transmission.
Volkswagen New Beetle 2.0 > Search > Transmission Fluid > ES#261800 Complete Automatic Transmission Service Kit - 01MSKKT

Or if you prefer the Real VW stuff:
Volkswagen New Beetle 2.0 > Search > Transmission Fluid > ES#1899548 Complete Automatic Transmission Service Kit - 01MSKKT

Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress

 

[Nivicola]

Thanks for the advice! How much do you know about VW Beetle Fob keys. Sometimes the key doesn't work so I thought the battery might be dead. When I tried to replace it the immobilizer was triggered and now the ignition locks when I put the key in. The remote locks and unlocks the doors however.

I wasn't given a spare key by the original owner so I am at a complete lost here. I really don't want to have it towed to the VW dealer if I can help it.

I live in Miami and it was my first time ever registering a car. It was pretty upsetting but at least now I can cruise legally!

 

[IndyTom]

Thanks for the advice! How much do you know about VW Beetle Fob keys. Sometimes the key doesn't work so I thought the battery might be dead. When I tried to replace it the immobilizer was triggered and now the ignition locks when I put the key in. The remote locks and unlocks the doors however.

I wasn't given a spare key by the original owner so I am at a complete lost here. I really don't want to have it towed to the VW dealer if I can help it.

I live in Miami and it was my first time ever registering a car. It was pretty upsetting but at least now I can cruise legally!

Hmm, the remote control part has nothing to do with the imobilizer function and just changing the battery shouldn't have triggered anything. The key portion has the imobilizer chip. There have been issues with the door lock system and micro switches in the doors that wear out. What exactly is it doing? Does the car start at all? If the remote unlocks and locks the doors it is doing it's job and there is nothing wrong with it. There are other electrical gremlins that need to be addressed.

 

[IndyTom]

Check your fuse box on top of the battery. How do the fuses look? Not just the Buzz fuses but also the Metal Fuses. Do to grounding issues that fuse box has been known to melt down.
Also the large black wire going to the alternator has been known to be inferior and can fail.

And there is always the ignition switch itself. It's worth a look. The wiring to the ignition switch can also get frayed and cause higher resistance and fry the switch.
The switch is easy to replace and not too expensive.

Volkswagen New Beetle 2.0 > Search > Ignition Switch > ES#1896875 Ignition Switch - 4B0905849

Here is a Ignition Switch DIY:

http://newbeetle.org/forums/1-8-liter-turbo/59181-ignition-switch-replacement-diy.html

 

[Nivicola]

I'll post back about the fuse box when it becomes light out but the car does not start at all. When I try to turn on the car the key does not turn at all but two clicking sounds are heard from the center console.

The car was in complete working order when I changed the cabin air filter and the failure to start must have happened between the time I replaced the battery and when I tried to start it.

 

[IggysMom]

Does the little bug shaped light with a key under it turn off shortly after you put the key in the ignition or stay on? View attachment 98376
It looks like this only beetle shaped over key. It will be at just before 1 o'clock over top of your speedo.
View attachment 98377
It's the top right yellow light in this pic. Just too blurry to see well.


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