[slg330]

Hey everyone! I just bought a 2000 2.0L Beetle today and have come across a few problems. The lady I bought it from had the car at the mechanic to fix the AC because it stopped working while I was in the process of buying it. While it was at the mechanic, they said that everything engine and transmission wise looked good other than a small oil leak that I shouldn't be concerned about. And the only things I need to have replaced within the year are the struts and breaks.

However i've noticed a couple things that are alarming me. First, after driving it about 25 minutes home from work, I noticed that it smelled like something was burning in the engine. They did say because of the oil leak, it would smell like burnt oil if I drove it for a while, but it still makes me nervous.

Also the driver and passanger side windows go down perfectly fine, however when I try to raise them, the driver side will stop midway and shoot back down or just stop all together. I have to continue to press the button upwards for it to go up, and only then will it go up VERY slowly. The passanger side window will go up, but it is so slow it seems like it will stop before completely closing.

And the very last issue is the car keeps pulling to the left. I had the mechanic check the alignment and he said it was fine and that I just had a valve leak and my tire was low, and it should be fine because he put some air into it. But it still seems to pull to the left. Now i'm wondering if I just need to get a whole new tire for the front?

Sorry if this is long and drawn out, but i've never owned a VW before, let alone a car this old. So i'm a little nervous that I just bit off more than I can chew with repairs. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[dnyed]

I'm no mechanic, but the window is most likely, a needed regulator. Apparentley, it's a relatively easy fix. Just don't take it to the dealer for that, they will charge you an arm and leg. If you cannot do it yourseld, find a good independant VW shop. Well, for that, and any other issues you have. I've found a great local shop, and won't go to dealer service anymore, unless it's a warranty. No warranty on my 11yo NB.

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

 

[red99]

Welcome to New Beetle ownership! Hopefully you realized that these cars need TLC to keep them running right and are not inexpensive to maintain. These cars are great for do-it-yourselfers since they provide so much to do. Otherwise, you need to develop a relationship with a mechanic that you trust.

I think that the window regulators are a fairly common problem. There are videos on youtube that explain how to replace them.

The oil leak is probably the valve cover gasket leaking oil down onto the exhaust manifold. Another common oil leak on these engines is at the oil cooler. I replaced my oil cooler seal recently and was amazed that it wasn't leaking worse with the condition of the seal.

I doubt replacing a tire would help with the pull unless it has a very uneven wear pattern. Try rotating the tires and see if it helps. I rebuilt the entire front suspension on my '99 a few years back now. It really made the car feel like new again. I replaced the struts, strut mounts, ball joints, all the bushings and had an alignment done afterward. Any car of this vintage is probably due for the same.

If the timing belt has never been replaced on your engine, you need to get that done very soon. They should be done at 6-8 years in general. If the belt breaks it will mean a major and expensive rebuild on the engine. These are interference engines which means that the pistons and valves will run into each other when the belt breaks.

 

[slg330]

Thanks for the info! I was browsing around the site last night and read that quit a few beetles had problems with the window regulators, so i'm going to try fix those soon.

As for the timing belt being change, the lady I bought it from had a new engine put into the car within the past 2 years...i'm not mechanically inclined at all, but does that mean the timing belt would have also been changed?

And the tires do need to be replaced pretty soon, so hopefully by doing that it will help the pull.

Thanks for your advice! And thanks for the welcome!

 

[red99]

A new engine would have a new timing belt on it. The engine may have been replaced because the belt broke and did it in.