Volkswagen Beetle

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paul of charlotte, NC November 9, 2009

i purchase a new beetle convertible for my wife 11 months ago. since then and with only 2500 miles it has been to the dealer 6 times for repairs. these include the popping noises in the body (body shop welded twice) to stop the noise. right side door speakers stop working (speaker replaced). brakes failed while driving (towed to dealer and brake servo motor replaced). noise from back seat area (secure loose bolts in top). had to make numerous trips back because it was not fix right the first time. the service department and its manager do not care. car was at the dealership for a total of 40+ days and the lied on the paperwork saying it was only in for 16 days. CROOKS! one time car was returned dirty with food and trash in the back seat and a part was not put back but was in the back seat. very poor product and customer service. will never buy a vw again and plan on telling my story to anyone who would listen

Maribel of Houston, TX October 26, 2009

I have a 2005 Convertible Beetle and have to replace the windows regulators twice! The back window has come unglued and is leaking, and of course none of this covered. I really loved this car when my husband got it for me, but it's been such a disappointment since then. The speakers have been replaced twice also, and many pieces within the car have broken or cracked.

The plastic fractures are not limited to our VW, our Passat also has had many problems, including a huge crack in our dash board, which appeared overnight. What a disappointment, we will NEVER buy a VW again.

Karen of Austin, TX October 24, 2009

I have a 2006 Volkswagen Bettle Convertible which developed a horrible smell which came from the air vents when the air conditioner was on. Since I live in Austin, Texas there are very few days when the air conditioner was NOT on. I took it to a dealer who said it was mold growing in the system and that Volkswagen would do a one time cleaning of the system. They said that to prevent the problem in the future, I should run the heater every few days.

Well first of all, the smell was not removed and second of all, who in their right mind is going to drive in 100 degree heat with the heater on. Of course, now that fall has arrived and winter coming, I can test their theory; but what do I do to get rid of the smell completely? I don't want to smell it when I turn the air conditioner on again! Anyone know?

Christina of Mcallen , TX October 16, 2009

I have a 2004 VW Beetle and since day one i have had numerous problems with it, at first the battery was foul it wouldnt start, i had warranty on it and when i would take it in they would claim to fix the problem and the next day the same thing would happen again. I must have gone 6 times in 3 months for the same thing! I cant roll my front window down because it might not go up, the back window doesnt go down at all, at the back window is peeling off the convertable top.

I am now having trouble with my transmission, it jumps really hard from 3rd to 4th gear and sometimes it will get stuck in a gear and i have to pull over and restart my car! my aliggnment is never right and the headlights and breaklights are constantly having to be changed. I am tired of it and will never in my whole life get another VW!!!!

Michael of Seattle, WA October 13, 2009

In March of 2009, the airbag light on my 2002 VW Beetle indicated a problem. The VW dealer said my driver-side seat belt recepticle had a glitch, and needed to be replaced for 300. Seven months later, the airbag light came on again and the dealer said now the passenger-side belt recepticle had malfunctioned. Cost: Another 300. Instead of paying, I contacted VW Customer Relations (800-822-8987) and was told, more or less, tough luck, the car is too old for them to help cover the cost of repair. They did offer to sell or lease me a new car. (Ha!) This is my fifth, and, thanks to the company's attitude, probably my last VW.

Claudia of Ormond Beach, FL October 13, 2009

We purchased a 2003 conv beetle in dec. 2002 as a Christmas present to me from my husband;it was the first VW conv, beetle received into any dealership in the city of Toledo. In July 2003 I was t-boned in the passenger side by a full sized conversion van going over 40 mph; this shoved the car sideways 50 feet, bent both front wheels, broke the axle and rocked the car almost onto it side before it slammed back down onto it 4 wheels. The top was on, windows rolled up. All 4 headrests deployed, the passenger and driver seat brackets broke off. But not a single airbag deployed. The frame totally bent. The resulting injuries to me have been devastating and life shortening. yet no one from VW ever returned our requests for information, requests fro them to examine the vehicle - and after it was "repaired" the dealership auctioned it off to some poor fool... God forbid they experience any accident in this car.

Melanie of San Diego, CA October 7, 2009

I have a 2004 convertible Beetle with 50K miles on it. On a recent road trip my passenger side headlight lens fell off. Though it seemed strange considering the age of the car and I've never experienced it on any other car, I figured it would be a simple fix when I returned home. I took it into my dealer who showed me that the driver's side lens was separating in the same way and it would likely soon fall off as well. The quote to replace both was 900. Yes, you read that correctly. Since I am still in the middle of fixing my convertible top and need to spend another 250 to complete that fix you can imagine how angry I was.

Melixa of Winter Park, FL September 22, 2009

I purchased my 2004 VW Beetle Convertible in February of 2004 and within 6 months, it was in the shop because the top would not come back up. The problem was the switch and so it was replaced. By the end of the first year, I had the same problem repaired 2 more times. Since then I've had numerous problems with windows going down on their own, windows not going back up, the top getting stuck halfway, the top not coming back up, the interior peeling off, the headliner coming off. I've only put 30,000 miles on this car so to say that I'm unhappy is an understatement. I purchased my vehicle this time around because I wanted to finally pay off a car and not have to worry about a car payment. Wow did that bite me in the behind. Now, I've just found out that my convertible top has shrunk and the heat seal holding it to the back window has come undone. The cost to replace this entire top which cannot be repaired? 3,000 that I don't have and the best part is that the extended warranties don't cover convertible tops. I went to 5 different convertible top specialists who told me they see this a lot with VW Beetle Convertibles and that it happens every 5 to 6 years. I'm sure that wasn't information passed along to me when I test drove it. NEVER EVER buy Volkswagon, I have yet to meet a happy VW driver.

Julie of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA September 15, 2009

My rear windows in my 2005 Beetle Convertible have broken twice in 55,000 miles - first time under warranty, second time, just 5,000 miles over warranty, my dime. It costs over 350 per side to fix and will probably happen again, from what I have been reading. The problem is very hard to fix on our own and needs special tools. The parts are plastic and very badly engineered. VW's first fix was to make a less expensive kit available, however, the labor charges are the expensive part because of the location of the problem. A recall on this problem would not only be appreciated, it is warranted.

Danielle of Jacksonville, NC September 9, 2009

I also own a 2003 New Beetle Convertible. I had to replace my passenger side rear window regulator. It costs over 400. I thought that it might have just been a freak thing until I saw this website. I am having a huge problem with my back glass having come unsealed from the convertible top. This is what brought me to this website. I was looking for recalls. Apparently there aren't any for this issue.

Obviously there is something wrong with the adhesive they have used. I URGE EVERYONE WITH THIS PROBLEM TO CALL VW CUSTOMER CARE. THE MORE COMPLAINTS THE BETTER CHANCE WE HAVE OF GETTING A RECALL FOR THIS. I called my local dealership. National Volkswagen and was told that I would have to get the entire top replaced. They referred me to an upholstery shop near Richlands.

Everytime it rains, my back glass leaks alot and I'm afraid this is ruining my car. Mold is going to set in where the inside convertible top is constantly wet. I live in Coastal NC and do not have a garage. This is not my fault that the adhesive obviously does not work.

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