New VW Beetle Opinions/Input.

[Sierra048]

Was going to add this comment in another thread about VW in the maintenance forum but decided to start a thread here since it seems more appropriate given my questions.

Yesterday We took our new Nissan Frontier into the dealership for a warranty concern. While it as there the Bride and I walked through several adjoining car dealerships to kill some time. We walked onto a VW dealership lot and looked at their selection of cars. Admittedly, I haven't been in a VW product since I owned a 1963 Beetle back in the late sixties. My overall impression of the cars I saw yesterday were that they were my nice looking, but pricey. All except for the new Beetle. My Bride actually liked the Beetle and said she wouldn't mind having one as her next vehicle. I was floored when she said that since VW has never been mentioned when talking about replacement vehicles for her. We didn't test drive one yesterday since we aren't ready to get rid of her Xterra just yet.

I know there are probably other vehicles in this class that might be perceived to be better, but since my wife is approaching retirement she thought it might be a fun little car to get her around in. What are your opinions on the new Beetle, especially reliability and build quality. It appears (I could be wrong) they are phasing out the 2.5L I5 (didn't even know some models were powered by a five cylinder engine) for four cylinder turbo engines. Just a few of my thoughts. Priced in the low to mid $20K range makes them a more affordable alternative. Outside, it's a Beetle. Inside, it looked fine for what she would need, actually didn't look bad at all. I was surprised that she and I (I'm 6'1", 220 lbs) fit comfortably in the front, but I wouldn't want to take a long trip as a back seat passenger . Trunk space was adequate, actually more than I would have thought. Some questions I have are: Are they reliable? Are they a maintenance nightmare or is basic maintenance done easily by a DIY'er? Are they more expensive when it comes to maintenance and repair? It looks like their new turbo offerings might require premium gas which would be a negative for me. In a nutshell, what should I be concerned with owning, specifically, a VW Beetle, or anything else made by VW? What if any experiences have you had with the new Beetle or VW in general. Thanks.

 

[Trav]

Build quality is not bad at all, engines and transmissions are good, nothing really negative.
Its easy enough to work on and do routine maintenance. Unfortunately you posted on the wrong board IMO, if its not a Toyota, Honda or a Ford its junk.
Don't ask about German cars on BITOG, some Vollidioten compare BMW and MB to scrap iron.

 

[FowVay]

If you take good care of them then I don't see them as being any more problematic than any other brand.

The new 1.8T engine was introduced this year as a replacement for the 2.5 liter 5-cylinder. What separates this turbo engine from the much more powerful 2.0T is that the 1.8T is tuned to run on regular unleaded fuel. It wasn't introduced to be a performance champion though. It was introduced to increase fuel economy of the base offering and it does so by getting approximately 5 MPG better than the 2.5 liter. It produces the same horsepower (170) as the 2.5 liter but makes a bit more torque (184lb-ft vs 177lb-ft).

The drawback to owning VW is that you get no support from either the corporation (VWoA) or the dealership network. The dealership network is simply horrible and has ruined many a relationship between the product and its owner.

I have considered a Beetle for my wife also and with this new 1.8T engine, I just might pull the trigger this year.

 

[Boomer]

I now have two VWs, both diesel TDIs (see signature). We love the Passat and have averaged up to over 56 mpg on trips!! Take a look at a portWagen or Beetle in the diesel version. The mileage will really impress.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: FowVay
If you take good care of them then I don't see them as being any more problematic than any other brand.


I'm not trying to start an argument with this member, but this is an argument laid out sometimes about VWs and I think it's kind of inaccurate.

Some of the most common and frustrating problems with VWs are electrical and other issues that can't be prevented by fluid changes and taking "good care" of them.

Some people say the newer ones are less problematic, but I'm not totally convinced.

VW also does some things that are just super stupid in the way they design cars. But they do some good things, too.

The good side of VWs, which is why I just bought another one, are the good driving dynamics, good quality interiors, big-time online and aftermarket support and large availability of quality replacement parts. Of course, the current, decontented US Jetta is the exception to these things, although they've been slowly fixing all its problems.

I personally would choose the new Mk VII Golf or a Sportwagen over a Beetle, but if you're buying a the Beetle for the style than the Golf may not float your boat.

 

[Nick1994]

My aunt has a 2013 Beetle TDI that she's put 8,500 miles on so far. It drives fantastic, handles great and is very very quiet on the road. The only issue she's had was the drivers power window came loose and didn't roll up well. She got it into the dealer right away, she got a loaner car, and they fixed it. The problem was the bolts for the regulator were loose. Other than that it's been great. Sticker price was $25k for the TDI she got which was a good deal. Boy is it QUICK!

 

[antiqueshell]

Most of the VW electrical gremlins have been exorcised a long time ago, they simply are not a problem on the last few generations of cars.

The products in general are very good, and I have found that many times the VW will be as reliable or more reliable that the Japanese competition if they are maintained in a reasonable way.

That being said I agree with a few others that the real weak point with VW is the dealer network, it is pretty poor, although there are a few outstanding dealers which outshine the best from the competition, but there are so few of those, the rest are fair to poor. But since this car is out of warranty you just look for a good independent shop that works on them, which will offer cheaper prices and better workmanship.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Most of the VW electrical gremlins have been exorcised a long time ago, they simply are not a problem on the last few generations of cars.


Not exactly accurate, IMO. My 2010 Jetta was sold in mid 2010, so it's less than 4 years old and it's already suffering electrical problems with the power lock system.

It will be several more years before we can really say the gremlins have been exorcised and their reliability is fixed. They definitely weren't exorcised "a long time ago."

Side note-
I really think VW needs to increase their factory warranty. They have a perception of bad reliability among some people, and their short warranty doesn't help that. They have a short warranty similar to Honda and Toyota, which enjoy a perception of reliability by many people, even though some people here would argue with that.

I think if VW wants to change their image, they need to increase their warranty as a way of saying "really, we really did fix the reliability problems this time. We promise."

 

[Sierra048]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Most of the VW electrical gremlins have been exorcised a long time ago, they simply are not a problem on the last few generations of cars.

The products in general are very good, and I have found that many times the VW will be as reliable or more reliable that the Japanese competition if they are maintained in a reasonable way.

That being said I agree with a few others that the real weak point with VW is the dealer network, it is pretty poor, although there are a few outstanding dealers which outshine the best from the competition, but there are so few of those, the rest are fair to poor. But since this car is out of warranty you just look for a good independent shop that works on them, which will offer cheaper prices and better workmanship.


I have no first hand knowledge of poor dealership networks, but have gotten the impression through visiting different car forums over the years that warranty and repair on VW's was a problem. These are other's opinions since I have no first hand experience. That's why I'm asking on this forum. Is the poor dealership experience mainly from an after sale warranty/repair standpoint or are the dealerships a pain during the purchasing process too? It's actually a perception in the back of my mind that VW's have been problematic vs other car brands. Again, this is just my perception with VW and I can't verify it one way or another. Glad to hear that the 1.8L turbo takes regular unleaded. Premium would definitely be a deal breaker for us if we were to seriously consider the Beetle when the time came. Another question: My wife is a big AC user, me not so much. How good are the AC systems in the VW/Beetle? Any known gremlins associated with them? Thanks for the input.

 

[OneEyeJack]

My daughter calls it a "chick" car.

 

[JHZR2]

If buy a golf, personally. More useful space. Do like the lines of the updated beetle though.

Tdi mt convertible beetle? Fun!

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Mfrank84
My wife is a big AC user, me not so much. How good are the AC systems in the VW/Beetle? Any known gremlins associated with them?

I have an older one here and its tight as a drum, never had a problem according to the original owner.
The last VW/Audi car that i remember that seemed to have more than its share of A/C issues was the old USA model 4000S with the 1.8 (Audi 90 trim with Audi 80 running gear), they were always in for something.

 

[supton]

I have an '04 and it's a/c has been relatively good. I think it's undersized for the black interior, and challenged by the amount of space in the wagon--which might not apply here. Recirculate though is a no-no in my car, smells bad when you turn recirculate off, so I avoid using it. Really gotta turn it off a few minutes early so as to let it dry out (probably good practice on all cars). But otherwise, 10yr/nearly 300k and it's never been touched.

 

[Dave Hess]

From Mexico ?

 

[Sierra048]

Bumping this thread. After asking you all for opinions on VW's and their reliability, I spent some time on the net looking for information and reviews. What I found was rather disheartening. I know all car manufacturers have issues (our Xterra has the dreaded engine whine from the timing chain guides/tensioner) but I never knew that VW had as many problems as they appear to have. Granted, a lot of what I read was from the model years 2002 through 2009, and I would hope VW has listened to their customers and changed some things, but there was quite a bit from more recent years as well. I found some serious hate for VW. Business articles I read described how VW's sales have plummeted. If the things I read are true, I'm not surprised. I hope VW gets it together since my wife likes new the Beetle. Since we are still a year or two away from buying, hopefully we'll see some positive press and reviews on how VW has turned things around. If we had to buy a vehicle now, VW would not be on the list.

 

[supton]

I think you just need to have a good mechanic lined up. Which is important for any vehicle, really.

 

[Sierra048]

Originally Posted By: supton
I think you just need to have a good mechanic lined up. Which is important for any vehicle, really.


Agreed. The problem I saw in post after post was people taking their car into a dealer multiple times, usually under warranty, for the same issue and apparently never being properly fixed. Then when it happened out of warranty, people were on their own to pay for the repairs. This wasn't a certain geographic area, or a certain dealership, this appeared to be the norm nationwide. As stated before, I know all manufacturers have their issues but VW seemed to be way outside the norm, based on my own experiences and those retold by VW owners. I have no desire to bash VW especially since I don't even own one but the stories I've read have given me pause for considering a VW as our next automobile. For those who own VW's and have had good experiences, please add you positive experiences.

 

[adolan21]

I'm the 2nd owner of my 2010 VW GTI and based on service records the only problems it's ever had was with the TPMS light going on then off which happens when it's really cold. I've owned it for 9 months now and have put almost 10K miles on it and I've had no issues whatsoever. I absolutely love the car. Do I expect it to be as reliable as a Honda Civic Si? No I don't but this is a direct injected motor with a turbocharger and an Si is a naturally aspirated motor. All the reliability issues were due to the MKIV generation, the Golf platform is in it's
seventh generation now.

 

[Sierra048]

Originally Posted By: adolan21
I'm the 2nd owner of my 2010 VW GTI and based on service records the only problems it's ever had was with the TPMS light going on then off which happens when it's really cold. I've owned it for 9 months now and have put almost 10K miles on it and I've had no issues whatsoever. I absolutely love the car. Do I expect it to be as reliable as a Honda Civic Si? No I don't but this is a direct injected motor with a turbocharger and an Si is a naturally aspirated motor. All the reliability issues were due to the MKIV generation, the Golf platform is in it's
seventh generation now.



Thanks for the input. This is the type of info that is very useful to me. Any others?

 

[DuckRyder]

The TDi has been to the dealer for its 90 day check up, 2 oil changes and a flat tire from a roofing nail...

Thats it...

If you are in the metro area you have several good dealers to choose from...