Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Volkswagen

How to get 91 octane gas in an 87/89/93 area?

ish__ — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:56 -0800

How can I get 91 octane gas in an area that seems to sell only 87/89/93? What sort of damage might I have caused to a new vehicle by filling it with 87 for a little while? I recently purchased a 2009 Volkswagen CC VR6 (and am loving it). A few fill ups ago I realized that the manual & gas cover both say to be using 91 octane gas. The problem is there are no gas stations in the area that sell 91! Every station I've been to only sells 87, 89 and 93. I've been using 93 since, but I feel like I'm paying for more than I need to. Can I just half & half 89 and 93 and get a tank full of 91 - or is there a more complicated mixing method, or does it just not work this way and I'm stuck paying for 93 to get the 91? Does anyone know of a station or chain of stations in Northern Virginia (preferably somewhere along the Fairfax County Parkway) that sells 91?

Relatedly - how much damage could I have conceivably have caused by driving the first 3000 miles only filling with 87? It seems to me like the answer would be "not much, if any." I don't hear the engine knocking, I didn't feel any measurable loss of power while driving with 87, etc. But realistically what might I be looking at? Does it make sense to bring the car in for a once over just in case?

Also (love these multi-part questions); VW's Carefree Maintenance has free oil changes at 10k, 20k and 30k. Their documentation says that due to the synthetic oil being used, and the "advanced European engineering" that I don't need an oil change every 5k miles - that every 10k is fine. I'm planning to pay for a 5k anyway (until Carefree Maintenance came along, they were recommending 5k changes, so I think this 10k thing is a bit of bull) - but any thoughts on the validity to that claim?

VW Jetta: Dreck or no?

dunkadunc — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:43:16 -0800

VolkswagenFilter: I'm going to be looking at a '99 VW Jetta (A4 body) in the next couple days and am wondering what, specifically, I should look for when I'm there. Specifically, the car's a Jetta GLE 2.0l with 130k miles, the owner is asking $2500, and apparently there's nothing wrong with it.
However, in my experience buying cars, there can be no end of problems that aren't readily apparent. Are Jettas of this vintage any good, and is there anything I should check out or look for?

Locking the side-door in a VW Transporter panel van?

knapah — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:33:22 -0800

Is the sliding side-door lockable on the Volkswagen Transporter? I've just rented a VW Transporter (Short wheel base panel van). Is it possible to have the side-door locked while driving the vehicle? There's no keyhole on the outside, no visible lock on the inside, and no lock button in the cab - as far as I can tell anyway.

Mystery of the '87 VW Jetta

ajarbaday — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:44:50 -0800

My 87 VW Jetta broke down, and none of the mechanics have the equipment to figure out what's wrong with it. What now? I have an '87 VW Jetta that has about 250,000 miles, but a rebuilt engine with a lot less mileage. I've had it since December, and haven't had trouble with it, though I just noticed an oil leak before the break down.

While I was driving on the highway, it started to 'buck', or 'miss' - the car would stop accelerating and kinda lurch forward. It was fine when I wasn't accelerating. I thought maybe the problem was with the leak - when I stopped the car, the oil level was way down and I put 3 quarts of oil in it, but I think the problems were unrelated. I stopped at a gas station and had it towed in the morning. It would start just fine, but now I've heard it's not running. It's been to a total of three mechanics in Charlottesville, VA, but none of them are willing to do any work on the car because they don't know what's wrong with it and they don't have the diagnostic equipment to figure it out (they didn't charge me for looking at it, but towing is starting to get expensive). One mechanic hazarded a guess that it might be the fuel injection system or the choke. Right now it's at a Volvo dealership, the only one in town.

Should I give up on my car? I don't have any technical ability, and right now my car is about 100 miles from where I live. But it's frustrating not knowing what's wrong with it.

Does anyone have any pertinent experience or suggestions?

Rust on my Thing

Brocktoon — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:14:04 -0800

I need advice on taking care of rust on a Volkswagen! I just bought my dad's 1974 Volkswagen Thing. It used to be cherry, but he let it go to hell a few years ago when he started feeling his age and wanted the comfort of a Land Rover. So I took it off his hands, and I will restore it eventually, but in the meantime, how can I affordably get rid of the rust on the body and trim that has built up, without getting a body shop involved (I'll worry about paint, etc. later)? It's pretty bad in some places.

Recommend a VW mechanic in PDX

maniactown — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:10:39 -0800

Can you recommend a Volkswagen mechanic in Portland or Eugene, Oregon? My Check-Engine light is on and I need to get the oil changed in my 2000 VW Eurovan. I'd prefer to find an honest, independent VW mechanic rather than patronize a dealership. Thanks!

Brought a car in for service during warranty, and it wasn't fixed. Do they still have to fix it later?

JeremiahBritt — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:41:35 -0800

During the warranty period, we took are car in twice for what I assumed was a transmission problem. Both times they told us it we were crazy. Now I think the problem has rendered the car undriveable, but the warranty is expired. Are we screwed? Basically, it was a very specific, weird problem (2005 Volkswagen Beetle). When decelerating to a stop from ~30 mph, the car would jerk suddenly and make a "thunk" noise, but not every time. About once a month.

Unfortunately, my work schedule and the shop's hours required that my wife bring it in. One time they told her it was the window washer fluid in the back rolling around (which wouldn't shake the car), and the other time they couldn't duplicate it. I figured it was annoying, but since they couldn't make it happen, I didn't know what to do. The car had plenty of other electrical problems (windows twice, engine temperature thing, traction thing, etc.) that they fixed without complaint.

I decided to just live with it and to try not braking so hard.

This morning my wife was driving to work, going up a hill from a stop light, when the gas pedal stopped making the car go forward, as if it was shifted into neutral. No warning lights came on, and the engine ran as always. She turned the car off, restarted it, and drove along as normal.

Obviously, now I'm worried about that happening on the freeway, especially since we live in the D.C. and people tailgate like crazy.

My main question is: is there anyway for us to get this problem treated as if it was under warranty still, since we took it in twice and they failed to fix it?

My other questions are: is my guess as to the problems being related accurate? Is there anyway to prove they are?

Thanks.

What to expect at the end of a car lease?

mjger — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:14:32 -0800

What to expect at the end of a car lease? My wife currently has a VW Jetta that is nearing the end of its lease. What should we expect at lease turn-in? I have searched Google and have been unsuccessful in finding much information.

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

What's wrong with my car's A/C?

foxinthesnow — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:33:09 -0800

I have a 2003 Jetta with around 75,000 miles. It is hot here, and I have been running the air conditioning nearly every day for the past month or two, and I have noticed some strange occurrences. First, if I am parked with the A/C running, even for a short amount of time, the car seems to vibrate rather forcefully. In addition, when I pull away from the parking spot, there is always a fairly large pool of water where my car was. Also, when I am driving fast, say 60-75 mph, and I change the speed of the A/C from high to low, there is a noticeable jerk in my acceleration. It is most unusual... So, worried about the A/C, I decided to take a gander at the owner's manual. The section about the A/C also mentions the "air recirculation" button. The manual says not to use this button when the A/C is running. But I, reckless as I am, decided to see what would happened if I pressed it. Lo and behold, when the recirculation button is depressed, all of my A/C woes go away! The car doesn't vibrate, it only leaves what I would consider to be a normal-sized pool of water, and the acceleration is no longer affected by my changing A/C speed. On top of all this, the A/C is colder and more powerful than I have experienced before! Everything about this air recirculation button seems so right! Why would the VW manual instruct me to let it be? Am I doing damage to my car? Also, do the symptoms I have described above sound serious? What could be happening?

VW Mechanic in Northern VA?

callmejay — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:46:25 -0800

Where in Northern VA should I take my '03 VW Passat to get the thermostat replaced? Searching MeFi, I found this disheartening thread about the VW dealers in the DC metro area. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a mechanic that can handle VWs? (My old mechanic tells me they don't have the necessary tools.)

If not, what can I expect if I take it to a dealer? (I just got the car, used.) Gross overcharging? Shoddy work? Etc.

Bonus points for proximity to Ballston/Clarendon.

Is a Super Turbo Bug possible?

bolognius maximus — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:07:28 -0800

Are there any reasons why a Porsche engine could not be put into a '74 Volkwagen Beetle? A friend of mine has 1974 Volkswagen Beetle that he is having restored. He wants to put a Porsche engine in it, because he thinks it would be fun. Are there any reasons (mechanical, electrical, physics, etc.) why this could not be done? Money isn't really an issue, and the man loves his Bug. Thanks in advance!

Making the old Beatle new again?

Jimbob — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:09:49 -0800

Volkswagen, BMW, and now Fiat have all recently bought out "remakes" of some of their classic cars (Beatles, Morris Minis and Fiat 500s). All of these cars do nothing more than pay homage to the original, stealing some aesthetic design features, while creating an entirely new car. But how much would it cost, now, to manufature a Volkeswagen Beatle the way they were made in 1969? Assuming we're creating a car that is exactly the same; the same components made out of the same materials. The same chrome, metal badge, analogue clock on the dash, rear engine. If Volkwagen, instead of deciding to make a "New Beatle", simply decided to turn on the old production line again, what would we paying for a brand new "Old Beatle" at the dealership? What about a Mini? Would a car the size of a Fiat 500 even be deemed roadworthy these days?

Bonus points: I assume that 1960s-era cars fail to meet a fair number of safety and emmissions requirements that modern cars have to; what would the most basic modifications necessary be to make an "Old Beatle" legal, and how would this impact on the cost?

New Beetle Needs Work + Brakes

kirkaracha — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:02:03 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for Volkswagen service and brake service in San Francisco. I dropped my 1998 New Beetle off at the dealer a week ago yesterday, and they just now got back to me with an estimate of $1100 to replace the brakes. The one-week delay makes me want to go somewhere else (I take public transportation, so it wasn't a huge deal, but still), and $1100 seems steep for brakes.

The Car Talk site had good reviews of Advanced Audi Volkswagen, City Automotive, and Moss Motors, so it'd be great if anyone's used one of them.

How do I get a good car deal in Australia?

Joe in Australia — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 21:54:01 -0800

I want to buy a new car - specifically, a Volkswagen Multivan (called a Caravelle in the UK). I've seen lots of good advice for people in the USA but some of it's not applicable here, especially the stuff about finding out how much the dealer pays. How can I find this stuff out?

Advice for buying an old VW?

cholly — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 01:16:35 -0800

I'm looking for tips and/or advice on buying a ~~used~~ pre-loved 1960's Volkswagen Beetle. I am in love with VW Beetles and am in a postion to buy one.
The one I am currently looking at is a 1966 model, 2 door, 4 speed manual. It has a four-year-old 1600cc engine with 30,000kms and is newly serviced with a brand new fuel pump. It also has new tyres and registration until August next year. It also has a fairly new interior and has a rather anal owner (who has had it for 12 years), so the car is more or less immaculate, with very little rust.

My questions are:
- How 'reliable' are these cars?
- Will it send me broke in repairs?
- The owner is asking $6,000 for this car. There is an element of emotional attachment to the vehicle. What would be a fair price, given the specs above? I was thinking somewhere in the range of $3,000-$4,000.

Any other advice would be dearly appreciated.

If you need any other info, let me know, email is in profile.

Volkswagen Dealerships in MA

Andrea2880 — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:30:40 -0800

What Volkswagen dealership (Besides Tracy in Hyannis) would be close to Cape Cod, MA and good choice to take my car to? Which Massachusetts Volkswagen Dealership has the best customer service history? I'm looking for one close to Cape Cod to take my New Beetle in for major servicing. I have had bad experiences with Tracy VW in Hyannis, MA.

Best VW dealer in the beltway?

exogenous — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:01:53 -0800

What are your opinions of Volkswagen dealers near DC? Inside or immediately outside the beltway, please.

wing on the back of a car increasing MPG? Color me dubious.

Wild_Eep — Fri, 05 May 2006 08:12:20 -0800

Last night on ABC news there was a guy with a VW beetle (silver) who put a wicked-huge wing on the back and claimed some ridiculously-high MPG figure. Alas, my google fu fails me. Why would this wing possibly work? They guy wasn't a tuner, AFAICT.

Where can I find older New Beetle TV commercials?

herrdoktor — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 10:22:02 -0800

Is there a place where I can download/watch Volkswagen New Beetle TV commercials of yore? These would include the commercials featuring music by Hooverphonic, Spiritualized, Nick Drake, The Orb and the like. The official site seems to have pulled them in favor of more recent commercials, and nowhere I've looked seems to have them.

I'd much rather not sign up for AdCritic, and none of the alternative sites suggested here in the past has them. I've tried emailing the operators of both VW.com as well a couple other VW sites, to no avail.

I recently dug up a copy of Spiritualized's "Ladies and Gentlemen..." and got wistful for a stupid girl and her stupid car, and now I want to watch the stupid commercials. Help me get over this mania. I mean c'mon-- emailing freaking VW.com?! I'm stupid.

Why do German cars use lug BOLTS instead of lug NUTS?

skyguy14 — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 20:35:24 -0800

Why do most European cars use lug BOLTS to secure a wheel to a car as opposed to lug NUTS as in most American and Japanese cars? Is there an advantage or disadvantage? I have a VW and recently had a heck of a time getting bolts to fit my aftermarket wheels...it seems that you can get all the nuts you want though in PepBoys... THANKS! Going nuts over lug bolts... !

Old VW Campers. Advice/experience?

bystander — Sun, 08 May 2005 21:42:12 -0800

When I was younger I dreamed of weekends away (and longer) in an old VW camper (called a Kombi, here in OZ). A decade later and I have spouse, kids (4yro, 2yro and 1 on the way) and enough money to make it possible. Good idea or not? Our last holiday was a week in a small (by US standards) Winnebago style camper that was much enjoyed, but a 30 year old VW might be too much. I'm handy around the house/garden, but have little experience with cars. We would still keep a sedan for daily driving, so this would just be for fun.
Any advice or experience welcome, as well as cautions or encouragement.

mini cooper vs. beetle / cabrio

luriete — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 16:24:03 -0800

What do you all think of the 2004 Mini Cooper convertible? Specifically, in comparison to a 2004 mini beetle convertible, or a well-cared-for 2001/2002 Cabrio convertible (I don't think they made a convertible Cabrio after 2002)?

Help deciphering a letter from our VW dealership

Irontom — Thu, 18 Nov 2004 04:29:37 -0800

We got a weird letter from our VW dealership in the mail yesterday, and I need help deciphering it. [mi] Here's the letter (all emphasis is theirs, not mine):

"Dear Valued Customer,

[Dealership], in [city] [state], has been designated as a site to conduct a special test marketing pricing and financing event. Your vehicle status qualifies you for this private sale.

We are in need of acquiring several pre-owned Volkswagon vehicles by November 30, 2004, in order to fulfill special vehicle requests. You have been identified as the possible owner of one of these vehicles and our new car managers have been authorized to buy back your current vehicle at above market prices.

We would like to exchange your vehicle for any new 2004-2005 vehicle from Volkswagon. Or choose from any one of our clean late model pre-owned vehicles from most every make and model. With factory incentives and high trade-in at least 110% of fair market value, we feel confident that you can make this exchange with little or no money down and with a monthly payment that fits your budget. Due to current interest rates this could possibly lower your monthly payment. Financing starting as low as 0% APR* for 60 months will be available or incentives of up to $3500 on selected models during this event. Also, participants will receive $1000 loyalty rebate through VCI on all 2004’s and $500 on all 2005’s.

Please stop by or give us a call at [number] to schedule a convenient appointment and allow us the opportunity to make you an offer. A visual inspection is required to offer you the highest possible price.

Due to the high demand for these vehicles and your ownership status, this event will not be advertised to the general public. This will be your only notification.

Please bring this letter with you as verification of program participation.

* on approved credit"

I can translate the marketing speak, but I don't understand the promotion. Is this normal for VW? Or, since my wife drove an insanely hard bargain with them when we bought the car 2 years ago, do they just want to get us in the dealership in hopes that they can actually make money off of us this time?

Should I Buy This Karman Ghia?

NGnerd — Wed, 10 Dec 2003 21:23:51 -0800

I've just moved out to san fran and feel like i need a convertible. found a sweet little Karman Ghia for 5 grand. Has anybody had any experience with these good/bad/ugly?

oh, and how long has ask metafilter been here? (pretty damn cool)