2000 1.8L Turbo MT - Various Issues
tklagesse67
05-15-2008, 04:53 PM
Hello, I have various issues with my bug. I bought it used in the late summer of 2007 with only 55000 miles on it. Right now, I am rounding 66000 miles and am starting to notice little quirks.
I have done some research on here, but cannot find specifics for several items and was hoping someone here (hako, vdubmechanic, et.al.) might shed some insight. Further, I am well aware that there are a lot of electrical issues with the 2000 Beetle due to crappy vendors used by VW at that time.
Right now, I am having A/C blowing hot issues. It worked when I bought it. But now, the compressor clutch is not engaging. I have checked the main fuse panel, as well as the box above the battery and all is good there. I recall reading something about a fuse or a relay beneath the battery tray, but cannot find the thread to confirm whether or not it was for a beetle. I saw on AutoZone.com that there is an A/C relay, but cannot find it on the electrical diagrams in my Haynes book.
Other issues include my instrument cluster. When I bought the car, I noticed that several of the lights did not come on during the self-test when you first turn the ignition. As of right now, this includes: ASR, Cruise, ABS, Airbag, and Fog Lights. The ASR does work as I have felt the engine power die down during some slick spots when I had my cruise on. However, I don't know if I can disengage the ASR as the button does not light up when pushed. The ABS works, too. That was an easy test. :iceslolan The cruise and fog lights do work, but the indicator lights do not light up when the specific functions are turned on.
In January 2008, I took it to Gosset VW in Memphis to have them service it and to address some of the issues. They told me that I needed a new "distribution box" and a new instrument cluster. I am assuming that the "distribution box" is the fuse box on top of the battery based on some of the threads I have read on here about a corrosion issue. I OK'd the distribution box, but turned down the instrument cluster as I did not have the extra $400 in parts and labor to burn. This one trip was over $300 and they performed the 40k mile service for me. I still think they did not change the cabin air filter because it still smells musty/moldy in the car when the vents are blowing.
But, here is what gets me... When I tried to use the A/C earlier this month and found I had a problem, I started digging on my own... I found that there were about FIVE BLOWN FUSES in the main panel !!! One of the fuses (#5) had aluminum foil from a GUM WRAPPER wrapped around it because it had blown!! OK, first of all, I know that folks say to take it to the dealer when you have big problems. If I am having electrical issues, why in the heck didn't they check the fuse panel FIRST??? Needless to say, several of my cluster lights came on, but the ones mentioned above are still an issue for me.
Thanks for bearing with me on this long post... in short:
1. A/C blowing hot - compressor clutch not working - fuses checked - is there a relay?
2. Instrument cluster issues - if it is bad, do you think it would be OK to buy a salvage part from a wreck? Also, if I did do this, does the computer save the original mileage and show back up on the display?
Thanks!
Tom
I have done some research on here, but cannot find specifics for several items and was hoping someone here (hako, vdubmechanic, et.al.) might shed some insight. Further, I am well aware that there are a lot of electrical issues with the 2000 Beetle due to crappy vendors used by VW at that time.
Right now, I am having A/C blowing hot issues. It worked when I bought it. But now, the compressor clutch is not engaging. I have checked the main fuse panel, as well as the box above the battery and all is good there. I recall reading something about a fuse or a relay beneath the battery tray, but cannot find the thread to confirm whether or not it was for a beetle. I saw on AutoZone.com that there is an A/C relay, but cannot find it on the electrical diagrams in my Haynes book.
Other issues include my instrument cluster. When I bought the car, I noticed that several of the lights did not come on during the self-test when you first turn the ignition. As of right now, this includes: ASR, Cruise, ABS, Airbag, and Fog Lights. The ASR does work as I have felt the engine power die down during some slick spots when I had my cruise on. However, I don't know if I can disengage the ASR as the button does not light up when pushed. The ABS works, too. That was an easy test. :iceslolan The cruise and fog lights do work, but the indicator lights do not light up when the specific functions are turned on.
In January 2008, I took it to Gosset VW in Memphis to have them service it and to address some of the issues. They told me that I needed a new "distribution box" and a new instrument cluster. I am assuming that the "distribution box" is the fuse box on top of the battery based on some of the threads I have read on here about a corrosion issue. I OK'd the distribution box, but turned down the instrument cluster as I did not have the extra $400 in parts and labor to burn. This one trip was over $300 and they performed the 40k mile service for me. I still think they did not change the cabin air filter because it still smells musty/moldy in the car when the vents are blowing.
But, here is what gets me... When I tried to use the A/C earlier this month and found I had a problem, I started digging on my own... I found that there were about FIVE BLOWN FUSES in the main panel !!! One of the fuses (#5) had aluminum foil from a GUM WRAPPER wrapped around it because it had blown!! OK, first of all, I know that folks say to take it to the dealer when you have big problems. If I am having electrical issues, why in the heck didn't they check the fuse panel FIRST??? Needless to say, several of my cluster lights came on, but the ones mentioned above are still an issue for me.
Thanks for bearing with me on this long post... in short:
1. A/C blowing hot - compressor clutch not working - fuses checked - is there a relay?
2. Instrument cluster issues - if it is bad, do you think it would be OK to buy a salvage part from a wreck? Also, if I did do this, does the computer save the original mileage and show back up on the display?
Thanks!
Tom
rogers.frog
06-03-2008, 06:49 PM
did you ever get any info on your a/c.... mine is kinda doing the same thing.
i build pressure on the low side with in minutes... thats even after i bleed the
low / hi side down to nothing..... i cant add any coolant because of the pressure building up on the low side... see it just started doing this a month
ago... i would turn the a/c on and it got where it would kick on and off... now it want do a damn thing.... can you help any.....
thanks
i build pressure on the low side with in minutes... thats even after i bleed the
low / hi side down to nothing..... i cant add any coolant because of the pressure building up on the low side... see it just started doing this a month
ago... i would turn the a/c on and it got where it would kick on and off... now it want do a damn thing.... can you help any.....
thanks
tklagesse67
06-03-2008, 08:28 PM
No, unfortunately I have not resolved it. It got put on the back burner in favor of vacation. I plan on dealing with it when I get back from FL. Too bad, too... the bug would have been fun down here!!!
kerizmabug
07-06-2008, 07:11 PM
i have a 2000 1.8 also and i bought it about 2 years ago, in the winter and when we turned on the ac, well of course it was going to be cold... well it started warming up and i realized the ac didnt work at all, i had to go to a junk yard and buy a compressor then to autozone to buy the other stuff that i needed (in all about 200 bucks) then paid a place to install it all for about 150, he said he would have charged a WHOLE lot more if he knew how much trouble it was going to be, ppl hate working on vws, so getting yours fixed will be pretty pricey
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