Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2017 23:09:15 -0500
Reply-To: Jeff Palmer <w.jeff.palmer@ICLOUD.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeff Palmer <w.jeff.palmer@ICLOUD.COM>
Subject: Re: 2007 Beetle questions (NVC)
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Thanks Dennis. I appreciate it. I think 10K miles is right - that would be 16K km and my Golf wagon with the same motor is 15K km according to the manual.
Regarding the transmission, it seems to hesitate in first and second before shifting. In surfing the internet I found the following.
VW Beetle Transmission Plagued By Bugs: Suit
By Christopher Norton
Law360, New York (December 15, 2011, 11:32 AM EST) -- Volkswagen Group of America Inc. was hit with a putative class action in Arkansas federal court Wednesday alleging the automaker's New Beetles made between 2003 and 2007 contained malfunctioning automatic transmissions.
The design of the vehicles' Tiptronic automatic transmissions was defective, which causes them to malfunction and require replacement, inflicting monetary damages on the vehicles' owners, named plaintiff Shirley J. White alleges.
"Volkswagen Group of America has been aware of the defect, but at first chose to ignore it and shirked all responsibility," the complaint said.
When more and more Beetle owners protested, Volkswagen agreed to extend the warranty, but only for the valve body of the transmission for the vehicles, according to the complaint. The extension is of little use, though, because it does not cover any damage to the transmission which, as a direct result of the defective valve body, fails and needs replacement at a cost of several thousand dollars, the complaint says.
"In effect, Volkswagen's offer to extend the warranty but to limit that extended coverage only to the transmission's valve body while washing its hands of any liability for the resultant damage to the transmission itself, is tantamount to relying on the proverbial 'finger in the dike' approach to dealing (or refusing to deal) with the defects prevalent in VW's transmission," the complaint says.
White is asking to represent a class of all U.S. owners and lessees of model year 2003 to 2007 Volkswagen New Beetles equipped with the Tiptronic automatic transmission.
The Tiptronic transmission is a sealed unit, meaning it is not amenable to being rebuilt or having its components repaired, according to the complaint.
Shortly after the vehicles were sold in the U.S., it became evident to Volkswagen that a problem was plaguing the cars' automatic transmissions, as owners and lessees began taking their Beetles back to dealers complaining of hard shifting during normal driving, White alleges.
These malfunctions were due to a defect that was present in the vehicles as of their manufacture, but the malfunction often exhibited itself shortly after the expiration of Volkswagen's new factory warranty, according to White.
"In response to this readily apparent defect, Volkswagen initially turned a deaf ear, and refused to accept any responsibility," the complaint said.
Since the defect would almost invariably occur after the expiration of the warranty, Volkswagen refused to cover any of the required repairs or transmission replacements, according to the complaint.
"Like Ms. White, therefore, owners were left with bills of $5,000 or more to replace a transmission in vehicles that were just a few years old and had 80,000 or fewer miles," the complaint said.
White is seeking class certification, an order for Volkswagen to create a common fund to remedy the alleged defects, damages, restitution, costs and attorneys' fees, according to the complaint.
The case is the latest in a string of vehicle defect woes Volkswagen has faced in recent months.
In November Volkswagen asked a Florida federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action, filed in October, accusing the automaker of knowingly selling vehicles with defective fuse boxes, referring to the suit's claims as "conclusory boilerplate."
In October the company said it would recall more than 168,000 cars equipped with diesel engines over a fuel leakage problem that could start fires.
Counsel for White and representatives for Volkswagen did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
White is represented by Roy Arie Katriel of the Katriel Law Firm.
The case is White v. Volkswagen Group of America Inc., case number 2:11-cv-02243, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
> On Apr 14, 2017, at 10:05 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> I'm not sure but I believe the recommended oil change interval is 10K miles using the oils meeting their specifications. That would be most of the "European" or Emissions Systems Protect (ESP) oils. Back in the Vanagons day the oil change interval was 7,500 miles so this isn't much of a stretch for today's standards.
>
> As for the transmission shifting "roughly" you need to be a bit more descriptive. Is it shifting at different times and going into the next gear harshly or is it banging or what? Yes these transmissions can be troublesome and often it is the electronics that cause grief. The only way an ATF fluid change really makes a difference is if the friction characteristics change so much that the clutches change the way they engage. If this change is due to fluid condition then it is likely something is happening causing the fluid to be overheated.
>
> If going the fluid service route have the old fluid analyzed. You will then know if you are looking at bad fluid for whatever reason or the clutch packs are done.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Palmer
> Sent: Friday, April 14, 2017 7:28 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: 2007 Beetle questions (NVC)
>
> I hope this is still allowed!
>
> My wife has a 2007 Beetle convertible with 100k km (60k miles). It's a 2.5L 5 cylinder with the six speed auto transmission. It never came with an owners manual. Does anyone know the service interval for oil changes? My 2013 Golf is 15k km so I assume the same? We use synthetic.
>
> Also is anyone familiar with transmission issues for Beetles. I was reading that valve bodies I think might fail. Mine is starting to shift rough and I was hoping a fluid change might help. It's likely original fluid.
>
> Thanks
> Jeff
>
> Sent from my iPhone
