What should I konw about my 2001 turbo?

[BeeLee]

Hi there, I am new to the "new beetle" forum. I just bought a used 2001 turbo. Thus far I am really liking it. Is there anything I should know? It did not come with a manual and I am not sure what fuel I should be putting in it. I have been filling up with 91. I would love to fill up with a lower grade but I'm not sure if this is okay or not. Any thing that anyone would like to share with me would be greatly appreciated. By the way are these cars really made in Mexico? I'm not quite sure how i feel about this. I thought I was buying a German car!

[zappa26]

There's nothing you really need to know, just make sure you keep up with maintenance and repairs! You are correct, premium is the only fuel you should be putting into the 1.8T. Other users have experimented briefly with 87 but they've all complained about the engine running like crap consequently. And yes, the cars are made in Mexico, haha.

[Lnzbug]

Hi Welcome to the org. Yup, the car is made in Mexico with German engineering. How many miles do you have on your car? The water pumps with the plastic impellers (stock) are prone to failure. The plastic gets brittle & breaks, sending you to the dealer with a messed up engine. Get your timing belt & water pump changed to an aftermarket metal one & you'll never regret it. VW says to get it done at 105k but it won't usually last that long. My belt went at 145k but I think it's more age than mileage. Others here will disagree. You can get the kit here
http://www.metalmanparts.com/product...7&categoryId=8
Have fun with your new toy BTW, I have 207k miles so far. Still going strong

[jackfrost]

another thing to watch for is the coilpacks, there should be a recall for them, i would see if it was taken care of. and congrats on the speed bubble

[Scarab 1]

Yes, go into the dealership to figure out what has been done under recall. Other things that you would ask them about...

Brake Light switch(when this goes you have no brake lights and no cruise control)

Window Clips(your motor will work but the window will not go anywhere but down)

[BeeLee]

I just want to thank everyone for your posts!! Tonight we drove it down the HWY about 16 miles to Carson City and it drove great. We got to our destination parked it for about an hour- hour and 1/2 came back out to go home... turn the car on and the check engine light stayed on the whole way home. Frustrated! Nothing looks weird or smells weird. Oil is fine.

Oh yeah it has 109,000 miles on it.

[Lnzbug]

Bring it to autozone & ask them to scan it & tell you what the codes are. Have a piece of paper ready to write them down & then come back here & tell us what they are. It could be something minor or major. I've driven with mine on for a few years now I'm sure mine's a hose somewhere but the other half hasn't figured out which one.

[BeeLee]

Thanks Luzbug. I want this car to work out for the long hall but i have only had it 5 days. This does not leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling... if you know what i mean. I will have a scan done and get back to you. Thanks much!!

[zeusenergy]

Originally Posted by Lnzbug

Bring it to autozone & ask them to scan it & tell you what the codes are. Have a piece of paper ready to write them down & then come back here & tell us what they are. It could be something minor or major. I've driven with mine on for a few years now I'm sure mine's a hose somewhere but the other half hasn't figured out which one.

PM me and I can diagnose the issue in a few back and forth PMs. Be glad to help you rid yourself of the CEL.
I am a master of the hoses on this engine- the vortex 1.8T FAQ has my drawings...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2666114

[zeusenergy]

Originally Posted by BeeLee

Thanks Luzbug. I want this car to work out for the long hall but i have only had it 5 days. This does not leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling... if you know what i mean. I will have a scan done and get back to you. Thanks much!!

Any codes that create a steady CEL are usually non-critical, but to be safe and fix what's wrong you do need the code. It will say "p0001" or something like that. Disregard what the code reader claims is the description of the issue- usually it's not right. The code reader they use is generic for all OBD-II cars, VW's can have different meanings for the codes. For example, I had a CEL for coolant temp sensor yet the description said something about a short circuit in the WIRING!
Replaced the sensor for $28, and all is well