Quirks

[katwalk]

Herbie syndrome AKA "the car is alive and playing tricks on me!"

ie: the radio constantly spiting out the ipod adapter but takes it after 3 tries, turning the radio off and on randomly, having the right break light go out only some of the time, even after getting it looked at and fixed. Looking for something you put in the car and not finding it, but looking in the same place later and it's there.


What does your bug do?

[AceJay]

rofl more like faulty/cheap wiring.

[05yellowbeetle]

replace the socket on the brake light. My '98 alternated passenger and driver side running light out every 3 months until I replaced both sockets, never had another issue for the remaining 4 years that I owned it. One of my favorites with that bug was if you left the interior light setting to turn on when you opened the door, when you least expected it, the bug would set off the alarm, so I just left the light off all the time. It also had the infamous broken driver's door lock, it always thought the door was closed, which got my mom and brother more than once, if you weren't fast enough to get the key in the ignition and the car started, it would set off the alarm. I didn't realize until after I sold it and read about coil problems here that the coil was cracked, if you went through too deep of a puddle, it would spit and sputter, cleaning the motor and rinsing it off definitely messed up the motor and made it not run. My brother said it was cursed.

(I haven't said anything about any of the above problems while in Herbie, don't want him to get ANY ideas)

[digitalputty]

Sunroof opens on its own.

[slugbug123]

My cd player randomly pauses and turns the volume full blast or completely off on its own.

[Boopster]

not long ago after a severe thunderstorm, me alarm kept
going off it did it for a couple of days then it just quit,
who knows?

[Truthsnark]

CEL goes on, I schedule a garage appointment, it goes off two days before the appointment. Cancel appointment.

CEL goes on two days after cancelled appointment. Make new appointment. CEL turns off the day before appointment.

Take car in anyway, garage guys scan and tell me there's no record of the CEL being on. They don't charge me for appointment.

Two days later, CEL comes on. I contemplate making another appointment during the drive home and the CEL immediately turns off.

I still love my car.

[Y2kPython]

Time to buy yourself a VAG Com.

http://www.ross-tech.com

[digitalputty]

Originally Posted by Boopster

not long ago after a severe thunderstorm, me alarm kept
going off it did it for a couple of days then it just quit,
who knows?

This could be the third break light. Mine did that for a while ... then I read on here about the light. The light comes out of the 'socket' - not sure what to call it - and it triggers the alarm.

[Oh Randi]

The other day I was washing George and I started to walk up the porch to grab another sponge and he beeped and locked the doors on me. I thought it was odd, considering the remote was sitting on the trunk of the car in front of it. I unlocked it and went inside for a drink and came back out to find it locked again.

I've only found the sunroof open once, though.

[Truthsnark]

The other day I was washing George and I started to walk up the porch to grab another sponge and he beeped and locked the doors on me. I thought it was odd, considering the remote was sitting on the trunk of the car in front of it. I unlocked it and went inside for a drink and came back out to find it locked again.

My car does this as well...I think it's a safety feature. If I unlock the car remotely but do not enter the car within a set amount of time, it locks itself again. I also think it has locked itself when I have forgotten to lock it after exiting the car, but I can't be 100% sure of that.

Time to buy yourself a VAG Com.

http://www.ross-tech.com

As for this, the car was scanned and it threw no codes, so a VAG Com likely wouldn't help. The garage guys checked the wiring and fuses and found nothing, so their official diagnosis was "either the car is messing with your head, or you drive a German car."

[ladytonya]

My car has done the same thing with locking the door. I think it's some sort of safety feature. I used to be horrible about just laying my keys down in the car, now I make sure they are either on me or ON the car somewhere, not in it! I would not be in a good place if I locked my key in the car because I do not have a spare. Bought it used and it only came with one key and I can't afford to get a replacement. They're too expensive!

As for the answer you're getting about the codes it's returning, I wouldn't take that for an answer. You're driving a German car? What's that cr*& about? Come on! I know it may cost a little more, but I take mine to either a local import specialist or the VW dealership. Heck, my dealership charges less to run diagnostics than many of the little shops around here! Since I can't afford to buy a diagnostic machine myself, I'll continue paying my little $39 for them to run it when it comes on. I've had it almost a year and my CEL has been on exactly twice, so I'm not exactly complaining!

[Truthsnark]

Tonya, my garage guys and I have a good relationship, they were just being jokey. They're very interested in doing whatever it takes to keep my Bug running smoothly and efficiently, trust me.

[ladytonya]

Okay, that's good to hear! You had me worried there for a minute! How dare someone insult a NB and get away with it? They wouldn't be allowed to work on Bullet anymore if they insulted him!

[jazzcat]

Originally Posted by slugbug123

My cd player randomly pauses and turns the volume full blast or completely off on its own.

you have monsoon system don't you?

[Y2kPython]

Originally Posted by Truthsnark

As for this, the car was scanned and it threw no codes, so a VAG Com likely wouldn't help. The garage guys checked the wiring and fuses and found nothing, so their official diagnosis was "either the car is messing with your head, or you drive a German car."

I was thinking more along the lines of since it was throwing up a CEL and it went out before you got it checked out, you could hook up the VAG as soon as the light comes on.

[05yellowbeetle]

Originally Posted by Oh Randi

The other day I was washing George and I started to walk up the porch to grab another sponge and he beeped and locked the doors on me. I thought it was odd, considering the remote was sitting on the trunk of the car in front of it. I unlocked it and went inside for a drink and came back out to find it locked again.

I've only found the sunroof open once, though.

If you didn't open the door, it is supposed to do that. If you did open the door, one of the microswitches in the door locks is broke, the beetle doesn't realize that the door was opened.

[Deserion]

Originally Posted by digitalputty

Sunroof opens on its own.

Must have been a bad batch of switches. My mom's '03.5 also does this.

[Flowerchild]

buggles keeps dropping her front License plate holder,(plate and all)I live in a state where you have to have both plates on your car..my husband has lock-tighted it, replace the screws with new ones and we bought a whole new plate holder. She still "kicks it off" luckly when this happens I have been able to find she is rebel!!

[Truthsnark]

Originally Posted by Flowerchild

buggles keeps dropping her front License plate holder,(plate and all)I live in a state where you have to have both plates on your car..my husband has lock-tighted it, replace the screws with new ones and we bought a whole new plate holder. She still "kicks it off" luckly when this happens I have been able to find she is rebel!!

That's hilarious!