First gear jerks!

[Beetle_NZ]

Hi I have a 2002 automatic transmission beetle and would like to ask if I need to worry about this. I notice that after placing it to "D" no matter how soft I push the accelerator, I feel a jerky movement. "sometimes" it wont but mostly if coming from stopping, it will jerk..is this a sign of trouble?

And I also notice that if I put it on reverse, without stepping the gas, the car moves with is normal for an automatic trans..but if putting on Drive mode..i expect that the car move also without stepping on the gas but It wont..

[V_BFW_W]

Ive had the se problem for over two.years mine does it when it is cold but after driving it goes away I had mechanic tell me it was either the trans cpu or the fluid needed to be changed

[Beetle_NZ]

Hi,
Same as mine, if it is warm up already it goes away. So did you change your CPU? hows your beetle doing right now? I already had a oil change but it still there. I just don't want that this little problem will get bigger. Even in the morning my breaks squeks on reverse and my mechanic told me its normal..

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Beetle_NZ

Hi,
Same as mine, if it is warm up already it goes away. So did you change your CPU? hows your beetle doing right now? I already had a oil change but it still there. I just don't want that this little problem will get bigger. Even in the morning my breaks squeks on reverse and my mechanic told me its normal..

Could be a valve body issue. The Automatic Beetle's valve bodies are prone to failure. Insufficient line pressure can lead to ultimate transmission failure.

[Beetle_NZ]

so hows ur beetle right now?

[h_2_o]

does it jerk through the rpm's or just takes a second or two to engage? if it just takes a second or two to engage then it is a valve body, if it jerks through the rpm's look into doing a throttle body adaptation.

[Beetle_NZ]

The jerky problem usually kicks in the morning. It takes 2-3 second--pick up jerk then run. Nothing to do with rpm. So do I need to call my mechanic on this and change the body valve? is it expensive?

[Smileybug]

How many miles on the car? I'd probably start with a fluid and filter change since it seems to only do it when cold.

[Beetle_NZ]

My bug is on its 97k mileage. before buying this, the auto store told me that they will change oil and cam belt as soon as I buy it so they did. it also happned during day time specially after work when the car park for a long time. Hope..hope..hope that this is not a sign of trouble because I really love this car and hope to keep it for a long time

What other thing do we need to do minimiz this jerky movement? any suggestion?

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Beetle_NZ

The jerky problem usually kicks in the morning. It takes 2-3 second--pick up jerk then run. Nothing to do with rpm. So do I need to call my mechanic on this and change the body valve? is it expensive?

Have you checked your transmission fluid? Is it full? Not sure if you have a transmission dip stick to check your fluid but if there is check it with the engine running.
Valve Body replacement will cost about $1700. VW did extend the warranty on the automatic transmission. You may want to check into that. Either way before spending any money on unnessary repairs I would have it checked out by a reputable VW shop. I would stay away from transmission shops since they are like vulchers and will tell you that you need a rebuilt transmission or worse a new one.

[Smileybug]

No dipstick to check fluid level. I would wonder what fluid they put in. Do you have an invoice or anything to tell you that? I'd be willing to bet they didn't put the right stuff in...

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Beetle_NZ

My bug is on its 97k mileage. before buying this, the auto store told me that they will change oil and cam belt as soon as I buy it so they did. it also happned during day time specially after work when the car park for a long time. Hope..hope..hope that this is not a sign of trouble because I really love this car and hope to keep it for a long time

What other thing do we need to do minimiz this jerky movement? any suggestion?

They more then likely changed the engine oil but not the transmission fluid since it is suppose to be a lifetime fill which is a joke. That fluid gets contaminated and then all that crud runs through your transmission and eventually cloggs something up or worse. You could start with a transmission fluid change/flush. Some say stay away from a flush since it will just push more of the crud through the valve body and transmission however if done professionally it can also remove all that build up. If the valve body is damaged then the fluid change or flush won't help but it can't hurt either. I would have a professional shop test your line pressure. It will tell if the valve body is defective or not.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

No dipstick to check fluid level. I would wonder what fluid they put in. Do you have an invoice or anything to tell you that? I'd be willing to bet they didn't put the right stuff in...

I bet they didn't put anything in. They changed the engine oil and perhaps changed the accessory belt. If they changed the timing belt, water pump, pulley and tensioners they should give her a receipt showing that this service has been performed or she may be sitting on a timebomb waiting to go off and then the transmission will be the least of her worries. That car could end up costing more than a new one.

[Stlbug]

Your car is over due for transmission fluid and filter change. That could very well take care of the problem. No oil has unlimited miles. VW did not have transmissiom fluid changes in their service maintence. They said the transmissions are sealed and the fluid was good for the life of the car which is BS. If changing the filter and fluid doesn't do it, then I would take it to a reputable transmission shop and have them look at it. VW techs do not know a whole lot about the transmissions. They know to replace the valvebody or replace the transmission, they do not work on them. Your car is not, from the way it sounds, is not exibiting the valvebody problems I and other people had which was hard and violent shifts between 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears.

[Beetle_NZ]

Sorry for my ignorance. I tot engine change oil/filter is the same as transmission fluid and filter change. Are they not? I don't have a transmission fluid dip stick. Is there anyway I could check it on my own if transmission fluid needs to be replace or is full or not?

I don't have any receipt regarding my engine oil change/filter. I trust this guys since I bought my first car with them with no problem.

Hi guys! just got back from a shop close to my house and they told me that they will try to flush it and transmission fluid change and from there
they will see how it goes. They are hoping that it won't be as bad as the others they fix because the delay of my car is just on "drive" mode and the
"reverse" is still good. And they said no "dip stick" on this model. So let's cross our finger's for this

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Beetle_NZ

Sorry for my ignorance. I tot engine change oil/filter is the same as transmission fluid and filter change. Are they not? I don't have a transmission fluid dip stick. Is there anyway I could check it on my own if transmission fluid needs to be replace or is full or not?

I don't have any receipt regarding my engine oil change/filter. I trust this guys since I bought my first car with them with no problem.

Oil and filter change usually refers to the engine oil and filter not the transmission. Engine oil and transmission fluid are completely different things. Your dealer wouldn't have changed the transmission fluid since it isn't on the regular maintanence schedule. VW thinks that the automatic transmission fluid will last the life of your car. They are probably right. It will last until your car dies
Unfortunately there is no possible way to check the transmission fluid yourself unless you want to jack up the car and drop the transmission pan. Not a difficult job but a messy one and one better left to the pros. Changing the fluid may or may not help depending on what is actually wrong with your car. Now this dealer that you bought the car from is it actually a VW dealer? If not I would take it to a shop that is experienced with VW's. Our cars are novelty items and require more maintanence than other cars. It involves more than just an engine oil and filter change. One of the more important maintanence items is the Timing Belt Service. If this hasn't been done on your car you can be in a lot of trouble when that timing belt breaks and your pistons and valves make some fireworks. Check with the dealer you bought the car from if they show that they have replaced the timing belt, water pump (very important), tensioner and pulley. These are all part of the very important Timing Belt service which should be performed every 75k miles or sooner.
When you have your transmission looked at asked them if the timing belt service has been performed. If not I would get that done as soon as you can afford it.

I sincerely hope that you will get your car up and running.
Good Luck to you!

[Beetle_NZ]

The dealer that I bought from is not a VW showroom but sell different cars as well. I will try to ask more question to the auto-shop across my house about anything else that you told me. This shop is not really a VW shop specialist but they are famous on fixing German Cars & Car restoration. Its the only biggest and reliable shop I've know here in our town.

Last one question, is "timing belt" & "Cam Belt" desame? cause they just change it last week which is part of every 100k mntainance. They also change/fix my left side power window motor and left side fog light bulb since it is part of the 2 year warranty from the car dealer. I am really careful and keep my eyes open for any abnormal thing I could hear or notice cause I really love this car

This forum really help me a lot cause when I talk to the mechanic earlier, it seems I know everything what they are talking and knowing what I want them to do and check..thank you guys for your help. I'll keep you guys posted on this!

At this point, do I also need to change my spark plugs? spark plug wires?

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Beetle_NZ

The dealer that I bought from is not a VW showroom but sell different cars as well. I will try to ask more question to the auto-shop across my house about anything else that you told me. This shop is not really a VW shop specialist but they are famous on fixing German Cars & Car restoration. Its the only biggest and reliable shop I've know here in our town.

Last one question, is "timing belt" & "Cam Belt" desame? cause they just change it last week which is part of every 100k mntainance. They also change/fix my left side power window motor and left side fog light bulb since it is part of the 2 year warranty from the car dealer. I am really careful and keep my eyes open for any abnormal thing I could hear or notice cause I really love this car

This forum really help me a lot cause when I talk to the mechanic earlier, it seems I know everything what they are talking and knowing what I want them to do and check..thank you guys for your help. I'll keep you guys posted on this!

At this point, do I also need to change my spark plugs? spark plug wires?

It is possible that the Cam Belt and the Timing Belt are the same thing. Perhaps they use that term in NZ It is best to check with them just to make sure. If they did change the Timing Belt or what they call the Cam Belt they should have also changed the water pump, the accessory belt, the tensioner, the pulley and the thermostat. All this is replaced during the timing belt service.

It's not a bad idea to change the spark plugs if they haven't been changed recently. I assume you have the 2.0l engine? Then I believe they still use Spark Plug wires which should be checked as well. The 1.8 Turbo engine doesn't have Spark Plug wires but a Coil on Plug system.

Good Luck with your Beetle and I hope everything works out for you.

[Beetle_NZ]

hi guys! I just talk to my mechanic who did the "cam belt / timing belt" and said that he also change the rest of the stuff except the water pump which we already scheduled to be replace after Christmas. He also said that he did not change the thermostat yet since the computer did not get any error from it.

Next week Tuesday is the schedule for transmission fluid change/filter and flushing. He charge me $75 for the flushing and $13 dollars per liter for the fluid which is not bad at all compared to the other shop across my house

Maybe we will try to do both water pump belt change and spark plug change on the same day. Yup! I got 2.0 engine. Wish me luck guys and hoping that everything goes well

[Smileybug]

Not sure why you put off the water pump...you have to take the timing belt off to get to it. Its all usually done at the same time because of that. More labor intensive to just do the pump.

Also, I wouldn't flush the trans fluid, just drain, change the filter, and refill. Flushing can move junk around and cause more problems then its worth.