05' Tiptronic Auto Trans. Vs Auto Trans. in a 2002 - Explain the Diffrence + - ?

I'm comparing features between a 2005 Beetle and a 2002 Beetle both with automatic tansmission.

What is the diffrence between the 2005 Tiptronic 6 spd. auto trans and the 2002 auto trans ?


I'm pretty close on deciding.

2002 automatic: 4 speed 01M crappy shifting, hurts MPG, very failure prone, not effective to rebuild, expensive to replace - about $4k. Do a search, tons of info here. Its junk. There is a reason that hundreds of them get swapped out for a 5 speed manual.

2005 automatic: 6 speed DSG; DMF failures, mechatronics unit failures, expensive fluid changes every 40k miles (many people don't do this and the trans suffers as a result), not rebuildable, $6500 to replace.

The ALH engine models are better than the BEW. Read up on the cam/lifter wear issues. If you have to have an auto, buy a B5.5 Passat...but then you're stuck with balance shaft issues if it hasn't been addressed.

Bottom line (my opinion): If your left leg, right arm and half your brain works...buy a manual. Simple, effective, reliable, efficient, fun to drive. Automatics are boring.

The ALH engine models are better than the BEW.

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Not if you actually own a BEW....


As for the transmissions, one is a POS and one is decent. Simple as that.

Between the two cars definitely go with the 05. The 02 is a ticking time bomb.

I do appreciate the feedback. I'm a little rusty with the abreviations but I'm working on them... The 05 with the Tiptonic is more expensive, quite a bit more and certainly out of my comfort zone but... Geesh..

The 2002 has an ALH code engine which is an older engine but some people like it better. The auto trans used on them are crap though. Many people convert them to manual as the auto tranny alone costs $4500 to replace. You could always buy the car if it's cheap enough, and just plan on swapping in a manual transmission later on.

The 2005 has the BEW code engine. It is a newer engine and uses a completely different injection system. Some people do not like them due to they like to eat cams if a low viscosity oil is used. I personally like them as they are quieter, smoother, and generally just run better. Timing belt is also more simplistic. The DSG trans used on the NBs is pretty decent, but they did have issues the the dual mass flywheel and they need to be serviced every 40K miles.

Hope that helps.

turbocharged798 said:

and they need to be serviced every 40K miles.

Hope that helps.

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It's like doing the work of 2 oil changes.. easy.

DMF.... well lets just say that DMF's suck and are not meant for anything other than grandma's buick.... Not fun replacing a DMF, but also easy to detect an issue. Manuals also have DMF issues so it's not isolated to the Autos

Also.. stop referring to the the DSG as a tiptronic... it's a totally different tranny used in the 04,05 Jetta/Golf and gassers. Very similar to the untrained eye, but totally different.