Beetle and Beetle Convert. Roll Call. Who's out there?

[itsmejerry]

Ok, this section of TDI club has been largely dormant for quite a while.

Lets get it rolling a bit.

Who has a Beetle TDI 2012+
Who has a Beetle Convertible 2012+ ?

I have a 2015 Beetle Convertible TDI with 3200 miles on it. The wife and I are "Saving it for Later" and driving it very sparingly. It's our beach car and spends most of the weekdays in the garage or under its cover in the driveway. I don't drive it often, but if it hasn't been driven, I do start it weekly and let it warm to operating temperature (and oil to 200 degrees) before it's put away again.



Anyone Else?

 

[oilhammer]

I only have one customer with a 2012+ diesel Beetle, a 2015 convertible. I just did a service on it this week. He had a 2012 sedan that he let them buy back. It had over 120k miles on it, and was perfect. I only have a handful of gasser ones, though. These just do not seem to be quite as popular here as other Volkswagen models.

I feel there are not too many of these left. My wife recently made mention of liking them after she heard they were not making them after the 2019 model year. Which got me thinking maybe I should try and surprise her with a "fixed" diesel one. But she would probably expect me to give up one of our other cars, not sure if I could do that or not.

Certainly would want a new one. The only engine is crap. And you can only get an automatic transmission. Seriously, Volkswagen, way to let an icon die in style.

 

[Lightflyer1]

I have a 2015 stop sale Beetle TDI. This has been a lonely forum for some time now.

 

[Jasper J]

2015 Toffee Brown Vert here.
Purchased late March 2018 w/ 21,xxx miles.
So far I think the top has been down more than up. [emoji41]
Currently @ 35,xxx miles.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[itsmejerry]

The Beetle community seems to be people who don't really modify their cars much, unlike some of the other forums, and that may be why this part of TDI club isn't really active.

Also, since the engine and transmission are pretty much the same across the TDI's, a lot of answers for engines, transmission, etc problems are answered in other forums.



Anyway, It's good to meet a few of the Beetle Owners. Maybe we'll figure out what to talk about sooner or later.

 

[Lightflyer1]

I will be upgrading to projector head lamps and upgrading the basic stereo to a RNS315 with nav and backup camera. Have all the parts just can't seem to find the time.

 

[GTOguy]

Early '13 here. Non IRS which I like because I regularly pull a motorcycle trailer with a couple of bikes. Great car!

 

[06bluebeetletdi]

Late ‘13 hardtop here white with black interior (6/22/13 priduction date) - 2nd owner (bought 10/4/14 -9685 miles, currently 73785 miles) modified 8/18/17 at 61014 miles

 

[Lightflyer1]

Modified how?

 

[PB_NB]

I was looking at a 2018 Dune. I know it's not a TDI but it has most of the upgrades that I would do if i had a newer Beetle.

I know that the instruments have been greatly improved over the older Beetles and hopefully the flower vase was deleted!

 

[oilhammer]

Biggest issue for the last of the Beetles (aside from the obvious spark plugs)? They are ALL missing a pedal.

 

[GTOguy]

I had a '12 Golf TDI that I sold back and it was a DSG car and it was pretty awesome. I like my 6 spd but wouldn't hesitate to have a DSG car again. Our '14 R line, 4 Motion Tiguan is an auto and i'm not impressed with it.

 

[Lightflyer1]

I have paddle shifters on my base Beetle and they are fun too.

 

[showdown 42]

I have a new 2019 convert coming 1st wk Dec, sad The TDI is out,but this is going to be a fun car to use in FL winters. A low mileage garage queen to goof around with. I'll see if I need to have a local mod guy work on the engine. The issue is a 6yr 75,000 warranty that I don't want to screw up.

 

[MattRabbit]

We just picked up a 2014 Beetle TDI with 6-speed manual and 21K miles for the wife. She's in love with that thing! So far it's a great vehicle. It's a hoot to drive. It feels a lot like my 2001 Golf, except everything on it is still tight. And the interior isn't falling apart. And it doesn't have 390K miles on it.

 

[GIDDY_UP_GO]

I bought my wife a 2013 TDI Beetle convertible in denim blue with a black top back in July. It was a one owner buyback vehicle that they did the fix on and re-sold to me. It has the DSG tranny in it and is a blast to drive with the top down.

I have noticed a little stutter from time to time when you take off from a dead stop. Almost like it doesn't want to take off right away. I had it into the dealer and they told me they cannot duplicate the problem (go figure), but it only does it maybe once every 2000 miles or so. I will keep an eye on it, because the car is a CPO and has a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty.

 

[Baumeister]

We just bought a '15 TDI Beetle Convertible with DSG on 5/30/2020 from a dealer.
The combination of low (32k) miles, CPO 2 year unlimited miles warranty, 0% financing for 5 years, getting the EA288 engine, the emissions warranty and what we thought was a good price was hard to pass up. The DSG's sport mode with this engine is pretty fun on curvy roads around here, don't miss the clutch too much. Plus it gives us another reason to keep our '03 NB 5 speed around.

No nav or premium sound, no PDC, the OE rear view camera hasn't been of too much use.
Seeing up to 50mpg on freeway use, but 30mpg around town.

My wife works nights and uses it to commute, then I use it as a kid taxi during the day whenever possible, gotta take advantage of that CPO warranty!

 

[balticblue]

As mentioned earlier, I bought my wife a 2013 highline beetle TDI . unfortunately not sure why it doesn't have the paddles ? her Smart cabrio had them for god's sake lol Also have fabric seats although well bolstered not the leather that I see in some highline Beetles. Did have ( professionally ) a Pioneer Nex head with backup and marine amp -standard one in car was toast by rust Fender stereo sounds very nice however I don't get to drive it see above - lol
Nice to hear from you all

 

[Baumeister]

We're enjoying ours, but I feel like there's lots of oddities about our 2015 that just point to VW not really caring about customer expectations.

We do have the paddle shifters, but find the DSG's "sport" mode more useful. (the stock DSG programming has bordered on dangerous in some situations where immediate power is called for, there's just too much lag)

The lack of USB ports is annoying, coupled with the need for a proprietary cable adapter for a wired connection to the head unit. The Bluetooth connectivity has been flawless and the sound quality acceptable.

Still, not being able to plug/play a higher line OE head unit that was available in 2015, let alone one from a newer year to gain features like CarPlay just defies logic.

I understand ours is the first year to get a Rear View Camera, but then not even Park Distance Control(let alone Optical) is included? Add to that it's an inferior RGB camera that's barely usable. Even our 2016 Chevrolet crew cab pick-up, that's mid-line or lower has these features.

I might look into a license plate frame replacement that incorporates into a rear view mirror(or mobile device, is more likely). I'm generally an old school guy not caring for that stuff but I drive around town shuttling kids all day, up to 65 miles/day. I navigate a lot of parking lots that have kids of all ages running around, with parking spots not meant to be backed into. So those features really come in handy, especially in a car with limited rear visibility.

Ours came with vinyl upholstery, haven't had that in a car in 30 years, I think? Easy to care for but being a convertible it requires keeping towels in the car to be able to sit in the car in the summer months, which is about half the year here!

The lack of a Bentley/eBahn manual is also quite disappointing.


Haven't been able to get Car-Net activated. Website errs out, never received a PIN, etc. Called them, waited on hold, disconnected.

As mentioned earlier, I bought my wife a 2013 highline beetle TDI . unfortunately not sure why it doesn't have the paddles ? her Smart cabrio had them for god's sake lol Also have fabric seats although well bolstered not the leather that I see in some highline Beetles. Did have ( professionally ) a Pioneer Nex head with backup and marine amp -standard one in car was toast by rust Fender stereo sounds very nice however I don't get to drive it see above - lol
Nice to hear from you all

 

[IA DPE]

Old thread, old (inactive member).

When my Q5 TDI got totaled I replaced it with a GMC Acadia. It’s not a TDI but has been a good vehicle.

The wife had been saying she wanted a Beetle Convertible for years (36 to be exact) so last summer I bought her a 2013- red with tan top. Told her it was her 35 yr. Service Award.

She loves the car and drove it everyday until winter finally came. It’s now safely tucked away until Spring.

Happy New Year! Hope 2022 sees a return to normalacy.

 

[Fire Rescue TDI]

I daily (when the snow isn't too deep) a 2013 TDI convertible with a 6 speed. It currently has 34k +/- miles.

 

[Bulldogger]

My wife's 2014 TDI Malone tuned is at 9400 miles and scooting around. Just did timing belt and accessory belts because of age not mileage.

 

[aaronjbeetle]

+1 for TDI beetle.

2014 with almost 42k on it.

 

[Baumeister]

Our '15 vert is at 57k miles now. No issues since the timing belt tensioner issue and resultant top end replacement nearly 20k ago.
Black top gets sticky residue, can't seem to wash it off so it's kinda striped/faded. It's outside 24/7.

 

[06bluebeetletdi]

My ‘13 is at 111,000 miles now, just cruising after the large fan replacement

 

[Howie09tdi]

My 2015 is at 142k!

 

[aaronjbeetle]

My 2015 is at 142k!

Dang! That's awesome!

 

[WisVWguy]

I have a 2015 Beetle convertible with currently 39K miles. I bought this car from my local VW dealer in Green Bay, as soon as the 3rd gen engine fix was out. This was the only TDI beetle they had in stock when the stop sale order was issued. My car was on the sales room floor when the stop sale order was issued.

The day the fix came out or the 3rd gen engine, I put money down on the car so it was spoken for. When I finally came time to fix the 50 TDI's that were in the back lot my car was the first one to get the fix. The dealer had to keep moving the car because people kept finding the car and wanting to buy it, even thought it has a sold sign in the window. I bought the car with 550 miles on the clock.

My wife and I love this car. It has been an amazing car & have had no issues with reliably. This is beetle number 5 for me and is by far my favorite one I have owned of the "new" Beetles. I also have a 71 beetle and 73 VW Westphalia bus.

 

[Baumeister]

Welcome! Our 2015 ‘vert has been free from issues since the timing belt fiasco. Just changed the oil and noticed slight seepage from the oil pan gasket. Haven’t had any new dealers open up and the state of how VW allows their dealerships to operate mean I won’t be buying a newer VW for the foreseeable future. Our ‘03 has been mostly sitting for 2 years now. I’ve been collecting parts to freshen it up this winter. My wife prefers it to the ‘15 so she’s gonna go back to it and let our 16yo daughter drive the ‘15.
The last beetle I “restored” was a sunroof ‘76 (NOT a SB!) that had a built 1969 engine in it. I did that one for my mom in baby blue, wish she’d have given it back to me, I knew every bolt on that one. Newer body with earlier engine was a great combo. I’m in California so you didn’t see that much, this one had a coveted “CARB” sticker approving the engine swap to emissions test it as a ‘69 instead of a ‘76.

 

[MattRabbit]

My wife is up to a whopping 42K miles on her 2014 Beetle TDI at this point. I'm starting to wonder about when to swap the timing belt. I've heard with time it's all over the place, but near as I can figure, it's 10 years or 130K miles. She's at 9 years this year, so I'll probably start shopping for the TB stuff soon. It's been a great car, we just haven't needed to drive it much. My 2015 Golf TDI is just shy of 100K miles, but I drive a bit more than she does.