2003 New Beetle, auto transmission woes...
 

Hi all,

My wife's Beetle has been shifting with a whiplash-inducing jerk for the past few months, and finally got stuck in third gear last week. It was suggested that I check the transmission fluid before spending thousands of dollars on a new transmission - so, with my handy Haynes guide in tow I researched it, figured that I could do it, got everything I needed including new fluid, new plugs, new filters, etc and got to work.

According to VW, the transmission case is a "sealed" system, and there's almost no way to access the fluid. You can unscrew a small bolt and check the level, and pop out another plug and fill the thing, but there's no easy way to do either. Get the fluid up to at least 95 degrees, take out the bolt, and if a few drops come out then the fluid level is correct. If it's not, you have to add a little bit at a time until the level is correct. To my knowledge (and I would know), the car has NEVER had its transmission fluid changed.

Now, I'm not a beginner mechanic; I've changed the timing belt and water pump on her car already, done all the brakes and oil changes, spark plugs, etc. I've also done nearly all the work on my car (Ford Escort) for the past seven years including changing out the bushings around the main drive shaft inside the engine, replacing the exhaust system, etc. I'm not a pro, but I know my way around an engine reasonably well. The only thing I haven't been able to handle is a complete rebuild of my automatic transmission.

I took out the check-level bolt, and brownish fluid started pouring from the small hole - nothing like the red of transmission fluid, it obviously needs to be changed - but here's the rub: I can't get the fill-plug out without forcing it, and I'm nervous about doing so. And, even if I get the fill-plug out, the access hole is nearly impossible to access. Lastly, I truly don't see how the Beetle can have 7.4 quarts of transmission fluid inside that one little pan.

Any advice would be extremely helpful. At this point, I'm ready to call AAA and have the car towed to the dealer, never to work on the transmission again.

Thanks in advance.

Tai

2003 New Beetle auto transmission woes
 

Now that China is ready to eclipse Germany in VW sales all is looking even better overseas for the company.

yeah,,tow it to the dealer..they have good quality oem part there to replace your cars defective parts..

I feel your pain...
 

I have a 2003 as well and my valve body had to be replaced last year. Now my tranny totally quit. My delima is that the car is only worth $4500 and a new tranny will cost me that much. I'm leaning more towards selling it for whatever I can get and get a new VW that's not made in Mexico. :mad:

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