you guys are life savers but here is maybe the solution for a beetle that will not start:

same thing happened here with my Kid's car, one day battery is dead and we jump the veh about 4 times and then dies and would not start.Mind u that the battery was new and something was also draining it, the air pump would come on with car on or off, draining it all.

When turning keys, car wanted to pick up but nothing, it would die and huff and puff and die again, people said may be the crankshaft, the starter, fuel filter, fuel pump but no....I did see many posts of people that does all that and nothing gets resolved.

prior to buying the car the dealer changed the battery and did not reset the computer. car was sitting for a month....again, would not start and also smelled a lot like gas....towed to my mechanic and it was giving all kind of code problems. I also checked since many said about the immobilizer and the 98 does not have a immobilizer if it was made in MX.I asked the dealer and here is more info on that, it may help:

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q_h...mmobilizer.htm

well, my mech could not fix the codes specially the P1543 and I took it to the dealer and they did try to reset and clean all the codes but the P1543 would not go away, i wished it was only that since it would cost me only 99.00 to reset codes and the throttle body was bad after all...
Car is perfect now after changing that part.

Hope this helps you because it almost drove me nuts, car wanted to start but for me, gas was not going anyplace,it would die..... the ECM was not recognizing the car parts any longer that is why it sounds like this or that to us, air pump first, then gas that was not going anyplace.

Also, I can not find it now on manual but usually the radio code is in the trunk under the tire? will get back to u with the correct info....