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Do you have any knowledge of transmission problems in VW Beetles?

I have a VW Beetle which is 6 yrs old which has always been serviced by the VW Dealer I bought it from.

It has just turned over 60,000 kilometres and the transmission has developed a problem.

I spent over $2,000 last year on servicing, including a new battery, brake discs and bearings.

I have been told it will be a minimum of $3,000 to replace the transmission and that VW are not interested in offering any support.

Is this to be expected, or reasonable in a car this age?

Carolyn

After a ring around of our most trusted automatic transmission repairers it would appear this is a relatively common problem with VW Beetles (and the VW Golf).

I suspect the $3,000 is to replace the valve body only. Because the valve body is only one part of the complete transmission assembly, this repair will not make the transmission totally bullet proof moving forward.

After six years the car is outside its new car warranty period and any customer assistance is often judged on past customer loyalty.

If you purchased the car new (or low mileage second-hand) from this Dealer and have had it serviced regularly with them, I would definitely be asking for some sort of assistance as a gesture of goodwill.

If the car is a used Japanese import your expectations of any financial assistance will need to be lowered considerably.