Description
This Beetle is lovely to drive – smooth, comfortable and powerful. It was featured as a mini-project in Classics magazine from August to December 2023 during which we fitted £1700 worth of new parts including battery, four Kumho tyres, timing belt and water pump kit, front dampers, discs and pads, spark plugs and leads, ignition coil, twin pipe and catalytic converter, new top-tint windscreen and more.
The only thing we haven't managed to do is stop the CHECK ENGINE warning light from coming on. You can turn it off using the diagnostic reader that comes with the car, but it pops back on after 60 miles. It has no effect on how the car drives in any way that I can tell, nor can the two garages who have worked on it see anything that is wrong.
I suspect it is down to a sensor somewhere, but to be honest I prefer older classics and this age of car is not really my forte. I could do with the space and the money, so just want to pass it on at a bargain price to somebody who is willing to either sort that light permanently or to live with it. Certainly I would have total confidence to drive the Beetle anywhere as it is.
There was also a full five-page Road Test feature on the car in the April 2024 issue of Classics World. It was unbiased and totally honest, but I should point out that it was written by me and not a third party. I can send a copy of that if anybody wants to read it.
So in short, a great car that is a pleasure to drive and which brings a smile to the faces of people who see it, but with that warning light which has defeated me. It has MoT until 25th June 2025 and is ready to drive away. Comes with two keys, workshop manual, even a fake flower for the vase on the dash.
