Just bought this 2005 GLS Beetle 2-door Hatchback in November 2015 for our youngest daughter's use. The Driver's window will raise about 1/2 way up, slows down, stops, then does not close the last 1/4 distance. Opened up the door panel to expose the window regulator which appears to be intact - no broken cables. Replace it with a new regulator anyway. This did not fix the problem - still have to pull/push it up the rest of the way up. The window somehow senses it like a blockage and the window automatically goes back down when the door is open. There has to be another sensor causing this. How extremely disappointing! From what I have been reading online, it is a known issue. This should be a recall. What else could be causing it besides poor design? Can the window track channels be binding the window's upward progression in some way? Time to rethink this. (The passenger side is also running slow. We've read spraying silicone in both ends of the window track helps the window slide. We'll be trying that next.)

Now we remember why we stopped buying VWs; cheap plastic parts that forever needing replacement, - just another thing in a long list of a lot of issues. We'll be buying Hondas (long lived >300,000-mi and minimal repairs) from now on.

The window had some issues going up since I got the car about two years ago. It had been grinding for at least a year, but a couple weeks ago it got to the point where the window just absolutely would not go all the way up. It would get about three inches from the top and just stop.

I ordered a new regulator because I read that that is what is faulty in VW windows and watched a couple how-to Youtube videos. I did the job myself but broke my door panel in the process of getting it off because you're just supposed to pull up but it's made of garbage brittle plastic, like everything on VWs, but that' s a separate complaint.

When I got the panel with the regulator on it off a piece of it just fell on the floor (the piece on the white counter in the photo) and as you can see from the photos that window regulator was extremely broken. Don't know what CAUSES the regulators to break like this, but I hope it doesn't happen with the replacement one I put in because getting the plastic panel off is an enormous pain in the butt.

Back last year I put the top down on My 2005 New VW Beetle, with a little over 20,000 miles on it and when I got ready to put the top back up and tried to roll the windows back up. The rear windows sounded like something snapped inside the compartment where the windows roll down into and at that time they would not roll up. You can still hear the motors running in the compartment. I believe they are made out of some sort of plastic and had not been used for over a year and it was like they became brittle and snapped. I've checked on getting it fixed and it's going to cost over $1,200.00 dollars. I now just use my hands to pull up the windows. Pain in the ass. Will never buy another VW and will stop anyone I know of from buying one, if I can.

Right rear window regulator broke approx. 2 yrs ago, VW paid for the part but not the labor because the car had very low miles. Left rear quit the other day with the same problem, won't run the window up, will let it fall partially down. Only way to get it back up is to manually pull it up and activate the switch simultaneously. Haven't gotten the estimate back from VW yet but if I remember correctly part and labor are in the $1000 range. Ridiculous!!! Appears to be a widespread problem and VW won't issue a recall. I've had several other VW's, including a 2003 Passat with 187,000 miles on it, and it appears to me that the ones with the biggest problems are the ones built in Mexico. I will never buy another Mexican built VW. NEVER. I'll update once I talk to the dealer and get the estimate.

VW continues to sell a defective product and will not pay the cost to repair. First time they did a recall and paid, replaced with another defective window regulator and now I have two more. I have read hundreds of complaints from other VW owners with the same problems. They are selling new cars with a defective part !!!! A Class Action Suite forced them to extend the warranty for 7 years but only on the earlier models, yet they still use the same part that breaks over and over. I will never never never never buy another VW and I absolutely love this car, what a rip off and why isn't something being done to stop this deliberate theft of repair costs. Other auto repair shops don't want to touch these cars and have this problem come to them over and over, and the cost is high if you can find someone to repair the problem...Dorothy