I purchased a brand new VW Beetle in June 2015 for $18,000. It was maintained by the selling dealership for three plus years. Due to a move, the vehicle then received regular scheduled maintenance from a nationally syndicated chain. On 12 April 2021, with 89,100 original owner miles, the vehicle stalled and had to be towed to the local Goodyear Automotive. They quickly diagnosed that the timing chain had failed causing internal engine damage. They searched to locate a replacement engine but could not locate one. On 15 April I had the vehicle towed to the local VW dealer in Irvine CA. They also made the same diagnosis, the failure of the timing chain caused the engine to be destroyed beyond repair.

There is a litigated settlement from VW regarding their substandard timing chain. The settlement would have VW contribute $8,500 dollars towards the total repair cost of $19,500. It is not a rational decision for me to invest $11,000 into this vehicle at this point. I am very disappointed in corporate VW's decision on this. The vehicle I traded in to purchase this Beetle was a 2003 Jetta with 245,000 miles, so I used to have faith in their product. I no longer have faith in the product or in their corporation.

This vehicle was a high end Beetle with the Turbo Fender package. It was very well maintained. It is now a 3000 lbs paperweight with zero cost effective path for repair. This mechanical failure should not have happened. The timing CHAIN (emphasized to distinguish from belt) should have lasted the lifetime of the vehicle. I am not disputing their calculation for their portion of the repair cost, I would have been satisfied with their number of $8,500 and I would consider it a lesson learned for me. But Volkswagen does not stand behind their product and does not value their formerly loyal customer base.

I urge anyone considering purchasing a Volkswagen to read up on the timing chain litigation and walk away, the settlement matrix is misleading without showing any supporting costs that will be borne by the vehicle owner to replace the engine.

I have certainly purchased my last Volkswagen product and I will not accept one as a rental vehicle either out of concern of being left stranded roadside.

The car quit , it would not crank at all, I had to have it towed to the vw dealer 87 miles away. It cost me almost 300 to get it towed. Then the service guy at the dealer calls and says it's got to have a new engine and the cost of one is 17,000 dollars yes I said 17,000 dollars. They are trying to find a used one but haven't had any luck. The car isn't even paid for yet I still owe over 10,000 on it. It is only 3 years old and has 50,000 miles on it. How does the engine just quit at 50,000 miles. I think vw sold me a lemon and I want them to fix it . I bought the car new and changed the oil right on schedule, this is a manufacturer defect and I fieel abused and hurt by vw. I have 2 kids and a house payment now I'm going to be stuck paying for a car that would cost more to fix than what it's worth and still have to make the monthly payment on it. This is not right. Vw needs to fix this.