Use this battery life calculator to estimate how long the Ute can be parked and still start the engine. See instructions below. Background If the Beetle Ute isn’t driven on a daily basis, or if it is stored for over a month, a battery current drain may discharge the battery completely....
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Paint
Background When all the bodywork is complete, the fiberglass shell and adjoining door jam seams are primed. In most cases, the final paint is applied immediately after the primer, but we have decided to pause a while. This provides the time to double check all the functionality and to pressure test...
Continue reading...Tailgate top cap
Background The tailgate is crowned by an L-shaped trim piece that matches the top side caps along the truck bed walls. This trim covers the transition between the aluminum frame and the fiberglass skin.
Continue reading...Headlights
Background Headlights have two primary points of failure: the bulb itself that typically lasts 500-1000 hours, and the plastic lens that slowly degrades over time. Bulb failure is obvious and the repair is simple. Lens yellowing, pitting, or cloudiness is gradual and more subjective. While so-called lens restoration kits promote impressive...
Continue reading...Drip rail molding
Background The channel that separates the roof metal skin from the side panels is filled in with a long metal rail cushioned with a rubber footing. Since this piece runs beyond the roof cut line, the rail must be modified, and the roof channel re-formed. Roof channels, common on many modern...
Continue reading...Wheels and tires
Background Hundreds of different wheel patterns fit the New Beetle covering a range of sizes, typically 16- to 18-inch diameters, in both steel and aluminum alloy. The OEM wheels are generally no longer manufactured, but reconditioned ones are available. Our 2004 Turbo S model shipped with 5-spoke 7×17 alloys that remain...
Continue reading...Road handling
Background Front engine/front wheel drive vehicles tend to understeer. Understeer, and its oversteer counterpart, describe steering characteristics compared to a perfectly balanced chassis but this terminology is frequently misunderstood. Understeer occurs when the front of the vehicle tends to follow straight ahead momentum upon entering a curve while oversteer is when...
Continue reading...Door trim panel
Background VW created over two dozen variations of the New Beetle interior door trim panel identified by a three or four letter design code. Armrest covering options were leather, vinyl leatherette, or cloth in a range of colors to coordinate with the seats. The top was painted to match the exterior...
Continue reading...Spare tire … or not
Background Chopping off the back of the New Beetle alters the habitat of the spare tire and its associated jack tool kit to a significant extent. What was once convenient access via the raised rear hatch lid becomes, at a minimum, an involved procedure getting to the spare tire since it...
Continue reading...Front seat upholstery
Background Seat upholstery, a vulnerable interior element, often shows its age well before plastic panels, headliner fabric, or even carpet. In our Turbo S model, the real leather seats became stiff while sewn seams on the backrest frayed and split. Volkswagen created 112 different seat coverings — a central part of...
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