I love how the Car Wizard appreciates so many different cars for what they have to offer. Unlike Kilmer who only values one make and only values reliability.
Wizard will still recommend Toyota every time, the average American doesn’t work on/maintain their cars save oil changes, and a couple minor things. Toyotas are the most well built, and reliable, along with Hondas.
M H glass packs suck on these. But the cat has to be pulled as well on the straight pipe. I got a 3cyl one (no idea what went, suspect lifter is gone). It does sound badass tho now. Has that Subaru rumble lol
@@user-dn6qy1ou1f Yep! First thing I did after the warranty quit on my '01 TDi was a muffler delete. The turbo and the cat do most of the silencing now. Just put a "tip" on to get the exhaust out the back safely. Sounds great.
How do you figure? Because he gives you a ref link that makes him money? Nothing wrong with offering a ref link but it's not a indicator that someone cares about you.
Woody Balto you will be surprised how many either don’t ship their merchandise internationally or doesn’t know the world is bigger than their own country.
@@socialghost4400 I don't think either of those is true. Shipping internationally is expensive, at least here in the United States it is. A lot of people don't have the money and then they forget about it when they finally get to that point of having the money.
576,000km on my 04 TDI pd Beetle. Currently going back to school and its about the best cheap car you could ask for. A full tank lasts me two months. Its incredible.
I've got a 2010 VW Beetle that I converted into a pick-up truck with the Smyth kit. It's got the 2.5 engine with a manual trans. Lots of fun to drive and practical.
It did not take long for this to become one of my favorite RUclips channels... great content, useful tips, good sense of humor... Thanks, Hoovie, for giving us The Car Wizard!
I have 540.000 kilometers on my BMW E34 535i automatic Executive from "94. Recently got the cilinder head revised, machined, valves polished, with new seals and springs. The rest general maintenance, change the oil every 10.000 kilometers, ATF every 60.000 kilometers. Ready for another 540.000 kilometers :)
@Lex Buren good for you man, that M30 must run great now. I have a 91' 535i with 224k on it. Mine needed a ton of work and the end is barely in sight though I must say the engine a transmission are perfectly fine even though the floor pans and front skills were completely rusted away. German engineering ftw!
@@j.collett2364 Yes it is like new again, perfect smooth inline6 idle...And well i was lucky, it is a really clean well kept, and well maintained example from the first owner who is a diehard BMW enthusiast, and drove it till 375.000K. he bought a E46 535i M performance. He sadly had to part ways with it. But it is in good hands with me, i maintain it to factory specifications, i drive it, i enjoy it, and i love it. These days a good maintained E34 535i executive automatic is pretty rare. so i keep it with me. When you are done, you'll be definitely rewarded. There is nothing better then a OG E34 with an inline 6. You wont regret to work you put into it. Good luck man :)
BMW had Rolls Royce build quality in the 90s and I wish I still had My E34! Now they own Rolls Royce and the quality of their mass market cars has gone downhill!
We have an 07 and it’s been a pretty dang good little car. Just normal part replacements. It’s about time for some suspension work. VERY Fun to drive. [Lots of compliments from strangers]. Superb handling, easy to park anywhere. I can hand wash the whole car in 10 minutes. LOL. Note: Engine components are a bit tight to get to and work on, naturally, because it is a small package. Overall, we really love it and probably won’t sell it anytime soon.
A friend of my has one of these, I think a 2001, and it really is fun to drive. Same color. But wait until you need to change the cabin air filter. Most cars you just pull out the glove compartment, comes out in a few seconds, pull off a cover, and then pull out the filter. Then reverse. But air filter on the beetle is in the dash, and requires taking out about 24 screws, 8 of which are right under the windshield and have very little room above them to work, and then the filter is held in a rather unusual bracket and it is hard to get the filter in and out. Once you have a new filter in, and air can finally come though the system, the HVAC system blows urethane foam out the ducts and around the cabin, because there is urethane foam INSIDE the air ducts. With age it, of course deteriorates, especially since it is alternately getting rather hot air blown over it, and then dry cold air, the the foam gets blown all over the cabin. If the car has been neglected, as this one has, very likely that filter is totally clogged and that may explain why no heat. In my friend's car it was totally clogged with animal fur and animal poop and leaves. Mouses was living there. Car got heated up well anyway! Car also has excellent air conditioning. But that filter looked really disgusting. I must have been breathing mouse poop for awhile. In 2018, probably it was the original filter from 2001. Aftermarket filter worked fine and cost 1/4 as much as OEM. Yup, aftermarket air flow sensors don't work. Same for oxygen sensors. However name brand aftermarket heated side-view mirror, made in China, was more skookum than OEM. I think it was Dorman brand. This car is great fun to drive but a bitsche to work on. Things are crammed in, into inaccessible spots. Have a cracked windshield washer fluid reservoir? Crammed in somewhere. Lots of labor to replace it. Some of the relays are very hard to reach.
Had a 2004 VW Jetta with 240k miles on it with the 2.0L non turbo engine. Sold it but it was still running great and shifting well (even though it was an automatic). As long as you take care of those and don’t cheap out in parts and oil changes they will run and run and they are easy to work on. Miss it already.
Mr. Wizard I own a 1.8L Turbo beetle and I love it so much but keeps on leaking coolant and blew a head gasket and I’ve only had it for 8 months but man do I love this car!!! I drove this car in -27 and wasn’t even a tiny bit cold and it’s just a dream to drive
I have a 2001 New Beetle. I understand why you love your car. I think that these little cars are grossly undervalued. They are very dependable, fun to work on and a blast to drive.
There's an easy fix for the blend door, you can take the radio and climate controls out and remove the front cover of the HVAC box. After that you can clean up the old foam from the blend doors and then use aluminum tape to cover the holes. Worked like a chamr for me, cold AC and hot heat.
Most mileage on a vehicle-285,000 on a 1999 Pontiac Sunfire GT that I bought brand new off the dealer lot. It was a stick shift. I sold it 16 years later to my mechanic's 16 year old daughter. When I sold it, it was on the factory clutch still (despite years of rush hour traffic in a major city). I caught the car still on the road three years after I sold it, too 😜 The most major repair was when the factory water pump (timing chain driven in the Quad 4) went at ~220,000 miles.
I used to have a 02 Jetta TDI with the same heat issue. Those blend doors are wrapped in a foam that covers holes up on the door itself. Usually the foam flies out of the vents as it dries and cracks up with age and that's probably already happened with squirtle. That probably is your issue. I ended up trading that Jetta in before the auto trans completely bit the dust. Was gonna manual swap it but decided against it in the end. I still miss my Jetta to this day. Was a fun little car.
Get one of the detailer RUclips guys to do a video on bringing old paint back to life. Would be cool to see how much luster they and pull back into Squirtle
It's metallic, It had lost huge patches of clear coat, so the metallic paint was exposed, and the metal flakes had oxidised and gone white. You have to rub that back and then reseal it (as Wizard did), you can't simply buff back to some fresh paint underneath which is all most detailers can do.
My Volvo s60 2005 has 315.000miles on it. Got it for free about 3 years ago because the cluch slave cylinder gave uo and left him stranded. Had spare parts lying around so after a day in the garage it was upp and running again. It has been my daily driver ever since
What happens to the blend door is it’s covered with a foam material that dry rots and falls apart. The blend doors have holes in them that make the blend doors ineffective. Cover them with aluminum tape and cover the edges with weather seal foam, you’ll be good.
SpeakerFreak95 true story speakerfreak95!!, Hope wizard reads ur comment man, also most vw maf’s are actually cheaper from the vw dealer, used to be true but maybe not any more, also to run that race pipe you have to have supporting software for it, like from Malone tuning,
100% true, had the same in my '99 TT. Used some aluminum tape that you use to fix exhausts to fix it, and been working perfectly ever since. And it won't fall apart like the foam.
Really enjoy your channel! Hate when people always hate on Scotty Kilmer! Learned a lot from him over the years! One of his tips Always buy a OEM mass air flow meter!
Congrats on the new lifts!! Now when you get ready to show us the underside of a car, you have to say "Let's put the car on the Bendpack lift". Savage Geese style.
I've owned my 5-speed TDI golf over 19 years now and I love it. Even though it needs rear wheel bearing hubs and a few other things. I do recommend a lift pump for the fuel injector pump.
I've had two beetles. I'd drive one while the other one was in the shop. Now I only have one and it's currently broke down. Mine looks like Squirtle but it's the gas model. I actually love the little car. It's fun to drive when it's running right.
My first car was a 1966 Buick Skylark thin pillar coupe. I paid $100 for it and owned and maintained it for 11 years. I did a lot of cross country road trips and by the time I retired the little 225 Odd Fire V6, it had 365,000 miles on it. I then transplanted that engine into a 1972 Vega GT and drove that another 20K miles before the engine said it had enough. All I ever had to do to the engine was intake manifold gasket, water pumps (3) and timing chain. Since then, I regularly rack up over 250,000 miles on my vehicles without a second thought about reliability. But, I'm very meticulous with my maintenance. Cheers David! Drive it till the wheels fall off! Zip~
I have a 2002 VW beetle TDI 5 speed (Papa Smurf). I was never into beetles. But had just had my first child and needed to get off my motorcycles. And I couldn't beat the price I got it for. I've had Papa Smurf for almost a year and I love it so much. 247k miles I did the math and get 53 miles to the gallon. You fall in love with the freedom you get with a car that can go 500 miles before the gas light comes on.
I had two extremely high mileage vehicles. My first was a 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra with a 3.3 litre V6 with a 3 speed automatic. The other was a 1990 GMC Jimmy 2 door 2 wheel drive with a 4.3 litre V6 and a 4 speed automatic. I had over 400,000 miles on both of them. The Oldmobile I sold after a couple of years of driving this thing real hard. Outstanding reliabiliy, comfort, and economy. The car had been in a flood before I bought it and after fixing it up for next to nothing I sold it almost mechanically sound. Short of replacing the rear window motors and a little throttle sensor issue everything worked on this car including the air conditioner. The Jimmy was my favorite ever. It ended up completely mechanically sound after owning it for a little bit. A couple years later I had a seizure and it slammed into utility pole at about 40-50 MPH (guessing). No SIRS (air bag) so it messed my neck and chest up a bit. Thankfully I was wearing my seat belt! I was having a little issue with a worn out head gasket near the end and had to change out the rear differential too. If not for wrecking it I might still be driving that Jimmy today. No kidding! They both got into the upper 20's for gas mileage on the highway (Jimmy 26 mpg, Cutlass 29 mpg). Both were easy to learn and repair, perfomed great, comfortable and quiet, very tough, and fast too. As a bonus the Jimmy would pull the Oldsmobile on a double axle trailer at highway speed without issue. That's pretty impressive for a 400,000 + mile V6 automatic body on frame (heavy it'self) SUV. I had ended up putting some 10" wide alloy wheels and a set of 255/60R15 perfomance tires on it after replacing the worn out steering and suspension. The Jimmy would take a corner so quick for being a naturally top heavy vehicle. It never really had an issue with body roll. I would almost daily make challenges out taking certain turns pushing the limit harder and harder while sliding sideways!
The Wizard, Scotty Kilmer and Chrisfix have showed me that a beater car can be a reliable commuter if you take good care of it, hope I graduate soon and get a better job, my l econobox deserves some work here and there
You Scratched a winning lottery ticket with your transmission. I know more than ten people who barely got more than 75,000 mile on a VW transmission from the 2000's before it needed a full rebuild.
I believe this one had its transmission serviced at some point, the fluid needs to be changed at a certain mileage. I have a 2003 2.0 automatic Beetle with nearly 440,000km on it and it still shifts amazingly well, with just periodic and preventative maintenance and the occasional transmission service. Most people never serviced their transmission and that is why they fail prematurely
Most miles: 214,000 on a 77 Buick LeSabre with a 403. Valve stem seals were toast but back in business now. Dad has 270,000 miles on a 97 GMC Sierra with a 350 vortec.
the blend door flap on these things has this material that comes off.... easy fix if you can get your hands in there. there's some youtube videos on it.
Very true my wife’s beetle did the same, the foam seal stuff breaks apart leaving holes in the blend door.. I used foam tape and resealed it without removing the dash, great hot again.
Funny. Back in 02 I had my head set on slightly used a VW GTI, then I drove the Beetle and was surprised at how much more stiff, balanced and practical the car was -- it was a champ in the snow. I was one of the few who didn't buy one for the styling. Had it for many years before I finally gave it up.
My 00 Jetta (basically same car) has a similar issue. Blend door seal rotted away (foam), and cold air gets by. Not taking the entire dash out to fix it. Florida car, anyway
@@CarWizard I did a fix on my daughters beetle that didn't require the complete removal. You remove the center bezel and radio and you can access part of the ducting. You cut a rectangular hole in the ducting and tape up the blend door. Do some searching and you will find this quick fix. You then seal up the hole using the piece you cut out and gorilla tape. It works just fine and only took a couple of hours vs. a couple of days.
Love your TRIUMPH Motorcycle Banner in the background. I will have been riding Triumph Motorcycles for 50 years this June. I really enjoy your videos and the subtle humor and putting up with Hoovie!!!!! Keep up the good work.
Pretty sure this has evolved into a Wartortle at this point ;) Was great seeing you at C&C and meeting Mrs. Wizard! Hope to see you in March at The Alley as well!
The blend doors are made of sheet aluminum and they have holes punched in them (to lighten them, I guess)... the doors are covered with a thin sheet of foam and that disintegrates over time, making the doors seem like they're not even there. I've got a 2001 Jetta GLS and it's been blowing that foam out of the vents for years now. Do a search on the HumbleMechanic RUclips channel, Charles did a video on how to fix it.
The issue you are having with the no heat is the foam they put on the blend door has fallen apart I was having the same problem went and bought hvac aluminum tape took it all apart then put it on now the heat is super hot
My 2002 Beetle had never broken down on me and I've had it for 6 years. This little thing just keeps on going no matter what. Repairs are hard because alot of mechanics won't bother working on European cars where I live so I try to do my own repairs.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Be interesting to see how far it goes if you Keep it. Awesome of Bendpak. Hopefully a high capacity lift is included, for Excursions etc.
If you decided to start doing stock rally racing with the car, there is a quick and easy tweak you can do to the ECM to reduce the EGR duty cycle, thus reduce the carbon build up issue on the intake. Key on, engine off, connect to the ECM, Login 12233, Adaptation channel 03, set new value to 33768.
I have a 2002 Jetta Wagon with the 2.0 and a 5 speed. It had 215k on it and needed some love when I got it, like this car, but it’s a clean little car now, and 22k miles later, it has been surprisingly reliable!
As someone who has been driving VWs since 1972, original owner of a Corrado VR6, and a fan of Mr. Wizard's video, I don't have a problem with Mrs. Wizard's idea of selling Squirtle. If I was going to dedicate that amount of time in a restoration effort, at the end I would much prefer to have a mk4 TDI Golf or Jetta with a manual. If that cost a little more, it would have been worth it.
I have an 03 jetta TDI 174k miles, zero mods. Only issues: -Limp mode once from a vacuum line ($11 fix) -starter wire severed during a tumbly -31°C cold start.
@@RandomlnternetGuy oh, so that must mean all Volkswagens can be fixed for cheap right? *Laughs at your naive nature and drives into the sunset in a car that actually runs and drives, not ever even thinking of spending money on a Volkswagen ever again*
Let Ms wizard drive it for a week, she'll love it. My husband brought home a 2008 toyota camry 4 cylinder with a 5 speed manual, I hated that car at first then I started driving it, now it's my favorite. I love the gas mileage and how easy it is to drive, it has over 230,000 miles by now and still runs like new, we just have to do regular maintenance to it. My husband always says "a clutch is cheap to replace, an automatic transmission is not". I think he's right.
Put 2 hoses in reverce direction at the heater core form the firewall behind the engine one hose in the bucket and one conect to the garden hose turn on the water slowly to max then change the water flow to oposite direktion do that two times . Then connect everything as it been before ,heat will come right away . Ive done it to mk4 golf passat and mk 3 polo it works like a
325,000 on a 1994 BMW 325i, first time I let my son drive it, he blew the engine within 10 minutes, I installed a used motor and put another 50K on it before I sold it, besides normal wear items (tires, belts, hoses and tuneups) really the breakdowns were rare. I get it why people hate on BMW, but that wasn’t my experience, guess I got one built on a good day.
my step daughter had one of those, the interior is so cheap its really sad. She got locked in one time because nothing worked, the window motor switch or the door open handle. I ended up removing the door panel completely and just having the controls hang from the door. It literally fell apart in my hands. Germans really struggle with interior longevity.
I can't believe you have door handles inside! I have this exact same car except its a 5 speed with 200K miles. I LOVE MY CAR TOO. I could afford a new car but I can't find anything I enjoy driving more. I have had to replace the brake switch (common issue) but that's about it. Been driving it 2 years and it gets close to 50 mpg. I get why you love it.
@@CarWizard our record is 306,000 miles on a 2 valve 5.4 Triton, it ran on 4 or 5 cylinders and had low compression, but it drove to it's timely demise, rear suspension collapsed and went through the bed, wood kept the bed up for the short drive.
Iv got a 2001 VW Jetta tdi with the same 1.9 alh engine and a manual transmission. Currently at 275k miles and counting! I don't have quite the toolset you do but keep him going by working on him in my driveway! Can't imagine how many thousands iv saved. edit: spelling.
Have you seen little bits of foam coming out of the vents? These cars have a blend door that is perforated with fairly large holes and covered in foam. The foam breaks down and allows the air to pass right through the door rather than be redirected over the heater core. If you've seen the little bits of foam then you know the blend door is without a doubt your problem, although all of it could have been blown out of the vents long before you bought the car. The linkage at the bottom of the heater core box also break some times. If you have to replace that blend door, or cover it with something it's not a fun job.
1999 BMW 328i 302,000. My son currently drives it as his daily driver. No problems, routine maintenance, some rust, seats are starting to come apart a bit but otherwise it drives like a tank.
most mileage i've gotten is 257K from a 92 dodge caravan with a 3.0 mitsubishi engine /transmission.parts failures were german and canadian, where it was assembled and yeah the paint failed. I may even get it back on the road again.
I love how the Car Wizard appreciates so many different cars for what they have to offer.
Unlike Kilmer who only values one make and only values reliability.
Wizard will still recommend Toyota every time, the average American doesn’t work on/maintain their cars save oil changes, and a couple minor things. Toyotas are the most well built, and reliable, along with Hondas.
@@veganramen2327 Not anymore with newer Hondas
@@makiconnectare the new ones not being reliable? Is it a specific model?
I love the pose of the wizard laying on the hood. That should be a poster.
Wilko... he need a calendar that could be flower power February
Stupid sexy wizard
Seriously, I'd hang that poster in my garage.
Dude if that was on a car wizard merch store 1000% worth buying
@@bmwman1029 totally. Especially while working on my vehicles, I could look up and ask, "What would Wizard do?" when encountering a problem.
You mentioned the glass pack and how good it sounds. Now we want to hear it run.
These cars sound awesome straight piped. Forget having a muffler
They sound REALLY good, very much not like a rattly diesel.
I want to hear it also
M H glass packs suck on these. But the cat has to be pulled as well on the straight pipe. I got a 3cyl one (no idea what went, suspect lifter is gone). It does sound badass tho now. Has that Subaru rumble lol
@@user-dn6qy1ou1f Yep! First thing I did after the warranty quit on my '01 TDi was a muffler delete. The turbo and the cat do most of the silencing now. Just put a "tip" on to get the exhaust out the back safely. Sounds great.
Holy crap Bendpak, that's an amazing contribution to quality work.
And an amazing contribution to Social Media Marketing
It's not out of the kindness of their hearts. It's pure and simply a marketing ploy.
@@dquad Smart too. Now that magazines are gone, we should see more product support to RUclipsrs. Win win.
Finally a youtuber who actually cares about his international viewers
How do you figure? Because he gives you a ref link that makes him money? Nothing wrong with offering a ref link but it's not a indicator that someone cares about you.
If it’s about the miles, it’s 432,914km.
Woody Balto you will be surprised how many either don’t ship their merchandise internationally or doesn’t know the world is bigger than their own country.
@@socialghost4400 I don't think either of those is true. Shipping internationally is expensive, at least here in the United States it is. A lot of people don't have the money and then they forget about it when they finally get to that point of having the money.
@@ianconner7034 That is a very ignorant opinion to have, Sorry.
Hoovie would put 2 grand into a paint job on it.
Yes because he has a small multi million coke organization in south america
@@rikidiki8940 No, it's in the Philippines.
A 60’s hipoie flower power wrap!
Hoovie needs Mrs Wizard to advise him on things to discard.
WatchJRGo's brother does car wraps...maybe JR and the Wizard could do a trade
You can’t tell us about the glasspack without demoing it 😤😤😤
Yea wizard you should do this in a future video i was lookin for ward to it😜
Yeah!! Do a "Cold Start" like everyone else does lol
Right!!??
I think it would be great if you kept Squirtle for the rest of your life. Imagine, a "year 35 of ownership" update. We'd all still be watching !!
576,000km on my 04 TDI pd Beetle. Currently going back to school and its about the best cheap car you could ask for. A full tank lasts me two months. Its incredible.
"Drive it until the wheels fall off" ...all four hubs and bearings were bad, I think we've past that point from a literal interpretation.
🤣
But he fixed em.
Omfg 😂
beat me to it
I've got a 2010 VW Beetle that I converted into a pick-up truck with the Smyth kit. It's got the 2.5 engine with a manual trans. Lots of fun to drive and practical.
"It only has 269 thousand miles" lol
you dont drive a diesel, it shows
a friend has a yellow one with 300K...:)
400k for one I have seen still runs too
these diesels will run 5x the miles than your shit toyota.
I have 260k on my 2002 beetle TDI 5 speed I also paid $800 for and keeps going strong
"I've been doing this longer than...well longer than anything else I've done"
-the Salt of the earth homie Al
It did not take long for this to become one of my favorite RUclips channels... great content, useful tips, good sense of humor... Thanks, Hoovie, for giving us The Car Wizard!
I have 540.000 kilometers on my BMW E34 535i automatic Executive from "94. Recently got the cilinder head revised, machined, valves polished, with new seals and springs. The rest general maintenance, change the oil every 10.000 kilometers, ATF every 60.000 kilometers. Ready for another 540.000 kilometers :)
Wow! What a true piece of german engineering. Do you use Liqui Moly?
@Lex Buren good for you man, that M30 must run great now. I have a 91' 535i with 224k on it. Mine needed a ton of work and the end is barely in sight though I must say the engine a transmission are perfectly fine even though the floor pans and front skills were completely rusted away. German engineering ftw!
M20s and M30s are indestructible when you take good care of them and never let the wrong people touch them. They can last forever.
@@j.collett2364 Yes it is like new again, perfect smooth inline6 idle...And well i was lucky, it is a really clean well kept, and well maintained example from the first owner who is a diehard BMW enthusiast, and drove it till 375.000K. he bought a E46 535i M performance. He sadly had to part ways with it. But it is in good hands with me, i maintain it to factory specifications, i drive it, i enjoy it, and i love it. These days a good maintained E34 535i executive automatic is pretty rare. so i keep it with me. When you are done, you'll be definitely rewarded. There is nothing better then a OG E34 with an inline 6. You wont regret to work you put into it. Good luck man :)
BMW had Rolls Royce build quality in the 90s and I wish I still had My E34! Now they own Rolls Royce and the quality of their mass market cars has gone downhill!
Shout to bendpak!!! That’s awesome they doing this for you wizard.
It's just advertising.
I love it, a perfect little reliable commuter with good gas economy, it is worth hanging onto.
I loved my little pregnant roller skate! I had a silver 2000 New Beetle with the 5 speed, such a fun little car
Pregnant roller skate😂😂😂
We have an 07 and it’s been a pretty dang good little car. Just normal part replacements. It’s about time for some suspension work. VERY Fun to drive. [Lots of compliments from strangers]. Superb handling, easy to park anywhere. I can hand wash the whole car in 10 minutes. LOL. Note: Engine components are a bit tight to get to and work on, naturally, because it is a small package. Overall, we really love it and probably won’t sell it anytime soon.
I have a 1997 Toyota Camry LE 4-cyl with 270,000+ miles and is my daily driver. Other than normal "old-car" replacements, she is very reliable.
A friend of my has one of these, I think a 2001, and it really is fun to drive. Same color. But wait until you need to change the cabin air filter. Most cars you just pull out the glove compartment, comes out in a few seconds, pull off a cover, and then pull out the filter. Then reverse. But air filter on the beetle is in the dash, and requires taking out about 24 screws, 8 of which are right under the windshield and have very little room above them to work, and then the filter is held in a rather unusual bracket and it is hard to get the filter in and out. Once you have a new filter in, and air can finally come though the system, the HVAC system blows urethane foam out the ducts and around the cabin, because there is urethane foam INSIDE the air ducts. With age it, of course deteriorates, especially since it is alternately getting rather hot air blown over it, and then dry cold air, the the foam gets blown all over the cabin. If the car has been neglected, as this one has, very likely that filter is totally clogged and that may explain why no heat. In my friend's car it was totally clogged with animal fur and animal poop and leaves. Mouses was living there. Car got heated up well anyway! Car also has excellent air conditioning. But that filter looked really disgusting. I must have been breathing mouse poop for awhile. In 2018, probably it was the original filter from 2001. Aftermarket filter worked fine and cost 1/4 as much as OEM.
Yup, aftermarket air flow sensors don't work. Same for oxygen sensors. However name brand aftermarket heated side-view mirror, made in China, was more skookum than OEM. I think it was Dorman brand.
This car is great fun to drive but a bitsche to work on. Things are crammed in, into inaccessible spots. Have a cracked windshield washer fluid reservoir? Crammed in somewhere. Lots of labor to replace it. Some of the relays are very hard to reach.
Had a 2004 VW Jetta with 240k miles on it with the 2.0L non turbo engine. Sold it but it was still running great and shifting well (even though it was an automatic). As long as you take care of those and don’t cheap out in parts and oil changes they will run and run and they are easy to work on. Miss it already.
The wizard is literally The bob ross of mechanics ......
Mr. Wizard I own a 1.8L Turbo beetle and I love it so much but keeps on leaking coolant and blew a head gasket and I’ve only had it for 8 months but man do I love this car!!! I drove this car in -27 and wasn’t even a tiny bit cold and it’s just a dream to drive
When you lifted the trunk, I expected to see the engine, like my '69 had in college. I guess I am really behind the times.
Thank you so much for telling us the costs for the NON-DIY.
I have a 2001 New Beetle. I understand why you love your car. I think that these little cars are grossly undervalued. They are very dependable, fun to work on and a blast to drive.
Every few weeks I am working on something on my 2000 beetle. Hahaha. Never ends....still fun little car.
fun to work on?? are you nuts???!!! all those stupid torx screws and cant get your hands in ANYWHERE !!!!?
Congratulations on your new lifts! You definitely earned them.
We just want more Mrs. Wiizard again to keep you in check :)
There's an easy fix for the blend door, you can take the radio and climate controls out and remove the front cover of the HVAC box. After that you can clean up the old foam from the blend doors and then use aluminum tape to cover the holes. Worked like a chamr for me, cold AC and hot heat.
Most mileage on a vehicle-285,000 on a 1999 Pontiac Sunfire GT that I bought brand new off the dealer lot. It was a stick shift. I sold it 16 years later to my mechanic's 16 year old daughter. When I sold it, it was on the factory clutch still (despite years of rush hour traffic in a major city). I caught the car still on the road three years after I sold it, too 😜 The most major repair was when the factory water pump (timing chain driven in the Quad 4) went at ~220,000 miles.
Cause Diesel. Cause Diesel Wizard.
Loving my W124 300D 370K miles.
I used to have a 02 Jetta TDI with the same heat issue. Those blend doors are wrapped in a foam that covers holes up on the door itself. Usually the foam flies out of the vents as it dries and cracks up with age and that's probably already happened with squirtle. That probably is your issue. I ended up trading that Jetta in before the auto trans completely bit the dust. Was gonna manual swap it but decided against it in the end. I still miss my Jetta to this day. Was a fun little car.
Get one of the detailer RUclips guys to do a video on bringing old paint back to life. Would be cool to see how much luster they and pull back into Squirtle
It's metallic, It had lost huge patches of clear coat, so the metallic paint was exposed, and the metal flakes had oxidised and gone white. You have to rub that back and then reseal it (as Wizard did), you can't simply buff back to some fresh paint underneath which is all most detailers can do.
@@juststeve5542 bummer
My Volvo s60 2005 has 315.000miles on it. Got it for free about 3 years ago because the cluch slave cylinder gave uo and left him stranded. Had spare parts lying around so after a day in the garage it was upp and running again. It has been my daily driver ever since
What happens to the blend door is it’s covered with a foam material that dry rots and falls apart. The blend doors have holes in them that make the blend doors ineffective. Cover them with aluminum tape and cover the edges with weather seal foam, you’ll be good.
SpeakerFreak95 true story speakerfreak95!!, Hope wizard reads ur comment man, also most vw maf’s are actually cheaper from the vw dealer, used to be true but maybe not any more, also to run that race pipe you have to have supporting software for it, like from Malone tuning,
100% true, had the same in my '99 TT. Used some aluminum tape that you use to fix exhausts to fix it, and been working perfectly ever since. And it won't fall apart like the foam.
Really enjoy your channel! Hate when people always hate on Scotty Kilmer! Learned a lot from him over the years! One of his tips Always buy a OEM mass air flow meter!
Congrats on the new lifts!! Now when you get ready to show us the underside of a car, you have to say "Let's put the car on the Bendpack lift". Savage Geese style.
I've owned my 5-speed TDI golf over 19 years now and I love it. Even though it needs rear wheel bearing hubs and a few other things. I do recommend a lift pump for the fuel injector pump.
Mrs. Wizard is awesome!! Get her on more shoots in front of the camera!! Congrats to the both of you on all the success!!
It's great to see your channel doing so well Wizard.
It’s awesome to see more of Mrs. Wizard 🧙♂️ in your videos. Nice to put a face with the voice!
I've had two beetles. I'd drive one while the other one was in the shop.
Now I only have one and it's currently broke down.
Mine looks like Squirtle but it's the gas model. I actually love the little car. It's fun to drive when it's running right.
13:30 Glad you all kept some old clips of past events and words spoken....
OMG! You guys are the cutest couple ever! Thanks for being AWESOME! Keep it coming!
Oh come on, I wanted to hear that glasspack!
Exactly!
cheery bomb
My first car was a 1966 Buick Skylark thin pillar coupe. I paid $100 for it and owned and maintained it for 11 years. I did a lot of cross country road trips and by the time I retired the little 225 Odd Fire V6, it had 365,000 miles on it. I then transplanted that engine into a 1972 Vega GT and drove that another 20K miles before the engine said it had enough. All I ever had to do to the engine was intake manifold gasket, water pumps (3) and timing chain. Since then, I regularly rack up over 250,000 miles on my vehicles without a second thought about reliability. But, I'm very meticulous with my maintenance. Cheers David! Drive it till the wheels fall off! Zip~
David the wizard is one of my go to you tubers for good videos.
I have a 2002 VW beetle TDI 5 speed (Papa Smurf). I was never into beetles. But had just had my first child and needed to get off my motorcycles. And I couldn't beat the price I got it for. I've had Papa Smurf for almost a year and I love it so much. 247k miles I did the math and get 53 miles to the gallon. You fall in love with the freedom you get with a car that can go 500 miles before the gas light comes on.
Those ALHM 1.9TDI engines with good syntetic 5W-40 oil can go up to 500k without opening.
I've got 486,000 on mine!
I had two extremely high mileage vehicles. My first was a 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra with a 3.3 litre V6 with a 3 speed automatic. The other was a 1990 GMC Jimmy 2 door 2 wheel drive with a 4.3 litre V6 and a 4 speed automatic. I had over 400,000 miles on both of them. The Oldmobile I sold after a couple of years of driving this thing real hard. Outstanding reliabiliy, comfort, and economy. The car had been in a flood before I bought it and after fixing it up for next to nothing I sold it almost mechanically sound. Short of replacing the rear window motors and a little throttle sensor issue everything worked on this car including the air conditioner. The Jimmy was my favorite ever. It ended up completely mechanically sound after owning it for a little bit. A couple years later I had a seizure and it slammed into utility pole at about 40-50 MPH (guessing). No SIRS (air bag) so it messed my neck and chest up a bit. Thankfully I was wearing my seat belt! I was having a little issue with a worn out head gasket near the end and had to change out the rear differential too. If not for wrecking it I might still be driving that Jimmy today. No kidding! They both got into the upper 20's for gas mileage on the highway (Jimmy 26 mpg, Cutlass 29 mpg). Both were easy to learn and repair, perfomed great, comfortable and quiet, very tough, and fast too. As a bonus the Jimmy would pull the Oldsmobile on a double axle trailer at highway speed without issue. That's pretty impressive for a 400,000 + mile V6 automatic body on frame (heavy it'self) SUV. I had ended up putting some 10" wide alloy wheels and a set of 255/60R15 perfomance tires on it after replacing the worn out steering and suspension. The Jimmy would take a corner so quick for being a naturally top heavy vehicle. It never really had an issue with body roll. I would almost daily make challenges out taking certain turns pushing the limit harder and harder while sliding sideways!
polish the front headlights
You can't polish a turd.
@@basshead. Probably be resourceful for that front headlight job
@@basshead. You can, but when you get done you just have a shiny turd.
The Wizard, Scotty Kilmer and Chrisfix have showed me that a beater car can be a reliable commuter if you take good care of it, hope I graduate soon and get a better job, my l econobox deserves some work here and there
You Scratched a winning lottery ticket with your transmission. I know more than ten people who barely got more than 75,000 mile on a VW transmission from the 2000's before it needed a full rebuild.
I believe this one had its transmission serviced at some point, the fluid needs to be changed at a certain mileage. I have a 2003 2.0 automatic Beetle with nearly 440,000km on it and it still shifts amazingly well, with just periodic and preventative maintenance and the occasional transmission service. Most people never serviced their transmission and that is why they fail prematurely
Most miles: 214,000 on a 77 Buick LeSabre with a 403. Valve stem seals were toast but back in business now. Dad has 270,000 miles on a 97 GMC Sierra with a 350 vortec.
This is the perfect channel to watch sitting on the back porch.
#BeerGang
2006 Honda accord 192,000 miles ... still driving like a champ
the blend door flap on these things has this material that comes off.... easy fix if you can get your hands in there. there's some youtube videos on it.
Very true my wife’s beetle did the same, the foam seal stuff breaks apart leaving holes in the blend door.. I used foam tape and resealed it without removing the dash, great hot again.
Funny. Back in 02 I had my head set on slightly used a VW GTI, then I drove the Beetle and was surprised at how much more stiff, balanced and practical the car was -- it was a champ in the snow. I was one of the few who didn't buy one for the styling. Had it for many years before I finally gave it up.
If it blows cold but never hot then it’s likely the blend door actuator motor. Had to do that on my Vic and man that’s a sorry job.
On a VW it will usually report bad actuators in VCDS, if they are electonic that is.
My 00 Jetta (basically same car) has a similar issue. Blend door seal rotted away (foam), and cold air gets by. Not taking the entire dash out to fix it. Florida car, anyway
Chris P Im thinking its the same issue on mine. Not removing dash either. It would probably crack into 40 pieces
@@CarWizard the arm on the end of the cable falls off the blend door. It's down by the gas pedal behind a panel. Common problem.
@@CarWizard I did a fix on my daughters beetle that didn't require the complete removal. You remove the center bezel and radio and you can access part of the ducting. You cut a rectangular hole in the ducting and tape up the blend door. Do some searching and you will find this quick fix. You then seal up the hole using the piece you cut out and gorilla tape. It works just fine and only took a couple of hours vs. a couple of days.
Love your TRIUMPH Motorcycle Banner in the background. I will have been riding Triumph Motorcycles for 50 years this June.
I really enjoy your videos and the subtle humor and putting up with Hoovie!!!!! Keep up the good work.
Wizard, you certainly married up (as did I!). Love the updates, too.
Pretty sure this has evolved into a Wartortle at this point ;) Was great seeing you at C&C and meeting Mrs. Wizard! Hope to see you in March at The Alley as well!
My ex had one of these... It was surprisingly good in the snow.
It should have traction control
My Passat was a beast in snow. Other than that, it was a pile of shit. Awful cars. Never buying a VW again.
The blend doors are made of sheet aluminum and they have holes punched in them (to lighten them, I guess)... the doors are covered with a thin sheet of foam and that disintegrates over time, making the doors seem like they're not even there. I've got a 2001 Jetta GLS and it's been blowing that foam out of the vents for years now. Do a search on the HumbleMechanic RUclips channel, Charles did a video on how to fix it.
9:30 flush it out with CLR heater core is probably plugged
Yeah vag concern cars are notorious for that.. Some aluminium gunk gets loose from the radiatorbut the heater core is tighter so it gets blugged.
I'm assuming he checked both heater core hoses and they're both hot. Usually if the core is blocked that badly, one hose will be cold.
It could also be broken HVAC mechanisms under the dash, which can be a royal headache to fix.
I drove a vw 2 years in Michigan with only heated seats 😂😂😂 this wold have been a life changing tip 😂😂
My 2000 jetta did same thing just 3m aluminum tape on the blend door to fix mine
You might want to consider putting a headrest back on it so you don't break your neck if you get rear ended... Seems well worth the cost.
All hail Squirtle!!!
The issue you are having with the no heat is the foam they put on the blend door has fallen apart I was having the same problem went and bought hvac aluminum tape took it all apart then put it on now the heat is super hot
Why hello Mrs.Wizard! What a surprise 🤣
My 2002 Beetle had never broken down on me and I've had it for 6 years. This little thing just keeps on going no matter what. Repairs are hard because alot of mechanics won't bother working on European cars where I live so I try to do my own repairs.
"yes Mrs Weeezard i'll sell squirtle when you sell the Allante!"
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Be interesting to see how far it goes if you Keep it. Awesome of Bendpak. Hopefully a high capacity lift is included, for Excursions etc.
These Beetles are great for mechanics because everything falls apart on them.
If you decided to start doing stock rally racing with the car, there is a quick and easy tweak you can do to the ECM to reduce the EGR duty cycle, thus reduce the carbon build up issue on the intake. Key on, engine off, connect to the ECM, Login 12233, Adaptation channel 03, set new value to 33768.
I’ll take one of those old lifts 😅
I have a 2002 Jetta Wagon with the 2.0 and a 5 speed. It had 215k on it and needed some love when I got it, like this car, but it’s a clean little car now, and 22k miles later, it has been surprisingly reliable!
Mrs Wizard starting to hog the screen time hehe love it.
Eh
As someone who has been driving VWs since 1972, original owner of a Corrado VR6, and a fan of Mr. Wizard's video, I don't have a problem with Mrs. Wizard's idea of selling Squirtle. If I was going to dedicate that amount of time in a restoration effort, at the end I would much prefer to have a mk4 TDI Golf or Jetta with a manual. If that cost a little more, it would have been worth it.
After this video your making me regret even more selling my tdi jetta
*words I never thought I'd hear someone say, ever*
do not regret unloading your money pit VW because car wizard makes a video on his piece of junk
@@Mach141 this so much. I don't miss my money pit at all
I have an 03 jetta TDI 174k miles, zero mods. Only issues:
-Limp mode once from a vacuum line ($11 fix)
-starter wire severed during a tumbly -31°C cold start.
@@RandomlnternetGuy oh, so that must mean all Volkswagens can be fixed for cheap right? *Laughs at your naive nature and drives into the sunset in a car that actually runs and drives, not ever even thinking of spending money on a Volkswagen ever again*
Let Ms wizard drive it for a week, she'll love it. My husband brought home a 2008 toyota camry 4 cylinder with a 5 speed manual, I hated that car at first then I started driving it, now it's my favorite.
I love the gas mileage and how easy it is to drive, it has over 230,000 miles by now and still runs like new, we just have to do regular maintenance to it. My husband always says "a clutch is cheap to replace, an automatic transmission is not". I think he's right.
Hey Bend pak, I'd like a new lift, only need one, how about it?
Uncle BS They won’t turn your money away, don’t worry.
@@jonasthemovie he's talking about for free... Good luck on that 👌
Simple Man Of course he isn’t. That would just be silly. He is clearly trying to buy a lift like a normal person would do.
Put 2 hoses in reverce direction at the heater core form the firewall behind the engine one hose in the bucket and one conect to the garden hose turn on the water slowly to max then change the water flow to oposite direktion do that two times . Then connect everything as it been before ,heat will come right away . Ive done it to mk4 golf passat and mk 3 polo it works like a
That beetle is so wizzard
It's technically a dung Porsche, I mean 🐞
325,000 on a 1994 BMW 325i, first time I let my son drive it, he blew the engine within 10 minutes, I installed a used motor and put another 50K on it before I sold it, besides normal wear items (tires, belts, hoses and tuneups) really the breakdowns were rare. I get it why people hate on BMW, but that wasn’t my experience, guess I got one built on a good day.
my step daughter had one of those, the interior is so cheap its really sad. She got locked in one time because nothing worked, the window motor switch or the door open handle. I ended up removing the door panel completely and just having the controls hang from the door. It literally fell apart in my hands. Germans really struggle with interior longevity.
I worked for the company that makes the power units good to see you have gotten a good life out of them.
Best thumbnail ever
I also love the New Beetle. Not only is it cute, but the interior is surprisingly spacious and comfortable.
180$ for an air flow sensor ? Dude it's like a 70$ part on FCPEuro.
Listen to the lesson :)
Well if you spend 210 dollars you are guaranteed to have a good working one out of the three.
@@m.kriddick2731 i meant its the same OEM replacement BOSH unit. I think Wizard should stop shopping for parts from wherever he is buying them from.
It might be a time / service / relationship / history sort of situation with the vendor.
Dominykas Dainys For OEM part? Post the link in here and prove it
I can't believe you have door handles inside! I have this exact same car except its a 5 speed with 200K miles. I LOVE MY CAR TOO. I could afford a new car but I can't find anything I enjoy driving more. I have had to replace the brake switch (common issue) but that's about it. Been driving it 2 years and it gets close to 50 mpg. I get why you love it.
You're not getting any heat because they use like a sponge over the blend door and that splunge deteriorates
I hear that mk4 lyfe is like the mk2 lyfe .
You turn on the heat and get black gooey chunks of foam blown on you.
Haha they smell like crayons too.
This is like my A3. Good to keep it.
" How to improve an $800 car without increasing its value"
PussyGalore Couldnt be more wrong
Car Wizard internet mechanic < real mechanic
@@CarWizard our record is 306,000 miles on a 2 valve 5.4 Triton, it ran on 4 or 5 cylinders and had low compression, but it drove to it's timely demise, rear suspension collapsed and went through the bed, wood kept the bed up for the short drive.
Nice name
Could easily get $2500 for it the way it is now
Iv got a 2001 VW Jetta tdi with the same 1.9 alh engine and a manual transmission. Currently at 275k miles and counting!
I don't have quite the toolset you do but keep him going by working on him in my driveway! Can't imagine how many thousands iv saved.
edit: spelling.
"We are selling your car." ( in high nasally voice), "noooo". Lmao
Have you seen little bits of foam coming out of the vents? These cars have a blend door that is perforated with fairly large holes and covered in foam. The foam breaks down and allows the air to pass right through the door rather than be redirected over the heater core. If you've seen the little bits of foam then you know the blend door is without a doubt your problem, although all of it could have been blown out of the vents long before you bought the car. The linkage at the bottom of the heater core box also break some times. If you have to replace that blend door, or cover it with something it's not a fun job.
Next "repair": remove that Apple sticker on the back window 😅
Who do you think bought these originally? Might as well acknowledge you’re in the Beetle/Mini Cooper/MacBook club.
I agree.
Mine has one on the back lol 😂🤦🏻
@@garybrown8392 Then you know what to do 😅
1999 BMW 328i 302,000. My son currently drives it as his daily driver. No problems, routine maintenance, some rust, seats are starting to come apart a bit but otherwise it drives like a tank.
Did you have fun at cars and coffee, Wizard?
Ethann Browne Yes it was great
most mileage i've gotten is 257K from a 92 dodge caravan with a 3.0 mitsubishi engine /transmission.parts failures were german and canadian, where it was assembled and yeah the paint failed. I may even get it back on the road again.