what kind of cooling system do volkswagen cars use?

Question 1
what kind of cooling system do volkswagen cars use?...  some mechanic told me that Volkswagen cars don't use water they use a different type of cooling system

Answers
1)   i believe they are cooled strictly by air. kinda like some motorcycles, and lawnmowers. so they probably dont like to sit to long in the heat with out moving. you def, must be talking about an older one. - POKE

2)   My husband said that some of the old Volkswagons were air cooled but the majority are water cooled. He fixes cars. Hope this helps - Meggan M

3)   Old VW were air cooled. dont know about the new ones - J

4)   VW started making water cooled cars in 1973 in the US, but had been making them in Brazil many years before that.

But they never stopped all the air cooled cars either.
They are still made in Mexico, China, etc.
Air cooled cars are much lighter, durable, easy to maintain, and inexpensive, but tend to produce more NOx than we allow in the US.


Comment to dejaca70:

The first water cooled VW in the US was the 1973 Dasher, not the 74 Rabbit.
The Dasher is not really the same as a Passat since there is a gap.
You are correct the Bug ended manufacture in Mexico in 2003, but China licensed the Thing not the Bug and still makes it. - Motorhead

5)   Ok, here's the deal- 1932-79, the Type I (Beetle) was air cooled. Then in 1974 VW came out with their replacement for the Beetle- Rabbit or Golf. Along with that was the Scirocco and the Dasher (Passat) these are/were water cooled. However, from 1949- 1984- the Bus (Type II) or Vanagon (last name before Eurovan) it was air cooled then it became watercooled (wasserboxer). In addition, there was the Type III (Fastback, Station Wagon or Variant, and the notchback) all of which were air cooled. Then there was the Karmann Ghia (air cooled) and the 411 and 412 both air cooled.

The beetle has ceased production and was never produced in China. However it was produced in Mexico, and in some South American countries the Type II soldiers on. - djaca70

6)   HERE IS YOUR ANSWER pre 1998 VW Beetles, karmann ghias, VW Thing, Squareback, Fastback and VW Buses up to 1986 are all completely air cooled; no water. there was also a few water cooled cars like the VW Rabbit and Jetta are older cars that was water cooled from VW.(All new VW are water cooled) - Jarod C

7)   If you mean the classic VW bug (which for many is the only REAL VW - grin).. they were air cooled and relied on the oil to convey the heat to the cooling fins molded into the engine block.

If you mean newer VW's.. who cares. (grin).. no, those are water cooled.

. - ca_surveyor


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Question 2
My engine light came on in my 2001 passat. Can I fix it myself? If so, how?...  The manual says Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) comes on when there is an emission related malfunction. If it comes on and stayes on there is a malfunction in the engine system. Get thee to a VW dealer and get it fixed right away.

Is this easy to fix myself?

Answers
1)   Go to autozone. They'll scan it for free and pull up what code it is so you can figure out what the actual problem is. - J J

2)   The biggest thing is to know why it came on, (requires an engine scan) AND what needs to be done to fix it. I would start by going to Advanced or Autozone and get a free scan.
Next part may not be so easy. Some codes require several steps to fix them. Like the code for "coolant temp sensor" Most times to fix that you have to replace the temp. sensor AND change the thermostat and flush the cooling system.
Word of caution. Many times with these free scans they will tell you it is an oxygen sensor and they will sell you one without saying which one(there are anywhere from 3 to 5 of them.
But fear not--there are a lot of simple things it could be too. Like if it comes up as an "evap leak" the easy thing to do is replace the gas cap and try it.
If you choose to take it somewhere, rather than the dealer I would find a VW specialist to scan it. Expect to pay $50-90 just fo the complete scan and diagnosis

Hope this helped - Arthur B

3)   Most of the check engine lights happened during a period when the injectors were clogging because the fuel was coming from low cost stations. The dealer got me at first for emissions control stuff but it became obvious over a period of 20,000 miles that it was fuel related. Cans of fuel additive to clean the injectors, then using only Chevron premium since has made that go away. Some dealers want to chemically flush the fuel system, and that works too... just expensive, like $100. I noticed the car was hard starting at first, and the code readout says "Misfire"

Another was the day after a service when the light came on and they read the computer output to me - something about "Mass air flow indicator". I think they broke something but it was about the same age others have had that problem. That was a couple hundred.

The worst was after my sunroof drain plugged during a rainy week, and I didn't notice the water on the passenger side of the floor. Under that floor is the electronics for the automatic transmission. That was fifteen hundred dollars. A towel on the floor would have saved some big bucks there. The warning light started coming on about 4 days before the transmission started acting up. My blunder not taking the car to the dealer right away when the light came on.

My experiences say if the light comes on, take it in. If it comes on again after they "fix" it, they didn't. Don't let them charge more than $50 to read the computer output. There are places out there that will read it for free if you will get it fixed there, and with the age of our cars, that is not a bad deal. I do like VW dealers for service though because they usually have seen someone else's car with the same problem before and will get to the solution faster.

Good luck. - Nat

4)   Find someone with a scanner or buy one (www.harborfreight.com) for about $30 and connect under your dash (drivers side) and read the code. The code will tell you what is going on. The scanner will let you reset the code too (turn the light off). You will want to fix the problem though... sometimes very easy fixes. I had a scan for #1 cylinder misfire... found my sparkplug wire to that cylinder was loose... 2 second fix. - inskin

5)   It could be something as minor as a loose gas cap, or as major as impending failure of the engine or transmission. The car's computer runs diagnostics continuously and when something goes wrong it throws a code (specific problems have specific numeric codes). When something important goes wrong and stays wrong, the computer lights a light on the dash to let the driver know that the car needs to be serviced. Thing is, you don't know what the engine computer is complaining about unless you find out what codes got thrown.

You do that by getting some OBDII (On Board Diagnostics, second revision) hardware (a cable) and software (for your computer) that lets you read the codes. It usually costs under a couple hundred bucks:
http://www.autotap.com/product_family.asp?FamilyId=260&Trail=36&TrailType=Top

You'll also need access to a service manual for your car to decode the codes as different companies use different codes, sometimes even between models and model years, so it's tough for the cable people to keep track of every code for every car made by every manufacturer.

The Haynes or Chilton manuals are usually under $30, and the Bentley manuals (official factory repair manuals) are about two or three times that:
http://www.car-stuff.com/mmparts/volkswagen-passat/repair_manual.html
Another option on this front is Alldata. It's an online repair manual and diagnostic tool (i.e. an expert system that helps you figure out what's wrong with your car), for which a year's membership costs about the same as a (cheaper) manual:
http://www.alldatadiy.com/

Usually people at car forums will be able to help you find out what the codes mean and how to fix them, or estimate what it'd cost to get it fixed by a pro. They might also be able to hook you up with an honest mechanic in your area (or at least another forum member who will read and interpret your codes for a nominal fee (a six pack, say)):
http://www.volkswagentalk.com/volkswagen-passat-f6.html
http://www.passatworld.com/forums/
http://www.audi-forums.com/vw-passat-forum/

You can, of course, just reset the computer and clear the codes by disconnecting the battery for a couple minutes and see if the problem comes back. It's better to find out what went wrong and what needs fixing, though. - soliton

6)   That light means something is wrong, but it doesn't tell you what is wrong. For that, you need a diagnostic computer. You can get one at an auto parts store or Walmart for $30 to $50. Or you can go to some auto parts stores, and they will let you borrow one to pull the error codes. Along with the computer comes a book that tells you what the codes mean.

Once you know the codes and their meaning, you may or may not know what to fix or how to fix it. It is possible that the problem was temporary, and just clearing the error codes will solve the problem. If after the codes are cleared, and the light goes off, and you drive 50 or 100 miles, the light comes back on, then there is still a problem.

Some problems require additional equipment to diagnose the problem. Most do it yourselfers do not have this equipment. Borrow a computer and pull the codes, and then decide from there.

I hope this helps. - iffley


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Question 3
how are VW Jetta's as a used car?...  are they prone to break down after 100,000 or so miles? i have enough money for an 00/01 jetta, and they seem surprisingly cheap. should i watch out?

Answers
1)   here's a link to a NPO website. There's nothing to sign up for Etc. etc.
You can browse for feedback from former Jetta owners

http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/volkswagen/jetta/ - Alfonzo

2)   there cheap because they can't get rid of them transmissions in the vw's are bad and have several engine problems that are fuel related - bo

3)   Excellent cars and good values.
Being somewhat plain, the Jetta is just undervalued.
They also took a hit in value when VW stopped selling them in the US for 2 years because they started up a plant in Mexico, and then the 1993 models did have lots of assembly defects.
But they took care of all that a long time ago.
Like most cars, the trick is to find a good mechanic.
Dealers not only are expensive, but want to sell new cars instead of work on old ones. - Motorhead

4)   i have a 1997 jetta and it has about 135,000 miles on it and it runs great! However the engine did have to be replaced at about 80,000 miles so just a warning. The front struts had to be replaced at about 100,000 miles also. The transmission is definitely not the greatest but i havent had any problems with it. Overall it is a great car for a daily driver and extremely easy to work on if you ever want to have your friend do the maintenance for you or something. - Vance


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Question 4
vw key will not open car door?...  

Answers
1)   Are you sure you have the right key for the right car? - djaca70

2)   Get slim Jim and open the door - al

3)   change batt if a clicker batt try wiggoling key might be a bad key. - spike_dusel

4)   use the master key - Unknown


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Question 5
Where can I find a bug screen for my ford fusion?...  

Answers
1)   In a shop - Not now

2)   in the USA any auto parts store..if not in stock overnight..on line www J.c. whitney..im sure ford dealer has them at usual rip off high prices..lol - pedro7of9

3)   they don't make them for all cars,search the internet for AutoVentshade .com,largest manufacturer,see what they say. - ramcharger


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