Used VW Cabrio 02 - Problems?

[BrandonD]

Hi everyone, my name's Brandon and I'm a fellow Cabrio lover. I just purchased a 2002 Cabrio (automatic). This is my second Cabrio, my previous one was a 97 (standard).

I got a good deal on it, it's in good condition but has a few issues:

1) Airbag light, parking brake light and ABS lights are on. The brakes seem to work just fine, and I'm told the airbags have never been deployed. I'm guessing this is a sensor issue? Because this car appears to be in great shape and according to records this car has never been in an accident.

2) Seems to have a minor overheating issue. When the A/C is turned high the car appears to slowly overheat, passing the halfway mark (which I've always been told it should not pass).

I'm going to get the car checked out by a mechanic, but I thought I'd also ask the opinions of people who are specific experts on the VW Cabrio. What do you think are the causes behind these issues?

[Blk95VR6]

1) Airbag light, parking brake light and ABS lights are on. The brakes seem to work just fine, and I'm told the airbags have never been deployed. I'm guessing this is a sensor issue? Because this car appears to be in great shape and according to records this car has never been in an accident.

Brandon,
The Airbag light could be a bad sensor, a bad airbag (not deployed), or wiring that is broken, frayed, or unplugged. IF you decide to look at these things I'd highly recommend disconecting the battery first so you don't end up having an airbag deploy (possible, but not saying that it WILL happen, just trying to warn you of "worst case scenario").
The parking brake light could be a switch (under the emergency brake), that'd be the first thing I'd check.
The ABS light could be a sensor at the wheel (unplugged, bad, or the brakes could be telling the system you need to replace pads), or the control module (under the master cylinder in the engine bay). Those would be the first two things I'd check.

2) Seems to have a minor overheating issue. When the A/C is turned high the car appears to slowly overheat, passing the halfway mark (which I've always been told it should not pass).

I'd check the coolant level, and make sure the thermostat works as it should. At the worst, do a coolant flush on the system, change the thermostat, just to set the system to a "zero reference level", and go from there.

Just my .02, take it for what it's worth, or not...


Mike

[BrandonD]

Brandon,
The Airbag light could be a bad sensor, a bad airbag (not deployed), or wiring that is broken, frayed, or unplugged. IF you decide to look at these things I'd highly recommend disconecting the battery first so you don't end up having an airbag deploy (possible, but not saying that it WILL happen, just trying to warn you of "worst case scenario").
The parking brake light could be a switch (under the emergency brake), that'd be the first thing I'd check.
The ABS light could be a sensor at the wheel (unplugged, bad, or the brakes could be telling the system you need to replace pads), or the control module (under the master cylinder in the engine bay). Those would be the first two things I'd check.




I'd check the coolant level, and make sure the thermostat works as it should. At the worst, do a coolant flush on the system, change the thermostat, just to set the system to a "zero reference level", and go from there.

Just my .02, take it for what it's worth, or not...


Mike

Thanks very much for the response. It turns out that the battery was in bad shape so I bought a new battery. After installing the new battery the emergency brake light is no longer on.

I will definitely follow your advice to diagnose the exact problems. thanks!

[BrandonD]

A few other minor issues associated w the car:

- the handle on the glove compartment is not there, it seems I'm totally unable to open the glove compartment. Is there any way to take care of this myself, or will it require a mechanic?

- the car stereo is frozen in "safe" mode, I'm familiar with this from my previous Cabrio - but unfortunately it seems the card with the 4-digit code has been removed from the manual.

[Blk95VR6]

A few other minor issues associated w the car:

- the handle on the glove compartment is not there, it seems I'm totally unable to open the glove compartment. Is there any way to take care of this myself, or will it require a mechanic?

You "can" get the glovebox open without the handle on it, I just can't remember exactly how while I'm typing, but look around in here and in the MK III forum, using the "search" feature, using terms similar to "broken glove box handle" and see what you can find...

- the car stereo is frozen in "safe" mode, I'm familiar with this from my previous Cabrio - but unfortunately it seems the card with the 4-digit code has been removed from the manual.

You'll need to get the unlock code from a dealer; it will more than likely cost you money to do this, but it's probably cheaper than a new radio...


Mike