Hi Everybody! I recently introduced myself in the new members forum and now I have a ton of questions about my new baby!
First things, I am the new, proud owner of a New Beetle. Simone. She's a 2001 Silver GL with manual transmission. I did ask for some driving tips and had a few concerns about that but I left them in the other thread.
Okay! So... First things first. There is a rattling sound!! The first thing my husband did was have her detailed for me. Well.... IMO she was perfect to begin with but he wanted to have her treated for me. There wasn't a rattle before she went to the detailer, and I noticed it immediately after she came back home. I don't know what it is, or even how it could have happened. Anyway, it sounds like it's in the dash, sorta in the center/more passenger side of the center, or like it's coming from under the car in that general location. It's most noticeable when I am idling in neutral, or in neutral, or when I am in first gear. It goes away when I start driving and get into higher gears. Does anyone know what this is and how concerned I should be?! I am planning a trip to our mechanic next weekend so he can find it and fix whatever it is, and for a couple other things.
One of those other things is my air vents!! Sigh. I've seen on other threads that the middle air vents can't be removed and the side ones can? Well.. I tried to pop those out so I could fix the directional things and it just wasn't having it. Maybe I needed different pliers, but it looked like it tried to damage the very top bar so I didn't continue. I feel like I was doing something wrong. I worry about breaking her! I attempted to use tweezers but failed to get them connected to the little clip thingy - which is still there! Mostly. It's knocked off all but one in them. It's just the up/down ones that don't work, the side to side are fine. Except for in one... a center one. I bought some of those febreeze air clips for the vents because of that crayon smell, and my son messed with it and when he shoved it back in it hit one of the side-to-side flaps and knocked it off it's Hinge. It fell back into the vent, and it had blocked the open/close part. Well... my husband decided to strong arm that open (it was closed) and now it's wedged int he opening. (No, this isn't the rattle! Because this just happened today and the rattles been there for a week now since I got her). I'm not sure if this is something I should attempt to repair myself or just have my mechanic do it while I have him try to find that rattling (and check my a/c, I think it needs a recharge, no big deal).
And speaking of the detailer! My airbag light is now on!! Another thing for my mechanic because all the cords and stuff under the seat look intact and connected. :(
Next! Is there anything I can do about her steering wheel spokes? I've seen really old threads about them but those are like 3 or 4+ years old so I don't consider them very helpful. I don't really want to spray paint INSIDE my car! I suppose just removing the silvery paint and leaving it the black plastic would be best? I wouldn't mind it at all. I'd like them to be silver but I don't feel comfortable trying to pry them off. And paying someone for it would just be silly as I don't consider them having a color to be a big deal.
Back to the whole standard driving thing now... Are there any tips for SHORT drivers? Seriously short... I'm like 5'2... with my shoes on. I have to sit really close, closer than I am used to in any other car and it's just weird. It's not dangerous close, its just abnormal close for me. I do ratch the seat up all the way to help. But... I don't know what else to do that would let me sit back just a little more. Are there extendable clutch pedals or something? Should I put blocks on my shoes? Platforms?
Is there anything I can do for ye old crayon smell? Anything at all? My air fresheners just barely seem to break through it sometimes. Granted, it's not as strong as it was when I first got her, and it doesn't really all that bother me... still, thought I'd ask.
What's the best way to remove the rubber crud from the interior? I first tried nail polish remover, and that did fairly well. Then I saw mention of using acetone, so I thought... even better and bought 100% acetone... no, bad. Glad I saw that before I damaged anything! Then I bought the alcohol instead, at 91% but it didn't seem to do as good of a job as the nail polish remover. Should I just stick with that?
I mentioned in my other thread that I was planning to plasti-dip her bumpers, and her hood to cover some scratched, some scuffing, and paint chipping. Are there any other alternatives? Can I sand and buff her bumpers and paint them instead? I sorta like the idea of being able to add some color to her with the plasti dip. And then if I don't like it... off it goes!
Oh!! AND!! The third cup holder. I have the "before may" 2001 model, so I have the 3 fixed (almost useless) cup holders under the dash. I was able to remove the two that sorta over hang the driver and passenger side. They had a crack, so I repaired that and then made them all nice and pretty with some paint. My issue is, I can't get the other one out!! The one that is at the top, fully set in under the dash. Is is supposed to remove the same way? Twist and lift? It was kinda oily from the detailer, so that gave me a problem trying, but again.. I don't want to break anything!!
Okay, that's all I can think of right now. Thank you to anyone who takes time to read through this and give me any replies!!
-Kelley.