A long time message board stalker here, really find the knowledge base here amazing! My dear wife surprised me with an old Beetle 1500 for my birthday. The old girl (car not wife!) needs a fair amount of work done to get her into the condition I would like. Any suggestions for a workshop who knows these cars well would be appreciated. Bodywork (both car and wife!) is in decent condition, but brakes, wheel alignment, steering needs attention, and it has a strong smell of petrol while driving. Performance not great (could it ever be?), with the occasional back-fire when your hard on the accelerator trying to get her moving. Ideally the workshop should be in Auckland, or drivable distance if its to a specialist. Many Thanks.
lakeview3,
May 30, 12:03pm
VW Spares and Services in Riri St, Rotorua were who I used to take mine to. Honest genuine people. Not sure if the same people are running it now.
I do recall taking my Beetle (1971 1302s) to Qualitat once maybe but since I regularly came to Rotorua anyway at the time I would always get my car done there at VW Spares and services in Riri St.
Nothing was a problem. Good honest kiwi workmanship.
quickquestion,
May 30, 2:29pm
Thank You lakeview3 and redhead18. I'll start at the Auckland one, Rotorua as a back up when she's able to venture further. She is lovely BTW!
lakeview3,
May 30, 2:47pm
have fun! They used to have VW meet ups every year not sure if that’s still a thing. Back in my day if you saw another beetle on the open road we all used to wave to each other.
Miss the sound of those twin pipes…. mine was 100% original, interior and out with a cute chrome grill on the front that made her look like she had a face! 😍
wow good reviews also. Good to have another option for OP.
I wish I still had my beetle 😭😭😭
quickquestion,
May 30, 9:44pm
Thank You trogedon, Will check it out. The car is original, but definitely been repainted. I've been through the records, she has about 150K miles on the clock. For a good part of her life each little expense is documented including fuel usage. I've always enjoyed the sound of the motor - something special about a flat 4 air cooled. Now just need to point my wife in the direction of an old 911 or 912!
trogedon,
May 31, 3:32pm
He's worth checking out. Sounds like a good car generally. They do sound good and I like the feel of the car almost moving from side to side at low revs.
lakeview3,
May 31, 6:05pm
Don’t ever go around corners too fast! My dubbie sure taught me how to drive! 😂
One notorious corner on the desert road I swear I ended up in the passenger seat with my hands still on the wheel! 😂
bwg11,
Jun 1, 3:09pm
Love the way they tuck the outside wheel under, then fall over.
joanie32,
Jun 1, 6:09pm
Here’s another option. I walked through their parts department recently.
Yep, there's a steep learning curve with them. Driving dad's (which I still have) as a late teen taught me good driving skills (though I was always cautious with it).
quickquestion,
Jul 31, 2:00pm
Thank you Joanie32. Very pleasing to see so much is available in the way of parts and service. To all of those who responded, thank you for taking the time to help out. As mentioned earlier, the Message Board is a treasure trove of information.
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