To check the transmission fluid in your Volkswagen New Beetle, you will need to get underneath the car to access the transaxle casing. This is also where you will need to fill it with extra fluid if needed, as there is no filler pipe or dipstick in the engine compartment. The exact method of checking and adding depends on whether your New Beetle has a manual or automatic transmission.
Park the car on a level surface, then raise it with the jack and support it evenly on jack stands. If the car is not level, you can get an inaccurate reading of the fluid level.
Unscrew the plug for the check/fill level. This plug is located at the front side of the transaxle, while the drain plug is located at the rear of the transaxle and usually requires a 17mm Allen wrench to remove.
Reach into the hole with your pinky finger and feel the level of the fluid. It needs to be near or at the bottom of the plug hole.
Add SAE 75W90 synthetic gear oil to the transaxle through the fill hole using a syringe or squeeze bottle (if the transaxle needs fluid). Add the fluid slowly until it is at the correct level, then reinstall the plug.
Park the car on a level surface and set the parking brake. Turn on the engine, move the shift lever through all the gears and bring it back to Park, then wait for instrument panel engine-temperature gauge to read between 95 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the level-check plug from underneath the car. The plug is located along the curved edge of the transaxle case. The fluid is at the right level if it just barely drips out. If no fluid come out at 113 degrees, you need to add more.
Pry off the fill plug, which is located along the side of the case, using a large screwdriver, while the level-check plug still off. Add VW automatic transmission fluid in small amounts with a syringe until fluid starts dripping out of the level hole.
Reinstall the plugs with new seals. You may also need to replace the cap on the fill plug.
