1998 beetle. Went for oil change. As soon as they completed it my check engine light came on. They checked code, was some emmissions code. Okay so the light goes out 2 days later. A few days later the car wont start, like it is out of gas, it's turning but not catching. I let it sit for 1/2 hr then it starts and the engine light back on. Everything fine for a few days then the same thing happens out of the blue. Just happened again to me. Car was fine, no light on then i go somewhere, park it, get back in and it wont start like its out of gas...let it sit for half hour and then it starts like nothing was wrong and the engine light back on now. What could be wrong? I am not out of gas. Did the guy doing the oil change/new filter mess something up?

My sister and I both have 1998 bugs and this same thing is happening to both of us! Sounds exactly like our situation. Did you ever find an answer? Maybe it could help us now.

Yes, i finally found out what it was! Just had it fix yesterday. I was finally able to pull the code when the check engine light came on. It was the code PO322 which is the CRANK SENSOR! I brought it to the vw place and they replaced it. The part is only $120 but with labor and tax it came to about $300 bucks. If i was a dude i would have fixed it myself but i didnt have the tools to get to the sensor which is located to the right of the oil dipstick, its that grey plug thingie that leads to the sensor.

And let me add that i drove the car for over a month with this issue. It ran fine but like once a week it would not start for no apparent reason for like 1/2 hour, then it would be fine for another week and happen again. The check engine light would only stay on for about an hour and then go out so i was never able to get the code checked until it happened the other day and i was near an auto place so they pulled the code for me.If you google the PO322 code you will see it is very common when the crank sensor starts to go bad. The guys at the vw place didnt believe me but i happened to stall, yes STALL while driving there and my light came on so they pulled the code and said "You were right, it's the PO322, crank sensor"! HA!

From what i know when your not using OE (original equipment) filters on certain VAG engines you tend to get this same problem mensioned above with the check engine light coming on and etc. Now apparently non OE filters are the cause to this problem. Im about to have an oil change done myself on my audi a4 turbo, I purchased an audi genuine oil filter off ebay for £6.50 and also a MANN air filter which are most recommended for VAG engines for a total of £9 also off ebay. Any idea what make filters you are using at the moment? I have read about this problem in past with VAG engines and espcially turbo petrol models

Thanks, dropped mine off at the shop last night, I'll tell them to look in to it! Very annoying to have the "unreliable car" feeling on the car I love! Good to know it can hopefully be fixed :)

On the new Beetles the crank angle sensor can stuff up..... some symptoms are - starts fine, then cuts the engine after a short drive. Leave it for 30mins to an hour and she will start again. - when the sensor really goes, you get the engine turning over with no start. Seems like a fuel or spark issue, but is actually the crank angle sensor dead or dying. The sensor can be quite cheap on the net...... BUT!!!! taking the old one out, and putting the new one in is a MAJOR job. I've done it. It sux..... If you can pay a mechanic to do it, the do so. My father was a mechanic, so I was brought up in and around cars... dirt and oil I love. Doing a new beetle crank angle sensor is for someone with quite a few hours to kill, the right tools, and a lot of determination. BTW: I bought two more beetles as fix ups to make extra cash. Great idea, but oh those damn crank angle sensors. But this time I knew what I was doing. so it only hurt half as much. Regards Allen D.