1999 Volkswagen Cabrio PROBLEM IN THE RAIN

Tiny
1948BARTMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 10,500 MILES
My wife has a problem during wet weather when driving her VW. She says the steering seems to "lock" or become very stiff. The problems never occurs during dry days, but only when raining or roads are wet after heavy rains. A local garage said that the belt may be slipping when it gets wet, and that could affect steering. I hit it with belt dressing, but it did not seem to help much. Could a new belt be the solution. We had a 95 VW, but never had this issue.

Any ideas would be appreciated. She loves the car, but is getting frustrated with it. And me!
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 AT 4:54 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
DUBTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 159 POSTS
Have the belt properly examined for any cracks or glazing. Replace it if it's questionable. You'll also need to make sure the plastic shield in the wheel well is still there. It is designed specifically to keep water and debris away from the belt.
It is often broken and missing along with the main splash shield under the engine.
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Monday, August 31st, 2009 AT 1:19 PM

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