CUP EDITION
CAR ISSUES & SPARE PARTS
"Heat & missing spare parts " destroyed the cars in the UAE !
​Due to a incomprehensible management decision from VW HQ, spare parts have never been available for the Cup Edition cars! The reason is, that the "converted cars" were never imbedded in the companies parts system!
This is also one of the main reasons that so many cars are literally "repaired to death" in "hobby shops" with other parts available... bad examples you find here ==> MORE!
In the VW database, these cars appear in the exact configuration as they came off the assembly line in Puebla as a "Standard New Beetle" - all PR numbers indicate a Standard New Beetle and are also stored in the cars as such ( PR stickers in the cars ). The FACT that the cars were planned and completely rebuilt by the pilot department in Puebla on customer request with original VW parts ( RSI & other models ), and delivered to
"a single customer" ( using the official VW company structure ), is - according to VW statement - not noted in any VW documentation. None of these cars are in the museum (... was the answer from the museum, when asked for ) and are not mentioned in any book about the New Beetle, Beetle or other commercially available ones VW documentation, not even mentioned. Only one request to "AUDI / VW Middle East FZEVW Product Support" in Dubai Freezone resulted in the following answer per mail:
YES - we imported the cars, serviced them at the dealers, but we are also surprised that there is no documentation about these cars to be found anywhere?
How did / do you get spare parts for the Millennium Cup Edition Beetle
Spare parts ( BODY KIT )- a few years back - could ONLY be ordered and bought via "detours" and through good relationships with friendly VW dealers - in principle "not legally"! You needed the VIN number ( car certificate ) of an "RSI BEETLE" known in the VW System and the appropriate VW partner, who then ordered the spare parts under the pretense of an "RSI known to VW system"! According to their statement, the racing department in Wolfsburg was involved for a long time, but this process has now been handed over to the "Classic Car Division"! Some of the vital parts can still be bought there but many are no longer available for the RSI! Basically its a "SALE" of parts VW doesn't want to store any longer.
Why did you need so many spare parts for the Millennium Cup Edition Beetle?
Due to damage caused by accidents, the countless "SPEED Bumps" and mostly very high curbs in the Middle East - UAE, many cars could only be repaired with existing and similar parts. Unavailable parts have been replaced and adjusted with other parts from tuning suppliers... see the picture with the "oversized spoiler in the PROBLEM GALLERY! Decor has been somehow adjusted or even refined by street artists!
Adding to this is the problem of heat, which affected almost all VW/Audi cars in UAE. The plastic parts became brittle from the heat and started breaking. The soft paint on the handles, glove compartment, dashboard and switches turned into a sticky mass - similar to chewing gum! And the roof interior literally fell "from the sky" :( You try to fix something, touch it and it will break !
TÃœV - regulations in the UAE
Another reason for this condition is the UAE Vehicle Test, which does / did not allow stickers on private cars and therefore the distinctive Millennium Cup Edition stickers were simply removed during the test and could not be reordered later. That's why you see a lot of cars "similar, homemade, or no stickers at all". I know about 10 respectable cars in UAE with original paint & original stickers in Abu Dhabi & Dubai. A really great car in Spain - was taken to the Spanish estate by a Sheikh & then apparently sold there!
And many others without documents, fixed or upgraded and do need an expensive overhaul and unavailable parts to rebuilt the original car to what it was before :)
Impact of this VW Parts Policy
These FACTS are also the reason why, with a few exceptions, all the cars sold had slowly but surely "decomposed, literally rotted away or died in various backyards where Indian, Palestinian or Pakistani "know-how" and ingenuity over the years has repaired or repainted the same. Spare parts were patched, invented and produced by themselfes, rear and front aprons were installed from the standard Beetle or many of them converted to "Show Cars"! Unreal performance increases which often only experienced five gas bursts or with a broken 450 hp then finallyended in a "Scrap Yard " were carried to the grave! ... or even today somewhere on a farm in the desert or underground garage of a Skeikhs villa disappeared. Every now and then, theres a car offered for some 10.000,- US$ ( ... just reworked :) :) ) due to owners giving up & realizing that theres no hope any longer for most of the cars.
Personal sightings & those of Cup Edition owners
From my view there are about 10 respectable cars in UAE with original paint, original stickers and original documentation ( service booklet ) in Abu Dhabi & Dubai. A really great car in Dubai at a dealer & one in Spain ( taken by a Sheikh to his Spanish estate & then most probably sold there )!
In addition, about 20 tuned, sometimes really unsightly & most of them cars, somehow fixed after accidents. Every now and then I get inquiries from the few remaining cars and their owners in the UK, France or Sweden, who are desperately looking for parts due to accidents!
If anyone has matching parts, please feel free and use the contact here :)
