P0302 Fault - 2010 VW Beetle 2.5L V5 Engine Misfire Diagnosis
Received a P0302 fault code today after the vehicle began sputtering and eventually stalled. The engine is a 2010 VW New Beetle Convertible with a 2.5L V5 BPR engine, currently at 105,000 miles. Possible causes include: - Faulty spark plug or plug wire - Faulty coil pack (cylinder-specific) - Faulty oxygen sensor(s) - Faulty fuel injector - Burned exhaust valve - Faulty catalytic converter(s) - Running out of fuel - Poor engine compression - Defective engine control module (ECM) I'm trying to identify the most common and likely root cause before visiting a repair shop. What would be your recommended first step for troubleshooting this P0302 misfire issue on a 2010 VW Beetle? Thanks in advance!
Start by verifying spark presence in cylinder #2 using a spark tester or multimeter. A lack of spark is often the first indicator of misfire and can point directly to faulty ignition components like the spark plug or coil pack.