Why won't my VW Beetle shift into 4th gear?

Gearbox may be worn There's two places on the 'shift rod' under the tunnel that wears out. It's probably the shifter 'shift coupler' or the 'shift rod bushing' under the gear shift. Pick up the "Bentley" Bug manual for your year and it will tell you how to do it. Kinduv a pain but still do-able.