1998 VW Beetle 5-speed trouble getting it in to reverse

Buy manual. Follow instructions.

its a transmission speed sensor or input turbine speed sensor . the sensor cant read the speed and makes it stall out.

Is the orange rod bush ok?

cold start sensor faulty

TCM stands for Transmission Control Module.
It is a firmware programed device designed to control the shift points of your VW's automatic transmission. It is also responsible for safeguarding the transmission against abuse or other damaging problems from the operator as well as the engine. For instance, if you were driving down the interstate and accidentally bumped the shifter into reverse. the TCM would "see" that you are traveling at a high rate of speed and reverse was selected but nothing would happen. Or, your engine is misfiring, the TCM may only allow certain gears to be used to avoid you stalling in the road.
When a TCM malfunctions your car may not shift into overdrive, or in worse cases may not shift at all causing you to have to shift the transmission manually.
Most late model automatic cars have a TCM.

I have a 1998 and I just confronted the same problem. It seems to take like 1 gear in reserve and like 2 gear in 1 gear. Any thoughts? I don't really it should be the transmission since it still works going forward in 2 different gears. Thanks.

This may not be what you are looking for.
The stick shifter must be physically pushed down into the floor. Straight down into the shift boot, then left and up as the diagram on the shifter shows. Good luck.

P0411 Secondary Air Injection System Incorrect Flow Detected
The 4mm inside diameter vaccuum hose gets pinched between the lower intake manifold and the secondary air pump housing, flattening it over time.
Here's a link to the steps to fix yourself if you are mechanically inclined...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1995162

P1128 Long Term Fuel Trim Is Too Lean
It is very likely this code is coming up because of the vacuum hose as well.

if its a linkage broke yes no doubt you can do it yourself

You will need to inquire from the VW Servive Center. The Dealer is one of the few people that can call in and get the radio code.

First check your Owner's Manual in case a prior owner wrote it down insed the manual. Also look for a sticker inside the spare tire wheel well. For some model years VW placed the code on a sticker and then put it in that location. My daughter has a 98 VW Beetle and we had to inquire of the Service Department. They didn't charge us to obtain the code, and it took less than 5 minutes to obtain.