Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

webmistress25

You see, I understand what you are saying. What I am angry about is that I was misled into believing that my car was Pre-Owned Certified and it wasn't. They hung the tag in the car and it never even went through inspection. The car was deemed unsafe and the dealership then denied the warranty and told me they lost the paperwork. Yes I'm angry with VW and the dealership. VW should make sure that their dealers are not putting these Pre-Owned Certified tags on cars when they are not even inspected or certified. I feel that this is their responsibility. I'm not creating defamation here. I'm exercising my first amendment as a US Citizen, freedom of speech. Customers should not be coerced into buying something when its been falsely advertised. I'm angry that the dealership put my family in jeapordy and that they don't care enough to fix the problem.

mtena

I pulled up to a stop sign this evening in my 2001 Jetta 1.8T and the driver's side window just dropped - all the way down. My car is under warranty, with 18,000 miles on it, and I'm planning to go to the dealer in the morning (assuming that my open car isn't stolen overnight). I logged on here thinking that what happened to me was extremely unusual. Based on other posts, that simply isn't the case. VW ought to be ashamed of itself, and a recall is clearly in order. I certainly won't be owning this car when the odometer hits 24,001.

protege_fan

I thought people were saying that this was cleared up on the 2001's +. Guess not. Sorry you're having troubles mtena.

8u6hfd

People were saying this was cleared up in 2002.

protege_fan

Oh...thanks! For some reason I thought 2001 +. Did the models change significantly between 2001 and 2002?

Since the 2002's don't apparently have this problem, it would seem that VW was aware that there was a problem with the window clips.

8u6hfd

Didn't really change much,

The cruise control stalk changed to an easier interface

Minor console pocket change (removed the credit card slots)

Double Din Headunits for GLS models starting mid 2002 year.

Rear cup holder axed during mid-2001 year.

2002, deletion of the Golf 1.8T
1.8T gets more power
GTI models are now 1.8T and VR6 (instead of GLS and GLX designations) with their corresponding option pacakages.

mtena

The service guy didn't seem at all surprised by what happened. And he handed me a letter from VW regarding the problem, along with the bad news that parts are backordered to the tune of 2+ weeks. They're giving me a rental car to use for as long as it takes.

The letter is dated July 11, 2002 and it's addressed to VW Dealers and Service Managers.

"The purpose of this memo is to inform each of you about the latest status regarding window regulators. Supplying both the full assemblies and kits required to address this critical issue has been very challenging. For your information, vehicles currently in production are being built utilizing the metal clip. Please understand that every effort is being made to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. The matter is being addressed at the highest level of management at both VWoA/C and VW de Mexico.

For the next few weeks the new parts will continue to be in very short supply. The supplier is working seven days a week, three shifts per day, to increase the supply of parts. We're also exploring all other opportunities to increase production at the same time."

anonymous02

"...planning to go to the dealer in the morning (assuming that my open car isn't stolen overnight)."

You lock your car every night?

Sheesh! Some nights (last night) I leave the keys in. Time to move.

naimfan1

All--

We just (2 weeks ago) had the MAF sensor replaced in our 2000 Jetta GLS TDI. Prior to replacement, the car lost pretty much all the power it had--it was like the turbo wasn't coming on. Now, the car is doing the same thing. Two questions: has anyone heard of the MAF sensor being the subject of a recall? And second, how long is the part warranted for?

Finally, can someone provide an address for VW in the US? Time for letter writing.

Thanks in advance,

Bob

8u6hfd

VWoA is somewhere in Auburn Hills, MI (nice town BTW).

VW Customer Relations

3800 Hamlin Road

Auburn Hills, MI 48326

---------------

Tip, you can save yourself a lot of money and use a 2.0L MAF instead of the TDI specific MAF. more information on this tip is at http://www.tdiclub.com Many people have done this already.

rainier74

Went out on me at 64,000 miles, and cost me $260 to get fixed by the dealer. That's ridiculous, and now my other window is starting to act up. Has VW addressed this problem and are they compensating consumers for defective regulators??

What can I do to get compensated?

joeharr50

Luckily I have a great dealer here in southern CT. I didn't even buy the car from them ( Curran VW of Stratford), they fixed my car for the dealer I bought it from under a used car waranty, a $320 regulator replacement. One week later my other front window broke and they repaired it for nothing. The service guy said this problem is ridiclous. This time it was a clip. I contacted VW of America and they seemed interested in helping me but it was resolved by this dealer without their input. If I ever buy another VW, I doubt it, I would not hesitate to buy it from them. Mine is a 2000 GLS with 30000mi.

mtena

It probably won't help, but one angry VW owner has a petition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/vwwr/petition.html

I did a forum search on vwvortex and came up with an appallingly large number of posts regarding problems with these clips.

Waiting on a metal clip for my 2001 1.8T Wolf, 18,000 mi.

aaron300z

I don't understand why people cry so much when their cars break down. My family have both Honda and Toyota and they also break down as often as the VW . My parents just fix the cars and continue driving them and they dont cry about it.

My brother just sold his 2000 Accord and bought a 2002 VW GTI 337 ( Special Edition ). He hated the Accord even the car was very reliable.

So if you like a reliable car then buy a Honda or a Toyota. But dont cry again when the car is so BORING. My brother was so bore of his 2000 Accord that he was desparate to sell the car.

He said that his VW is way much better car than the Accord. One thing he said was "If my VW break down , I dont care because at least I'm happy and not bore of the old Accord".

My girlfriend drove the 2002 Accord last month and a 2002 Passat. She also said that the VW felt much better than the Honda. We ordered a 2003 Passat with the 1.8T engine. The car should be here in less than 2 weeks.

Remember "Dont cry and drive fast and enjoy your car"

Also if anyone would like a copy of all the repair that we have done to my parents Honda and Toyota just let me know and I will scan the invoices and send it to you.

newcar31

thomasibailey

Florencio, I don't get it either. I love my Jetta 1.8T. My parents too have a Honda and Toyota and seem to visit the dealership for trouble just like anyone else. You'll love the 1.8T engine. Drive On!

mtena

Maybe we should all just talk about happy things on this topic. Why talk about problems in a forum called VW Jetta problems, anyway?

Drive on! Yeah! Hooray for windows that fall into doors!

protege_fan

LOL!!!!!!

zgrabill

I heard that the window problem was corrected for 2002, but my experience proves otherwise. Just last night, my wife went to roll down the window of her brand new Jetta (that's right -- a 2002) when, following a loud cracking noise, the window fell into the door. When she took the car to the dealer this morning, he was not surprised to see this problem. Just thought you all would like to see that Volkswagen has not yet addressed this problem.

My other car is a 2002 BMW 330i, and the build quality is far superior, though I admit the difference in price is the probable justification for this.

doasidont

Have a '97 Jetta. Everytime I disconnect the battery, do I have to go to a VW dealer to get the radio activation code, or is there a way to get it myself? Thanks

rlui1

How is does acceleration compare between your two German machines?

zgrabill

The BMW is much faster (probably 1.5 seconds or more 0-60 -- that is a an estimate). But the comparison isn't really fair: the two cars are in completely different price classes. I will say, however, that until the problem occurred with the Jetta, I was very pleased with the quality of the car. And for a 4 cylinder, the Jetta is quite quick. But the Bimmer is just fast. Car and Driver estimates it at around 6.1 seconds with a manual transmission.

jvegas

I just picked up my new Jetta from the lot. On the way home, I threw in a CD to test the player. It played two songs, then basically seemed to be hanging. I received no error messages on the display, and at times it wouldn't even eject. Before I call the dealer, has anyone experienced a similar issue? Hope this isn't the beginning of a bad love affair with my jetta! :-)

Thanks for any help...

fish8

I would just take it back to the dealer and have them look at the stereo. I do not think it is the beginning of a bad "love affair". It is comforting to me to know that my Jetta comes with a 4/50K warranty. I know it is a pain to bring the car to the dealer, but at least you can free of charge.

mauvecalla

As much as I love the design and 'feel' of my Jetta, I couldn't convince myself to buy another one. It's fun to drive and much more stylish than your average car, but reliable it is not. Unfortunately my warranty expired at 24,000 miles. Newer cars have longer warranties, but that won't help because VW dealers often say that a problem is "normal" and refuse to fix it.

2000 GLS V6, 33k miles:

- shifter refuses to go into 1st gear (happens multiple times daily, dealer said could not reproduce the problem)
- turn signals stay stuck 'on' when it's cold outside
- engine knocks in cold weather (dealer said this was normal)
- yellow goo drips from both front doors
- CD changer signal cuts out randomly
- windshield 'popped' and developed huge crack while stopped at red light
- driver's window fell into door (dealer replaced under warranty)

From what I've seen on this board, these are not uncommon problems, nor have I had an unusually high number of problems. I find it very misleading that Edmunds' official reviews never mention the car's reliability problems. For that, I guess, you need to check Consumer Reports.

8u6hfd

-Shifter, I might suggest changing the gear oil. I did this in my old car...and helped dramatically. Use the OEM VW gear oil or equivalent synthetic gear oil.

-Yellow goo, it's some anti-rust compound, the owner's manual (my 2002 manual) says not to worry.

that's all I can help you with

fish8

I agree with your point on Edmunds not mentioning any reliability problems. I have also noticed that car magazines (Motor Trend, Car and Driver, etc...) usually never mention any reliability issues with the cars they test drive. I guess that's why they conduct long term tests.

To be fair though, when a car is tested over a span of 1,000 miles, it might be difficult to analyze how the long term reliability will be. Most cars do not have issues within the first 10K miles.

Kirstie_H

If the car won't shift, and it happens right after you start it rather than while you're driving along, have them check the brake light switch. I had mine replaced (less than $60) and it solved the problem -- my dealership said it was a rather common problem, and I've got the same model & year.

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host
Edmunds.com

mtena

I got my car (2001 1.8T) back after "only" four days in the shop.

Either supplies of the new part are getting better, or my having an Enterprise rental car on the dealer's dime helped put me to the top of the repair list

8u6hfd

manual or automatic transmission???

mauvecalla

Thanks everybody who commented. The shifter refuses to go into 1st all day long, not just when I start the car.

8u6hfd: it's a manual.

8u6hfd

One I'd check is the adjustment of the shifter linkage.

Here's a link how to do it.

http://www.dieselgeek.com/short_shift_install.htm

It is also outlined in the Bentley service manual. And the dealership, if you let them do it...should be able to do it for you.

dancerman

many posts on MONSOON troubles.page back a few months to read them. MONSOONS have been known to die young. Mine only lived two weeks.

tmac00

Have a 1998 Jetta, 2.0 litre 5-speed, 70k miles. Car will start and drive fine, once warm (hot) car will stall if clutch pushed in or coming to a stop. At speed I am able to "stall" it by pushing in clutch but can "bump" start it by letting clutch out. Once stalled car will turn over all day with no start. Let car cool and starts no problem. Changed fuel filter, wires, plugs, distributor cap and rotor, no change. Any thoughts?

00tahoels

I bought a 2000 Jetta V6, and I have some questions. First, does 50K miles seem a little too soon to be having brake trouble, I ask because the other day, I noticed some noise that can only be likened to that of thunder coming from the right rear wheel. I thought it may have had something to do w/ the rain we've been having and so I let it sit. The next day was the same, I took it out and it made the same noise. It's more than disconcerting because even after I go from a stop, it sounds like the brake is wobbling. I was just wondering what the longevity of these brakes are. Secondly, I too have been having some problems engaging 1st gear. From a stop (not necessarily right after start-up) it will not go in to first, and sometimes I'm trying to shift like 4 or 5 times until it finally engages. Other than these problems, I love the car, the torques always there and it's quite fun to throw around. Thanks for the input

fish8

If you have not replaced your brake pads in 50K miles, then you are doing great. I would get your brakes looked at asap.

00tahoels

Got them checked 2day, and the dealer said that there was nothing wrong with them and the brakes look great. He said that a rock or something was more than likely pinned in the brake and it caused the loud noise. Thanks for the help

anonymous02

I need new brakes.

I bought the parts, and everything OK so far...UNTIL...

The screw on the rotor is not cooperating. Does anyone know if this can just be drilled out? What is it's function?

Thanks.

1997 Jetta GL 4 cylinder 2.0 litre auto tranny front disk brakes

yellowjett

for those of you who own a '99 i wish you all the luck in the world, after the 7th trip to the shop in six months i am selling mine, i in no way fault my dealership for the problems, but i do fault vw for not stepping up to the plate and admitting that this car has major problems.

vocus

What kinda problems have you been having with the car, and is it a new or old design one?

crafty04

im about to buy a car for my self a college student. I was thinking about getting a 2002 ford focus, a 99 jetta or a 2002 hyundai accent. I always wanted a jetta but from what i read on the boards i may have a problem with it with it have 32k on it. What should i do?

dancerman

buy the 2002 focus or accent. either of these will be much cheaper to own because the 2002 models should still have a warranty if something breaks.

mliong

I beleive the Ford Focus is the focus of SIX NHTSA investigations for defects and possible recalls. At least two of them are critical components that can cause serious injury if they fail during operation.

No idea about Hyundai Accent.

Jettas are really fun to drive! Really, really, REALLY fun to drive. But it stops there for me. My wife's '97 Jetta wasn't a reliable car, it had the following problems:
- Faulty O2 sensor - common one time fixes
- Premature Brake Pad Wear and Tear
(Twice replaced for 33K miles!)
- Alternator died at 3.5 year mark
- Average of three window failures per year (Motor / regulator). The worse part was that they were dying despite their lack of use!

However, to its credit, the car never left my wife stranded, but the constant window failures drove her nuts. I'd hate to say this, but those unecessary window repairs really add up over time!

Everyone we know of here are also having problems with their Jetta Windows (even the recent models) - sudden drops into the frames, motors dying, regulator failing, etc.

VW has finally fixed the regulator failure problem (it had a plastic part that melts in the heat - it's now metallic), but that doesn't address the substandard motor failures either.

If you live in a hot climate, avoid the Jetta - as the window problems are prominent in those areas.

Good luck!

anonymous02

"... '97 Jetta wasn't a reliable car, it had the following problems:
- Faulty O2 sensor - common one time fixes
- Premature Brake Pad Wear and Tear
(Twice replaced for 33K miles!)
- Alternator died at 3.5 year mark
- Average of three window failures per year (Motor / regulator). The worse part was that they were dying despite their lack of use!"

Same with my wife's 1996 Jetta GL!

I am just about to redo the brakes in about the same time period!!!!!! I can't believe how quick they went!!!!!!!! Alternator, windows (crank roll up, not electic), and O2 sensor were fine, but a dead fuel pump left her stranded at night out of town once, which was really scary for her!!!

Also, had several exhausts (one just 2 weeks ago!).

8u6hfd

get a 2002 leftover Corolla

anonymous02

I ended up drilling out the screw and not replacing it. Once that was done, the brakes were an easy job. (Well, that and using the pipe over the socket wrench handle for more leverage.)

Fortunately, the fluid had dropped enough so I did not have to drain any out.

bettypage

my boyfriend's leased 99 jetta gl had the check engine light come on a week ago. It had and still is running fine. We took it in today to the dealership for it's 50K service, and of course to fix the engine problem. After it being there all day, they phone to say they haven't yet found out why the check engine light is on because the car is running fine. Half an hour later they call back to say it needs a new cellinoid valve. Does anyone know what this is? Does it does anything special? Because was have to pay over $400 for a new one. Oh, and this is only a week after having to replace the car's 2 mufflers and pipe.
Thanks in advance for the info.

ps: I just sold my beloved 91 jetta that had almost 200000km's on it.. It ran great for me and I never had to do anything but minor regular repairs on it.

balticjetta18t

I had the same Right Front Passenger window fall into the door a few weeks ago and it took 4 days total to get regulator, clip and cable. I still had to return for the dealer to replace window itself as it had a 3-4 inch long chip at the top.
I also had an Enterprise RAC. My ext. warranty paid for the rental. VW warr paid for all the work and parts itself under 2/24K B2B. I have 21,800 on car.

balticjetta18t

When I am backing up only and turn the wheel appox. 1 full turn I hear a clunk/knock only when I am actually moving. DOES not do it when just turning the wheel while sitting still.
Seems to do it after cars sits for just a few minutes at least and is more prominent when car sits for a few hours. Dealer so far has tightened the front subframe bolts which has not made the knocking to go away.
Anyone with a similar problem and fix?

mdaffron

I think it's called a "solenoid." I would bet what they're talking about is either the solenoid valve in the charcoal canister (fuel vapor recovery system -- an emissions component that should be covered by the emissions warranty), or (and more likely) one of the shift solenoid valves in the transmission or the EGR vacuum regulator solenoid valve. As you can see there are several; call them up and ask them which one they need to replace. None of these valves are that big and probably not that expensive; I'm imagining it's a couple hours of labor that's taking that price up so high. Have you tried a private shop? I betcha the price you were quoted that they can do it for less! All shops have code readers. I'd get a second opinion.

Yeah, they all do something special. But just telling us it needs a new solenoid valve is like saying it needs a new relay. Which one?

Meade