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Anyone remember that one?? Maybe I should buy that cd and pop it in the cd changer of my nice, quiet, solid, 00 Jetta GLS VR6..... ;-)
I just stumbled upon this website and had a blast
reading all the gripes and compliments that the
Jetta has been getting. Now it's my turn. I
bought a 2000 Jetta GLS with a VR6 engine in
November, 1999. The car has been a blast to drive
so far, and I am quite happy with my purchase. The
engine is powerful and sweet and gets me from
point A to point B in record time (sure kicked my
94 318is's [non-permissible content removed]) . I also love the ergonomics of
the car, and the 'oh so cool' blue lighting of the
dashboard. In fact, I love driving my friends at
night in my new car for the first time just to see
their eyes light up and to hear them 'oooo's and
ahhhh as soon as I turn on the interior light.
However, as a very picky consumer, I do have some
complaints on the workmanship of my car...here's
the list:
a) I noticed that there were rattlings in the
door panels when I first picked up my cars. This
noise were most prevalent when I am changing lanes,
going over the little bumps separating the highway
lanes. I went to the dealer complaining about it,
and they seemed to have fixed it.
b) After a couple of weeks of driving the
vehicle, I noticed some workmanship flaws in my
car. First, there was an 'air bubble' on the
driver's side panel close to the the door handle
inside the car. I complained about it and had the
dealer replace it. They did, and guess what--the
vibration that they fixed, the last time I was
there, is now back, and is even LOUDER.
c) The next workmanship flaw I found on my car
was in the steering. The grooves on the steering
wheel which allow you to grip the wheel had a chunk
missing from it. What did VW think when they were
manufacturing the car??? Did they not think I
would notice it? Sure, I can't see it, but I can
definitely feel it. Duh!!!! Anyway, the parts are
on order, and I am going in this week to have it
replaced.
d) As I was driving along the freeway just
yesterday, my check engine light all of sudden went
on. The car only has 4500 miles, and I am
surprised that I am having problems already. I
quickly swung by my dealer, and asked him if it was
anything serious. His reply..'No', but we'll make
an appointment for you for next week to have it
checked out. I figure, sure...I can now have my
5000 mile oil change (which is a controversy in
itself) and have my steering wheel that was on
order installed as well.
e) I've had my Jetta for 4 months now, and VW has
still not contacted me with any surveys or 'thank
you for purchasing our product' letters. Has
anyone received this from VW? Do they not care
about customer feedback? I really want one of
those so I can roast the financing manager because
the bugger tried to rip me off and force me to buy
the car when I wasn't even ready. Good thing I do
my research, and caught him dead on his tracks.
f) About the oil change issue, I figure, why
don't I put in my 2 cents? For those who think
that the reason VW recommends oil changes at longer
intervals is so that the car can break down
earlier and you would then have to purchase a new
car sooner, you're out to lunch! First of all, who
would repurchase a car from the same manufacturer
if the last car they bought was a piece of garbage
and was not reliable. Second, VW has a 10 year
power train warranty, and if the car breaks down,
they are still responsible for the repairs, as long
as you follow the recommended maintenance. I too
was a bit surprised at the intervals they suggested
but why challenge their recommendations?
g) What's the deal with the tiny trunk light?
h) Why does the engine fan turn on after I turn
off my car? Will this not drain my battery?
i) Does anyone feel vibrations in the shift stick
when accelerating? I was wondering if I should
bring this up with the dealer?
Well, I think I've written a essay here. Overall,
I am most pleased with the car. In fact, I
recommended my mom get the same car. If anyone has
any answers to the questions that I posted, please
feel free to respond. Thanks!
if you want to debate the relative merits of Jettas v. Maxima or any other competitive car, PLEASE do it here:
Sedans
We're in this conference to discuss maintenance and repair.
Thanks. your host, Bruce
"#1 of 1: Beware - Gas Tank Broken (pat_m) Mon 14 Feb '00 (01:25 PM)
Folks,
My gas tank on my 2000 Jetta GLS is broken. The
problem is one can not fill the tank properly.The
gas nozzle cuts off the gas flow. There is a little wire that seems to be cutting off the flow of gas. Resulting in 25 minutes of filling one gas tank. I brought my car to the dealer, and they said this has happen to other Jettas. They ordered a new gas tank and it should take 2-3 weeks to come in, because the spare tanks are in demand (replacing the broken ones). Let me know if anyone is experiencing this same problem, if so what was your experience. If you have this problem now you know my situation.
Pat M"
(Copied and reposted by: Pat, Community Leader Maintenance & Repair Conference)
1) At 80 mph what does the rpm read
2) What brand CD changers can I get installed (not at the dealership)? I've tried a couple of places, but no has the right adapters/changers.
This was my third "long-term" VW, and as much as I like the style of the new Jettas, (still made in Mexico) and the Gti (made in Germany, aren't they?), I don't think I can. Drivers Wanted, but Mechanics Needed.
1) Have had some problems with lose belts (alternator in particular). This is more of a hassle than anything else.
2) Stuff I replaced over the vehicle's life:
- 1 power steering pump
- Glow Plugs, 1 set
- Full muffler system (cost about $400, did it myself easily)
- 2 alternators (espensive on a diesel)
- Master cylinder
- Radiator
- Just replaced clutch at 188,000 miles
- Motor mounts
- Front Struts
3) In addition, the car's been in two collisions, one where I was rear ended by an SUV (body damage only) and another where I struck a deer (that's where the radiator replacement came in). I hit the deer with 170,000 miles on the car and it cost me $1,000 to get it fixed. That was 1 1/2 yrs ago and it still runs great.
4) The only thing I've done to keep the car running is this:
- Change oil EVERY 3,000 - 3,500 miles
- On diesel, change timing belt EVERY 60,000 miles
- I live in a somewhat cold climate (Baltimore) so I installed an aftermarket block heater (about $30 from . Really helps older diesels start up in cold months.
- Pour one quart of ATF fluid in the fuel tank every month prior to fueling up. Helps keep the injector pump lubricated and cleans the injectors.
All in all, I plan to buy another VW.
For more info. on Jetta diesels, here's a link:
http://www.bright.net/~vwdiesel/main.htm
- regular mantienance belts, lubricants & brake pads.
- 1 alternator change and a muffler job!
- Used regular dyno oil at 5000miles mark.
VWs are like GMs of europe.
A friend just gave away an '86 Jetta manual, that had over 300k miles, with never doing any major services to it.
Another bought an old Rabbit diesel with 225K+ miles, and drove it for another few years without major costs.
My brother now has my 95 Jetta that I sold to him a year ago with over 110k miles, where I drove that car hard every day, with spacing out a few maintanance things, and it's still running strong!
Volkswagen has earned their reputation for VERY reliable cars, especially if you treat them as recommended.
HELP !!!
This should have read "Only VW and that other Germany car company have diesel engine in car for N.America."
the engine. Had it towed to the dealership, but they had it for 4 days and finally came back & said sorry- we dont see any problems and no computer codes.
Been driving it ever since but it still does not sift right, and regularly slips between 2nd & 3rd gear. 2 friends just bought the 2000 Jetta but both with manual transmissions cuz they heard all
sorts of issues were coming to light about the 1999 automatics. Does anyone know about this? Where can I get some info to take to the dealer so they will fix it?
thanks for any help...
Jennifer
The beetle is the same way. the 2.0 engine only produces 115hp(but very fun 115hp)so VW has made up for that by giving you a lower gear ratio which makes it quick and fun from red light to red light and very responsive at highway speeds. What you sacrifice is, high rpms at high speeds.
the car has two cd changers considered to be "factory". one is an actual VW changer and the other is a panasonic changer. The cost of these through a dlr is only about 353.00. we install them everyday at the dlr ship i am employeed by. if you would like the part number get my e-mail from my profile.
Go to www.vwvortex.com. This site has many members who know tech stuff. They will tell you what was replaced.
I wouldn't worry at all about it. In my 20+ years of car ownership I have come to a conclusion that anything can be fixed on a car.
I assume it drives just as well as before?
I have been complaining about this problem on my '99.5 golf. I have posted several comments about this before, I now have the definitive VW answer on this " Hard Luck, we have a problem with automatic shifts and all golf and jetta automatics and we are not going to do a thing about it". My car has spent 21 days with the dealer on 8 separate visits trying to fix this problem (and many others). VWoA have now told me that they refuse to investigate the problem any further and suggest lemon law is my only option, since the problem is not safety related they are confident I will loose.
My advice to potential buyers don't waste your money.
I am so unhappy with this car I will take my chances with lemon law.
The best thing to do is when the problem arises head straight for the dealer and take the service advisor for a spin. I did this after three visits and they found the problem. It turned out to be a shift sensor that monitored emissions. Remember that all recent automatic VWs shift electronicly. If one of the many sensors go bad the problems start. If you ever get stranded again: shift to Park then back to Drive or directly to a lower gear.
After reading all these complaints its sounds like they still haven't worked out all the bugs. I would strongly suggest buying a VW with a manual transmission. Less can go wrong and they're a blast to drive.
However, as previously stated, you should have also followed the manual to the letter and checked your oil level more frequently. The oil consumption you experienced was absolutely normal. The fact that your engine's oil level was low is not VW's fault.
One quart per 500 miles means a problem that should be fixed by the dealer. I would call VW of America.
I had cars for 170,000 miles and 136,000 miles. Neither car burned oil!!
With the longer oil change intervals, it's important to check levels more often.