Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

bpeebles · March 2006

WOAAA Ken - Use paragraphs dude!! My eyes went buggy after reading about 6 lines....

(Good info though 8-)

mallisonm · March 2006

I have the same problem. It's a really high pitched sound. I had my mechanic look at it. He said he thinks it's the AC belt or AC fan. If you turn on your car without AC on, does it still make the noise?

jenezrow · March 2006

I have a 2004 VW Jetta, automatic transmission. I've been having a problem for about a year with the car jolting sometimes when i'm pressing the gas (to go up a hill) or even when driving on the highway. It seems like the engine revs fast for a second, the car jolts forward for a second, and then it settles into a normal drive. I brought it in to the dealership a couple times and they say nothing is wrong.
It is getting annoying because it happens a couple times a day, but is very inconsistent. I am worried that it is something serious and would like to find out what is causing it before my warranty runs out.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

dieseldy · March 2006

I am having/been having the same f'ing problem. Exactly the same symptoms "car jolting sometimes when i'm pressing the gas (to go up a hill) or even when driving on the highway". It seems that a lot of other VW owners have experiences this but have no answers as to what it is.
I am extremely fed up with it. I have had it into the dealership for this "issue" 4+ times and nothing has come of it. They always had some BS answer like, "it's with in specs" or "we found nothing wrong with the code". I then have to be the annoying customer, and I usually leave feeling that I received sub-par service and very frustrated! I feel that they are pushing off the problem because they will not make any money fixing it (not an uncommon thing for dealers to do).
This is my second Jetta and I thought I would be VW owner for life. But this baby has been nothing but annoying little problems and has made this be the last VW of my life.
I would like to know if anyone else has had this problem and has gotten an answer as to what is causing it or how to fix it. Please, please reply with info!
Thanks,
Jerked Around in Portland.
:confuse:

migelr · March 2006

I am still looking for suggestion on why my jetta will not start. It just stalled out. Have replaced the coil and plug wires and the latest was to replace the crankshaft sensor. I still have no fire and no fuel. Is there another sensor that I am not aware of that I can replace or do I need to changed the computor? PLease Help
Mike

yburchell · March 2006

I just purchased a 2006 Jetta and I'm contamplating if I should add the auto start option. Should I? Do I do it with the dealer or a regular alarm installer. I live in the North-East & this is such a good feature especially in the winter.

bpeebles · March 2006

Letting any engine IDLE to warm up is not good for the engine. From that perspective, a remote-starter is NOT a good option.

Personally, I have a BLOCK HEATER on all of my automobiles and they are plugged into a timer which turns on a couple hours before I head out to work. It is nice to have INSTANT HEAT from the heater when it is -20F outside.

nlm3 · March 2006

We bought an 02 Jetta TDI in 03, and for the first year it was a good vehicle; then the engine light came on. We took it in and after a hefty bill it was off. But the light continued to come on at will and we had to pay a computer fee to have it checked and turned off. After more than $1000 over a few visits and glow plug and harness replacement it is off. But why would these items have to be replaced on a fairly new vehicle? I do not recommend any VWs to anyone. nlm

bpeebles · March 2006

You would have done well to purchase a VAGCOM and do the computer checks/resets yourself. You would have saved about $700 and would STILL have the VAGCOM.

As for the glowplug harness, the connectors are KNOWN to get some corrosion on them because they have to handle so much current. There are some simple ways to help prevent issues.

Actually, it sounds as if your dealership is also overcharging you. I asked my dealership up-front if they charge for "computer fees" and I was told that they do not practice that method of charging the customers. They charge if it is FIXED... not for hooking up to their computer.

In fact, I have taken in a printout from my VAGCOM that showed a problem... and they gladly replaced parts under warantee based on that printout.

I know it is easy to blame the vehicle... but I suspect that if your dealership had fixed it right the first time,(for half the cost) you would not consider it such a big deal.

misi · March 2006

Did you find out what this problem is? I have a similar problem. Same car...2002 Jetta GLS. Seems to me though that my engine light is only on when my gas tank is full. Once it gets low...below 1/4 tank, it goes off. Any ideas?

It also has always done the "jerks ahead" thing (that many others are reporting)since I purchased it. The RPMS go higher, and it seems like it's almost slipping a gear around 30km and 50km's again. Again, it's so intermittent that chances are if I brought it in, it wouldn't happen for the tech's to experience. Help!?

jetta92owner · March 2006

Greetings all. Don't forget to turn the clock ahead Saturday night before you go to sleep. I own a 1992 Jetta GL - manual 5-speed - air condition - gasoline engine - 4-cylinder - 195,000 + miles on it. Recently, I disconnected the Oxygen Sensor since it was kaput and needed to be replaced but I had to wait a couple of weeks before I could spend the $185 to have it replaced. So I drive around for a week or two with a disconnected OS - bad gas mileage, of course. Then I had it replaced, everything OK now, right? Now, when I first run the car after it's been sitting for a while, or if I turn the car to the right, occasionally, I hear what sounds to me like the muffler making a clearly discernable roaring noise. No, not ear splitting, but you can hear it. After I've torqued the engine a bit beetween gears, the noisy muffler goes away. Sometimes, even when the engine's hot, I may yet still hear that noisy muffler sound again. But soon after, the sound goes away - just like that. This is not an easily repeatable noise, making it difficut for a busy mechanic to troubleshoot. Is this a case of a loose heat shield or maybe a a loose pipe...........or something else altogether? Or maybe the manifold exhaust clips up front in the engine compartment? The car seems to run fine - good gas mileage, shifts fine, etc. The entire muffler system, by the way, was replaced last year, including the catalytic converter. My VW mechnaic told me the muffler system looks good to him. Thanks. Edwardo

ema1976 · April 2006

i just traded a '79 gmc jimmy for a '96 Jetta Trek edition and found out it needed a new transmission. anyone know of a cheap repair for -$3600.00? (quoted price at several places) Would it be worth doing? :sick: (in Los Angeles)

jetta92owner · April 2006

I own a 1992 Jetta GL - 5-speed. I have noticed that, when I am in 2nd gear and I am moving at below 12 mph, the engine will begin to jerk, especially noticeable when I go over a bump. As soon as I feel that jerking motion, I let off the accelerator and the engine smooths out. As soon I am moving at faster speeds, the jerking motion vanishes completely. So it appears that, at speeds below 12 mph, I must remain in first gear but I must be careful not to torque the engine too high when it's cold. That's easily done, of course.

bpeebles · April 2006

It is never good to "torque the engine" when it is cold. Remember that over 60% of all engine wear occours when it is below operating temparture. (It has been shown that engines which are always runnning at temp. last much longer than those which are started cold several times a day.)

With that said, You seem to be describing the symptoms of a cylinder not firing. (running on 3 cylinders) I would first suspect leaky sparkplug wires to cause what you are describing. If new sparkplug wires do not help, try new sparkplugs.

After that, the order of items I would check are;
1)ignitor coil
2)Fuel filter
3)fuel injectors

joediz8 · April 2006

I am deciding wether i should buy a 2000 jetta glx with 70k or not. I heard they have reliability issues but then again some people really like them. I am a college student and dont have alot of money for repairs, so if this is a car that is very unreliable please tell me thanxs.

magicmarc · April 2006

hi,
the locks are not working properly, excuse me, they are indeed working properly, just not from the drivers side door/keyhole.
the key goes in, turns properly, its just the locks dont move up or down, nothing happens when i turn the key.
i can open it from the passenger side, but not the drivers side.
is the the key sensor probably?
can anyone tell me exactly where the sensor is, and where is the best [low price] to purchase these replacement parts?
thanks
marc

tgirl1447 · April 2006

You had a problem with jerking when you accelerate? I also have a 2004 Jetta that does this and my warranty is almost up, but my dealership is never any help. You said "they replaced it with a new one" What was replaced?

tgirl1447 · April 2006

I just had that happen to me. I started my car and im not sure if I was still in park or in reverse, but I was reading something and all of sudden I heard a knocking noise. It came from the rear of the car on the passenger side. I have no idea what it was, but it was just a single knock and it happened about 6 times in a couple minutes and then stopped. It scared me because my warranty is almost up and I have been having other problems that the dealership cant seem to do anything about. I've asked around and no one has heard of this before.

tgirl1447 · April 2006

I have a 2004 Jetta its a 2.0L, and its time for my 40,000 mile service. The dealership will cost me $500. I dont have a lot of knowledge about cars and I wanted to know what can I do myself that isnt too hard. Is it very much work to replace the spark plugs?

phamo21 · April 2006

I have a 2003 Jetta (70,000 miles) and it's has been running without any problems until recently. I have been noticing that the car would "jerk" when I am accelerating from a stopped position. When it first happened, it felt like something had hit my car from behind. Just like yours, it is also very inconsistent. When it happens, it only happens three or four times while driving on city streets, just after starting up the car. Then it seems to disappear. I have also noticed that it happens less frequently when the weather is cold. I called the dealership and they said that they can try to diagnose the problem by having a technician test drive it--but again, it doesn't happen all the time. I am bringing it in this week to let them look at it. I will let you know what they tell me.

P.S. My car was fine until the manufacturer's warranty expired at 50,000 miles.

afshad · April 2006

hi phamo,
i have the exact same problem. i have a VW JEtta 2000 1.8 T
the car jerks forward sometimes while driving, a lot when its cold outside.
have you managed to discover what the problem is ? do i need to replace the transmission. please any help would be useful. thanks afshad@nsm.uh.edu

afshad · April 2006

has anyone found the solution or the cause of this problem. my vw 2000 jetta is having the same for a long time. rats at the dealership are ignorant as usual.

phamo21 · April 2006

I dropped my car off at the dealership and like tgirl1447 said, they didn't find anything wrong with the transmission. They said that they did a diagnostics on the "rough shifting" and everything was working properly. They also said that it didn't act up on them when they test drove it. So I still had to pay for the diagnostics--even though nothing was fixed. However, they didn't charge me for the recall--they had to add something to the back door locks. So look into that if you haven't already.

homerkc · April 2006

Today's cars don't need much maintenance at 40K miles. Changing the plugs is an easy job on the 2.0L engine. Most VW dealers I've visited have their own EXTENDED maintenance schedule, but the manufacturer suggests much less. Change the plugs, change the oil, and go on your way.

bpeebles · April 2006

Have you ever tried to change the sparkplugs on the 2.0L engine? The center 2 (Cyl2 and Cyl3) are almost impossible to get a wrench on without REMOVING the entire intake manifold.

If you know of a "trick" that would help the rest of us with this task that would make it an "easy job"... please enlighten us.

rbf31 · April 2006

I too am having this problem with my 2004 Jetta. It "jolts" forward and also feels like it slips gears when accellerating and scares the daylights out of me. The car had been PERFECT until new year's eve when I had a near-death experience.

Driving to Philadelphia on 95, we merged into the flow of traffic. Once in the left lane and doing about 70MPH, the car made a loud CLUNK noise, my RPM's went way up, and the car essentially shut off in the left lane. Thankfully my hazards still worked - but the power steering was gone and it took all my strength to wrench the car over to the shoulder before almost being pummelled by an 18 wheeler behind me.

I had it towed to the dealership and they said it was a blown starter coil. I spoke to the technician myself and he said that he'd never seen anything like it. It literally exploded and melted over itself. He said he's seen the coils go before, but NEVER on a car as new as mine was w/ such low mileage (25,000 or so at the time). Red flag? Maybe.

After that repair is when the transmission jolting started. I work in a small town so my commute to work keeps my rpm's between 2K and 3K, and that's where all the slipping and jolting goes on. It's terrifying, especially when trying to merge onto the highway. It doesn't accellerate fast enough, and when it gets up there, it feels like it slips a gear. Took it back to the dealership and they found "nothing wrong with the car." They suggested that it was the way I was driving that was causing the problem. Um, I'm sorry, I didn't know that driving the 25MPH speed limit of the town I work in was going to damage my car. I even took a ride w/ the technician and it didn't do what I was describing. I thought maybe I was just paranoid after the new year's incident.

Well, it's April now, and the car has about 40,000 miles on it, and the transmission is still doing this jolting and slipping. I was floored to find that this is going on with so many people's Jettas and was angered that all the responses from the dealers are all the same: "cannot replicate the problem." Has anyone had ANY kind of luck or made any sort of headway with this?

My dealership has had my car all weekend. The rep just called and told me they drove it 53 miles and never had ONE problem. I have it DAILY and they had it for three days w/ nothing? Is this some kind of coverup?

If anyone has had a similar experience, PLEASE, email me. At this point after reading all these sob stories I am considering unloading the car and getting myself a Honda. I can't afford to lose this much money on a car but I also don't want to die in a horrific accident. Advice appreciated!!!

Michelle in NJ

gillete · April 2006

I got 2005 new jetta last year. Have several problems with it. When I drive above 65 mph or if there is some strong wind pass by, I can hear it like there's kinda leak with the rubber. I checked it over and over by my self, I couldn't figure out where the leak is(are). Next problem is the noise. After I start the car for several seconds and run it, I can hear this quick repetition noise (it's like when you tap all four fingers on the table or desk repeatedly) for several seconds which will stop after 10-25 seconds. I will bring it to the dealer where I purchase the vehicle for sure, but mean while, does anyone have the same problem with me? or does anyone know what's happening?
Other thing is, I will have my car's interior detailed, mostly the ceiling part because it's full of dust/oil prints from the mechanics who installed the glass. Will this cause it to be saggy after a while? if it does, is there any replacement for it?
So sorry it's long and thank you all in advanced.
Any comments will be appreciated

gillete · April 2006

When I first bought my car (2005 jetta), I thought I'm gonna get a very comfy and safe car. Of course it comes with good power. I can speed up very fast. The interior also neat and tidy. But it has soo many problems with it, that I was thinking of getting Japanese car next time too. eventhough, mine is not as crazy as yours.
I would suggest you to get a Japanese car instead. It will cost you more as you need to sell this one and purchase a new car, but it's worth your life.
It's too bad that I am financing this car now, but once I paid it off, I will for sure switch back to Honda or Toyota. I had a Honda before, and it never gave me any problems. Very easy to maintenance.

gillete · April 2006

If you don't a lot of many to fix this and that, I would suggest you to get a 2000 civic instead. You will safe a lot of money with it. It doesn't have a lot of power as Jetta does, but for sure, you will safe a lot of money

bobgwtw · April 2006

Why pay to have the interior detailed? If dealership personnel caused the problem takeit back to the dealer & have THEM correct the problem - at no charge to you!

bpeebles · April 2006

To check for door-seal leak, use a sheet of paper cut to about 2inch wide, 11inch length. Roll the window down and close the door on the paper. (one end of paper INSIDE the car and other end OUTSIDE)

Then, grab the ends of the paper with your hands and "work" it all around the perimator of the doorseal. You should be able to feel any area where the seal is not "squeezing" the paper with enough force to make a good seal.

=====

As for that "tapping" sound you are hearing, it is most likely the airpump that is part of the EVAP diagnostic tests.

It also may be the FUELPUMP you are hearing (it sounds more like a hummmm from inside the fuel tank)

phamo21 · April 2006

Michelle, I don't know what is going on with the "jolting and slipping". Mine started happening shortly after I took it into the dealership for a simple oil change. They checked it out and said that nothing was wrong with the transmission. It's weird--from reading about all the complaints, it seems like if your car is still under some warranty, and you try to bring it in for something major, they will tell you nothing is wrong with it. I might be wrong or just upset because I bought the powertrain warranty which will cover my car up to 100,000 miles or 5 years, which ever comes first, and I want to take advantage of it if there is a problem with the vehicle. And there is a PROBLEM with the vehicle! There is nothing I can do at this point to have them fix the problem.

tjpoch · April 2006

I am looking at buying a 97 GLX with 86,000 miles and I was wondering what I need to look for before buying the car.

gram60 · April 2006

Hi,

The battery has died in my remote key for my 2006 Jetta..how do I access and replace it?..can't find any help in my owners manual

Thank you,
Gram60

dancerman · April 2006

Seems very strange for a new car. Take it to the dealer for warranty fix.

fish8 · April 2006

Don't do it!!! VW's (especially in the 90's) were not known to be reliable. They are also expensive to repair and maintain.

bpeebles · April 2006

It seems odd for a 2006 keyfob to have battery problems. The battery usually lasts 3-5 YEARS.

In any case, here is a VIDEO showing how to access the battery in the keyfob.

gillete · April 2006

Cool video. It looks easy on that video. When I really tried it myself, it's hard as rock. I give up.

syzygy00 · April 2006

I bought a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta station wagon at carmax last month. Yesterday when I was removing the carmax advertising plate affixed to the front of the car, I discovered that they had drilled holes (four of them!)
into the bumper of the car to fix the "carmax" plate onto the bumper.

I have not talked to them about it yet because I'm not sure what is the right thing to do to fix it (I want to make sure it doesn't get patched up in a way to
cause more problems later [rust, etc.]). Cosmetically it doesn't bother me.

I'm also willing to just fix the problem myself if anyone has advice.

Thanks!
Janice

betoven · April 2006

Hi,

Did they ever fixed the Jolting Problem you had in your car?

My car had the same problem you had. Just recently, after a simple Synthetic oil chage, the tranmission got a hole on the bottom. So, after they change it i wonder if the jolting will go away with a new transmission and conclude this jolting a tranmission issue. If so, i am sure a lot of peple with the same issue will be interested to know.

I will post my results soon, in the mean time let me know if your jolting issue is gone please.

Thanks,
Betoven

betoven · April 2006

Hi Janice,

I suggest you use a dry wall patch material. No kidding, i used the same for the same porpuse and the holes are gone. But i also had to smooth out the outer of the whole caused by the drilling. Finally, apply some white paint (or whatever color you need) patch up available at pep boys or any autoparts.

Otherwise, autodetailing will do for a couple hundred bucks.

syzygy00 · April 2006

thanks, Betoven! i think i could actually do that. (although mine might need to be smoothed also because of the drilling)

vwcroat · April 2006

H,

I have the same problem on my GTI 2001 VR6 model and still could not figure out how to fix it ?

Did you find a fix to it ?

bpeebles · April 2006

Most "drywall patch material" is water-soluable and will come right off if it gets wet. (good drywallers actually WET-sand the stuff with a damp sponge to eliminate dust.)

Hope I dont have to explain why using a water-soluable material to patch a hole in your car is a bad idea.

I dont see what the problem is here anyway... dont you need to use those holes to install your front license plate?

fedup88 · April 2006

I own a 2003 VW Jetta VR6 and I'm fed up. I had to have a new transmission put in at 34K miles after it was not shifting properly and whaddya know, now, 5K miles after my warranty runs out, I'm having the same problems - stuck between 2nd and 3rd gear, RPMs up to 4000 trying to shift and Tiptronic showing that the car never shifts into 5th. Plus, now my speedometer stays at 0 when I turn the car on, shift to drive and accelerate. My car is currently in the shop and I fully expect them to tell me it's the transmission (though, knowing the dealer, they could say it's nothing). Anyone else go through 2 transmissions in 3 years? Anyone fought VW (not their dealerships) about the transmission issues? Apparently VW transmissions have a 35K miles or less shelf life which is completely unacceptable.

xlaurax36 · April 2006

Not yet, we have been working with a horrible mechanic who has seen my car about 5 times now. He changed the starter but that didn't work, he then cleaned the fuel line because he said it was clogged but that didn't work, and now he claims that it's the spark plugs, but those got changed about a month ago!

The problem I have happens on very few occassions (usually when I've turned on and off my car various times). When I turn the key it hesitates and doesn't turn on, once I press the gas pedal it starts making deep, low gurgling noises and then a cloud of smoke comes out of the back. We are starting to think it has something to do with the fuel not getting to the engine. Does anyone have any thoughts? Please?!

stmack · April 2006

My 96 Jetta is having starting trouble. On warm days only!

I turn the key all of the electronics come on but it doesn't even try to start. I just keep turning the key on and off until it starts. Sometimes it takes a dozen or more attempts. I've resorted to parking facing down hill so I can roll it just in case.

If the air temp is not too high, it will start just fine.

I described this to the the service department at the dealer and to a local mechanic and they looked at me like I was from Mars.

joediz8 · April 2006

I see bora on many jettas and was wondering whats the difference, are they really imported from germany or did someone just stick on that emblem? Are they any different from any other jetta?

bora1 · April 2006

I had the same problem too with my 2002 Jetta 1.8T with tiptronic. I reported the problem to the dealer numerous time while the car was still under factory warranty, and the dealer kept on insisting that there was "nothing wrong" or "could not recreate the problem".

I got so frustrated that i requested the VW service manager to ride with me, and experience what i was experiencing. He "felt" it too, but he said to keep on driving it and if it gets worse, then i should take it back into the shop.

I reported the problem again right after my car was out of the manufacturer's warranty, and this time VW came back and said that the tranny was showing signs of wear and tear. How convenient that the tranny is now "worn off" outside of the manufacturer's warranty??? All along, they could not diagnose the problem, and requested that i drive it until it worsened... until now??

To make the long story short, Autoshield, the extended warranty company, refused to repair the tranny as there was no "physical damage". Well go figure how there could be any physical damage on a 4 year old car. After my wife and I made repeated attempts to the dealer and yelled on top of our heads, and even threatened to file a lawsuit with the dealer and VW Canada, citing Negligence, is when VW agreed to replace the tranny with a new one. At NO COST to myself, despite them initially wanting the cost of this tranny to be split 3-ways; myself, the dealer, and VW Canada.

bora1 · April 2006

It's just an emblem. You can buy them from the dealer. I have a Bora badge on my car. Kinda confuses people :-) and makes it unique.

Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

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