Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

anonymous02

Of course, you could have told her you carry pepper spray and a .44.

You DO use protection, right?

:-P

pat

The history of the Jetta vs. Protege conversations in here is quite volatile and to explain that history simply reopens the topic.

There is a Jetta vs. Protege topic on the Comparisons board.

Everyone who has anything else to say about the Protege and the Jetta needs to go there.

No more Protege here. None.

Pat
Sedans Host

vocus

I used to carry a .38, but stopped because a good friend of mine is terrified of guns around him.

The gun was my mother's (she passed a little over a year ago), because she used to work late and carry deposits with her. She had it in the glovebox. She never did have to use it though, thank God.

nyccarguy

It is funny because my Dad LOVES to drive my sister's Jetta. He drives it like a madman too. he loves it so much that he ALMOST replaced the CLK with a V6 4Motion Passat. The fact the back seat doesn't fold down w/ 4Motion turned him off to that idea rather qiuckly. Mom ended up with an A6 3.0 Quattro.

Hmm, fuel economy (I know you were kidding)...The Jetta is definitely better than his truck, probably close with the Mercedes (I'm sure the MB has a bigger fuel tank for longer range), but I don't think you could beat the mileage on my Saab on the highway w/ the Jetta. Remember, without your foot to the floor on cruise at 80mph, the car is just a loley 4 cyl;)

harlequin1971

no more...this isn't the place for car wars anyways. Save that junk for the comparo pages, lol.

protege_fan

A gun in the glovebox? Is that even legal?

vocus

Actually, I used the cruise on a recent ~1100 mile trip, and ended up averaging ~29mpg, not too bad for the power available from my 180hp 1.8T (I have a 2002).

vocus

It was licensed. So it was legal.

anonymous02

PF: It depends what state you are in.

Vocus: Instead of making yourself defenseless, why didn't you just educate your friend? (It's never too late.)

pat

Could we just talk about Jettas??

Talking about guns is probably more dangerous than talking about that other car!

protege_fan

So in some states it's legal to carry a gun in the glovebox? What about storage of ammunition?

To legally be allowed to carry a firearm in Canada, you have to transport the gun and ammo seperately, and IIRC, the ammo has to be in a locked container.

mdaffron

JUST KIDDING!!!!!

Meade

Back to that "other car" topic ... with my tail between my legs ...

protege_fan

Sorry Pat...I was typing my last post before I saw yours.

So...anybody with old Jetta's frequent this board?
My gf has a '91 GL that I'm going to detail a bit this weekend. It needs a good cleaning inside and out, so I think I may just tackle the interior this weekend.

justin

seriously, let me ask you a question/offer my opinion:

non-Jetta owners are allowed to lurk and comment on their negative opinion of the Jetta, in the Jetta board, but I, in MY OWN board, am not supposed to say how much I like mine?? what is wrong with that picture? it is all in fun (i hope). obviously i know that anyone lurking is a fan, or else they wouldn't be concerned with the Jetta. and that is what makes me not take things so seriously. but again, people should be able to take a little of what they dish out, right? i know you say this isn't a Jetta vs. Next Best Thing board, but then why aren't those offending posts deleted?

i do think that as long as no one is hurting someone else, we should all be able to respond to something offensive, if the offensive post is going to be allowed to stay. is that wrong of me to think?

i always figured these boards were here for people to chat about the cars. being human, some are at different maturity levels. i totally understand that. i think it would make sense for everyone to keep in mind that for every opinion, there is someone else that thinks the total opposite, and not feel so "flamed" if someone doesn't agree. it still blows my mind that people think they are more important, or that their opinions are "right", as opposed to someone elses.

nyccarguy

well, you've got the 1.8 and she's got the old 2 valve VR6...

The 1.8T is a great engine though. I remember test driving it with my sister (when it was only rated at 150hp) and thought the pickup was decent. The VR6 was much smoother (IMO). What sold my sister on the VR6 was the fact that the car she drove was a GLX (with the auto climate control & trip computer). Even though we explained to her 100 times that her GLS would NOT have these ammenities, she still wanted the VR6.

Besides he window problem, she had the transmission replaced at 500 miles. The car was driving fine, but when she brought it in for the free 1st service the dealer noticed the transmission was whinning while shifting between 2nd & 3rd. It took a while to get the new transmission. A transmission replacement is a mojor thing, but it hasn't given her problems since.

mdaffron

And then I'll shut up.

Several of us who are lurking here from a certain other discussion are lurking because of our friendship with another member, not because of a fascination with the car. Had he bought a brand-new BMW or a 1986 Yugo GV, we'd be there instead.

Back to lurking.

Meade

justin

i totally understand. even i have been sucked into the Vocus Vortex! but i learned my lesson!

my only point/observation is that i feel like the hosts keep saying how this isn't a Jetta vs. forum, but they keep the posts in here that let us Jetta owners assume we are supposed to respond to the negative comments. personally, if i see a post that i should offer my counter opinion on, i never know when i am "allowed" to or not.....

i think, if the post is here, then it is fair game. otherwise, it should be removed

all i am saying. hope that doesn't hurt anyone's feelings

protege_fan

I can say I belong to this elite club....I own (or my gf does...same diff) a '91 Jetta. Oh wait...Is this only for new Jettas here?

From the elitism expressed by some member(s) of this forum, you may think so.

Kirstie_H

i know you say this isn't a Jetta vs. Next Best Thing board, but then why aren't those offending posts deleted?

From my POV, frankly, it's because they often don't cross the line of violating the TOU, and if I did so in every topic I visit, my entire available hosting time would be spent deleting.

Best just to stick to the format -- Jetta topic is for discussing all things Jetta, Protege for Protege, etc. The clue can usually be found in the discussion title.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

mdaffron

Geesh, I think it's time to go down the hall and grab a glass of water. I just posted two completely off-topic posts because I thought I was in my own forum!!!! BRAIN FART EVERYONE, MY MISTAKE!!! Geesh, what a goof! Hmmm, it DOES say "Volkswagen Jetta" up there in, what is that ... 36-point Avant Garde?!

Well, I guess I'll be the laughing stock over on my own discussion for the rest of the day!

I've deleted my screwball posts. BYE!!!!!

Meadie the Moron
(Drooling on myself)

afryar

To get back to cars... I have a 2001 GLX, it's certainly had its share of rattles and creeks. The door creeks were lubed but the dealer told me that they'd come back eventually. I'll be sure to get that done again just prior to the warranty expiring. The rattles have been driving me nuts. You know, you pay close t0 25k for a car and you expect certain little things, like a cabin that doesn't sound like my brothers 84 Thunderbird. Anyways, last time I brought it in (for the rattle) they completely removed all the wood trim in the dash, the radio and in dash CD, the cup holder unit, and took the glove box apart and then put everything back together again. So far s0 good... sort of. There's a NEW rattle now but only when it's cold. I can live with that for the summer. Aside from that though, I LOVE the VR6 and can only imagine what the 200 HP version is like. Wish I could've waited for the 200. oh well, next car.

anonymous02

"To legally be allowed to carry a firearm in Canada, you have to transport the gun and ammo seperately, and IIRC, the ammo has to be in a locked container."

Well, in the USA, we are not subjects, and have rights (except maybe MA and CA).

Regarding Jetta's, my wife owns a 1996 GL. You could say I married into it. Overall, we like the boxy styling, much better than the current round ones.

P.S. She is also a good shot with a .40 H&K USP Compact, better than me.

blueguydotcom

Gosh no talking about that other car, guns, the Bolshevik Revolution, Madonna's faux Brit accent (she's from Michigan!), or making cheesecake. Anything else?

BTW, I got 29 mpg with my Jetta on my last trip to LA! Good grief, it only took 18000 miles for my car to start delivering sensible MPGs on a freweway trip. Or maybe it was the fact that I did near 95 the whole time. "Officer, you see I get MUCH better gas mileage if I'm doing 95..."

sarah233

that's normally what i average when i go back and forth from LA to SD. that's been pretty consistent for me since i got the car.

justin

i wanna comment on Madonna's accent soooo bad. but i won't. maybe she drives an old Mini or something.

does anyone notice this?

when i have my a/c on (manual a/c, not auto climate control), and the fan on number two or higher, with air control switch to "face" setting -

on those settings, the air coming from the center vents is a fair amount stronger than the air coming from the side vents near the doors. nothing that i will take the car in for, because i cool off fast just the same, but why would it do this? design, or some sort of blockage/mechanical issue? anyone else's car do this?

Vocus - please do an experiment and report back to headquarters!

Kirstie_H

My problem solved by Mr. Helpful VW Roadside Assistance Guy. Less than 5 minutes total on the phone, and away I zip at a total cost of $0.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

protege_fan

You can't leave us like that...what was the fix for your problem??

Kirstie_H

1. Turn on the car.
2. Turn off the car.
3. Turn key one click, no dash lights, etc. come on.
4. Stomp on the brake pedal, hard
5. Shift between drive and neutral
(I couldn't shift AT ALL this morning)
6. Drive, drive away.

Seems this was a known "bug," and that the EPC thingy just gets confused from time to time.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

pat

and you couldn't figure out to do that without Mr. Helpful Guy?

;->

protege_fan

Thanks! Good to know.

BTW...what's the EPC? That the control chip for the car (ie. the main processor)?

kochi

Folks,
Care to mention how much you paid to own a 2002 Jetta GLS 5-speed with none of the options?

Thanks!

anonymous02

Do the hokey pokey, and shake it all about?

(I'd prefer a '68 Galazy over that any day!)

Kirstie_H

pat, kirstie_h cannot figure out anything car maintenance-related without a helpful other party!

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

pat

me too -- I was just funnin' ya over that very non-intuitive bunch of stuff!

venus537

"Do you NOT have a Jetta any more? I am confused..."

Yes, I do still have my Jetta. I'll have 4k miles on it on my next drive. I do not know why you would think I wouldn't have my beloved Jetta any more? So I'm confused too.

The perfect car would be a VW sedan slotted in between the Jetta and Passat in terms of size. Actually, this car is coming ... the next generation Jetta is suppose to grow significantly in the wheelbase and get a new rear suspension.

justin

yes, i am sure that VW will "biggie size" the next Jetta. but it probably won't be able to share the Golf/TT/Beetle chassis parts in that case, right?

the Gen IV Jetta is going to be a classic, just like the early 90's Accords. I don't have enough faith in VW to trust that they won't mess with a good thing. they already took the blue lights OUT of the Beetle S. made them white, just like some Hyundais and Kias. how......"why the (blank) did you do that VW?"

vocus

My car is like that as well with the AC. More air comes out of the center dash vents than the ones on the sides. I don't know why, but it's pretty normal I guess. All the VWs I have driven (all but the Cabrio, as loaners) do this.

Anakin

The beetle S has white gauges because white gauges are usually associated with "sport" models.

xstek

When inGermany off and on for two years, I was easily impressed by the 200+ KPH diesel 6 speed Audi's and Jettas.
With my own money, I decided to buy the half price Audi without the rosewood accents. Since Feb 1998, I now have 188,000 miles on the car, in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Florida, Canada. Maintenance: Mobil1 every 10,000 miles, Parsec Systems Moly additive every 50,000 miles (4 ounces), Air and fuel filter every 20,000 miles, Wal-Mart Power Diesel Treatment whenever I take a long trip and drive for a couple days to clean out the injectors, tires every 60,000, front brake pads at 110,000, squeaky driver side rear wheel bearing at 125,000 (but it was January in UIllinois, just cleaned and greased it up) 1 fuel injector idle shutofff solenoid, which my OBD2 instrument told me to change ($58). I look at the timing belt every 50,000 miles and right now, it looks just like the new one. I've left the car overnight out on the Illinois tundra in January, starts right up...they call me Front Door on the CB, but since I'm seldom over 100MPH, the car leads an easy life in America. The most reliable car I've ever owned. I just wonder how I can grease the front lifetime sealed bearings. When I got the car, I ran 56 miles per gallon, now it's a little broke in and I only get 54 or so on a long trip. It takes me almost a tank and a half to get from Austin TX to Englewood FL. My wife can't shift, so she has the Passat. 88,000 absolutely trouble free miles since 1996, tomorrow we get a new Jetta with the 201hp VR6, see how long that one lasts.

harlequin1971

sounds like you are rolling strong....good to hear it.

Let us know what you love about that new Jetta

My first car was a VW Rabbit Diesel (1984) and it was a sweet car, more than I realized at the time. 64 HP was not enough, but the new generations diesels put it to shame on performance. I guess you could say I was weaned on diesel...a perfect student car.

chmeeee

"Of course, you can just take the chip back out and reset the computer again! Duh!" (on a TDI)

With the Upsolute chip that is most popular for the TDI, you can't actually take it out because all they do is reprogram your computer. This is good however, because the dealer can't tell its been done unless they notice that your car is faster.

"My car is like that as well with the AC. More air comes out of the center dash vents than the ones on the sides."

If you read the instruction manual, it actually has a diagram where it shows more air coming out of the center vents than the sides. My best guess is that this helps more air get to the back seat.

On another note, I just took a trip from Worcester Mass down to Long Island and back, and just for fun, refilled with diesel to check my mileage (I was still at half a tank). I averaged 48 mpg for the trip, which was almost all A/C and some stop and go on LI. I love my TDI!

fish8

Most in here are bashing the 2.0 (which I own) but I don't think it's that bad of an engine. Mine has not used any oil since I have had my car....(knock on wood). Also, according to the VW website, the manual 2.0 is quicker to 60mph that the tdi. Is that not true? My 2.0 can get loud at hwy speeds, but other than that it seems like a solid engine to me. How many in hear have driven the 2.0?

Anakin

I think the main fault with the 2.0 engine is that it gets about the same gas mileage as the 1.8T, but offers far less performance.

Speaking only for myself, I can't stand to drive a car that feels like it can't get out of its own way.

vocus

I have driven the 2.0 engine in the Golf, the Jetta, and the NB. In the NB, it seems the quickest and friskiest. The engine is still flat though. And it got the same or WORSE fuel economy than my 1.8T, on the same regular gasoline. And Anakin is right, the car feels like it can't get out of its own way.

justin

i tend to agree with you on this one. i don't think the 2.0 is an AWFUL engine. i still prefer it as a base engine over any of the other economy car engines from Honda or Toyota. they rev smoother, and get far superior gas mileage, but they are too....."testy" for my taste. of course, i am basing my judgement on the 5 speed 2.0 vs. a 5 speed Corolla/Civic. never driven an automatic 2.0.

overall, the 2.0 seems fine. i mean, lets face it, i am sure the majority of Jet/Golf/NB's that are sold come with that engine, right? can't be too awful....

justin

i forgot one economy car that has a better base engine than the 2.0, in my opinion. the Hyundai Elantra. not so sewing machine--esque as the Hondotas, kind of "rough" around the edges like the 2.0, but offers more HP. but the engine comes with the car, and most Jetta buyers aren't looking at Elantras I don't think, so I don't think VW needs to worry just yet.

i secretly love that Elantra GT. did i say that?

chmeeee

I am pretty sure that the 2.0 will be out of the equation for the Gen V Golf/Jetta anyways, so its not much of an issue. They are going to have a bigger TDI as well. Might just have to start looking at a trade in a couple of years! :-)

vocus

My Driver's Option goes up in 2005. I might be looking in on the MKV as a replacement as well. I hear it's going to be a great ride.

fish8

I was reading one of my car mags and was reading about the new jetta coming out in '05. They listed the engines that will be available and the 2.0 was an option. That is when my lease is up and I will possibly look into the new remodeled Jetta. We'll see..

nyccarguy

The 2.0 isn't that bad of an engine by itself. I would even consider it peppy when paired with a 5 speed manual transmission. I've driven my friend's Gen 3 Jetta with 2.0 and a 5-speed and was surprisingly impressed with what it can do with such a small amount of horsepower. I don't think the 2.0 would fair too well with the ever popular automatic transmission though. Maybe it would do well with a CVT.