Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

venus537

you think it's bad when someone accidently dings your car, what about when someone "keys" your car? that's what happen to my previous jetta (along the whole driver's side and hood) and the main reason for getting a new car. anything that was possible for the body shop to screw up, they did. for instance, when they removed the door handle, they were not able to put it back correctly.

i called the police to report the incident and a substitute cop arrived to file a report (but not really). i called a couple of weeks later to follow up and they had no record of the incident. so much for the police. i was at my parent's house when this happen which is in a very small city (pop. 4k). the cops are a whole bunch a real life barney's in this town.

we don't want to even go into what would make me feel better if they were able to find this evil person. the way the arab world would handle this dastardly deed comes to mind.

sarah:
you're suppose to enjoy your jetta more than a civic, it's a car further up the food chain. you probably would of enjoy an accord (the honda that competes with the jetta in price) more than the civic too. but not as much as a jetta of course.

jsstover

Thanks for the info! I will look into those. Winsan, had my spare matched my four others, I would be buying 5, but its a temp, so no worries.

Thanks!

chmeeee

I found a huge scrape left by a car pulling out of the space next to me on my bumper, but what would reporting that to the police really accomplish? That is far more serious of an issue than a door ding, there is white paint all over it and the plastic is gouged. The point is, unless you need the police report for insurance purposes, you have to understand that they are not going to do a single thing about it.

vocus

How is your spare a temp tire? That makes no sense. All 1999.5+ Jettas come with a full-size spare, or they are suppose to anyway. I know my 2002 did.

vocus

That would be the only reason to fill out the police report, for insurance. My Protege was scraped 3 weeks after I bought it (still had temp tags on it!). I couldn't do a damn thing about it but take the car in for repairs. I was mad!

People do stuff like that all the time around my neighborhood though. They get jealous because someone has a nice car and they don't. My Jetta, right now, has a little "tear" in the back bumper where someone clipped it with a license plate frame (we have 2 tags in MD) when parking. My mother (when she was alive) lost 4 mirrors off of 2 different cars on the street. That's another reason I am glad of the folding mirrors on the Jetta.

target3

to dry off the car after washing by getting it up to 100-110 mph. The car just flies so smoothly!

target3

Has anyone had the CD Changer installed by a dealership? I am wondering how much they are charging for these things.

fish8

What? Where did that come from. Sounds like the lazy way to dry a car!!

target3

If I hand wash (& dry) I do not need to do it. But if I go through a carwash (touch-free, of course), it helps.

vocus

That DOES seem like a fun way to dry a Jetta! Don't try that in a Protege though (speaking from experience). The wipers start "skipping" at around 100mph or so, and hardly clean the windshield.

Speaking of which, I was buzzing along this morning (late) on the way to work. I hit 95mph with a co-worker of mine in the car, and neither one of us hardly realized it. He said the car felt like it was going 60 or so, but not 95.

fish8

OK!

fish8

Eventhough I have the 2.0, I have noticed how smooth the Jetta is at high speed. Though I have only gotten it up to 90ish.

vocus

In the 2.0 loaner cars I have had (Golf, NB, Jetta), I can say one thing about them. They might not have much power, but the engine is VERY smooth. It does start to get loud at around 85mph (compared to my 1.8T, that is), but not raucous sounding like the 2.0 engine I had in my 2001 Protege. It sounded very nasty above 80mph, and ran 4000 at that speed too, even with a 4th gear overdrive on the automatic.

fish8

I agree, the 2.0 can get loud above 80mph. But, at least it's smooth.

sarah233

thanks everyone. i guess i should quit working for a police department--we're pretty useless it seems.

i have noticed that my gas mileage is pretty much the same even when i run the a/c. what has everyone else noticed?

mdaffron

Paul, if you're complaining about wipers skipping across your windshield at 100 mph, then obviously you were doing 100 mph in the rain (or were you?). So just what kind of a death wish do you have?

Meade

P.S. That's two off-topic jabs for no reason this morning. I thought we were advised to keep this a JETTA topic?

8u6hfd

A co-worker's wife was charged $300, claiming they needed to install a bracket.

Maybe your dealership won't rape you.

vocus

Actually, the car was wet from the car wash and I was trying to get the water off with the wipers. They skipped a little. And I don't consider that a jab, actually. The Protege is not designed to travel at 100mph, it's an economy car.

target3

Thanks for the info! Not totally sure I will get one, but thinking about it.

vocus

The changer in the trunk does require a bracket to hold it in, I think. That is alot of money though, I thought it would be cheaper. Did that include the price of the changer as well?

vocus

You can get a compatible one from Crutchfield.com and get an adapter. If you scroll back through this discussion or search, I am sure you will find information about it.

vocus

I have the 1.8T engine and the Tiptronic. I don't notice a significant change in mileage with running the AC. Maybe 1mpg at the most. I was surprised, because the engine also doesn't lose hardly any power with the AC on. A little, but it's barely noticeable. Unlike other cars I have driven with the AC on.

sarah233

i do notice a slight decrease in power, but only when "taking off." it's totally fine passing, etc.

vocus

Same here. When taking off from a stop, there is a slight decrease, but not any other time.

I have been picking up a co-worker all week because his gf is out of town and can't bring him to work. They have a 1991 Civic that she drives (he doesn't drive yet), and he said my car is "spoiling him". He said his nephew just bought an Acura 3.2TL, and my car feels the same or better (as far as atmosphere) as the Acura does. Made me feel good about my choice of the VW.

anonymous02

#6704 of 6720 by venus537:"...i called the police to report the incident and a substitute cop arrived to file a report (but not really). i called a couple of weeks later to follow up and they had no record of the incident. so much for the police. i was at my parent's house when this happen which is in a very small city (pop. 4k). the cops are a whole bunch a real life barney's in this town."

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#6706 of 6720 Hit and run by chmeeee:"...what would reporting that to the police really accomplish? ... The point is, unless you need the police report for insurance purposes, you have to understand that they are not going to do a single thing about it."

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#6708 of 6720 Chmeeee... by vocus:"That would be the only reason to fill out the police report, for insurance."

"People do stuff like that all the time around my neighborhood though. They get jealous because someone has a nice car and they don't."

(NOTE TO SELF:"MOVE ASAP!")

"...That's another reason I am glad of the folding mirrors on the Jetta."

I never would have thought of that. Thank goodness I don't live in or near a city!

===============================
OK, time for a lesson, people. The police are NOT there to protect you! You are responsible for yourselves. The police are only notetakers for after a crime has happened. Think about this.

anonymous02

I'd be "spoiled" too, if driven every day in a new car while my 11 or 12 year old one was unavailable.

:-)

winsan

The only difference that I can notice is if I turn on the ac and at the same time I push the gas pedal - the engine seems loosing its power for less than a second. Other than that, I don't notice any difference.

anonymous02

"only when taking off" is OK?

I thought that is ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY when you want to have the most power. No?

RPM's:
What is wrong with 4000 rpm? My brother had an RX7 which went to a gazillion rpms (wankel engine). Motorcycles go over 10000. Hondas go over 4000, maybe 5000 often enough. There is no problem with higher rpms.

It is OVERREVVING your engine which is bad bad bad. It depends on the car, and what it's particular redline is. Nothing more, nothing less.

sarah233

you're right. i'm kicking my jetta to the curb right now.

anonymous02

:-) back



7:-) = Ronald Reagan smiley!

fish8

I jus filled up this past weekend and got 27.5 mpg with AC on 50% of the time. I went 351 miles on my tank and only put 12.7 gallons in the tank. We have 14.9 gallon capacity...right? So far I am very impressed with my 2.0 gas mileage.

sarah233

that's pretty funny!

blueguydotcom

The CD changer does require a bracket and an attachment cord. I installed mine for about $200 total. If you have a 2002 Jetta with the in-dash single player, enjoy that as the changer's more of a hassle IMHO.

As for RPM...considering the 1.8T Jetta redlines at like 6500 rpm and it's LOUD at 4k rpm when going a constant rate, plus it kills gas mileage, there's a good reason to dislike VW's horrible gearing. But I've gone on about this a billion times. I think I'm the only one who consistently travels in the 85-90 range so it gets on my nerves every day.

8u6hfd

That was on top of the price of the CD changer.

afryar

My 01 GLX has just ove 12K miles, and I've got the sport suspension. For the past two months or so I've noticed a very loud Squeeking nose coming from the suspension or shocks or something when I go over any type of bump, even a sewer cap causes the noise. It sounds like it's coming from both front wheels, meaning I've driven through a rut with just my right front tire and heard it as well and driven through a rut with my left front tire and heard it. It's getting louder and more annoying by the day. Sooooo, I brought it to the dealer, went for a ride with a technician to point it out and got the car back with the following response "The suspension is tuned to the current VW tolerance standards" or something along those lines. Do I go to another dealer? This has got to be covered by the warranty? I DO NOT want to go to some Mineke or something and pay a fortune for something that sounds like a defect. Any advice? Similar experiences?

protege_fan

Don't fool yourself...The Jetta IS an economy car too...or did you conveniently forget that?

sarah233

i travel at 85-90, but i have an '02 so i think it's different than yours. i haven't been bothered by any noise, in fact, i think it's pretty darn quiet. my mom's '96 2.0 is freakishly loud though.

anonymous02

With a turbo, don't you get the best boost/response at higher rpms? I would think this is something you'd want. Dirt bike riders call it "keeping it on the pipe" for 2 strokers, and a turbo is similar.

protegefan: It is an economy car at a small luxury car price.

fish8

How many miles are on your Jetta? I would take it to another VW dealer. If they give you the same line, I would call VW's 800 nbr.

vocus

Our cars hold 14.5 gallons of fuel, not 14.9.

vocus

I would get a second opinion as well.

I had the same kind of experience with a dash noise. The first dealer told me he didn't hear it, and therefore couldn't fix it. I took the car to another dealer, and they fixed the broken part that was causing the noise.

vocus

The 1.8T engine does start to sound less refined when you get up around 4500rpm or so, but that doesn't happen until my speed is 100mph+. I cruise at a constant 80 all the time on the highway, and the RPMs are 3000-3200. I have the Tiptronic automatic. Never drove a stick 1.8T though, so don't know about them.

fish8

I stand corrected.....I was close though

vocus

Cool. So you get 27.5 in your car? Is it stick or automatic? The loaner 2.0 models I had (NB, Jetta, and Golf) all got about the same mileage as my turbo, but had alot less power. I was shocked, I thought they would do better. Of course, flogging them didn't help matters much.

fish8

I have a 2.0 manual.....the automatic in the 2.0 is terribly slow.

target3

just because it may be an economy car does not mean that it cannot have better interior styling than a luxury vehicle. The fact that a vehicle is labeled "luxury" and costs more does not necessarily mean it is better (although it could be).

afryar

Thanks for your posts. I've had nothing but bad experiences with the VW dealer down the street from me. I'll try someone else next week. Can I bring it to any dealer though? Regardless of where I bought it?

fish8

Yes, any VW dealer will service your car regardless of where it was bought. This info is in your warranty guide.

cookiedude

I've got a 91 Jetta and the Oil Light keeps coming on; at first I just had a minor heart attack, but now I'm annoyed with it. By the way, the oil level is fine, oil filter is new and oil is new.

The alarm always announces itself after driving for a while, and while passing 2500 RPM + 35 MPH. If I accelerate to a higher speed, the light + buzzer goes off. Also, if I decelerate slowly from 60 mph, it goes off (so I have to slam on the brakes!)

I've already had an oil pressure switch replaced, but that didn't seem to help.
Sorry for the long post, but I'm wondering if others have had this problem (and the solution + cost).
Please share!

8u6hfd

You forget, that the turbo selected for this application is very small, that it produces at very broad torque curve, about 174 (MY 2002)lb-ft from about 1900 rpm to about 5000 rpm. It sacrifaces peak power to quicker spool up and a broader powerband. The wastegate setting determines the maximum amount of boost it makes (and also the turbo design)....it can be set to make a fraction of the turbo's maximum boost.