Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

chmeeee

BTW: Spin out = car spinning around in circles, not the wheels spinning.

vocus

Anything is better than that stupid man licking the door handle.

Speaking of commercials, have you seen the new Jetta one where everyone is leaving early, trying to beat the traffic, for vacation? Too funny. I also like the one on the radio where the guy's on the cell phone with his wife, and not paying no attention whatsoever until she asks to borrow his Jetta. That is totally me sometimes.

VW has some of the best commercials on TV, I think.

justin

who needs our massive military might when we have a 2.0 loaner car burning rubber at the Pentagon?! that should be enough to scare all of the terrorists!

i like VW commercials, but two best are the old Jetta commercial, where the windshield wipers run in sync with the beat, and the Cabrio one where they go to the party, and realize they aren't cool enough, and leave!

anonymous02

That last post of yours would MAKE a good commercial!

Show two terrorists about to blow themselves up, look at the burning 2.0, look at each other, and leave!

LOL

drmillhous

I'm going nuts! Ok, last month, I go to start the Jetta and click click click. Battery is dead. Didn't leave any lights or radio or anything on. VW says they can't find a problem. They recharge the battery. Now, yesterday, same thing again. Battery is dead. VW says if you let the car sit more than a week, the battery might drain. But it was only left two days each time! Any ideas folks?

anonymous02

it...

What happens if you go on a trip and need to leave the car at the airport for a week or two? That is the most insane line I've ever heard.

target3

buy you a new battery.

justin

sounds like the battery isn't holding a charge. that is all it could be i guess. need a new battery. now whether VW covers batteries under warranty, i don't know.

vocus

You alternator is bad. I had 7 of them (yes, 7) go bad on my mother's car before she sold it. Tell them to test the alternator. Also, you will probably have to replace the battery as well, they usually die together.

A faulty brush might be doing it, have the dealer check it.

vocus

The commercial you said with the music is the one I like the best! It's the first MKIV Jetta commercial that was out, I think. The slogan was, "Sometimes, everything just comes together".

bpeebles

Are you aware that the VW website has all of the commercials online and available for viewing?

Just hover over the VW etc. button then select VW commercials

My slow connection takes 5-10 minutes to download a 60sec commercial 8-(

oasisu24ever

i love the ad with the guy in the jetta drinking the milk, then the girl yells out hte window, and hte guy in the pick up has the gun rack did anyone see thatone?

vocus

Which one is that? I never saw it...

fowvay

It is a good idea to check the water level in the newer VW batteries at least twice a year. They don't generally use a maintenance free battery and they tend to use a bit of water over time. If you have a low cell then top it off with distilled water and monitor the performance. A low cell will cause a amperage deficit.

kyleknicks

what r u guys using to clean your alloy wheels? i haven't cleaned the insides of mine since i got my car 2 yrs ago..now there's brown dirty and brake dust in there.. i figure i'll take off my wheels one of these weekends and clean them and then wax them... any advice?

8u6hfd

Eagle One alloy wheel cleaner

vocus

What year is your car? I have noticed that the Jettas have really bad brake dust when I see them. My wheels (I have a 2002) never have brake dust on them though, and I have almost 23K on my car. Did they change the type of pads they use for the 2002 models? Thanks.

chmeeee

It will be tough getting 2 years worth of brake dust off of the wheels, brake dust is mildly corrosive, and if allowed to sit long enough, will erode the finish of the wheels. This happened with my old car before I purchased it, and I was never able to get them perfectly clean.

8u6hfd

got plenty on mine. But I wash it off about once a month.

drmillhous

Thanks guys.
They are replacing the battery. Will let you know the next time it fails......

ruskay

I have a 2000 Jetta and I'm having an issue with the rear brakes. At 25,000 miles, the dealer said that my rear brakes were worn and needed to be replaced (pads and rotors). I thought this was strange for a couple of reasons. First, I thought the front brakes typically go first. Second, why do the rotors have to be replaced, can't they just be resurfaced? The answer from the dealer was that I must be too hard on the brakes and that it is a VW policy not to resurface the rotors. I gave in and had them do the work. Now at 51,000 miles, I am being told that the rear brake pads and rotors need to be replaced again, and that the front brakes are still OK.

Has anyone else heard of a defect causing the rear brakes to wear prematurely?

boilermaker87

Hello all! I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts for the past 9 months. I have an '02 Jetta GLS 1.8T 5spd (bought 03/02). The car has been a blast to drive!

I am due for my 6month/5K service and was wondering what everyone, who can rememeber that far back, paid for their 5K service. Is it worth while just to do it myself?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Boilermaker87

jskho

5K service is just an oil change.
You will find coupons in vw.com for $22.95
at participating dealers.

sntx

I just got done reading all of the posts in this discussion ( a two week project). Yes I have a LOT of free time at work. I just wanted to say I love my Jetta (2000 GLX 5seed BLK/Beige) It has 32000 miles on it. I have had it for about a month now and it is perfect. No squeeks or rattles. This forum has been helpful (I had the dealership replace the window regulators as a pre-emptive measure. I have read comments that the VR6 is like having a 150 lb man on the hood. Well I do a lot of highway driving and that man can RUN and smoothly... Thanks for all of the information you all have provided.

blueguydotcom

Just replaced by OEM crudyear eagles tonight after only 21k miles.

For once i'm happy I don't have 17s as the 400 price tag for the new 16s was steep enough.

Anyone else with Crudyears on their Jetta? How many miles have you gotten out of them?

moparbad

53,000 on Goodyear Eagle LS. Have Continental now.

ruskay

I got 46,000 out of my Eagle RS-A's. I switched to Yokahama's and I like them better so far.

Anakin

I got my Kumho Ectsa tires for less than $400.

Kumho is generally regarded as one of the great bargains in tires. Good tires, low price.

blueguydotcom

Anakin, I bought Kumho's too. My total including tax was $387. So far I like them.

Obviously, I must drive more agressively than others because my crudyears barely lasted 16 months (21k miles).

colorado_kid

I am getting ready to replace my Eagle RS-A's and had looked at some Yokahama's too, I believe the SP5000's? I can't remember... which kind do you decide to go with?

colorado_kid

Actually they are Dunlop SP5000's. However, I am also looking at Yokahama Avid V4.

chmeeee

Where did you get the tires?

donnabgood

I had the same problem with my 02 1.8T.. the rattle sound sounding as if it was coming from the rear speaker. I lowered the bass thinking that was the problem and still heard it.. finally one day I kept the radio off to see if I would still hear it, and sure enough I did. Took it into the dealer and they fixed the rattle perfectly the first time.. it was a loose clip in the door panel. Just take the tech for a drive on a bumpy road and the noise will repeat itself and they'll fix the problem..Mine only took anout two hours to fix because they had to remove the door panel.. Have never had the problem and the car is so nice to drive without me waiting to hear that noise. Though it sounds like it is coming from the rear speaker, it has nothing to do with wiring at all. Get it fixed asap, you'll be happy you did.

moparbad

VW updated the info. for 2003.

ruskay

I got the Yokahama YK420s from Discount Tire. Good ride, quieter than the Eagle RS-A's, great in the rain, and 60K warranty.

Anyone care to comment on my earlier question about the rear brakes??

moparbad

The pads on the rear of VW's are soft and it is not unusual to require replacement as early as 20,000 miles. The rear rotors can be turned once if the pads are replaced on time. The rotors are only $25 each front or rear and I recommend spending the $50 for new rotors and then getting aftermarket pads such as Mintex or Greenstuff and you will get 40-50K of wear out them.

blueguydotcom

I ended up getting them through Discount Tires as they matched how much the same tires would cost me from Tirerack.com (including installation at a Big-O).

I considered Yokohama's too but liked what I read about Kumho.

fish8

Thanks for the advise. I will eventually have the dealer work on the speaker rattles. The only problem I am having with VW Service now is they don't work on rattles or repairs on Saturdays. It is very difficult for me to bring my car in during the week and leave it with them without providing a loaner. I guess I could rent a car but I don't want that expense. But thanks for letting me know what your problem was. I hope they are able to duplicate my rattle and fix it.

afryar

I thought the 5,000 service was free? It was for mine... The 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 are on the house (but for some reason the 15,000 is not). Anyways, maybe it was just the dealership where I got mine... But I thought it was in the manual. I've got a 2001 GLX.

vocus

Your services are free because you have a 2001 model. For the older VWs, the scheduled maintenance was included. For 2002, it's not. But, they extended the basic warranty from 2/24K to 4/50K, doubling it basically. They also changed the powertrain warranty, from 10/100K non-transferrable to 5/60K fully transferrable. That's why we people with the newer Jettas have to pay for our service.

justin

also, you have the "old" VR6. don't waste the money on a 15k oil change. not required (by VW company, though the dealer would LOVE to do it for you anyway). only the turbo required it when i had my first Jetta. unless you plan on keeping the 2001 forever, why spend the cash?

afryar

Really? I'm scheduled to bring it in this Thursday for the 15K service... I can't possibly go 10,000 miles without an oil change, can I (from 10K to 20K)? Or should I just get a regular oil change and skip the dealer service? I'm bringing the car in regardless because I've got rattles (of course) and squeaky from shocks I want taken care of. Any input is appreciated. Oh, and I don't plan on keeping this car forever... I can probably count on one hand the amount of rattle free, annoyance free, squeek free rides I've had. The few and far between instances where the car is silent and everything's perfect are great but I'm nearing the end of my rope...

jim52

Are there any current incentives on the Jetta (i.e. Dealer cash, rebates, etc.)

justin

i am only going by what VW says. it is a mental challenge for me to not change my oil every 3000 miles, and at 1000 miles when the car is new. but these new cars don't require it. the BMW has 15k miles on it - no oil change yet. the car says it doesn't need one....go figure.

vocus

There was a $1200 dealer incentive on the Jettas not too long ago, but not sure if it's still going on or not.

vocus

My co-worker (one of them) has a 2000 Jetta GLS 2.0 stick. He checked the oil this weekend, and found out the car burned 4 QUARTS of oil. The engine only has 34K on it. He said that was the last straw, and is selling the car ASAP.

That's one reason why I wanted any engine when I got mine except the 2.0.

moparbad

2000 Jetta has 10/100 powertrain warranty for 1st owner and 5/50 powertrain for second owner. VW has been replacing rings and entire motors on 2.0 with excessive oil burning. Is your friend having VW fix the car? If not, why not? Selling the car with a known defect instead of at least having it repaired prior to sale seems very foolish. VWoA has recognized that there is an existing oil burning problem with some of the 2.0 motors and has a procedure in place to evaluate the oil consumption and repair/replace the motors.

vocus

I told him the same thing. I think he is just hot-headed over the problem and doesn't want to listen to anyone. He said a couple of months ago that he was going to sell the car because of some reason, but never did. Now here we go again.

I will tell him about the warranty when I see him again. And it's 10/100K because he bought the car new.

moparbad

I check the oil every 1,000 miles at a minimum, visually check the tires and outside of car every time I drive it (only takes 30 seconds), and check for fluid leaks daily(any puddles on ground). How often did your friend check the oil level for it to be down 4 quarts? Perhaps I am obsessive about this but it is a habit drilled into me from my Father and later the Military.

justin

if the car lost/burnt 4 quarts of oil, it wouldn't even register on the dipstick. the car would have died long ago. he is full of it. the car only holds 5 quarts, tops.