Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

vocus

This happend at 3 different dealers actually. I called one, and experienced 2 of them first-hand.

In the one case, I didn't even ask for a loaner, I simply asked if their shuttle could drop me off at work, which is 8 miles from their dealership. They told me their shuttle could only go 5 miles, no exceptions. I was able to get a co-worker to pick me up and drop me off at the dealer, but this was still a huge inconveinence and uncalled for, I thought. And I spoke to the service manager about this too, and he said the same thing.

Funny thing is, this dealers serviced both VW and Mazda. When I went in there with my VW, they said the same thing. I explained my situation though, and they gave me a rental car right away with no questions, begging, pleading, or inconvenience.

vocus

Maybe they think the open shirt with chest hair will make them more attactive, and therefore more apt to make a sale on a car. Just a thought...

newcar31

Every dealer is sketchy. Are you saying that there are no sketchy VW dealers or that VW dealers are less sketchy than others on average?

vocus

I can respond to that one. VW dealers can be just as triflin' (for lack of a better word right now) as any. I experienced that first hand as well.

protege_fan

I wouldn't go back to a dealer that treated you better because (apparently) of the car you bought...Car discrimination? Sheesh!

k_h_b

Didn't you geta wolfsburg jetta? I had bought the same thing in february of 01.. I had michelin pilots on mine.. real nice tires, hardly any wear in the 21k miles i put on it in 11 months before I sold it.

blueguydotcom

They put Crudyear Eagles on mine. Lots of people I've talked to with Wolfs got stuck with Crudyears.

22k is all mine lasted. Which isn't unusual for me. What was annoying though was the tire's road noise and flex. My Kumho's are quite a bit firmer and quieter.

adg44

Keep boosting my ego. Haha.

But honestly, you can find any question ever asked, and then asked again and again anyways because no one knows how to use search, on VWvortex.com

Good luck.

ferricfoot

"kumho ecsta's for about 37000 miles...they have been excellent....and no bulges...$125 vs. $240 no brainer...."

How well do they do in the snow and rain?

Thanks.

Anakin

Mine do well in the rain and grip far better than the stock El Cheapo (tm) tires that came with the car. Haven't driven them through snow yet.

kaysersoze

Hello,
I just recently purchased a new silver 2002 GLI. The car had dealer installed set of Eibach springs, which lowered the car approx 1.5" and stiffened the ride. The car has 500 miles on it now and I am noticing significant rattles at the top of both driver and passenger doors. The consensus I gather from reading earlier posts is that some sort of deadening material may be installed around the weatherstripping or that these rattles will simply resolve over time?(which I doubt due the the firmer ride of my car) Does anyone have the TSB number referencing the rattle fix so I can provide it to the dealer(I noticed that this was asked by another poster and no one answered?
My second question is regarding the Monsoon system. The unit has become nonfunctional twice and needed to be reset by pulling fuse #42 I think a fix i got from another site. I spoke with the dealer and they said if this continues the unit will need to be replaced. Any thoughts on the chances the stereo will need to be replaced?
Other than these issues I like the car so far.

hondavike

Sounds to me like you're the meanie, Jetta Boy!

vocus

First, congrats on your new ride!

Secondly, my car did the Monsoon thing as well. The radio will keep doing it until the dealer fixes the fuse. You have to take it to them with the radio dead though. I did mine, because I didn't know the #42 trick. They fixed it right away, and I haven't had nary a problem with it since then, and that was 10 months ago. I frequently blast the radio too, and it's held up fine. Alot better than the radio in my last car, because I think the stock speakers weren't up to it (I fried the heat unit 2 times before trading it in within 8 months).

justin

..from my experience. i am quite sure their are slimy VW dealers too. i just haven't found one that has turned my stomach. yet. give it time - i am sure it will happen

anonymous02

In to have rear bearings and whatever else it needs back there done (axle beam or trailing arm bushings?).

Just had struts put in there this past spring/late winter.

:-(

P.S. It's SNOWING!!!!! 2" on ground so far (Central Mass.)

fish8

I still have not heard from the dealer yet. I will call tomorrow morning to get an update. Not sure if this is a good or bad sign.

fish8

I just got a call from my dealer and my car is ready. In disassembling my dash they noticed that a part of the pasenger airbag had been broken and they stated they needed to replace my enire passenger airbag unit. Also, they need me to bring in ALL my keys so they can reprogram the remotes. The dash rattles came from a clip that attaches the dash to the body of the car. The door rattles were addressed by puting silicone on the seals. They replaced my net in the trunk.
They added insulation around my mid speakers to quell the rattles/buzzing.

I will pick it up tomorrow and hope all the noises are gone.

charlotteash

But isn't that the case with all cars? It seems the only feedback you ever hear about a car is people who have had a negative experience. Mine has been pretty good actually. Fun car to drive, but don't hold re-sale worth a rat's butt. What cars generally do hold any re-sale at all though? I have a 2000 GLS for sale with 88k miles that I will be lucky to get $9,000 for. And I owe $11000!!!

shawnmalone

I think the New Beetle holds its resale value pretty well, Ashley, but I don't think any car could fetch a good price with high mileage like that (88K seems like a lot to me for a 2000 model).

I agree with you that usually, people post their problems on these forums, so it seems like the car has a lot of issues. My experience has been like yours - - my Jettas have been pretty good!

vocus

You have an almost-3 year old car for sale with 88K miles and complaining because you can only get $9000 for it?

I had a 2001 Protege ES with 20K on it, bought 2/01 and traded 11/01. Private party sale on it would have been something like $13K, I got $11,500 for it from the dealer. The car MSRPed for $18,454 8 MONTHS before.

I think you are doing pretty well, considering the mileage on the vehicle.

vocus

The dashboard clips were broken in my car when it arrived as well. They were one of the first things to be fixed. From what I have read, about 38% of VWs arrive with broken dash clips to port.

blueguydotcom

Fun car to drive, but don't hold re-sale worth a rat's butt. What cars generally do hold any re-sale at all though? I have a 2000 GLS for sale with 88k miles that I will be lucky to get $9,000 for. And I owe $11000!!!

Actually, the Jetta and all VWs are known for having resale values on par with Honda (the industry leader for years).

Your 2000k GLS (I'm guessing 2.0) has 40k miles more than average. You've destroyed your resale value right there. Edmunds shows -1800 for just the mileage. So right there, that's why your car is worth less than you owe.

On the flip side I have a 2001 1.8T with 22000 miles and I can resell it for more than I owe to VW (I put nothing down on my lease), 16.5k.

Drive an unreasonable amount and then expect the car not to be upside down? Get real.

ashutoshsm

For once be honest and list the invoice price, because that's what a Protege sells for. So a 15.3K car sold for 11.5 to an evil, dishonest car-buying chain (Car Max), while private retail (you admit) would have been 13K. And with all the miles, the abuse, the scratches, and a year old too - with 0% available on a brand new model, 2002 model year Protege!

I think that's pretty darned good resale value, unlike what you insist on implying! Lets not get dragged into that whole discussion again

shawnmalone

I think the New Beetle holds its resale value pretty well, Ashley, but I don't think any car could fetch a good price with high mileage like that (88K seems like a lot to me for a 2000 model).

I agree with you that usually, people post their problems on these forums, so it seems like the car has a lot of issues. My experience has been like yours - - my Jettas have been pretty good!

vocus

Someone's got their facts mixed, and that would be you. Carmax offered me $9500 for my car, it was traded to Anterpen VW for $11,500. KBB on it was $10,500, I think.

And resale value stats go from value vs. MSRP of the car, not what you paid for it. It's still sucks either way.

And the price I paid for the Pro was $17,500 or so.

vocus

I have ~25K on my car already, it MSRPed for $24,675 when new (1.8T GLS w/every option available, 2002). Paid $23,800 for the car in 11/01. Right now, have been offered $18K trade and could sell privately for $20.5K. Not too bad, considering the highish mileage. And if I sold privately, I would break even.

I actually thought about selling the car and getting an older car, because I wanna go back to school soon and can't afford the car and school. I will have to decide what to do before the Spring though.

justin

not sure about the resale value anymore. KBB has trade in prices listed now for 2002 Jettas. not a pretty picture anymore. on my first 99 VR6 Jetta, i paid $22k, and after 20k miles and almost 2 years, i got $18500. not bad at all.

i owe $18800 right now, and KBB says i might get $15500 at dealer trade. yuck. it is only just now a year old. only paid $22k for this turbo one too.

vocus

I read those trade-in values myself the other day. I don't know about KBB anymore. I would go with NADA more than KBB.

Also, the used car market is lower, I think, because of special interest rates and all on new cars now.

anonymous02

fish8

Did your dash clips cause your dash rattles? Also, where did you get the 38% figure?

vocus

I heard the figure from someone that works on the port in CA.

And yes, the clips caused my rattle. One of them anyway. The other was caused by the moronic mechanic who didn't assemble the dash correctly after replacing the clips.

vocus

Kelly Blue Book.

http://www.kbb.com

Also, check out http://www.nadaguides.com

anonymous02

:-)

98jettavr6

I posted on this board a week or so ago about my '98 Jetta VR6 w/a (manual) shifting problem - wouldn't go into 5th gear. Turns out that the engine had a loose screw, literally one loose screw that needed to be tightened. Total cost of repair: $35. Keep this in mind if you ever experience the same type problem.

98jettavr6

I owe $7,000 on my '98 Jetta VR6.
The NADA book value is $13,815.
The Kelly Blue Book value is approx. $12,000.
The Black Book (cars.com) value is $13,500.

So, this one Jetta did hold its value pretty well, not to mention this vehicle is in pristine condition.

For every bad experience, there is a good experience. Being a shrewd negotiator during the purchase pays off down the road.

anonymous02

I think I owe about $2000 on our 1996 GL, due to finish in about a year.

I might just pay it off now with what's left of a home equity line of credit (at 5%!).

:-)

vocus

Did you buy your cars new or used? And how many miles are on them now?

anonymous02

My wife had leased it, and we purchased it off the lease. Took a minor hit in mileage penalty.

It's got around 85,000 miles on it.

vocus

For some reason, I thought it only had like 65K on it. I don't know why.

It's a 1996 with 85K? That's not too bad. Mine is a 2002 (not even a year old yet), and will have 25K on it by the time it turns a year old (Nov. 3).

blueguydotcom

not sure about the resale value anymore. KBB has trade in prices listed now for 2002 Jettas. not a pretty picture anymore. on my first 99 VR6 Jetta, i paid $22k, and after 20k miles and almost 2 years, i got $18500. not bad at all.

i owe $18800 right now, and KBB says i might get $15500 at dealer trade. yuck. it is only just now a year old. only paid $22k for this turbo one too.

Dealer trade-in...ie, you deserve to lose thousands. You can resell your Jetta for closer to 19 or more I'd guess. People who are too lazy to sell privately confuse me.

I paid 19.5 on my 2001 (MSRP of over 21k) and could easily get what its buyout is on my lease, a touch over 16. Trade in I'd be lucky to get 14.5k

vocus

I know what you mean about trade-in vs. selling yourself. The dealer told me awhile ago he would offer $18K for my car. I could easily sell it for $20K though, so of course the obvious choice would be to sell it.

chmeeee

There are some situations where trade-in makes sense. My old car is a good example, the interior was stained from lots of coffee spills (my dad), the front shocks were gone, and there were several other smaller problems. I don't know how long it would have taken to find a buyer for an 8 year old Chevy with 110k miles on it, but it was just easier at that point for me to trade it in. On a 2 year old Jetta, I would say definitely do not trade it in though.

blueguydotcom

7 months ago I finally parted ways with my beloved 91 Stanza (sporting a huge dent in the trunk and peeled paint on the moldings). I bought it in June of 95 for 6500 and sold it with 145k miles to some kid (2 weeks on the market) for 2k. I had 4 interested buyers in that period and only sold to him because he was fastest with the cash.

KBB trade-in was 700. KBB private was 1200. KBB was wrong as usual. Edmunds was straight up crazy with its low numbers.

Just a note to people selling, consult auto-trader and call people selling cars similar to yours. I called a guy and a girl selling 2001 VW Wolfsburgs with similar equipment and miles to mine. Both claimed they sold their cars for over 17k (which is over a grand higher than KBB claims for private sales). KBB and Edmunds are nice tools, but actual sellers can tell you what to expect for interest and prices.

anonymous02

I had a civic with an aftermarket computer chip, and the company is gone from what I can tell.

The exhaust manifold was rusting out, and it was getting loud. I let it go for $200 less than I wanted to and told them everything and that I didn't want to see them or the car ever again. Turns out the kid lived not far from me, and I could hear the loud exhaust on summer nights. Kind of funny, yet sad (you know how you get attached to cars).

Anyhow, that was a 1992, I sold it in 2001 for 1700 or 1900 I think, and paid 9500 for it brand new. It had roughly 140,000 miles on it with original clutch still going strong. I let him keep the all alpine cd and speakers and amp.

That's it on that one.

vocus

I have found that http://www.nadaguides.com has prices that seem to be closer to the real world.

newcar31

Nice, I'm $2800 ahead. Where you sittin' at?

vocus

Don't know. My car is a 2002, and they don't have the prices for it listed yet. Since you have the same miles on a 2001 that I have on a 2002, I am sure I am a little behind you though.

newcar31

I'd be screwed if I had as many miles as your Protege would have had by now.

vcjumper

In Canada can make a bit more sense since you save the tax on the new vehicle, so if you buy a $20,000 car, and have a $7000 trade-in, you only pay tax on $13000. When tax is 15%, its a big chunk.

donnabgood

In Canada can make a bit more sense since you save the tax on the new vehicle, so if you buy a $20,000 car, and have a $7000 trade-in, you only pay tax on $13000. When tax is 15%, its a big chunk.



They ALWAYS charge sales tax on the selling price of the car. Selling price equals cost of the car plus accesories. Your trade in value is treated the same as cash downpayment and just means you are finanacing less..but tax always remains the same.. a 20,000 dollar is taxed at 20,000 not 13,000 (as per your example with a 7000 trade in allowance)...Uncle Sam (who is it in Canada?) always finds a way to get your money, In California we pay a tire tax thanks to our Governer. 5 bucks, a dollar for each tire, including spare. lol. Interesting sidenote, my other car was recently considered a total loss by my insurance company.. they added sales tax to their final payement which ended up giving me about 1500 dollars more than I expected.