Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

vcjumper

How about

GM=Accept Problems
VW=Expect Problems

I would think any car that stays overnight at the dealership once while under warranty because of a problem preventing safe driving has got to be considered unreliabe/below average? Knock on wood I've never had to do that yet but I've only had 3 new vehicles.

venus537

your consumer reports buying guide is not updated with the latest reliability ratings. you'll probably have to wait for the april issue. maybe online subscribers have access to the latest results. a lot of the german cars didn't fare too well. all VWs are now below average in reliability. my theory about the improvement in american cars is that most of them are old designs and they finally have the bugs worked out. engineering wise, they're still abysmal.

blueguy:
i think you're going to like the mazda6. i was pleasantly surprised by the fit and finish.

hoodornament

I forgot to knock on wood per last thread, my coils just went on my passat. Its Friday, the dealer wont get to it today, and I'm beat out of a loaner until Monday, this sucks.

protege_fan

Is this another thing that acutally has to fail before VW will replace it? That's great that they'd be willing to leave their customers potentially stranded in the middle of nowhere.

protege_fan

Well, my gf's 16 yr old cousin managed to roll her Jetta (2002 2.0L) a few times. Apparently she was driving down a gravel road at excessive speeds, saw another car, got into the shoulder and rolled.

She got away with a cut on her finger. Lucky girl. Kudos to VW engineers though!

Now her parents are buying her AND her sister (15 turning 16) both new Jettas!

vocus

To compare, how do you think she would have fared if she would have done the same thing in your car?

vocus

Well, my part came in for the car. They fixed the #3 ignition coil, it was faulty. I got the car on Friday. He told me they are only fixing the faulty coils until the part is no longer on backorder. I told him I knew all the coils in code AWW and AWP engines were bad. (I love when I know more about the car than the service writer does.) Anyway, he said they could only replace the faulty one due to the backorder, and the car should be ok. I asked him point blank if the car would break again, and he was like, "uhhh, it, um, shouldn't". Wonderful. I told him I would be bringing the car back to get the other 3 coils fixed when the parts are more readily available.

He said they wouldn't know when they could come in though. I know someone who is a VW tech at another dealership, so I will get my parts either through warranty or otherwise. I am not really worried about it.

theparallax

This guy walked away w/ just a broken hand after rear ending a semi and rolling several times on the interstate.

protege_fan

No idea how she would have fared if she were in a Pro. Perhaps she might have not been in that incident due to different handling characteristics.

Anyway, I'm just glad her Jetta did it's job and kept her safe.

moparbad

Is Protege the new name for Jetta? Is Protege the German model of Jetta?

justin

...this is just a place where Protege people come from time to time to see how the other half lives.

basically, they both could be vastly improved. we know that Mazda is capable - they make a car called the Miata. automotive perfection! and VW has some of the best designs and rides out there - but they should design and make their own coils instead of outsourcing. ditto for window regulators.

venus537

"...this is just a place where Protege people come from time to time to see how the other half lives"

i would say how the better half lives.

then again my next car might be a mazda but in a size 6.

Anakin

Hi Everyone.

Went to visit some friends in Arizona this weekend. Drove a 255hp Maxima rental. It was very smooth and seemed to have decent power, but I didn't like having to wait until 4k RPM for the engine to feel like it was really pulling. I guess it's just a characteristic of high-rev Japanese engines.

Felt good to get home into my Jetta. The Max handled well, but I could still tell it was a much larger car.

Hope everyone had a good turkey day.

protege_fan

All I wanted to do was let you people know how a Jetta performed in a real life crash situation. Glad you all were so warm and receptive about it.

Hope you all had a great American Thanksgiving.

blueguydotcom

It's the max auto tranny that's at fault with the power or lack thereof. Drive a six speed version or test the G35 with the much better 5 speed automatic. night and day difference in off-the-line power. The gearing on the Max's 4 speed auto is designed for neither performance nor economy. Essentially, it's just a massively bad automatic (like almost all 4 speed autos).

BTW, the independent suspension on the Altima (what the Max will switch to next year, hopefully with a 5 speed auto) is leaps and bounds better in roadholding than our Jettas. That blasted beam suspension on the current Max makes it feel like a sloppy boat.

vocus

I didn't say Proteges were deathtraps. Here you all go again, blowing nothing into something. I just asked how PF thought the 2 cars would compare, that's all.

Also, PF, I am glad to hear your gf's cousin was ok. Glad to see she is getting another Jetta to replace the wrecked one.

Thanksgiving was great, thanks for asking. Hope your holidays are safe and filled with joy.

vocus

I know what you mean about being happy about getting back into the Jetta. I was VERY happy to give back the Impala rental I had and get back into my Jetta. Actually, I ended up giving back a Neon rental. I went on Friday and switched to a Neon rental, because there is limited space to park around my neighborhood, and the car simply was too big to park around there (very tight city street parking). I drove the Neon for about an hour or so, and then they called and said my car was ready.

fish8

Glad to hear you got your car back. Hopefully it will stay far away from the dealer for awhile.

vocus

The only thing the car's been in the shop for since about 18K (now at 26.5K) was a broken dash vent, which my best friend broke with one of her stupid fingernails. Everything else has been fine.

I am sure the car will be going back once the coils aren't on backorder anymore, sooner if it breaks again. Since they could only fix the coil that was defective and would not work, it's a possibility. I will get the other 3 coils replaced sooner or later though.

fish8

My car is doing fine as well. The door creaks a lot, but I can deal with that.

vocus

Where does it creak?

fish8

The better question is: Where doesn't it creak!!! The entire door frame creaks. When the temp is below 50 degrees the door the creaking is loud.

vocus

So when you are driving, the door creaks? Does it sound like it's coming from the frame of the door, or inside the door itself? I would think you need the "foils" in the doors. They go between the doors and the body of the car, and alleviate this problem. I heard getting this stuff called "gummy pfledge" (sp?) from a BMW dealer will work as well.

mdaffron

I totaled a Protege in 1992 -- hydroplaned at 45 mph into the rear end of a stopped Volvo 245DL -- the car crumpled as designed, the engine dived under the engine compartment, etc. The Volvo's bumper missed mine and I caught the whole impact through my grille and headlights, but still the car's "safety cage" was untouched -- doors all operated fine and everything. I walked out of it even though all I could see out my windshield was hood. (And btw, the '92s had those damned motorized "passive restraint" belts and no air bags.)

As for rollovers, I can't say and hope I never will get the chance. But if the car's roof and pillars are made as well, I have every expectation that it would do equally well. There are reinforcing beams in the doors and roof; I know that.

Meade

fish8

The noise comes from the door frame. It sounds as though the rubber door seals and the seals on the frame of the car rub. The dealer said this was normal for Jetta's. When my car was in the shop last week, the 2003 Jetta I had as a loaner also has this "creaking". So, I guess it is normal.

mynewvw

I bought a new 2002 jetta v6. I have had a few severe problems with it already. I will be trading it in for a Toyota. Never again.

vocus

Tell the dealer that he's full of crap. Thatis not normal for Jettas. Tell him to get the foils, or speak with someone above him (mainly VWoA) and tell them you want something done about the problem. I would also try going to another dealer.

vocus

Go ahead and trade your 2002 vehicle in for another car. Just make sure you have plenty of cash to lose. You will be too far in the hole on trading. All cars' trade-in values are suffering because the market sucks for used cars right now.

So deal with it, or lose the money.

justin

you should definitely trade that horrendous 02 Jetta in for a Toyota. come back and let us know how it worked out!

vocus

I am the one who asked how the Protege would have fared in the same accident. I did not say the Protege would fare better or worse. I just asked how PF thought the two would have compared.

pat

Let's discontinue the Protege conversation here, okay folks?

venus537

my doors creak too when it gets cold. i just deal with it. it's only going to be cold in wisconsin for about 4+ months. heated seats are very nice now.

anonymous02

" (I love when I know more about the car than the service writer does.)"

I bet he says: "I love it when know it alls come in thinking they are smarter than us professionals."

anonymous02

Ours sounds more like "door cracking"!

Every once in a while, I'll lube it, but it doesn't help much, and what little it helps is not for long. Cold weather makes it worse.

blueguydotcom

I bet he says: "I love it when know it alls come in thinking they are smarter than us professionals."

Just because one has a job, that doesn't mean one is a professional or qualified or good at that job. Considering ineptitude is nearly a company slogan at VW, I wouldn't be surprised if 95% of the people on these boards know more about Jettas than VW's ignorant and poorly trained staff.

vocus

The service guy didn't know what was wrong with my car when it was towed in. I told him what the problem was, and he said it had to be diagnosed by a tech. I told him he was an idiot.

I am surprised one of the service writers haven't offered to buy the car from me, just so they never have to look at me again...

bpeebles

(blueguydotcom) I just looked up 'professional'
"One who earns a living in a given or implied occupation" It has nothing to do with how WELL one does somthing.(or even how qualified one is to do it)

For example... in gradeschool, I was a professional lawn mower. In highschool, I was professional dishwasher. I have also been a professional salad chef.

I may not have been very good at any of the above tasks but, nonetheless, I was a professional at each one because I was getting paid to do it.

Now, my 'profession' is technology, and I am very qualified and extremely good at what I do. I design electronic circuits, program computers and constantly learn new technologies every day. (I work at one of the worlds premiere computer-chip manufacturing plants) And yes... I am a professional ;-) (ref my profile)

I can tell you that I ALWAYS know more about my vehicles than any mechanic that works on them. (I read the factory service manuals for fun)

mynewvw

Regarding your message regarding the loss I will take on selling my 2002 Jetta. I agree, I will take a loss. But after my experience and reading others' in Jetta Problems, I am convinced that I have already lost the money, the only question is how I'm going to pay for it. I'd rather pay for it now in cash and buy a Toyota. I absolutely need to feel comfortable that I have a reliable car. I have experienced a few of the problems that others have experienced and I can tell you that I don't feel comfortable at all that the car won't just quit on me in the middle of nowhere. NOT a good feeling and to be honest, I'm a little p.o.'d about the whole thing. Certain things just shouldn't happen to cars less than one year old and I'm not hanging around to see what's next. In short, I don't get good vibes about the car.

mynewvw

Check out the message 2305 in Jetta Problems. I may be naive, but something tells me that just can't happen with a Toyota.

Anakin

Watch out for that engine sludge deal.

ckpickup

My folks just bought a 2000 Jetta TDI and we're wondering what it takes to change the stereo.
It has the cassette with the alarm built in to it and we want to change it for an aftermarket CD player but I am concerned about what happens to the security system.
Has anybody done this?

vocus

I know alot of people with VWs, and none of them have had the problems listed in the post you listed. Problems that severe are very few and far between. Agreed, they are less likely with a Toyota. But so is driving fun. If you wanna lose money while, in the process, getting a more boring car, then that's your decision. At least stick it out until your warranty runs out. You will have a chance of turning out better if you do.

By the way, what problems have you had with your car? You never said...

vocus

With the igniton coils going left and right, and with VW knowing about the problem, anyone ever think of trying to MAKE VW fix it? How about getting NHTSA involved? Check out http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov for more info.

hoodornament

The dealer said the coil parts would be in in 3 weeks, they just called and said car is ready. VW must be laying the heat on the supplier, maybe recent bad press is expediting things?

vocus

I don't know, maybe so. When I dropped off my car, they told me there was no set date for recieving the parts, and my car could be in for up to a month. They had it done in 6 days though. Makes me wonder, how is VW paying for all these loaner and rental cars, along with warranty repairs, and still showing profit?

hoodornament

Yeah excellent point. They actually had me driving around in 2 different Saabs during these 5 days my car was out. The first Saab didnt have insurance or inspection sticker, they must really be scrambling to get everyone into loaner cars with all of these problems, etc.

vocus

I called the sales manager on Saturday when my car died, and he told me since service was closed, I could get a loaner on Monday morning when I came out. I got alot of mouth when I called service, so I called the sales manager back, and he set me up in a rental car as soon as I walked in his door. I also got a chance to tell the service writer what I thought about him as well.

ingmec1

This is to let know everybody that after having a Honda for 10 yrs I sold it and bought a VW Jetta. What a mistake! Broken power window mechanisms (4 times), interior handle peeling (two times)and inside light assembly malfunction (one time). My 0 to 60 time (a lot), 1/4 mile (a full coffee break)
I will trade this car for whatever I can find. Sorry the new Accords are so expensive.
One thing I have say though is that the service guys don't hesitate to fix the problems (if the parts are in stock).

vocus

Do you have power windows or crank ones? If you have a GL, they are crank I would guess. I have heard that the peeling is becoming common as well, on the door panels. A couple people I know have had that problem.

protege_fan

Broken power window mechanisms...