Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

rc7762

I will not doubt you about problems with the Malibu and service costs but you are a little off base about parts for Honda/Toyota costing an arm and a leg. Maybe in the late 70's and 80's that was true. I have owned both Honda and VW autos and there is no comparison whatsoever with the price of parts and service. I traded my first Civic with 160,000 miles and other than normal maintenance I replaced the following:

Complete Exhaust system (Honda Parts)
$365 that includes labor.

Tie Rods/stabilizer etc. (Honda Parts)
Under $400

Front Rotors
$86 for the set

Valves Adjusted/New Timing Belt
Under $250

Estimate to replace clutch (When needed)
$575
I never had to replace it.

I will not list all the problems with my Jetta but the following is what I replaced or got estimates on when I traded it (under 80,000 miles)

Replaced Starter.
Around $275 for the starter not including labor.

Estimate on Complete Exhaust.
About $1100

Estimate on Clutch.
Right around $1000

jtrujillo86

What year was your Jetta? If, at the time of the exhaust system failure, it was under 10 years and 100K it should have been covered under U.S. federal law. BTW, it seems to be a trend with VW's that the exhaust systems are problematic. My manager has a 98 GT 2.0 that had a bad cat at 89K. There are also many stories on the Passat forums about exhaust systems failing prematurely. Oh well...every brand has it's weak points, right?

Jeremy

vocus

Yes, there is a Mother's product called 'Back to Black'. From what I hear, it really works well in removing wax residue from black/rubber surfaces.

rc7762

My Jetta was a 97 GT, That is interesting about the exhaust being covered under Federal Law I did not know that nor was I told.

You are absolutely right about all brands having their weak points! I would also like to say that even though I experienced problems with my Jetta I am not bashing VW or their owners in fact I still really like the style of the Jetta/Passat and I think they are equipped with a lot of neat features.

I read a lot of these posts and I think it says a lot about VW owner loyalty when someone will say "I know my VW will not be as reliable as some other vehicles on the road and I expect to have some problems but I really love the way the car drives"

It sure would be boring if there was only 1 car manufacture and everyone drove the same car! to each their own I always say.

Rick

nitehwk

Simultaneously, the door locks, the windows,and the dome light decided to quit working. At the same time a new feature was added! When the headlights are activated ,the trunk opens.
What could it be? All fuses are OK. Perhaps the Body Control Module, a bad ground, a bad connector or a relay?
Has any one had a similar problem. Oh yes, it's a late model '99 jetta 4 cly. gas

steine13

I don't think so.
There IS some ungodly warranty on emissions items, and it isn't always 100% clear to mortals what precisely that is...

But the exhaust cans after the cat conv are NOT covered.

The catalytic converter and O2 sensors are covered; the engine control module I don't know for sure (lots of $$); the evaporative emissions stuff is definitely covered... it's a long list.

Jeremy was kind enough to provide us with a real name and his age. Statements like "every car has its weak points" are permissible at that age.

Once you've owned a few of each, a pattern will emerge...

-Mathias

msifakis

isellhondas

But....they are well known for electrical problems.

rocque

GRAB YOU WALLET AND RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!!! A high millage jetta will bankrupt you!!!!!!!

wsommariva

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. The guy I know with the Jetta with high mileage does all his own repairs and maintanance. I would just change the oil every 4 or 5 thousand miles instead of the ten thousand in the manual. I would also just follow the maintenance items in the manual. That should be enough.

Also, check the oil level every month. My car does not use excess amounts of oil; but with oil changes so far apart good idea to check the level.

My Jetta looks and runs as the first day I bought it - great. Great fun to drive. Good luck with yours.

cyberdyne

I'm in the market for a new car. I was originally interested in the VW Jetta GLI VR6, but heard so many bad things about them. I test drove a Subaru WRX Impreza and thought it was great except for the frame-less windows. I hate that rattle when you close the door with the window half way down. My brother-in-law just bought a Jetta Wolfsburg edition and he loves it with 400 miles on it. My local VW dealers are offering some excellent deals on Jetta GLI as long as I want black or silver. So, the question is should I buy one or not? I now hear the wheels offered on the 04' jettas are rotting away. Does this mean they are bad too? Even though I hear so many bad things about them. Any info would be appreciated.

deya13

If you are in the market for an '03 Jetta, this is the time to do it. I got mine yesterday, a GLS 1.8T with the sport/cold pkg/ESP/monsoon. I wanted the GLI, but they were all sold out. The GLX was nice, but the auto tranmission and the 16" wheels didn't do much for me. Here is the discount that the Columbus Ohio dealers were offering: for GLI and GLX: $5,500 off MSRP, and for all other Jetta's: $4,500 off MSRP.

cyberdyne

My brother-in-law paid just over 18k for a Wolfsburg Edition 03 in NY. If I go with the GlI which they only have in black or silver I can get the same price.

shawnmalone

I received in the mail notice that VW is extending the Emissions Control System warranty for mass air flow sensors. The notice says a malfunction can cause the MIL light to come on. Is that the same as the Check Engine light? Is there a different discussion board on Edmunds where this question would be more on-topic?

adg44

I haven't heard about this....

I am glad VW is finally getting around to this, although they are 3 years too late.

fish8

I, personally, would NOT hesitate buying another VW product. My '02 Jetta has been rock solid mechanically and I look forward to my next VW experience. Also, a silver Jetta is a very sharp looking car. Drive one and see what you think. You may love it or hate it. Though, I have heard of few that hate the way the Jetta drives.

shawnmalone

Anthony, the notice I got said VW is extending the Emissions Control warranty to 70,000 miles.

bpeebles

The Emmissions warantee is mandated by the federal government. Neither VW nor any other automobile manufacturer can alter what the Feds tell them to do.

Please read your FEDERAL EMMISSIONS WARANTEE that came with your vehicle and you will see that ALL emmissions-rtelated components are covered for at least 10 years 100,000 miles. (Irreguardltss of what VW may tell you)

shawnmalone

Bruce, I didn't know about that federal mandate. Thanks for clue-ing me in!

pcrowles

Test drove Accord, 6, and Altima and the 1.8T beats them all. Just picked up a Platinum Gray GLS 1.8T automatic with Winter package for 21,900 (including taxes, title, tags). 20,567 without taxes, etc. Price is almost 400 below invoice. How does this compare with prices people have been getting?

fish8

Sounds like you got a good deal. Also it sounds like you bought a beautiful jetta. Enjoy your new car.

justin

a VR6 Jetta will not leave you stranded. the VR6 engine 2.8 12v unit is rock solid, has been used for a decade.

as long as window clips (50 cent plastic thingy) and 02 sensors are fixed, the car will soldier on just fine if maintained.

the VR6 does enjoy gulping gas however

4wagswy

I just bought my beautiful NEW Jetta - a 2003 from a local dealer in the Silicon Valley. All is well, but, my son pointed out that the date of manufacture on the front door says 11/02. The vehicle had only 79 miles when I purchased it. It had the sticker, etc.

I am a little bit confused. Could it be so? Could the vehicle have been manufactured a year ago and sold as NEW?

Please help.

Thanks

protege_fan

Car makers mark the model years ahead by one year. For example, most manufacturers have 2004 models out already even though it's 2003.

4wagswy

Thanks protege_fan, yes, I agree that cars are made in advance to sell in the future, but fully ONE YEAR IN ADVANCE? No, that does not sound right. I bought my car on November 28, 2003 and the build says November 2002!

I checked around and most new cars are only sold normally 2-3 months away from date of manufacture!

cwo4

Your car is "New." It's never been sold or registered. It may have sat on the lot for awhile though, you can ask the dealer how long they had it before you bought it. And the 79 miles may be "test drives." Regardless, if you are the first owner, then it was new when you bought it.

balticjetta18t

It is not uncommon to have a leftover to be built almost a year from delivery. All that matters is that your new vehicle warranty starts the day you take delivery of the car.

My O1 Jetta was built 10/2000 and I took delivery of it in Feb 01.

tmak26b

I just picked up a brand new 2004 Platinum Grey Jetta this past weekend from Bernardi VW in Natick, MA. It is a basic GL with the 1.8T and tiptronic (rare combo from what it seems). Unfortnately VW dont sell the cold weather package anymore on the GL, so I cant get the heated seats. Anyway we got a super deal on it, we bought it for $19200 (invoice is 19087 and sticker is 20710). Together with that, we also got the 3.9% financing for 60 months. The car has about 35 miles on it. It is currently sitting at the warehouse, not at the dealer. We will be picking it up on Dec 18 (busy the next 2 weeks), but the deal is sealed and ready to go. I just need to pick it up when we are ready. We can probably pick it up next week, but I would rather have them store it than park it at my house and let it sit outside for two weeks.

BTW, we will be looking into buying the center armrest. Do you guys know if the 04 model is the same one as the 99-03 model?

Thanks
Tom

derekgdw

Ok I appear to read nothing but reliability issues on VW products particularly the Jetta. Not just in the forums here from a few disgruntled owners but I've heard about it elsewhere too.

When I look at Edmund's review of the Jetta they list "Solid build quality" as one of the high points of the car. This is at the following page.

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2004/volkswagen/jetta/100352552/review- .html?tid=edmunds.n.researchlanding.leftsidenav..15.Volkswagen*

Moving along, I know a few people that have had a Ford Focus at some point. Some have had little minor issues (Nothing with the powertrain at least) and others have had none. All loved their cars. I hear about some reliability problems with those cars but it would appear VWs have far more complaints against them from what I've seen.

Yet Edmunds lists this as being a car with some reliability problems.

So am I missing something here? Why is VW listed as having solid build quality while the Ford is not? Don't get me wrong I'm not rushing out to buy either ;-)

adg44

Which VW is in the top for. You won't find a honda, subaru, or my beloved Nissans that have the fit and finish quality of a VW or Audi - especially for the price.

- Anthony

bpeebles

(derekgdw) You are observing the phenomenon of a very few disgruntled VW owners making things SEEM worse than they really are.

There are THOUSANDS of VWs that are relatively touble free. The big issues have allready been discussed here is excrutiating detail;

*)Poor dealership service. (Good ones are hard to find)
*)VWs need TLC (read this as preventive maintenance)
*)relitively expensive to repair (They are, after all, a German roadcar)

It really boils down to your desires in a vehicle. Personally, I NEED the 12-year/100,000 mile corrosion warantee. I LOVE the handling. I PREFER the better fit-n-finish.

I have no problems paying for some repairs once in a while. I plan to keep my TDI over 12 years and expect to maintain it.

In comparison;

*)ALL other vehicles in this price range have minimal warantee on the body.
*)Some Asian models are ENGINEERED to be reliable with little or no maintenance. (but are pretty BOORING to drive)
*) Some Aisain (Korea, Tiawan) models will rust into a flintstonemobile in 3 years due to the use of poorly recycled metals in the body.
*) Mazdas ride like they have 2X4s for shock absorbers. (buuummmpppyy)
*)Saturn engines are known to consume oil
*) I can go on and on... I have been involved with vehicles for many years and they ALL have compromizes.

kyleknicks

my gf's 01 jetta wolvesburg 1.8t just had it's fourth instance of stalling out and having to be towed in 3 yrs of ownership.. i'm sick of this, she was so upset when she called me this morning...

what do you guys think we can do? write to VWofA? I need advice

fish8

Have the dealers not replaced the defective coils with the new one's?

kyleknicks

they claimed that they replaced all the defective ones last time..

how do i go about making sure they replace all defective ones with new ones and not more of the defective kinds? do i have a right to demand that they replace with all new coils?

she has the receipts for the prior replacements

kyleknicks

is there a part # for the newly designed coils so i can make sure that's what they install?

bpeebles

(kyleknicks) If she has the receipts, then everything is 'covered' by warantee....right?

There is a letter suffix on the ignitors. The supposedly better ignitors will have a letter higher in the alpeabet. (I think they are up to "D"... but I lost count) My VW does not even have sparkplugs.

You do not have to "demand" anything, the TSB speaks of all 4 ignitors being replaced anyway.

Currently, you have provided no information as to how many were replaced and what suffix they display. If you can provide more details on how many and what suffix, perhaps we can decipher what is going on here.

My initial feeling is that you are dealing with one of the many poor VW dealerships that is cutting corners. (and perhaps being deceitful too) It is so unfortunate that the good VW name suffers due to greedy service at the dealerships.

Lets not lose the fact that the 1.8t is an AUDI engine.... not a VW engine.

kyleknicks

well.. from what i understand now is that, the first two times it happened, they replaced with the old design coils, and then the 3rd time, they replaced 2 with new design... so yesterday, they replaced the other 2.. and from what they told me, the new designs have a part # that ends in L.

but the kicker is, the second time it happened, they had to replace something, and yesterday, they said that the air valve computer, the part that regulates how much air goes into the engine was bad so they replaced that. my gf's worried that all these things are somehow related to the coils going bad.. and worried about engine reliabitly...

fish8

I hope you GF has not paid them any money for these repairs...

kyleknicks

wow.. where are all the people in this forum...

my gf paid $85 to install the air valve thingy.. and i'm going to try to get VWoA to reimburse her for it.. due to the fact that she bought her car in 4 times for coil issues.

bpeebles

(kyleknicks) When you say "air valve computer" I have never heard of that.

I wonder if you are refering to the MAF (Mass AirFlow" sensor? The MAF is considered part of the emmission controls is covered by FEDERAL warantee for at least 10 years/100,000 miles.

The MAF cannot, in any way, be affected by 'bad' ignitor coils. HOWEVER, the O2 sensors and catalytic converter in the exhaust system can.
Fortunately, those are ALL emmissions components and are covered by FEDERAL law.

I suggest you (or your gf) reads the FEDERAL EMMISSINS WARANTEE in the glovebox.

BTW... thanks for the update. Apparently the ignitor coils are up to suffix "L"

kyleknicks

the thingy i was referring to in prior post is the "turbo recirculation valve"... anyone heard of this? it supposely regulates the amount of air that goes into your engine... that's what the service dept said was bad

mleanna

Ive got a couple questions if anybody can help me out. Im in need of a new car and i'm looking at used VWs. One of the main things is the warranty. Is it transferrable? I would assume it is. Are the cars so unreliable like all the complaints here say? Also, this 2001 Jetta GLS 1.8t with 38k miles, completely loaded with the Leather and Luxury package is for sale only $11,000. Does this seem too cheap, like somthing may be wrong, or just right? Thanks!

bpeebles

(mleanna) That is a very cheep price. It may be a REALLY good deal -or- there may be somthing else. Most folks to not 'undersell' a vehicle below book value without reason.

That said, dont let that scare you off. In the past, I have purchesed vehicels VERRY cheep (suspected was previously wrecked) and they have gone over 120K miles with virtually no problems.

My daughter just bought a 2001 Golf GLS about 37K miles (no leather package) and it was around $13,000. (This included brand new tires and rear brakes.) I considerd this just about the 'going rate' for such a vehicle.

If you find out about the 'transferrability' of the factory warantee.. I would be interested.

fish8

As far as the factory warranty goes.....The 2001 VW's only came with a 2 yr 24K warranty. Therefore, since the car you are looking at has 38K miles, there would be no transfer of the factory standard warranty. If there is an extended warranty, that would be a different story.

tmak26b

coils, turbo recirculation valve is otherwise known as the blow off valve. The price should be around $50-100. On the other hand, there is another valve called air control valve. Its purpose is to regulate the air and help with the idle.

drumm01

Hi Folks,

My wife's 2002 Jetta is just about to hit it's 40K mile. The car has been fairly trouble free other than bad power windows on the passenger side and squeaky breaks.

Any recommendations as to what should I check the car for now that is has 40K miles? I don't want to BREAK the bank with a 40K Maintenance appointment, but I do want to keep the car going as well...

Any suggestions from Jetta owners?

Thanks,
Drumm

tmak26b

At 40K, I would just change the coolant, gearbox oil and inspect everything. If you are really anal about things, you can change the belt. I would probably wait till 60K when the timing belt goes.

bpeebles

The 2002 uses the pink (true organic acid) antifreeze. This stuff has been called the VERY BEST antifreeze available. It lives up to its LONG LIFE expectations.

I would not consider changing the antifreeze until over 60-90 thousand miles.

In any case you make sure that nothing but the pink G12 antifreeze is used in this engine. Very bad stuff may happen if you ignore this warning.

additionally, always use DISTILLED WATER with the G12 antifreeze.

drumm01

Thanks guys for the recommendations, I really appreciated it.

Tmak26b: The pink antifreeze? Is that what it's actually called? Or the G12? In your opinion, should I wait longer to change the antifreeze?

The Jetta is an automatic but I didn't think of the gearbox oil. I think I'll wait till 50K to change the timing belt, unless Jetta's have a history of timing belts breaking earlier than other automobiles.

Thank you again for the imput.

Drumm

adg44

40k is somewhat of a rip off. They inspect and check the brakes, hoses, lines, etc like they do at 10, 20, 30k, but at 40k they change the Air Filter, Pollen Filter (every 20k), spark plugs, top off fluids, and oil/filter change.

Is it worth the $500 they charge? Hell no.

The coolant is G12, which doesn't need to be changed for over 100,000 miles. Same with the tranny fluid, that is a synthetic fluid which doesn't need to be changed for 100k.

The spark plugs are somewhat of a pain depending on what engine you have. The 1.8T and VR6 are fairly straight forward, whereas the 2.0L is a little trickier because the plugs are under the intake manifold.

- Anthony