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Comments
their will be an 05 Jetta IV, and an 05 Jetta V (New Jetta). just like in 99 there were two Jettas. The 99 Jetta (III), and the 99 New Jetta (IV).
As for my 03 Jetta GLS, 1.8t, I love it!!! Sure you are going to have problems from time to time. And being a German car, I will cost you.
I think VW is trying to make themselves in the same league as BMW or MB. I think they are achieving it. Not yet, but its not the VW of old.
George
9/20/99 purchased a 2000 Jetta GLS 5sp 2.0 liter 115 hp 4 cylinder $20,614
First Month:
Air conditioner leaked and had to be recharged.
Check engine light came on.
Gear shift knob broke. (loose)
Check engine light on again.....Second time.
3 Months Later:
Burning oil at 3k......Dipstick was dry. Burning 1 quart every 1000 miles.
Glove box hinge broke.....
Rear defroster had two strands that didn't work.
Sunroof broke.
Front floor mats broke.
Seatbelt recall from VW.
Front window fell out and crashed inside of the door.
Engine light came on.....Third time
6/11/00 Wrote letter to VW Dealership outlining my concern about the oil consumption
Started oil consumption test at Dealership.
Talked with 2 Service Managers (one quit) and VWOA Rep. Both said oil consumption was "normal". Told by dealership and VWOA rep. that this was a "break-in" process and it would disappear at 15k. It didn’t.
Young VWOA Rep. taught me how to read a dry dipstick. (I was rebuilding engines in 60's!)
Given VW Technical Service Bulletin #92-01 dated 1-31-92....said .85 quarts per 1,000 miles is Ok. I said 1 quart of oil per 1,000 miles is way too much! I was correct.
It is very . very easy to run one of these vehicles dry of oil in between oil changes. I can’t imagine purchasing one of these Jetta’s “used” without knowing the history.
6/22/00 Replace front floor mats.....second time.
6/25/00 Check engine light (mil) on again.....3rd time
7/18/00 Contacted lawyer at http://www.lemonlaw.com
8/3/00 Lemon Law / Breach of Warranty Case filed in court against VWOA.
8/22/01 Front window crashed into door.......second time.
9/25/01 Went to Arbitration Court
9/25/01 Negotiated Settlement just prior to court appearance.
9/25/01 Won Settlement (It took 14 months)
9/25/01 Told to start going to a different VW dealership with a different VWOA Rep.
10/19/01 Replaced the rear brake pads 40k......front pads were perfect! (?) Rear pads were completely worn out.....front pads still had 3/8"......either defective pads or defective braking proportioning. This is a 5 speed.....the car stalls in first gear with just one click on the emergency brake! (and we don’t ride the brake!)
Talked to new VWOA rep. He said it was known for the 2.0 liter engine to burn oil because of defective rings. He said the first VWOA rep. should have told me that and offered to fix the problem.
He said that deglazing the cylinder walls and new rings would fix the problem. It didn't.
12/22/02 42k have added 21 quarts of oil since purchase. 1 quart every 2,000 miles.
1/07/02 43k New rings and deglazed cylinder walls.....part of the settlement to stop oil burning.
1/07/02 Replaced broken front mats (3rd time) with rubber mats.
1/07/02 Replaced temperature gauge sensor.
1/07/02 Replaced Mass Air Flow Sensor.....to fix engine light. This probably broke the oxygen sensors listed below.
1/07/02 Fix glove box hinge......second time.
1/07/02 Fix both front windows with new clips......3rd time.
1/07/02 VWOA Rep. refused to fix rear window defroster. (too costly!)
12/14/02 Glove box hinge broke.....third time.
5/13/03 Car wouldn't pass state inspection.....2 Oxygen sensors......$360. (later reimbursed)
6/22/03 Waiting for official VWOA recall on glove box hinges. Mine has broken 3 times ..and is currently broken. We only use it 20 times per year! (Max.) Come on VWOA It is “just like” the window regulators and mass air flow warranties!
7/24/03 Front window crashed down into door.......4th time
7/26/03 75k Talked with VWOA Rep. Told him the car had 75k and still burned oil at the rate of 1 quart per 1,000 miles and that the new rings and deglazing didn't help. VWOA rep. said he couldn't help with the oil burning. (Said that rings and deglazing cylinder walls usually was a “fix” for oil consuming engines) Also told him the front window fell down into the door for the 4th time and the glove box hinge broke (3rd time) He said that he would pay for the windows....."now" they had stronger plastic clips......but I would have to pay the labor for the glove box.
7/28/03 Car in shop to fix front windows......4th time.
7/28/03 Declined offer from VWOA rep. on repair of glove box hinge.....I wasn't going to pay the labor. (Figured these people are stupid! ..why should I pay the labor for a repair ..if they keep putting the same bad parts in .and getting the same failures!) Sure glad they don’t work on the space shuttle.
10/1/03 VW Window Regulator Litigation notice received. My windows broke 4 times.
10/12/03 Front rubber replacement mats working well......didn't brake yet!
11/04/03 Dash lights blink.....sometimes they work.....sometimes they don't.
11/22/03 Intermittent trunk light.....same way.
11/28/03 Mass Air Flow Sensor Warranty Extension......noticed received from VW. Looks like they brake every 2 years....mine was replaced at 2 years.... 43k. The extension notice says 7 years or 70k. I am screwed again.....my car has 80k and broke at 43k. Wonderful.
3/12/04 Front of plastic cup holder brakes off hardly ever used. I fixed it with a piece of stiff wire.
6/15/04 90k I have added 45 quarts of oil since purchase! 1 quart every 2,000 miles.
7/19/04 91k Replaced plug and plug wires and oil change ($258)......(This should have been done at 50k.....kids!) .....No beef with this as it is normal (missed) maintenance......but $258 is very expensive for 4 plugs, plug wires, and an oil change.
7/19/04 Mentioned that the car still burned oil to the dealership ....They asked if I was the original owner......told to start an oil consumption test (again!) at 91k. Told to drive it 1,000 miles and come back.
8/24/04 92k....Drove it 1,000 miles.....Technician agreed that it burned oil at the rate of 1 quart per 1,000 miles and that the new rings were not helping. I was told it needed a new engine and that they would order one.
Minimum of at least 20 repair visits to the dealership so far I have only had it 48 months!
9/01/04 Source for legal opinion on VW oil consumption
http://www.lemonlawclaims.com/Volkswagenoilconsumpt
Instead, they have lost a customer for life (yourself) and perhaps others that hear your story of woe.
It is sad when big corperatons do not realize that EVERY customer is important.
what did you mean your floor mats broke??
The problem was that when you get in and out of the car....you push down slightly with your feet and put pressure on the mats. This caused them to slide forward and tear free from the clasps. (ripping the holes)
Then you would get in the car and find the mat "folded up" under the brake pedal from your last exit. The holes in the mats were too close to the edges and were not "reinforced". As so often in other cases with VW....they kept putting the same defective replacement part back in.....and getting the same failure. These carpeted mats wouldn't last more that 6 months before ripping out.
After 3 or 4 rounds of failures....The rep. "gave in" at 43k, and replaced the carpet mats with a set of really heavy duty "deep" rubber mats, which are very, very nice! ($120 prox.)
This is a classic VW response to a small problem....we know the problem exists, we will replace with another "new" part, with the same inherent defect....you will get the same failure, in about the same amount of time.
They have done the same thing with window regulators and glove box hinges. Not sure about
oxygen sensors, mass air flow sensor, front cup holders, sunroof repairs, rear brakes, and oil burning engines.
Anyway this is an old (3-4 year) issue. If VW hasn't fixed this one yet.....they won't ever correct anything!
I'm looking to make a smart investment since more than half of the price I will be paying.
Would I be making a mistake by buying this used car?
Good Luck!!
George
Yes, the early MK4 VWs had some "teething pains" but there is more to a car than just reliability. Besides, with 49K miles, the wrinkles should all be worked out of it. We all KNOW what the problem-areas were for those vehicles and it would be easy to verify that the issues have been addressed. (Updated Window clips, coolant migration, soft rear brakepads...etc)
I owned a Cvic once and it was 12 years of BOORING driving. (except for needing a new exhaust every 2 years) All of my VWs (over 5 of them) went over 120K miles....and they were a JOY to drive. That is why I was GLAD to get rid of that Cvic for a Jetta.
If you REALLY LIKE the Jetta and have verified that is is truly in good shape... go for it. ($9500 is quite reasonable. Thousands less than my daughter paid for the Golf of the same year.)
Also the Jetta has 4-wheel disk brakes and ABS. (Just TRY to find that in the same price-range!!)
For a 16-year old, I would bet that parents might choose SAFETY over reliability any day of the week.
I have also read that the Jetta 60-0 is a 135 ft mark with the Civic at 132 ft mark, the kicker being the Civic has rear DRUM's and DX and LX models do not have ABS!!??
A lighter car will have shorter braking distances, all things being equal due to the lower mass that's in motion...
So to me, this creates a performance opportunity. If the Jetta could get the strength correct with a decrease in app 500#'s, I think my TDI performance (which is pretty stellar now) would be even MORE stellar !!
Some performance parameters for example, would be: 1. even shorter stopping distances, 2. better handling, 3. 5 mpg better fuel mileage(for every 100#'s of weight is app 1-2 mpg) 4. quicker handling 5. longer (WEAR)component life, such as: tires, brakes, shocks, etc 5b. While it is conceivable that such things as engine and clutch wear, etc. would be decreased due to motivating 500#'s less, it is hard to quantifiy.
George
George-
just read the sticker inside the gas cap door of your car for the octance that should be used.
Basically, an '05 Passat GLS TDI for $26,000. They will give me $13,800 on an '02 Jetta GLS TDI with 29K miles. The rebate is the stumbler as of today.
Any thoughts? Thank you.
George
My question is really about VWoA. Why do they list a rebate on the "build a VW" section of their website, but not list all of the sticky details? The web shows a $1000 loyalty rebate for trading in a VW on a VW. It does not say it is only for financing through VWCI (at a higher rate than my local credit union) nor does it specify model years (2004 vs. 2005). It just shows that the customer is entitled to a $1000 rebate. Period.
If you visit the incentives and rebates section of Edmunds website, there are no stipulations or limitations listed there either. That tells me that the information released from VWoA is not specific enough. Look at any other rebate listed and the manufacturer is very clear about limits and stipulations. Why would VW put information out there, and get people thinking they have some money coming to them, only to lead to disappointment in the salesroom?
I think this is deceptive and an aweful business practice. Hardly a good idea when the product is fairly good.
>>Also the Jetta has 4-wheel disk brakes and ABS. (Just TRY to find that in the same price-range!!)
Try Scion TC
>>For a 16-year old, I would bet that parents might choose SAFETY over reliability any day of the week.
Why compromise when you can have both for less?
In other words, If you are TRULY having issues with the ignition coil on a NON 1.8T Audi engine, then you are a rare case. Can you please explain why you think your problem is the ignition coil?
VW service is 100% correct in that the ignitor issues with the 1.8T AUDI engine have absolutely no connection to the VW engine which you seem to have.
A 2001 with only 23000 miles has hardly been driven. You are also in a small group of folks that dont drive very much. my daughters 2001 has over 45Kmiles and runs great.
(Just dont forget to keep your intake snowscreen cleaned out!)
It suddenly occurs to me that the GLI has different wheels and tires than other Jettas. Should my spare be an exact match? What size it the spare tire in other GLIs?
http://www.dawesdevices.com/
http://www.boostvalve.com/
Of course, a CHIP might be the next-step above that. This reprogamms the fuel as well as controls the boost. (Expect 40-50 more HP)
http://www.upsolute.com/
http://www.speedtuningusa.com/
Do not forget that any of the above voids any warantee and can damage the engine if not applied with some wisdom, consideration and thought.
I have buddies putting nearly 400HP to the front wheels and doing the 1/4 mile in around 12 seconds. Serious power like this costs $$.
My guess is that this is a GL steel wheel and the std. GL tire, and that a GL owner might be able to do 5-tire rotations as you are doing.
I have about $3,000 on a GM credit card that I am willing to give her, but would need advice on a comparable GM product AND a way to give my credits to her. We live in different states, and the card is restricted to household use only (unless someone knows a loophole...)
Thanks. Mike
i guess you could buy the car in your name and then re-sell it to your sister. she's lucky to have such a generous brother.