Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

17475777980248

Comments

  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Go to http://www.hoppenmotorsports.com for engine upgrades. They can kick up the hp to 190hp for $595 and 210hp for $1600 (includes new exhaust for 210). They modify your ECM though, you don't get another one. That might cause a problem if it's found out though...

    Also, you can go all the way to 220hp, but NOT with Tiptronic. You can only go to Stage 2 with Tiptronic.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Where can I find out about that APR chip? Thanks.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    http://www.goapr.com

    I like the idea of APR because you can opt for the cruise control selector which allows you to switch the car between "normal" (ie factory settings) and "performance" (200 hp, 240 lbs.-ft of torque). This comes in very handy for trips to the dealer. :)

    BTW, $1600 for 210 hp is steep. You should be able to break 210 with just an intake adjustment and of course a chip.
  • AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    Beware trying to pull one over on the dealer. If they suspect that your car has been chipped, they have to call in the VW regional person for warranties, at which point they will check for a chip. If they discover an aftermarket chip, they will then scrutinize your car with an electron microscope for every warranty claim thereafter.

    If you install a mod that breaks something (like a diverter valve from more boost) then just be honest about it and pay for the valve.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Well, go to vortex, ask around to find out the chip-friendly dealers in your area. The whole point of the APR setup is so that the car DOESN'T appear chipped. From all appearance and by driving it in the factory mode, the car is just like any other Jetta 1.8T. That's the best part of the APR chip.

    BTW, if you're someone who doesn't have the 2/24k service, it doesn't make sense to go to VW anyway for service as that's where dealerships make all their money: gouging customers for service work. The only reason to visit a VW dealership after 24k (never if you're a 2002 owner) is if it's warranty work, otherwise go see a professional you trust and not some dealer [non-permissible content removed].
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    so, let me ask, since VW offers that Eibach lowering kit (springs), I know it is under warranty. Good thing.

    What exactly does it do though? Does it lower the car so much that it looks ghetto-fabulous? Or just enough to make it perform in a different way somehow?

    Thanks.
  • AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    As far as I know, the Eibach kit only lowers the car by about 1 - 1.25" That's not enough to do much more than reduce the unsightly wheel gap that most manufacturers build into their cars (why is that?)

    Personally, I'm going to go buy the H&R sport springs and the Bilstein shocks (after I finish computer upgrades ;^) )
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Well, from what I've seen it reduces the wheel-gap and improves handling. A lower center of gravity will always help a car's handling prowess. Sure it may not be as extreme as say a 3 inch drop but it'll help. I'd love to drop the car several inches but with San Diego's horrible roads and my need to travel up an unpaved hill about once a week, there's no way I can get by with more lowering.

    By the way, lowering a car is ghetto? Gosh, guess those kids at BMW and Audi are ghetto. Have you looked at a 2002 Bimmer with 18s and the sports suspension? Or a 2002 A4 with the sports setup? There's almost zero wheel gap. Now cutting springs, THAT is ghetto.
  • phishockeyphishockey Member Posts: 24
    Rookie question for you guys...when you say "wheel gap," the gap is between the wheel and what? Thanks.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    car's body. Ever notice how an unlowered Jetta looks like a mini SUV? There's about a 6 inch wheel gap between the top of the tires and the fender.
  • phishockeyphishockey Member Posts: 24
    Yeah, especially when the car has 17" wheels, it looks almost raised up. Thanks for the clarification.
  • AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    I think lowering looks good when there's a nice even amount of space between the wheel and fender around the circumference.

    I think a car looks "ghetto" when it's lowered so far that the top of the tire is tucked inside the fender. That's going past the performance advantage into the realm of 12" diameter exhausts and large wings.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    i said "ghetto-fabulous"....haha.

    no, i was just saying, i wouldn't want the car to be as low as the "dropped" Civics and Integras out there, you know, with the racing stripes, lighted up on the bottom of the car, with big tail-pipes and wings that are actually bigger than the car itself..;)

    I know that just lowering the car doesn't do all that other stuff, but I wanted to make sure that others out there just might think that my "project" was not complete or something.

    I only have the 15" alloys, and yes, there is a fair amount of "gap". I think the 17's that VW offers are too much though. I like the classic GLX 16's, or the Wolfsburg 16's. But, if the Eibach springs only drop the car an inch, that might just be enough to still look elegant, but a little sporty.

    Are the springs, harder? Firmer? Or just smaller? Will the comfort of the car deteriorate?

    Thanks.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Most people who get the Eibach setup don't notice a difference, but I'd guess people who want lowering and performance probably aren't as hooked into what is rough v. soft.

    I've been thinking about parting with my BBS 16s on my WE (get 17s instead). I have no idea what those 16 inch wheels sell for new. Anyone have an idea of what I might get for them?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Are they the same ones that come with the Sport Luxury Pkg.? I have those if they are, and they make the ride pretty rough on bad roads. The handling is alot better though. I had a 2.0 GLS loaner with the 15-inch wheels, and it just didn't handle the same way as my 1.8T Sport does.

    Blueguy: Those wheels would probably command about $500 or more a set if they are pristine. Didn't you say before you were leasing your car or not? If so, you need to keep them and put them back on when you trade the car in.
  • AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    Check the vwvortex wheel and tire classifieds. the BBS 16" wheels from the WE are fairly popular.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    No, the eibach kit is not the same as the sport luxury package. The eibach kit lowers the Jetta far more than the so-called sports package(which does make the car handle better than the normal setup).

    As for returning the lease car with the factory wheels, I'm pretty certain VW will NEVER see my lease return. I'll sell it outright or trade it in first. Even if I did, with the 6 disc changer and swaybar I've added, odds are good they wouldn't mind nice 17s over the boring 16s on the car now.
  • oldgearheadoldgearhead Member Posts: 7
    Hi everyone,

    I am new here and was wondering if anyone has ant opinions good or bad on this method of purchasing a VW? Do they use standard published residual values to base the balloon payment on?

    Thanks,

    Mike
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    are about $400 a piece, new from VW according to the quarterly magazine. not sure what used ones would go for.

    why get rid of them though? in my opinion, they were the only redeeming feature the WE had going for it. truly striking wheels in my opinion.

    so basically, the springs would only lower the car - not stiffen it up? what makes the car stop lurching upwards when i take off fast? doesn't that mean that the rear set up needs to be firmer, or that the front set up needs less play or something?

    i don't mind the side to side ("roll" as you call it) at all, as i really don't see it as much worse than other cars. but, when i take off, i don't like that the front of the car seems like it lifts up. that fixable? my VR6 was so heavy up front, it never felt like that at all. it just did front end dives like he&* when it was time to stop the beast...and my 1.8T doesn't seem to do that as bad. guess cause the engine is lighter i am assuming.

    i guess, what i hear people saying is, for my purposes, the extra money on different springs won't really fix my one issue, huh?
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    I couldn't get my hands on the 1.8T I really wanted. By April of 2001 there wasn't a manual 1.8T GLS to be found that wasn't a blasted WE. I hemmed and hawed for months. Manual, leather-lined 1.8Ts were not around. I would have gladly traded the BBS wheels and GTI interior for steering wheel controls and leather. Couldn't be done though. :(

    I settled on a WE because it at least had a decent interior (over the standard GLS) and the all important manual/sport suspension setup. Of course two months after I got mine, the 2002s started appearing (July!) with more power and a real warranty. Patience is a virtue...apparently I lack it.

    Anyway, lowering a Jetta may influence the weight shift on take-off, but nothing drastic as far as I know. I'd ask on Vortex if I were you. I'm not really bugged by the car rearing back on fast take-offs. Now the roll... :)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    What you refer to is suspension geometry. I don't know if there is a way to fix that or not.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I hemmed and hauled too about getting a Jetta, and even bought a 2001 Protege in Feb. of 2001 because I was not sure. I waited until the warranty got better, and went for it.
  • blackjetta18t1blackjetta18t1 Member Posts: 278
    if u go on the vw.com site and look at the specs ofhe the 1.8T is not much lighter than the VR6 for some reason and the 1.8T with tiptronic is actually heavier than the VRk 4 speed auto....weird but makes sense i guess
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    ...Is ALL in the nose though. That's the difference. When you shove a VR6 into a corner it feels like someone is sitting on the outside corner of your hood. Nice feeling engine but the lack of quick mods, questionable reliability and extra weight penalty make it sorta useless for me.

    The extra weight in the nose also might figure into keeping Justin's old VR6 down when compared to his 1.8T.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    for the input.
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Where in PA are you?

    The the markups the dealer put is BS.

    If you're in the NE PA area like I am, try going to Trend Motors in Rockaway, NJ. They gave me a great deal without all those dealership markups.

    NE emissions is because of New York being in the NE region.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    When you turn on the Jetta, the tachometer doesn't shoot right up (at least not on mine). On every other car that I have had, the tachometer always zoomed up when the engine first caught on when being started. It doesn't in the Jetta though. Is that a flook with mine, or does everyone's do that?
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    I only notice mine on the freeway...wondering why it's so darn loud at only 85.
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Mine does it also on the Golf TDI.

    Pontiacs, I know, there's a slight delay and the speedo & tach shoot all the way, then returns to normal. It might be a way they reset themselves when you turn on the car.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Why is your car so loud? I have the turbo engine, and it's only turning 4000rpm at 100mph on the highway in 5th (automatic 2002).

    If you want loud, drive a Protege ES with automatic. It buzzes along at 3100rpm at 70.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Engine speed doesn't necessarily equate to noise. Your tires probably contribute more to road noise at highway speeds than your engine anyway. I got rid of my Bridgestone Potenzas and shod my car with Dunlop SP Sport A2s, and now my car is much, much quieter. Don't always blame rpms for noise.

    Meade
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    The engine turns nearly 4000 rpm at 85-90. It's insanely noisy. If I take the car outa gear and coast, the noise drops instantly.

    Vocus, you've got the auto, which VW geared more appropriately for freeway driving. The manuals aren't appropriately geared for freeway speeds. Logically at 55 the car should turn 2k RPM and then build by maybe 100-200 rpm every 5 mph. Turning 3200 rpm at 85 sounds nice and more reasonable. It's annoying for more than the sound as it also kills my gas mileage. On my old cruddy 2.4L Stanza I'd do 80-85 on trips to LA and get 30+ MPG with the car in 5th (nissan actually used a freeway gear). I've NEVER gotten anywhere near 30 MPG with the Jetta because the engine's never loafing along on the freeway.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    blue -

    is it possible that your car is not working correctly? well, dumb question, since in here, it is written in stone that it must be broken. it is a VW after all. ;)

    seriously, you can't hear my engine unless you press the gas. then you hear the high-pitched turbo noise. when at a stop light - not much at all. when i first start the car in the mornings in my garage, i hear it. sounds normal. actually reminds me of my VR6 - kind of rumbles a small amount for a second or two.

    vocus - what do you mean with the tach? when i start my car, the tach jumps to 500-800 rpms, what ever the idle speed is. all my cars have done that. why would the engine speed up first thing in the morning? am i understanding the question correctly?
  • jskhojskho Member Posts: 107
    Saw a dealer ad on the paper advertising lease deal on a 02 Jetta GT... in the ad it says it has alloys and auto.
    Are they coming out with a GT just like VW did for the Mk 3 Jettas? Or is it a typo...
    Never heard of a 02 GT anywhere else.
  • AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    Maybe they mean the new GLI?
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    Wow, is the speed limit up to 90MPH on the Freeway in CA now? Last time I was in CA the limit was 65MPH on the urban interstates.
    Looks like the 6 speed would be the transmission that you need. It will be on the GTI 337 with the 1.8T.
  • AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    Well, last time I was in LA, I was driving 80mph in the center lane and people were blasting past me. It's a nice change from the Left Lane Bandits we have up here in Seattle.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    VWGuild is a dealer (I think) and he said the GLI is only 6-speed. The GLX is automatic only.

    Also, you might find something interesting. There was a 200-hp GLX at the car show here in Md. when I went. The "ASR" button we have on the dash is labeled "ESP" on the dash of the 200-hp models. I asked one of the roaming reps there, but he gave me a dumb answer, like he didn't know. So much for product knowledge.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    When I start the car in the morning, when the engine engages, the tachomer does not shoot up to like 2-3000rpm like it always did in every other car I have driven (from Bonnevilles to Proteges and everything in between). It goes up about 2 seconds AFTER the engine has engaged already. I thought it would react right away, but it doesn't I thought it to be weird. Get it now?
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    The GTI 337 is a limited edition 1.8T GTI, not a Jetta, the only Jetta with 6 speed is the GLI. Hopefully the 6 speed in the 337 will replace the current 5 speed used for 1.8T Jetta sometime in the future. Beetle Turbo S uses a 6 speed with 1.8T also.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Maybe it has something to do with the new 1.8T engine mods for 2002, but I hardly hear any noise from the engine in my car either. (The tires are noisy though.) When I am sitting at a stop light, I can't even hear the car running at all. On the highway, it's a sweet and lusty sound, not anything unpleasant, even at 100mph (which I was at this morning and usually at least once a week).

    Also, I average 24-26mpg with automatic and driving kinda hard (sometimes, sometimes not). So I don't know why you wouldn't get 30 or so in a straight highway trip. Going 80 might have something to do with it though.. :)
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    i am lost, but it doesn't matter. i am sure your car is fine. the tach works, yes?

    hey - how many gallons do you get out of each tank? you have the tip 2002 turbo like me, just wondering how many you get before the gas light comes on.

    i get anywhere from 260-280 before the light flashes (and usually scares me to death with that loud tone it makes at first).

    i drive pretty much like you, but only hit 90 on occasion. 100 seems like automatic jail time here in VA :)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Only 260-280? That sucks! I have gotten 330 miles to a tank before, and that's with hard driving. You probably sit in more traffic (on 395, right?) than I do though. I have been getting lucky with my commute.

    And 100 is not automatic jail time in VA. I have done it on 395 (on the weekend though) before. Hit 120 before on 95 North at like 2am on a Saturday night with no problems at all. I so wanna go to a race course or something, just to see how high it will go. :)

    The tach does work, but I just notice dumb little things like that when I start the car. And it's not only in the morning, it's every time I do it. It's just something different, that's all. :)
  • sarah233sarah233 Member Posts: 161
    blueguy, I have a manual transmission and mine isn't noisy on the freeway. I normally cruise at 80, but when I go above that (85-90) I'm sure it's not at 4000 RPM. I'll check next time I'm doing the "LA speed limit."
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    i must disagree. in VA, if you are doing 100, you will go to jail. too many friends of mine can vouch for that unfortunate fact :)

    you know what is strange, is that you can always tell when a MD driver is in VA - you drive like maniacs on our roads. what is wrong with you people??? ;) kidding there...kind of....a little bit.

    i have gotten about 350 on a tank once or twice, but always on road trips where it was mostly highway, doing 75-80. yep, i sit in DC traffic usually.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    And they didn't find a thing wrong with the car. Oddly about two weeks after my last trip all my rattles stopped. Just today a new one popped up by the back passenger-side door. Weird. Gremlins do exist and they're running amok in my car.

    Anyway, I know tire noise from engine noise. The engine is buzzy loud on the freeway (or anywhere I'm consistently going over 80). It's pretty quiet up to 75 and then the drone comes on and it begins to sound like bees. By 4k on the tach, it's as if those dreaded africanized killer bees got into my Jetta and they're playing with flourescent lights (the din, not the flickering).

    BTW, it's not a big deal. I just wish my gearing allowed for a true freeway gear (less noise and better MPG). My friends still think the car's quiet. But maybe they're all deaf. :)

    And in CA if you're doing 101 or more, then you get hauled in for reckless driving. 100 and below and it's simply a ticket.

    I must say I'm so anxious to get my swaybar. I haven't been this excited about my car since it was new.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You just did your 10K checkup? And you have had the car how long? Dang, I wish I put that amount of miles on my car. Mine will turn 10K within the next couple of days. Already had the oil change and tire rotation done at a private mechanic for a fraction of what VW would charge (since I don't have free maintenance).
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You wanna see some crazy drivers? Go to Pennsylvania. They are used to driving through empty roads and miles and miles of nothing or something. They just don't know how to act once they get around cars.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    I got my car on June 9th, 2001.
  • blackjetta18t1blackjetta18t1 Member Posts: 278
    damn people, i get at best 250 by the time the light comes on but it is almost all town driving and quick trip driving. The one time I took a road trip I had about 280 miles with a quarter of a tank left and when I calcualted it, it was 28mpg, but around town I consistently get 19mpg...crap
Sign In or Register to comment.

Your Privacy

By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our Visitor Agreement.