Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

brave1heart

What is a FloorPlan INTEREST Reserve?!? I have purchased 5 new cars (including two Jettas) in the past and I've never seen that...Also, I thought that the Port Prep fee is already included as part of the destination fee?!?

How much over invoice are you charging for the GLS 1.8T manual on the West Coast?

blueguydotcom

Those wacky fees were on my car too. I managed to talk them out of a few, or rather they gave me the car for a lower price as I think the kids at the dealership must pay those fees regardless of the purchase price.

sarah233

I was only kidding when I asked if protegextwo was trying to cause trouble. Did you guys miss the smiley face at the end?? Not trying to be nasty....what about "friendly rivalry"?? I even used to DRIVE a mazda truck, and thought it was great.

But anyway, justin_isgay, those are fightin' words. I bet your post gets deleted just because of the username...

8u6hfd

BUt the B-series is made by Ford

sarah233

even in 1988? that thing was fun to drive.

8u6hfd

Not sure about 1988 though. It may be the same.

vocus

I miss 2 days from work, and all Hell breaks loose in the room. Sounds like I missed some interesting stuff going on in here.

Anyway, I took my car to a different dealer today just to see if they heard the rattle in the dash. THEY DID!!! FINALLY! The A-pillar clips that hold the pillar and the dash together are broken (that's what the advisor told me). They ordered the parts, and I can take my car back and get a rental when my parts come in (even though this is NOT the dealer where I bought the car from). Great service, and they even washed my car (and it's raining today in Md.!) before I picked it up, and paid for a rental for a matter of 6 hours for me too.

vocus

I will try to answer some questions for ya. Well, the 1.8T (which I have) had kick-butt power (even with Tiptronic) and gets 23-25mpg on premium gas. I ran regular (premium is recommended, NOT required) and I got 21-23mpg out of it, and lower performance.

Only problem to date besides the rattle mentioned above was a blown radio fuse, which killed the radio. I like the car alot, and do not plan to get rid of it anytime soon.

vocus

READ THIS! Russel automotive (http://www.russelautomotive.com) had this GREAT oil change deal going on now. You get 4 oil changes PER YEAR for the NEXT EIGHT YEARS (yes, I said the NEXT 8 YEARS) and also a tire rotation every other oil change too. The package price is $150 for dyno oil and $250 for synthetic oil. That's a GREAT deal, so anyone in the Baltimore, Md. area should check it out. Their # is on the URL I posted above.

bpi

I bet it's not transferrable so I hope you didn't get it. $150 for 2 oil changes and one tire rotation sounds like a bad deal (in your case).LOL

justin

did i miss a post that was directed at me? i am confused. who posted it? what did it say? are you sure it was directed at me? this is exciting!

sarah233

it must have been deleted, just like i predicted. someone created a username "justin_isgay" and pretended they were you and posted a message.

blueguydotcom

Good grief that's cheap. I'm with BPI, there must be a catch.

BTW, why do people (read kids and immature knuckledraggers) use sexuality as an insult? Beyond teenagers, does anyone really give a hoot? I doubt very much that Justin would have rushed from the computer crying over some kid adding "isgay" to his name. Wow, what's next, fat mama jokes?

Anakin

Yo momma drives an aztek!

;^)

vocus

I asked the service manager about it 3 times (when I took the car in, once on the phone, and once when I picked the car up) and it's for real. It's also an offer they have all the time too. That's pretty cool, I think I am going to go for it.

tmc1688

QUESTION: Why does VW posts that the VR6 is a DOHC when it only has 12 Valves? Should it have 24 valves to be considered DOHC? Just like the BMW 3 Series for example? Just bored. Thanks for reading.

mdaffron

I think what bpi was getting at is, you won't keep the car longer than two more oil changes -- so that deal won't pay off for you.

BTW, did they say how these A-Pillar-to-Dashboard clips could have broken? That doesn't sound like something very commonplace, and since you said "clips" with an "s" it appears more than one broke. Unless you've been carrying people on your dashboard or kicking your A-Pillars, what could be the cause of such a defect? Was the car dropped when it was being unloaded off the train? ;-)

Meade

8u6hfd

Not really. Take the Accord V6, it has 24 Valves, but is a SOHC design. SOHC & DOHC has nothing to do with number of valves.

justin

thanks for the info. the "justin is gay" name does not matter to me at all. in fact, i think it is kind of fun. i might change my screen name

i want to know what the message actually said. it is kind of sad that i can effect someone so much online that they get so flustered as to lose any shred of maturity and start getting stupid. it is pretty amazing.

did everyone see that article in cnn.com or washpost.com about mercedes-benz quality getting bad on the C and M class? apparently M-B's suppliers went and did some funny business. probably made cheaper parts to get more profits. it seems like everyone is doing that. i am nervous about seeing what VW is going to screw up when designing the next golf/jetta. although, it does seem like Audi is still on the ball with the new A4....so maybe there is hope.

sarah233

looks really nice. i couldn't take my eyes off it when I saw one yesterday...but I still love my jetta. ( :

vocus

I have no idea how the clips could have broken (yes, nore than one). I never carried anything on the dash (funny). Maybe they were not put together right at the factory, because the car has rattled from day one at the dash area. I don't care what they have to do to fix it, as long as they do (and gimme a loaner when washing it).

Also, about the oil change thing, this car will see the title cleared thank you. Not getting rid of it anytime soon. I have been wanting a Jetta since they came out in 1999, so this one's a keeper.

vocus

I don't know about the new A4, but my co-worker had a Quattro 2.8 automatic 1998 A4 and had a LOT of problems with it. The drivetrain (yes, the WHOLE drivetrain) had to be replaced in it. The engine threw a rod, which messed up the tranny and the AWD. It all had to be replaced ($5000 worth the work on the car, and 2 months in the shop). They treated her well though. They gave her like $4000, then she sold the car to Carmax because she didn't trust it anymore (and she ended up getting more than she owed on the car). They also cut her a great deal on a 2002 A4, so she got one of those (same color and all). I hope this one works out for her better than the other one did.

mdaffron

All in good fun, eh? Glad you're enjoying your car.

Meade

newcar31

8u6hfd is right. One more weird thing about the VR6 is that it isn't really a DOHC. The narrow angle V6's cylinder banks share one cylinder head with 2 cams in it and since it only has one head, they call it "DOHC". A real DOHC V6 has two cylinder banks with two separate cylinder heads with 2 cams in each for a total of 4 cams.

Anakin

If I recall correctly, the new 2002 200hp VR6 is 24v. The previous 174hp VR6 was 12v.

Hope this helps.

vocus

You are right, the new VR6 has 24 as opposed to 12 valves.

protege_fan

Since you guys are talking about it here, what is the effect of having more valves? Thanks

newcar31

I've haven't driven the new for the US 24V VR6 but I have driven the old one. It is one of my favorite engines because it pulls hard at ALL rpms with no lag. My friend has a 98 Jetta with this engines and it's pretty sweet. It would be nice if I could put a reliable version of the VR6 into my Protege.

vocus

Nice thought, but the Protege's body structure couldn't handle it. And the bay isn't big enough either.

vocus

More valves help the engine breathe better, and also help more fuel get into the engine as well. This gives the engine more power in a smaller package. That's why years ago, 1.6-liter engines only had like 70hp or so. Now with multi-valve technology, they can get 100 or so hp from the same size engine (and more, I am sure).

newcar31

"Nice thought, but the Protege's body structure couldn't handle it. And the bay isn't big enough either."

LOL! Why couldn't the body structure handle it? That 200 hp might twist the Proteges weak little body structure into a pretzel. LOL! You do know that they have more powerful proteges elsewhere in the world don't you? Also, the VR6 is a narrow angle V6 and doesn't take up that much more space than an I4. I could easily see the VR6 fitting into the Protege's engine bay. Wiring harnesses, transmission, motor mount location, ECU, etc. would be the hard parts.

vocus

They don't have a 200hp Protege anywhere. The highest is 2 liters here, and the most powerful is the 170hp Turbo in Japan. And that's with AWD. Torque steer might be a problem, that's what I meant. After all, the Protege doesn't have traction control.

And furthermore, this is the Jetta forum. Stay on topic.

newcar31

I am on topic. I was talking about the VR6, how good of an engine it is, and that I'd like one in my car. Some of the older generation Proteges in Japan had a 210 hp 1.8L turbo and those cars' body structures weren't as strong as the current generations. Why would torque steer be any more of a problem in a hypothetical FWD VR6 Protege than a VR6 Jetta?

blueguydotcom

The Jetta has ASR...the Pro lacks traction control, so torque steer would be an issue.

newcar31

My buddie's Jetta has massive torque steer. I don't know if it has traction control, I never really checked. Since when does torque steer equate to a car not being able to handle the power anyway? ALL powerful FWD cars will have a torque steer issue. Traction control doesn't even eliminate all torque steer.

vocus

All Jettas that are NOT 2.0 or TDI have the ASR. The switch is on the dashboard by where the button for the hazard lights are.

vocus

I was reading in the owner's manual where you can have the door locks programmed to unlock automatically when you remove the ignition key. Since I ride my friend's 2 kids around sometimes (2 and 3), I thought it convenient to have that done (I always forget to unlock the back doors using the switch, and they can't because the child locks are always on). I like having that convenience.

newcar31

This is a pre 99 Jetta VR6. Do those all have traction control?

vocus

Sorry, didn't know it was a pre-1999 model. No, those do not have any form of traction control. At least I don't think they do. I remember reading something about the GLX having it, so you may tell your friend to check his manual.

newcar31

His is a GLX with a 5sp.

blueguydotcom

As far as I recall during my research for a car, the pre-99 Jetta's didn't have ASR. That showed up with the MK IV.

And it makes a difference when accelerating hard. The car won't pull to one side or the other with it on in my experience.

8u6hfd

When you have un-equal length drive shafts, you'll get torque steer (I believe more to the shorter side). Having equal length driveshafts will eliminate most torque steers.

mseals

vocus, My car has a 1.6L engine and it makes 160 naturally aspirated horse power which I believe have been dynoed at 143 hp at the wheel. It doesn't have traction control or any ASR of any kind. I don't experience much torque steer, probably because my Civic Si(that right Civic) doesn't have much torque to speak of(something like 117 ft/lbs at 7600 rpms.) Well, I can mke the wheel spin rather easily if I just drop the clutch. Since I bought new stickier tires, I do feel more torque steer than before, but it is still miminal.

silvertron

Hi,
I finally got my car last week and I had to drive 300 miles to get it. It's Jetta1.8T fully loaded. The car drives great. Lots of torque. Love the interiors. I was thinking hard about getting '02 1.8T model because it has more hp and torques. But the new one(with the same options) probably costs at least 5,500 dollars more. So, I ended up getting the used one and hope this is not the lemon one. The previous owner said that he never had to bring it in besides having oil changed. Well, wish me luck

vocus

Has anyone had the chance to drive both the 150hp and the 180hp engines back to back under the same conditions? I would like that opportunity, to see if the improvement "feels" like 30hp difference.

brave1heart

My cousin just put down a deposit on a 2002 1.8T. He is picking it up this weekend and the total pre-TTL came to $18,919. The difference between this model and the base model with the weak engine is far less than $5,500 and you are probably well aware that it comes much better equipped. The difference in price between the pre'02 1.8T model and the '02 model will be negligible. Plus, he's getting 0.9% financing for 24 months or 2.9% over 36 months. Financing rates for used cars are in the 5.5-8% range. Oh, he gets a 4/50 warranty and his car just got off the ship and no-one has driven it yet so he'll have a chance to break it in properly.

I have only driven the 150-HP Golf and I thought that it had too much power for the weight of the car and the tires that it came with. I drove the 180-HP Jetta manual and that car will blow your socks off, plus the traction control and additional weight over the Golf do a pretty good job at smoothing fast launches. The 1.8T manual will be very, very close to my 2001 325i manual in straight line acceleration. I strongly believe that you'll be hard-pressed to find a better car overall for < 20 grand. That said, the 150-HP engine should have more than adequate power but it won't have that type of acceleration that leaves you breathless ;o)

justin

vocus:

the day i drove my automatic 180hp Jetta, I also drove a 150hp Turbo Beetle automatic. The Jetta was more "punchy"...I hate to say it, but the 150hp engine in the Beetle was "easier" to use at first. But now, I do appreciate the extra HP.

My Gen IV VR6 did have traction control, but back then you did not get an actual button on the dashboard. it came on when it wanted to. no way to disengage it.

preppy155

i heard that volkswagen will have to layoff a large amount of workers in their mexico plants, because they are having more trouble selling jettas and beetles, etc. has anyone else read about this. it sounds like a big deals and im hoping to find great deals, even rebates, this year. i wont get my hopes up.

brave1heart

I have not driven the auto tranny on the Jetta but I can tell you this: my cousin has less than a couple of hours total driving experience with a manual and that was about 3-4 years ago when he tried my '97 VR6. He sat in the 1.8T and he was making smooth shifts immediately - that's how good and easy to drive THIS manual is even with the 1.8T engine. We then tried the Focus ZX3 or whatever that hatchback's 130-HP designation is and he could not make one smooth shift with it...

As far as traction control, my '97 VR6 had a very primitive one which did not do much and it would kick in at random. The car, however, was very good in snow even with the Z-rated SP5000's that I got after I burned through the mediocre Goodyear Eagles that came standard with it.

silvertron

You were right about the power 02 jetta has. I owned Eagle Talon before and it has ~195hp with ~195 lp-ft torques. That car was fast and it costed me couples of speeding tickets So, I know what you are talking about.
I probably can afford the new 1.8T without any options(maybe monsoon), but I would not probably be able to get a sport suspension, 17-inch wheels, leather upholstery, seat heaters and a sunroof. So, I think the 150-HP engine is enough for me and I save some money. With all the goodies, this's like my dream car now
By the way, it looks like your cousin got a very good deal. Good luck to him too. He's lucky because my VW dealer here doesn't want to deal with customer. (What's wrong with them?)