Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

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Comments

  • colorado_kidcolorado_kid Member Posts: 32
    Vocus- You could be right... mine is a 2000 model as well. My wife had a 99 which had the same "heavy" amount of brake dust. I bet VW did change the pads. Thanks!
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    I saw a kid the a few weeks back with an early 90s Miata that sported two huge chrome 18 inch wheels in the back and two scrawny, factory rims on the front. Good grief was that funny.

    I think I only noticed your 17s comment because of the insertion of ghetto into what you wrote. I live in So Cal...the ricing capitol of the world...so when I think of modding I don't think ghetto, I think spoiled teens in lowered civics/neons/accords and sundry other cars built for everything but performance.

    The other day a car full of young guys in a lowered 98 or so Civic (he had blue-tinted wannabe headlamps on in the middle of the day) came up behind me and hung around behind my car for a bit...I'm guessing one of them caught site of my swaybar's tips because they all seemed interested in the back of my car.

    I wasn't going that fast, maybe 75-80. They swung around beside me and that's when my eyes fell on the the biggest, most bling bling shiny wheels I'd seen on any vehicle outside of a Caddy SUV.

    Well he slowly crept past me and that's when I caught sight of his back end. No, the annoyingly loud muffler isn't what drew my eyes. It was the model designation: DX. LOL.

    Several thousand dollars in wheels and tires on a Civic DX. Priorities.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You cannot use that "r" word when referring to souping up cars. It's against TH rules, and seen as a violation of TOS, as well as a racial issue.

    I know, it makes no sense to me either. But that's the rules. :)
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    vocus is right - we don't allow that terminology on this site because of its denigrating ethnic background.

    I'll leave your post for now, but please keep this in mind going forward.

    Thanks.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • sarah233sarah233 Member Posts: 161
    all the modded Civic DX sedans I see everywhere? At least get a coupe! The Civic sedans look SO silly with a spoiler, chrome rims, limo tint, coffee can exhaust, etc. the coupes look silly too, but not as much as a 4-door.
  • AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    I think a lot of these cars are hand-me-downs or perhaps all that mommy and daddy would buy. So instead of saving up for a nice car, they spend their money on $2500 worth of wheels. :P
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    have you seen the "type R" Civic DX's? those are fast!! or the "turbo" bmw's? those must be really fast too....

    i think i am going to apply an "M" sticker to my Jetta....:)
  • sarah233sarah233 Member Posts: 161
    yeah, i guess that's kind of like my little brother who put a "system" in his '88 Chevy Nova a few years ago. you take what you can get.

    i was REALLY mad when he got my mom's '92 Jetta GL. It had a sunroof, plus I loved that body style. i used to beg her to let me drive it when I was in high school (it was new then.) everyone thought it was such a cool car...
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    large chrome wheels, neon (washer nozzles, tire caps, under car, interior, etc.), huge exhaust tip, large rear wing, asian language decals, lowered, TYPE R sticker, type styling. I've seen this styling on Jetta's and every other type of car. What is it called? Any suggestions?
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    We've been *ahem* debating this for some time in another forum..."Supped up" seems to be acceptable, as does "modded." I would think "tricked out" would be fine too.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    How about "modded-up" "souped-up" "overly-modded" "ridiculously-modded" ?? Anything on that order?
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Ok, is it "Souped" or "supped"?? I like "souped" but have seen "supped" so many times, I spelled it that way in my previous post.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    and I too have seen "souped" and "supped" -- to me the latter should be pronounced like "upped" prefaced with an "s" so IMHO, that isn't right.

    But what the heck do I know? ;->
  • AnakinAnakin Member Posts: 410
    I think an acceptable term is "boy-racer"
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    I think "boy-racer" applies to out of the factory by Pontiac a la Grand Prix and Grand Am.

    I think, if we can't use the r word, then it should just be called LAME car. Or, "yes, instead of spending thousands on these mods, I could have bought a GLS Turbo Jetta, so yes, I am stupid" car. HAHA.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    This belief that a word (especially a food product!) is somehow verboten is beyond silly. And one more reason I hated "Fast and the Furious" (beyond the horrible writing, bad dialogue, lackluster acting, dismal action sequences and total leaps in logic). Not once in that 2 hour insult to the silver screen did anybody use any of the "r" terms. That's modifier for the kids who do it. I've lived amongst it for over a decade and that's what everybody calls it.

    Why is it people can say a car is ghetto but not the sticky white stuff commonly attached to the underside of my unagi and ebi?!

    BTW, modded doesn't carry a negative connotation and to be honest, you can't really convey derision without using the dreaded R word.

    Oh well, I have no option but to comply. Newspeak's "forward" progression continues.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated by the Borg...ah crud...no I'm not a Trekkie, folks.

    Pat, I wasn't poking fun at you...seriously...just his comment on having no choice but to comply.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    I understand - and to tell you the truth I've had some complaints about the ghetto references when they came up earlier, and now I've had some more - so let's discontinue that as well. I'm sure you folks can find a way to describe what you are meaning without using terminology that can be taken as derogatory towards any group of people.

    I can see both sides of "is the term 'ghetto' derogatory towards any group of people?" which is why I haven't spoken up about it previously.

    However, it really does upset some folks - and there is no reason we need to do that.

    You might want to look in on the Talk to the Town Hall Hosts for more about this subject.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • njboranjbora Member Posts: 2
    Like Toyota, VW basically makes you buy option packages for the most part.

    The Luxury package, usually includes a sunroof + alloy wheels or monsoon system.
    Leather (package) is stand alone, but requires the luxury package (I believe).
    Cold Weather Package is heated seats and windshield washer nozzles.
    Monsoon stereo tends to be a stand alone option.

    Basically 3 main option packages, then stand alone options.

    The leather package automaticaly comes with the heated seats and you have to have lux packages to get that so thats a sun roof and alloy rims ..I have the sportys lux backage which throws in the 17 and sport suspension and summer tire 225 45 17
  • sarah233sarah233 Member Posts: 161
    has anyone sat on both velour and leather heated seats? (you can get them with velour, right?) which one is better?
  • blackjetta18t1blackjetta18t1 Member Posts: 278
    As for the 15's, I have a loaded 01 GLS 2.0 except for monsoon. I had been researching and yearning for the 1.8T but when it came time to lease the car, my mom did not like the sound of turbo and 17 year old car crazy boy together. But the main reason is I'm in NJ(highest insurance in the country...) and again, a 17 year old male and turbo would drastically alter my insurance rate..so I was not able to get it... :( I like the car but wish I had the turbo...my cousin just got a 2002 loaded GLS 1.8T and sport lux and I love it! To tell you the truth I feel like the ride is better with the sport lux and that may be because my car sounds like its falling apart cause of all the rattles, scraping like sounds from beneath the car, etc etc, it really osunds horrible, my cousins does not sound to bad, but even he had a rattle the first day! I think the 17's are much easier to scrape than the 15's. On the topic of the 2.0, it really isn't that bad in 0-40...I've won my share of little stop light lane merging things....but it is pretty unrefined and letharigc at higher speeds, and rough idle, and burns oil alil.
  • blackjetta18t1blackjetta18t1 Member Posts: 278
    and talk about hooking cars up, I to am in Jersey and my area is one of the most affluent in the country, and my school parking lot consists of Bimmers, Jettas, Audis, MB's, and of course many a Civic, Accord, Jeep, etc. However, this area and all of Jersey is all about the Civic's, Accords, Eclipses, with giant mufflers, fake xenon, lights galore, lowered, huge rims, and these are fairly well to do wannabe thugs...sigh
  • coolwhitecoolwhite Member Posts: 14
    Thanks for posting the neuspeed part # and vwvortex website at #4312.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    today. do i get to consider that my first "mod?" it looks great. i knew it would on silver.

    i actually liked the Fast and the Furious. ;) I felt bad when that dumb kid lost his Jet in the race out in the desert...
  • dkrabdkrab Member Posts: 77
    I've been out of the VW camp since '94, but am thinking of jumping back in. Looking at a 97 Jetta GLX w/auto trans and 53K miles. If I am not mistaken, the VR6, which it has, is standard on this model. Also has sunroof, leather, Bose stereo. This car was well kept, and doesn't even have any door dings on it. What weak points should I be aware of on this car? I haven't driven it yet, but would like a list of potential problems to look for.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    dkrab, check http://www.vwvortex.com for the most useful user info on Mk III Jettas. Lots of owners over there.


    cool, no problem.

  • jbrodgerskyjbrodgersky Member Posts: 1
    I really like my 2001 Jetta 1.8T, but the check engine light comes on once in awhile and the dealership hasn't been able to figure out why. The first time they said there was a bulletin out about the spark plugs, so they replaced them. The second time they scratched their heads and ordered a new computer. Now the light has come on again, 2500 miles into the new computer. The car runs a bit rough sometimes on starting, and that's often when the check engine light comes on. If I run it on the highway for the next few starts, the light usually goes off on some subsequent engine start. Since I'm about to take it in for the fourth time, I'm thinking about starting to make "lemon" noises. Anybody else have a suggestion?
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Quite often a check engine light is related to emissions. Tell them to take a look at all your emissions related equipment - it could be that a simple part's not quite broken but definitely not in good shape. Also make sure you've closed your gas cap...I've read horror stories about VeeDub drivers getting engine problems from having the cap too loose. Weird, eh?

    Odd that your car's computer doesn't pass on a code for that problem when the light's on.
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    [b]njbora[/b[
    Hey,did a cut & paste job with one of my posts? (4313 of 4383 Option packages by 8u6hfd Apr 05, 2002 (04:18 am))

    [b]sarah233[/b]
    TO answer your question, I feel that heated seats with leather is better. I have heated with the velour. It's nice, but the velour is a lint magnet.

    [b]brake dust[/b]
    I believe VW uses a very soft brake pad compound, which reduces noise, and wears faster. But I always wondered why more dust on the rear wheels than fronts, since the fronts do most of the work anyway.

    Toyota uses a soft pad as well, for noise reduction (brake pad life tends to be around 20,000 miles)

    [b]VW TSB on cold weather[/b]
    I know VW issued a TSB on cold weather & fuel for the TDI's, but I haven't seen one yet for gasoline. For the TDI, it was a diesel gelling concern where they recommended using an additive.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    on my 99 VR6, the engine light would come on if i ran the car out of gas, of if the gas cap was not put on just right. i learned to give the car gas when the engine light came on, and to tighten the gas cap :) no probs in 6500 miles in my 02 turbo so far.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I have never had any problems with my Jetta yet, but rattles (and a blown radio fuse). I have almost 13K miles since 11/3/01. I always, always make sure to click the gas cap at least 3 times (what the owner's manual says) when I install it from filling up. It's never a problem, because I don't let anyone else drive or fuel my car but me. No problems yet with anything but rattles, like I said.

    And if the customer service level at Mazda would have been up to the speed of the treatment I have gotten at VW, maybe it would have been harder to trade the Protege for the Jetta.
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    Leather does not require the luxury package. Verified this in person as I saw a Jetta Sedan and Jetta Wagon both GLS trim with leather and no sunroof. So you can get the one without the other, at least you can on the 2002's.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    you always could. some people like leather and hubcaps i guess :)
  • xudxud Member Posts: 32
    Does anyone have any problem with the radio in the Jetta?

    The AM/FM radio in my 2002 Jetta behaves funny with a BAD resolution: it only scans frequencies with an odd decimal digit, for example, it scans only 96.1, 93.3, 96.5...,etc, but it does not scan 96.2, 96.4, 96.6 etc. The resolution is also bad because it occasionally receives two signals from two stations (a strong one, plus a weak one with intermittent noises). I am disappointed that the radio is worse (in terms of sensitivity and resolution) than that in my 89 Jetta.

    The speakers in the 2002 Jetta are great, but with a poor radio they are wasted.
    Anyone has any idea? Is there a way to improve it? Thanks.
  • vwguildvwguild Member Posts: 1,620
    Frequencies only run on odd numbers...1,3,5,7,9
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    The frequencies I get in my head come on even numbers and all days ending with an E or a Y. :P
  • xudxud Member Posts: 32
    Does anyone have any problem with the radio in the Jetta?

    The AM/FM radio in my 2002 Jetta behaves funny with a BAD resolution: it only scans frequencies with an odd decimal digit, for example, it scans only 96.1, 93.3, 96.5...,etc, but it does not scan 96.2, 96.4, 96.6 etc. The resolution is also bad because it occasionally receives two signals from two stations (a strong one, plus a weak one with intermittent noises). I am disappointed that the radio is worse (in terms of sensitivity and resolution) than that in my 89 Jetta.

    The speakers in the 2002 Jetta are great, but with a poor radio they are wasted.
    Anyone has any idea? Is there a way to improve it? Thanks.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    today at lunch i THINK i saw two new Jettas. Both silver - both with new wheel designs. actually, they look like wheels i saw in the VW mag that were meant for the Passat as an option. maybe 7 or 8 spoke.....
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Mine is just fine in my 02 Golf. Radio stations come in odd digits anyway
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I notice radio reception is poor sometimes in my Momsoon-equipped 2002 Jetta. Actually, it's a little tiny bit worse than the reception in my Mazda in the same areas. I don't get it.

    Justin: The "new" wheels that were on the Jetta GLI are the ones that are on the GTIs now. The silver 6-spoke ones. They look nothing like the Passat wheels.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    Dealers in this area are installing or offering a different set of wheels. these are NOT silver - they are white/gray like mine, except they are bigger, and more like 7 or 8 spoke. look really nice.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    i went online, none of the wheels on VW.com for Jettas match what i saw. they look very much like the "largo" wheel for the Passat. wouldn't surprise me if one of the dealers around here are putting nice wheels on the GL's and charing 5k extra....;) they look good though.
  • mewill72mewill72 Member Posts: 1
    My 2002 Jetta makes a "whining" noise when I make either a left or a right turn. It is almost like my power steering fluid is low, but it is not. I took it back to the dealership and they said they all do that? Anyone have the same experience?
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    Yep, I have a 2002 Jetta with the whine and I have a 2001 Golf without the whine. Not concerned about it.
  • vwguildvwguild Member Posts: 1,620
    Hook yourself up with XM...It is awesome!!!
  • babyjettabluebabyjettablue Member Posts: 2
    I got my Jetta 1.8T two weeks ago. And I also got the check engine light on. Send it for service, first they said it is the gas tank cap, I clicked several times and it is still on. bring in the second time, this time they figured out it is the malfunction of a purge valve ( don't understand what is this) and replace it. It is all right now, or I hope.
  • babyjettabluebabyjettablue Member Posts: 2
    This is my first new car. and I think I am gonna baby it. LOl. What kind of car wax do you guys use for galactic blue car? Just want my looks better.
  • msealsmseals Member Posts: 257
    Hey guys, I just got back from my test drive of the Jetta. It was a black 1.8t GLS with the sport luxury pkg and monsoon, just how I wanted it. I just didn't want the color. It was a very plush ride compaired to my Civic. But I think my Civic is still a little faster. It is weird, the Jetta seemed to be able to shoot out of the whole anytime I stepped on the gas. There is definitely a lot less shifting than with my Civic. Here is how I broke things down.

    Civic Si 2000
    Pros:
    great acceleration from stop 0-60 7.2
    good brakes
    good tires (not stock)
    very agile and flat in corners
    solid build even over bumps no rattles
    extremely reliable

    Cons:
    crappy quiet radio
    weak window regulators (i.e. slow)
    lots of road noise (not as much with new tires)
    bumpy ride on bad roads
    not happy with dealers trying to rob me!!!

    Jetta 2002 GLS 1.8t
    Pros:
    looks more grown up (I love the look)
    incredible interior
    quiet ride
    smooth handling w/sport pkg
    very solid feel
    fast but not quick 0-60 7.4
    appears to have solid build

    Cons:
    a bit on the heavy side
    wallows with sharp transitions (needs rear sway)
    decent gas mileage
    cramped back seat (I have two kids 9&11)

    Any comments that I missed please fill me in. Oh, by the way, my car is not souped up. I don't even have a spoiler on it and it is black. I don't like to draw attention from the cops.
  • sarah233sarah233 Member Posts: 161
    i went from a 99 civic ex (sedan) to a 1.8t, and hands down i prefer the jetta. i don't know how a civic si compares to a jetta, but i do know that i much prefer the jetta to my civic sedan. i think what i like best is that it feels much more solid, which it should because it's a more expensive car. i was ready to trade up from the civic, so if you feel the same way i'd go for the jetta.
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