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The parts are the same and don't really care where they are put together. I don't believe there is any evidence that VW assembled in Mexico are any less reliable than those assembled in Germany.
Hey denver; the wolfsburg edition is awesome! The leatherette is nice, but remember the jetta also weighs more than the rabbit, so it may feel a bit more of a porker, and the seats in the four door bunny are heated too!
As far as feeling just as happy with it goes, i love the fact that i can pretty much guarantee i wont see a rabbit for miles anywhere i go. Jettas are a bit more common, (not 2.0t's or gli's just mostly 2.5's), but then again not as much as like, a civic, accord, corolla or the like. I like knowing not to many other people have my car. Hope
this helps!
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Nevertheless, I am going with the Rabbit. Aren't you all relieved! Now, I have to sell my car first. I'm looking at posting an ad online...is Autotrader.com the best? Any other ideas? I sold my 99 Passat in short order in the Denver Post both in print and online. But, times may have changed...where do you shop for used cars these days?
Also, have you seen many Sage Green Rabbits? They are VERY rare here. In fact, one dealer had a two door green one that was earmarked for the Denver Auto Show in a couple weeks. It is a sharp color and comes with the darker grey interior. So, of course, that's the color I want. Will I find it easily? I may have to be patient. I don't know if dealers transfer these all over the country, or if I may need to order it and wait. I'm not even sure they will special order them.
Thanks for your input...
Volkswagen and its subsidiaries have plants and parts suppliers all over the world.
Agreed. I have a 1997 Jetta Trek (209,000 miles) and a 2003 Wolfsburg Jetta (90,000 miles), and both have been relatively trouble free.
Can't hurt to try craigslist.org for your area, since it is free. I had a good level of responses, sold a junker on there for $400. Every time I updated the ad, I had calls within about 1/2 hour. I also had 2-3 people inquire just based on a sign on the car and it was parked in driveway on a low traffic residential street and not being driven anywhere.
Well den, it seems that i see very few rabbits in general! The only sage greens i've ever seen was at a dealer, and it was a four door, and recently in charlotte, close to where i get my haircut. I've never seen a 2 door. I like the clean look of the 4 doors, i know its very european to have them, but i'll be ordering the body colored ones soon.(i've got a whole list of upgrades i'm givin her!)
thanks..
now I am going to the dealer who have agreed to look at it. I just hope they can figure out the issue...
The body colored things i was reffering to are the panels on the sides and on the front of the rabbit; on the four door they are all the same color as the rest of the car (body colored) but on the 2 door they are black rubber strips. This give it a more 'european look' but i prefer the body colored ones. I'm actually going to get them ordered of the 2 door gti. I've seen a few pics of rabbits with the body colored moldings and they look sharp. The only good thing about them is that if they get dinged; they are just rubber so no biggie. but its a sacrifice i'm willing to make.
Congrats on the car and let us know how everything goes!
I can't wait to get the Rabbit! I do have a general question: How should I service it? I've been telling everyone that I AM NOT GOING TO TREAT IT LIKE A JAPANESE CAR! By that, I mean, I'm going to service it exactly as prescribed and only by Volkswagon dealers. Somehow, I'm not sure they are as forgiving as Toyota. But, I could be wrong too. Did I tell you that some moron who was changing the oil on the 99 Passat pulled the tranny plug by accident? That was a $500 mistake that they had to pay for since only VW could refill and pressurize that system (or whatever they had to do). I changed the oil every 5K on the Camry...I may not go that long on the Rabbit. But, then I did hear they come with synthetic oil and those last longer.
So, please share with me your thoughts on "Maintaining A New Rabbit 101". How would you treat her (or do you think of your Rabbit as a more masculine vehicle?) LOL
Thank you!
link title
Change the oil at 5k miles, 10k miles, and then every 10k miles after that, ONLY using a full-synthetic oil meeting the required specification. If you use the right oil, there is no need to change it more frequently.
There is no need to have routine maintenance performed at a VW dealership. You can do it yourself, or have it done at an independent shop that specializes in VWs. All you need to do is be able to prove that service was performed -- so keep receipts for oil showing that you used the right stuff, etc.
Dealerships are the weakest link in the ownership process. It is my recommendation that you only use them for warranty repairs, if at all possible. When my Golf was new, I paid over $350 for the 20k-mile service, then discovered I could have replaced the oil and all the filters, rotated the tires, and checked everything that needed to be checked for about $100. When I do the work myself, I know exactly what is done. And it has helped me to learn more about my VW -- I like not being at the mercy of any service advisor, no matter how good he might be.
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Is the sole determining factor for oil changes simply the number of miles driven? Is there anything regarding the length of time between oil changes?
Myself, I've had to put my Rabbit into storage for the next year (as I've headed over to South Korea)... and was wondering about the year interval between oil changes.
the wiper issues i had were something that i wasn't even aware of or noticed; after my first 5k service, my dealers pointed out a under-warranty fix on my invoice that they did for the wipers; apparently they were going to far up every time they wiped. They adjusted it free of charge, so it was no biggie. It had been raining here in nc A LOT and i do mostly freeway driving, so you can imagine how long i had them on the fastest setting!
About the wipers not being able to be lifted up; you actually can do it. There is a hinge on them that allows them to be lifted up, so that they are no longer being blocked by the hood, and then out like you would any other wiper blade. I was scared to do it at first, but when you get yours, try it and it will be fine!
Man that passat blunder sounds awful! Thats what sucks about vw's; the one place you think you can go to for service and they are the ones who screw up! I've never had any problems with the dealer i've taken my bunny to, its just costly, but they do everything that the link titled jbaustian gave you says to do.
Like the others have said, service it initially at 5k and then 10k and then 10k intervals after that. I agree with jb about finding someone who specializes in vw's as opposed to a dealer, simply for cost reasons. My first service after tax and labor was just under 70bucks which isn't bad. But after my 10k serivce, the total bill was 143! The 20k will be about the same. I called some other vw dealers to find out if maybe they were over charging me, since the first service guy who helped me out told me that my 10k will only be 'a little more' than my 5k. All the other dealers quoted me the same price for different service intervals.
My dealer is charging a bit extra for the 40k service; the others i called were offering it for about 20-40 bucks cheaper. There is not a lot of vw dealer competition where i live though; the one i go to is 45 minutes away south of me and the other is about 50 minutes north of me. Oh, and this so called 'big' service was quoted from both dealers for over 500 bucks! :sick:
Paying around 140 for me doesn't seems so bad; if you figure that a japanese car needs to be serviced every 5 k and that they charge you about 50-70 bucks a pop, it ends up being a wash. But 500 really scares me! Thats no small amount of money! I called around and found a guy who specializes in german cars and vw's in particular, (like jb said) and he told me that all my service intervals would be less than 100 bucks with him. He says he works on a few 2006 jettas, which is essentially our car, at least from a mechanical viewpoint, and he had all the parts in stock necessary.
Some people need the dealer as a cushion to feel ok about the car, but i'm going to try this guy out, he came highly recommended and as long as he does everything he needs to, i'll be good.
Don't stress it though, i'd suggest maybe taking it to the dealer the first or first couple of times just to makes sure that everything gets done right the first time.
I try to be very on top of the serivce, the 10k service i had done was actually done at 10200, so i went a little over, but it was no biggie.
How would you treat her (or do you think of your Rabbit as a more masculine vehicle?) LOL
its funny you mention it, i've actually named all the cars i've ever owned! I've always referred to them as 'she' since i'd rather not drive a boy.
Those new side moldings will look nice....and you'll have a unique car, Eldaino
thats what i'm hoping for! Thanks! Cant wait till you get your bunny!
I know just the German car specialist to take my car to, but at first I'll use the dealer until I'm ready to save some money. It's nice to know that I'll be able to go 10K between oil after the first two changes.
As for naming the car, I guess I'm the type that wouldn't mind driving a boy (over 18, of course) but I'll opt for a shim name like Pat. LOL
Speaking of unusual features, does this "Gorilla Gear" really work? It's a set of velcro blocks that keep things from sliding around the cargo area. Looks interesting, but I'm not sure how practical or effective it is.
Friday or Monday...can't wait!
:P
But just barely...
i really like the gorilla gear thingys. I don't think they are velcro though, the topmost material on the trunk mat you have to buy for them to work is different.
I'll probably get some soon, i need a trunk mat. I've already had an accident with the pup back there. :sick: a few blankets wont cut it!
Cant wait for friday/monday!
Den what color did you end up getting again? Its a 4 door right?
Still waiting on the monster mats. I wanted the carpet ones but, well...see above puppy reference.
I cleaned the trunk and dry it. I was happy for two days there was no water in my trunk. Last night rained outside. I the morning I opened the trunk, got the cover out I saw the spare tire floating on water.
I called the dealer who sold me the car, and they said “that’s impossible”.
I am sure dear dealer that’s possible it happens to me on a two weeks old 07 rabbit!
Anyone else got this problem?! Did they manage to fix it somehow?!
Or make sure that no one in your household hates the rabbit and videotape your car at night to see if they are dumping water in it. :confuse:
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I learned something interesting...when you see that the dealer has added on 16" alloy wheels to the car, for say, $400, they are most likely off the Jettas when someone orders Jetta 17" wheels. They put em on the Bunnies and it's then likely all extra profit. That's why that $400 looks so attractive. When I got out of the city, the dealers get more honest and actually threw them in for free. That was a great gesture to get my business, not to mention ACTUAL COST on bra and tint which is less than $300. And so if the local dealer is reading this and has figured out who I am, I apologize for not giving you an extra chance to bid but the numbers overall with accessories would have been so far off the mark that, in my opinion, it wasn't even worth your time to put pen to paper. They will get paid by VW to service the car and I'm happy to give you my business for that.
If my spare wheel well fills up with water, I won't be too happy. But, if no one else has heard of this issue, it must be a freak situation. These things we can't control, and I'm sure it will be fixed. Let us know how it goes!
And, as for the gorilla blocks Eldaino, I looked closer and it is sort of like velcro. The cargo mat is like the fuzzy male part of velcro, and the blocks have one edge with the female part (here we go with that male/female, yin/yang thing again!
As far as the carpet mats go, ours didn't come with any, and the only 2 kinds that vw driver gear lists or shows as accessories are the monster mats witht the rabbit logo, and the carpet floor mats with the rabbit logo. Maybe the dealer threw in some generic ones that are custom fit to the wells? i only ask because sometimes dealers throw in chessy ones to hold you in the meantime. My dealer didn't, so i had to buy some aftermarket ones that don't fit at all, but at least my original carpet is not mixed up.
Having said that my monster mats got here today! I"m going to pick em up at lunch.
when you see that the dealer has added on 16" alloy wheels to the car, for say, $400, they are most likely off the Jettas when someone orders Jetta 17" wheels. They put em on the Bunnies and it's then likely all extra profit. That's why that $400 looks so attractive. When I got out of the city, the dealers get more honest and actually threw them in for free.
hmmm.. i dunno about that den. My bunny came with 16's and it was a 400 dollar charge, if your dealer threw it in free thats awesome. But the 16's on the rabbit are different than the ones on the jetta, unless this dealer is doing what you proposed. Maybe you can post a pic of your alloys, so i can confirm if they are swapped jetta wheels, or if the dealer is just telling you that.
Very happy for you! And thanks for the info on the gorilla gear!
I know which 16" alloys come with the bunny from the factory. But, this car came with steel wheels so they took the Jetta ones, I'm sure. They are 5 double spoke wheels...exactly like the 17 inch wheels package (that is over 1K) that you can order for the Rabbit. So, it will look like I really splurged, but they won't have quite that low-profile tire look that you get with the bigger wheel. I wouldn't want those tires in Denver in the winter anyway...16 is as big as I'd go to get better traction. Still waiting to hear from the dealer that he/she's in!
Yeah it looks like they do sound like the stock vw jetta rims, they should give em to ya free!
Ive seen a few guys of vw vortex with rabbits and jetta rims; although its not the same EXACT design like the vision v's in the 17 diameter you are describing, they still look very classy!
I agree.... get to the dealer ASAP...
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At least it stopped raining outside.
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Speaking of wheels, I remember the 99 Passat ALWAYS had dirty alloys because VW uses some sort of "carbon" brake pad. Is this still the case and are they really that much better in performance? I remember how frustrating it was to keep those wheels looking good. If it is still an issue, how do you keep them looking nice?
Also, are these Continental tires any good? I have no experience with how long they will last, etc.
Thanks, all!
The OE brake pads on my '03 were very clean. I am still trying to find an aftermarket pad that is equally dust-free.
The OE brake pads on my '03 were very clean. I am still trying to find an aftermarket pad that is equally dust-free.
Yeah i think they will look great! Plus you wont have to worry about too many other rabbits having that wheel style! If you go to vw vortex, you can see pictures of other rabbit owners' cars. I've seen one other rabbit, a black one, that had the jetta wheels; it looked very sharp.
I'm hoping to either get the 17inch goals or vision v's.
Or maybe even the 18 inch karthoums with some high perf. all seasons.
My wheels are just as easy to keep clean as the next car, i don't think that they are doing that anymore with the break pads..
I was skeptical of the conti's, i'm a bridgestone/khumo/bfgoodrich guy; but they are very nice. I went to the tirerack and they are rated much better than any michelin mx energy tire on that site. But since i want a bit more handling out of my rabbit, my next tires will probably be some high perf all season kuhmos or goodrich's. .
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I saw a four door today, it was green, on my way to work and it reminded me to check the forums to see how your rabbit delivery went.
Give us a nice post about all your thoughts on her/him
Congrats!
I took the car to the dealer Friday, after 3 hours they said the leak was fixed.
Today (Monday) in the morning I checked the trunk and there was water so I took the car back to the dealer. They gave me a rental, and told me that my car will be ready in the evening.
Now they called me and the guy from the service said will take about a week to fix the leak because it is a problem from the factory. There are missing some sealers in the back at the trunk?!
My question now is, if somebody can answer me, because they sold me a broken car, there is something missing in the back that should seal the trunk,
I don’t know, shouldn't’t they replace my car with a new one!?
I can not understand, these dealers are selling broken cars as new, and then they try to fix them under warranty!?!?!