Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

Kirstie_H

teo, last warning. Opposite views, welcome. Unproductive wind-ups that contribute nothing to the topic of conversation, unwelcome. Very simple.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

teo

Bye, Bye.

soupnazi

I have a 2000 Jetta GLX, VR6, 5-speed. This problem is not exclusive to the automatic. The same thing happened with mine though it was only right after I started the car when it was cold. Accelerator input gave no difference. My theory is that it's fuel related. In my situation, I changed the fuel filter and haven't seen it again in over 30,000 miles. You could have something bigger on your hands, but this is an easy and fairly quick fix if it is your problem. There's my 2 cents.

Kirstie_H

I've had a slight problem with that as well, 2000 VR6 Auto. I just had my fuel filter changed yesterday at 30K miles (along with the rear brake pads), so we'll see if that makes a difference for me. Also, I think they recommend premium fuel, so if you're not using it, that may make difference.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

frogolio

2000 Jetta GLS, 1.8T, Automatic. The thought that the "lurching" may be caused by a faulty fuel filter is unnerving.

Earlier I had asked about changing the fuel fitler.

>>In short, does anyone have any advice on how to bleed the pressure in the fuel lines before removing the filter?

Thanks in advance.

justin

It could be a fuel issue. Also, you should note that the Jetta seems to be prone to front end dive, and the opposite of dive as well. Meaning, the front end goes down when you brake hard, and if you accelerate even a bit abruptly, the front of the car does go up as the car moved forward. Some suspect that VW set the springs and programmed the transmission/engines that way to give the "feeling" that you are in a faster car. Like, step on the gas a little bit, and the nose pops up, and "wow - this car is REALLY fast!". Though, to me, the best way to tell is to be driving like 35 mph, and just press the gas. See what happens. In my VR6 automatic, and especially my new turbo automatic, the car MOVES. Your neck snaps almost When I test drove the 5 speed VR6, it was almost impossible to get a smooth start in the car. I really do think it might be a VW thing.....not a good thing....but a common thing maybe.

lajetta

Hello!
I have a 2000 VW GLS Jetta (auto, non-turbo). I saw on earlier boards that there has been some discussion about VWs (high ?) oil consumption - didn't know about this until this week when it happened to me. Car bought May 2000. Only 14,932 miles (in Los Angeles no less). Had both 5,000 and 10,000 mile checkup. No problems that I knew of.

On 1/22/02, Flasher and turn signals froze, then started to work again after 2 miles. 1 mile later ENGINE OIL PRESSURE light goes on. VW service closed, told to check oil next day. There is NO oil reading on the dipstick. Have car towed into VW. Today service dept. says yes, your car had no oil, needs a change. They say my last change was at 9,550 miles and that now at 14,932, I am 382 miles over the 5,000 mile change.(even though I am 68 miles short of 15,000).

This seems like crap advice, because my owners manual says to service the oil change at 5,000, 10,000 and then 20,000. VW will not cover the 15,000 change and I get to pay 40- for it.

I received a letter from VW 3 mos ago saying that a 15,000 change is "highly recommended" but optional.

Any updates from earlier discussions? Should I sell it before the 2 year warranty is up? Should I just keep adding oil like crazy?
They say it will normally burn oil at a quart of oil per 1000 miles, but from earlier discussions (ending March 2001) here in Town Hall, this seems like a VW problem - not normal. I was so happy with the Jetta that my husband and I bought a 2002 New Beetle in December.

Thank you for any advice you can offer.

1081042

I pull the fuse that controls the fuel pump then I start the car and it runs out of fuel. Then the fuel line is depressurized and I replace the thing. Then reverse the procedure. In fact, I ned to do that tomorrow. 94 Jetta at 210,000 miles and counting.

justin

It does seem like the 2.0 engine has oil issues. There are a lot of complaints regarding oil usage. Of course, their are others that have never had a single issue with the 2.0 engine. That engine is old technology. I would say that if there is no actual leak, then the car is fine. Just check the oil.

Mr_Shiftright

Lajetta--I'll give you one word of advice that I hope you will take in the helpful spirit it is offered.

If you end up towing your VW to the dealer with a frozen or damaged engine and there is NO oil in it, you are going to pay the bill, not VW. You have got to come up with a system for checking your engine oil more frequently, and you also need to come up with a good way of recording the EXACT oil consumption level. Once you know what it is burning, you can have that recorded on a VW repair order, along the lines of "owner says engine burning quart every 1,000 miles--owner has checked this repeatedly".

That way, if a warranty or even post warranty issue comes up, you are covered. But with no oil in the engine, you are asking for trouble in making a warranty claim. As the owner, you are obligated to check the oil and keep it full, especially if there is no massive oil leak to point to as an excuse for engine failure.

dheuer

Hi. I am a 1st time Jetta owner. I love my car. I am new to the boards and have enjoyed reading thru some of the posts here and on the VW Jetta board.

I thought this would be the best place to bring up my topic. I have replaced the 2 rear window regulators on my car. I was told by the dealer that these regulators are typically used by VW, Lexus, Audi, Saab etc. and that they are known to fail.

Is this true? If so, has anyone heard of any plans to re-design the regulator?

justin

regulators are used by Audi most likely. You will notice that the newer Jetta's don't really have the window problems. The pre-99 Jettas were KNOWN for that problem. I don't know about Saab or Lexus. That is all Lexus needs is to have bad window motors too....I have not heard anything.

dheuer

Thanks for the good news on the newer Jetta's windows. I really love this car and when I am ready for a new car, it will be a Jetta. I was at the Car Show last weekend and the new GLX was a beaut! -D

frogolio

Thanks fo the tip 1081042!

vw7

I just brought my new jetta gls 2002 home and the interior lights are stuck on!!!!!

justin

that you lock the car and the alarm comes on. that kills the lights UNLESS you have the rear lights switched to ON instead of DOOR or OFF. Same for the front map lights. Their are three settings. ON will leave them ON no matter what. I use the DOOR OPEN setting. Then, when I turn on the alarm, all lights are killed.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

ritac2

I bought my Jetta in September 2000. It is a 2001 GLS. On Friday January 25, 2002, I found out that my car burns 1 quart of oil every 1,000 miles. I just found this out after 24,500 miles of driving it. I wonder if my engine is going to shut down any day. The dealer says it is normal. Also, I found thousands of complaints on the consumeraffairs.com website. I plan on trading in my car and buying something other than a Volkswagen. VW should have a huge warning announcing this "problem" before people buy the car...

Good Luck!

suzanator

Hi Everyone.
I have a 2001 GLS VR6. It's been fantastic to me until 2 days ago. It appears that I burned our a brake light. No big deal EXCEPT that I no longer have turn signals. Well, occasionally I have a blink or two. They are erratic, inconsistent, and intermittent to say the least. Now I really hate the idea of taking the car to the dealer for a bulb (which I can certainly do myself) but I'm concerned about an electrical or multi switch problem. Has anyone experienced anything like this? It really seems stupid to me that VW would intentionally the system this way since it creates a driving hazard when you burn out a bulb.

Thanks in advance for your information and time.
Su

justin

Replace the brake light on your own first, and see what happens. I am no electrical engineer, but if the brake light works when you replace the bulb, it seems like the turn signal must be a different problem. I know when turn signals act up, it is sometimes because an outside turn signal bulb is out too....or it could be something as simple as a fuse.

Or, it could be the beginning of the end. Get it checked out Good luck! But seriously, replace the brake light on your own first, and go from there.

suzanator

Thanks. Actually I am an electrical engineer. )

I do want to change the bulb myself just to check. But I don't want it to mask the problem. The manual states the same thing as many other cars. When a turn signal bulb goes out, the signal flashes quickly. It doesn't mention anything about the brake lights, and after closer inspection, it looks like both sides have a failure. I never paid enough attention to the nominal status of the lights, so let me ask you. When you have your driving lights on, are both the upper and lower lens (above and below the turn signal) illuminated? Or is that just when you brake?

It's not a fuse or I would have lost all of the brake lights. Generally those systems are tied together and protected by the same fuse. But it could be that the switch is going. Otherwise, maybe some crazy electrical pulse went through and zapped the circuit. I'm thinking that there might be more than what meets the eye. I've work extensively on cars and bought this guy as a way to not have to work on every car I own.

Thanks again,
Su

justin

When your lights are on, but you are not braking, only one lense is lit up. When braking, the other lense lights up as well as the third brake light in the back window.

And when no lights are on, just the daytime running lights up front, the turn signal/combo parking lights do NOT light up. Only the actual headlamp. Flipping the light switch to on turn on the yellow combo lights up front, all the red lights in back.

ntreb

My passenger side rear window has stopped working. I suspect the motor has gone bad. I can get at the plastic connector on the wiring harness inside the door. Does anyone know what I need to do to check to see if the motor has really gone bad and its not an electrical problem elsewhere?

suzanator

That's just what I was wondering.
Something happened where both my lower brake lights do not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed. But when the lights are on, the are illuminated.

So either I had one bulb go which could have caused a surge blowing the second or something else sent a surge which caused them both to go. Either way, that doesn't explain the blinker behavior. But as least it's problem solving progress.

)

suzanator

You can use a multimeter in the connector to see if you are getting voltage to the unit. Just connect the meter leads across the pins, turn the car on, and depress the switch. If you get voltage (it doesn't matter if it's positive or negative), you are clear up to that point. All indications are a problem with the motor.

ntreb

I'll give it a try.

vtrip7

MY 02 GLS HAS ONLY 600 MILES ON IT, AND IT ALREADY HAS A RATTLE IN THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER FRONT DOORS. DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE DOOR RATTLES, IF SO DID THE DEALER REMEDY THE PROBLEM?....ALSO THERE IS A DISTINCT "HUM" OR "RUBBING" NOSIE WHEN I TURN THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT FULLY, AT VERY LOW SPEEDS...ANY ADVICE WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.

alcan

Doesn't your scenario re a burned out bulb resulting in faster flasher operation defy Ohm's law?

suzanator

No. Having a burned out bulb resulting in a faster flashing rate does not violate Ohms Law. Ohms Law does not relate to time. The flashing portion of your blinker in controlled by a timer circuit in the computer. It it set so that when it sees a voltage different from the nominal (as a result of the loss of resistance from the burned out bulb -- this is Ohms Law), it sets the rate of flash quicker. It's a design feature to allow you to know you have a burned out bulb.

Such a feature is listed in your owners manual.

And just for forum info, I did not have a burned out brake light at all. I have electrical problems which caused the loss of both the blinker and hazard functions. The cause is unknown at this time.

Su

yupoldbull

Hello Mr. Downshift.....as you know, I am no stranger to this forum. I sued them and won under the lemon law (Sept 01) and had them put new rings in my 2000 Jetta (n/c). They bumped and stalled me, (dealer and VWOA), when the car had 10,000 miles on it. I quickly got a lawyer and filed under the lemon law and beat them. Lawyer got $2M from them and I got nearly twice that. They were nice enought to put new rings in my car last month at 42,000 miles.

Here is the answer guys.....

No, it is not normal for the VW engine to burn oil. They tried to reduce engine noise by putting in thicker rings. This reduced the noise, but the wider rings don't scrape the oil off the cylinder walls,(on the down stroke), as well as the thin rings.....It was a poor trade off.

That is the answer....the thick rings don't squeegy the oil off the walls as well as the thin rings. Makes sense to me.

I have a warning for any challengers to this theory...Unless you have spent 2 years dealing with lawyers, going to arbitration court, winning in court, placing 12 calls to VWOA, 10 trips to 2 different VW dealerships in different states, having the rings replaced in your Jetta engine, dealing with 3 service managers and 2 different VWOA Rep's., numerous letters and grief.....I would sit back and just smile at all of this.

Oh yeah....not that this means anything, but for you gearheads....Dr. Harry Andress, patent holder for Mobil 1, was my next door neighbor for 30 years in NJ. Wanna talk theories on oil? Let's all sit back and just smile....Yup YupOldBull

alcan

Oops, I was thinking of earlier mechanical flashers which use current flow through the flasher's bi-metallic strip to heat and arch it, breaking and making continuity to the signal bulbs. With those systems, a burned bulb reduces current and the heating rate of the strip. The signals then flash slowly or not at all. Gotta love new technology.

jabilda

I think Mobil1 was developed in/ near a refinery in S. Jersey - town begins with a "P." Is this where you're talking?

If so, I'm in the midst of a purchase of a VW Jetta wagon w/ diesel. I'd like to know the name of the dealer to gauge trust.

In any event, would love to know your opinion on Mobil1 for the diesel. From what I've heard, Mobil 1 is the best syn. oil around. I'm using it in all of my vehicles with no problems and longevity (about to trade in a Quad - 4 Pontiac w/ 144K on it).

Thanks!

Mr_Shiftright

So how much oil burning is "normal" for a VW Jetta, or for any car, then, do you think?

Engines have to use some oil, especially if driven hard. Racing engines use plenty, for instance.

I think that using a quart between changes for instance is a perfectly acceptable manufacturing parameter.

Do you agree or ???

blackjetta18t1

does $2M mean 2 million....,?

8u6hfd

There is a Mobil 1 made specifically for diesel engines. It's called Delvac1, it is available in the 5w40 multi-weight.

I highly suggest visiting www.tdiclub.com for more info. It should answer many of your questions.

VW TSB on oil consumption: http://www.springbreakdaytonabeach.com/vwtech/www.vwwebsource.com/vwtechcontent/vwpdf/v170101.pdf

yupoldbull

Here we go again Mr. Shiftright....

You say that burning oil is normal, and I say it isn't. Your going to point out that some new car spec's might say that burning a quart in 1,500 or 2,000 miles is normal. I say it isn't.

Here is the answer again.....I sat with VWOA and now understand why some of the Jetta engines burn oil.

No, it wasn't because they were built in Mexico and someone got confused, and inverted the rings on installation.

No, it isn't going to happen on earlier engines.

No, it isn't going to happen on later engines.

Yes, it does happen on the engines that had the thicker rings to reduce engine knock.

Yes, they were built in Mexico

Yes, VW stopped using these rings.

No, the condition won't get better as the engine wears-in. Not sure if it will get worse....my guess is...yes it will.

You can't go by the book all the time. For instance, at one time GM had a 90 day warranty on new car paint. You mean to tell me that a new GM paint job will only last 90 days....not hardly. The spec's are written to protect the MFG....They write them! Wouldn't you do the same!

Pls. don't keep quoting that it is within the MFG. spec's to burn a quart of oil every 1,500 miles. Your are hiding behind skirts! I don't hide behind skirts....remember, I am the quiet
guy who watched this column for 2 years,(even before you arrived), while fighting a 2 year legal battle with VWOA, sued them, and won.

Now I talk.

There are over 1,500 comments here....most negative. How come?

I hope a contractor fixes your roof, and says that a quart of water dripping through your kitchen ceiling, is well within the Johns Manville specs. Be sure to follow the spec's....they recommend to dump the bucket every 4 days.

I am a preventive maintenance type....I found my problem with the Jetta engine at 3k, and watched it all the way through 42K. I kept a log and know the details exactly. I feel sorry for those that never checked, or buy one of these used, from a person that ran it dry. It is easy to do.

I bought each of my sons a new car....the 20 yr. old wanted a VW Jetta and the 22 yr. old wanted a Honda Prelude. The Prelude is fine.

Thanks to those of you that have written me for additional details. Pls. ref. the following in the archives:
#53 of 67 2000 VW Jetta Oil Burning....I sued them and won. by yupoldbull Nov 16, 2001 (11:18 am)

$2m is $2,000

You are correct "jabilda". Dr. Harry Andress worked at the Paulsboro, NJ Refinery for over 50 years. At one time, he was one of 7 senior research scientists, and he personally held 115 patents, including the one for Mobil 1. He was also a good neighbor.

Thanks Yup YupOldBull

flaca

which cars has this inverted ring? I have a 2001 Jetta GLS 2.0L. and I am curious to see if I am affected by this. Thanks for being informative and showing us that a problem like this exsists. I which someone like you could find out Toyota's problem about some of their cars blowing white smoke and sludging engines.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't think you got my point in asking the question.

At what point is oil burning "abnormal", is what I was driving at.

If you insist that ANY oil burning is abnormal, I must respectfully disagree.

I think some oil burning between changes is perfectly okay and nothing to worry about.

How much oil burning? I'd say anything up to a quart between changes would be fine.

Another problem here is that most people don't know exactly how much oil their engine is suing. They read comments like "any oil burning is bad" and their imaginations run wild with dread.

What I'd like to go on record as saying about this is:

IF
your car is burning oil between changes, and

IF
you have carefully tested this over the course of a few thousand miles and

IF

you have determined that the consumption approaches 1,ooo-1,500 miles per quart

THEN

this is probably not normal for a new car with under 50K-60K miles

BUT

an engine can burn a quart every 1,000 miles or less and run FOREVER.

AND
older engines with 60K++ miles might start using oil as they age.

So the oil burning may not be "normal" and you may want it fixed under warranty but it doesn't mean your car is going to blow up if perchance you don't get a warranty or post warranty adjustment.

Phew! I hope that clears up something. Thanks for listening.

justin

All automobile engines consume oil. All of them. Some more than others. Saying a car "burns" oil seems really negative. I think that if you car is not LEAKING oil, then you are fine. A leak is bad. But if a car just uses oil, with no smoke, no engine lights, no leaks - what's the big deal? Check your oil - add when needed.

Mr_Shiftright

What is most surprising with some of these posts are comments something like this:

"I went in for my 5,000 mile service and there was no oil on the dipstick! This car is a lemon!"

Well, now, let's consider that comment (not a real comment, but paraphrase of a few real ones).

As a dealer, or automaker, would YOU give a new engine to someone who hadn't looked at the dipstick for 5,000 miles?

Does the possible "defect" of oil burning allow the customer to destroy the engine from neglect?

jabilda

I thought so!!! I have a friend who performs services for the Paulsboro Refinery (I was trying not to give it away w/ the internet privacy issue and all that...). Too bad that they sold the refinery. Many locals gave their lives to Mobil and Air Products (one of my uncles to name one). I believe the PHS logo was basically from Mobil (Pegasus). I'm an alum of PHS. Been to any wresting matched lately?? A shame about Absegami - the town seems to be drying up.

I believe the lube plant is still there, though (correct??). I am a Gibbstown native and live locally.

Sorry to here about your VW. I just ordered a VW Jetta Wagon w/ the TDI. Any info. on them would be appreciated. I think the diesel (from what I've read) is a good engine - let me know if you know different. I'm a maintenance 'guy,' too and I never heard of anything 'using' oil, except maybe for a Harley and they (old ones, anyway) leak it out the base side gasket!!

Good to hear from a local.

yettibutt

My wife's 2000 Jetta goes through more than what I consider "normal" oil use. I check it about every 1000 miles, I usually go through a 1.5 or 2 quarts in 5000 miles. I use Mobil 1 syn which doesn't seem to be as bad as when we used regular oil in the car. I have brought this to the dealer's attention and was told the standard "its normal" line. So, I just check it frequently and add as necessary. Im not going to worry to much about it now that I know this is a common issue with this motor. I can tell you this, if my wife was on her own, this car would have been dry when she took it in for the first oil change at 5K. I don't think too many people now days even consider checking their oil, especially on a new car...why? because most engines are so reliabe now that it really isn't necessary. If you don't see a spot on the driveway why in the world would you think your brand new 20K car is burning 1 quart every 1,000 miles? This is something that happens in a car with 200,000 miles, not 2,000. Also, what other "regular" cars do this? Im not talking Ferrai etc. Im talking your averge joe's car. I don't know too many that do...and since we know that VW had a ring issue, its obvious that this amount of oil consumption was not "designed" into the motor but rather a product of some bad engineering. I will tell you, I like my wife's car very much and since I am carefull about the oil level, I don't see that it will be a problem.

yupoldbull

#1590 of 1593 seems easy to me by justin

justin....sounds easy to me also....no big deal....except for a couple of small items.

I added 21 quarts of oil (in addition to oil changes) in 42k. My engine light came on at 22K and that is only $140 (?) to scope and figure out the oxygen sensor is plugged with oil (?) And if the down- pipe (?) is coated with oil....you know that most of it is trapped in the catalitic converter (?) and that is bad also...and that is only $820 (?) installed. And now my new $20m car won't pass (?) the new PA emissions standards, normal inspection is $85, but for me because it fails, and has to be fixed....figure another 2 (?) trips to the garage and an additional $100 (?). Now because you still have the bad rings....plan on doing all this, all over again, at 80K also, and at 120k. I think I would rather have a puddle on my garage floor....or better yet....leaking all over the roadway. Makes it nice in the rain. VW would probably say that a 3" drip spot (per week) is within spec's and normal.

What if every car on the road did this? What ever happened to the concern over VOC emissions and our green earth? Gosh...this place would look like Russia!

Bad rings are hard to defend. I know VWOA didn't want to go in front of an arbitration court and try. I beat them.

I am a happy guy now....I got mine fixed!

#1592 of 1593 yupoldbull... by jabilda

jabilda Hi there. I went to PHS also. But it was Pitman PHS.....I come over from PA to vist your famous auction houses....Your town was booming in the 60's and 70's, and has really slowed down. The VW van was discontinued on the first try 8 to 10 years ago because it was under-powered....couldn't make hills. Hope they refit with more power.

#1591 of 1594 by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Yup, no one has the right to run an engine dry and claim defect. (tempting though) But if you lived the last two years like I have....being insulted and ignored by VW dealships and VWOA....You would be writing in here also. 21 quarts in 42k. Lets focus on that.

1593 of 1593 oil consumption by yettibutt

I enjoyed your comments and agree with all of them. I just don't like remembering to go out every week and a half, in 4 degree weather, at night, to put a cold quart of oil, in my son's new $20m car, while he is sleeping. Oh yeah....I forgot to mention the wind-chill part.

Yup YupOldBull

yettibutt

Did changing the rings fix the problem? At what consumption level will VW replace them?

justin

Let me say that I am not saying that your car did not have issues, and that you were not completely in the "right" to sue or whatever you did. Your car obviously had problems. What I am saying is, not every VW that uses a little more oil than YOU consider normal, has those same problems, or any problem at all. It is up to the car owner to keep up to date on that stuff. And you did, and you won

yupoldbull

#1595 of 1596 Questions for yupoldbull by yettibutt

Too early to tell if it is fixed....They deglazed the cylinder walls and replaced the rings (n/c)....just 3 weeks ago.

I don't think it deals so much with degree of oil consumption....I think, unfortunately, it deals with who's lawyer has filed. They are aware of the problem, and rpm's and driving style probably has a little to do with it....but the problem is inherient. The dealerships and some VWOA rep's will tell you that it is normal....that's what they did with me....They even told me that it would go away at 15k....my butt. I knew that I had a problem at 3k with a dry dipstick....glad my lawyer filed at 10k. We won at 42K....18 months later. I watched this column for 18 months....Now I talk.

I don't have a problem with a few ounces of oil consumption between oil changes....but I added 21 quarts in 42k, plus normal oil changes....in a new car. Cut me a brake. And then the VW Service Mgr. and VWOA sit there and try to tell you that is normal oil consumption. Yeah right!

Now that the engine might be fixed, I still have the rest of the problems. Why are there over 1500 postings (mostly negative) for this car? Darn....No one wants to answer that question. They can't even make floor mats that don't rip out.

Yup YupOldBull

rlui1

I've noticed several postings about the rattle problem and I would like to join the club. My 2002 GLS 1.8T has 175 miles I just noticed the front driver side door and dash started to rattle. Other than the rattling and the ackward seat recline adjustment, my wife and I love the car. It handles very well and the acceleration is impressive. After reviewing the posted comments, we decided to lease just in case there are reliability problems. Thanks to everybody for your useful comments.

yettibutt

Question about maintenance. My wife's 2000 Jetta is about to hit 40K. In the owner's manual, it says that the brake fluid MUST be changed every 2 years. It has been just over 2 years. Why is it that the brake fluid must be changed? Does it collect moisture and this could affect the ABS system?

alcan

Here's why:

http://www.batauto.com/articles/brkfld.html

yettibutt

Guess I will have that changed next time I have my oil changed!

yettibutt

As far as changing the spark plugs on the Jetta, how easy is this? Are they tucked way back or in a bad spot? Also, the pollen filter for the passenger compartment, is this easy to change? Thanks, I know, I should go get a manual for this car!