Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

markz2k

The 2.8L V6 engines are not the same for the Passat and the Junka. The passat uses the Audi 2.8V6 while the Junka uses the narrow angle VR6. (Sort of a cross between an inline 6 and a v6)

moparbad

The current Jetta uses the VR6 with and current Passat uses different V6. I stand corrected. The previous Passat used a VR6. And nippon is referring to 95 and 97 Jettas, not the current Jettas. The 1.8T, VR6 and 1.9L TDI and the transmissions all have one thing in common, they are NOT made in Mexico.

mark- before you use a slang term for the Jetta you better go check the transmission on your Accord, Honda is less than perfect.

nippon- I have a friend with a Camry with a sludged engine and he has a friend with a Avalon with a sludged engine, does this mean that Toyota has lousy reliability? My Jetta has perfect reliability and my Golf has only had a heated mirror replaced and the well known window regulator problem, which is corrected on 2003 models. Anecdotal evidence has little relevance.

8u6hfd

the Golf & Jetta with the 4Motion use the V6 also.

anonymous02

"sludged engine"?

moparbad

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2002/04/04/toyota-sludge.htm

anonymous02

"Toyota says the problem is caused by going too long between oil changes,..."

moparbad

There is a long discussion about the sludge problem here at Edmunds. It is a engine design problem with Toyota and not changing oil frequently enough makes the problem worse. It took multiple lawsuits to get Toyota to even admit that there was a sludge problem. Since this is Jetta topic I will say that it is important to check your oil level frequently, use quality oil and follow the manufacturer recommended intervals or oil testing to maintain your engine properly. VW cars have some issues but before someone makes a decision to leave VW for Toyota or Honda or other make they should be aware that this does not guarantee they will not have problems.

anonymous02

It doesn't make sludge because you just keep adding oil continuously. Makes a nice sealcoat for the road and undercoat for your car, too!

;-)

moparbad

Golf TDI and Jetta TDI and neither of them burn any oil and no oil leakage. Change oil every 10,000 miles w/o any oil burning or need to add oil. 40 to 50 mpg. Well, there goes the "sludge is created by not changing oil every 3K miles" hypothesis.

8u6hfd

the oil consumption is centered around the 2.0L motor.

nippononly

are really lucky then that they own Toyotas. Toyota has warranted these engines for 8 years unlimited miles from the date of first service, so they will get a free replacement engine.

VW told me and my friend to get lost. The car with the broken odo was then resold by a VW dealer as actual miles, even though they had been informed it had been broken for a long time.

And I was not only relying on anecdotal evidence from myself and a few friends - CR looks at 100's of cars or more, to make their reliability ratings.

So there's the rub...

bblakes

('94 Jetta GLS) Everyone seems happy to have the know problem of windows falling into doors now that VW will fix them. I have a different problem that my dealer can't figure out. The passenger window will ocassionally lower, under power, by itself. I have to fight it by repeatedly clicking the switch until it gives up control and stays up.

Has anyone heard of this type of electrical malfunction?

moparbad

Consumer Reports recommends the Jetta, as well as the Passat and Golf. quote nippononly - CR looks at 100's of cars or more, to make their reliability ratings. So there's the rub... -end quote What point are you trying to make nipponly? If Jetta is unreliable then why does CR recommend it?

cpuerta

I hope enough potential customers of VW are reading all these posts and take the hint to STAY AWAY from volkswagen. I believe their new ad slogan is going to say "Mechanics Wanted". These problems come right after I got hit with replacing my ignition coil and o2 sensor.

I performed a routine inspection on my 2000 vw jetta to find the rear brake pads worn very far down to the metal and worn very unevenly from both sides of the rotor. Upon removing the pads and turning in the piston on the caliper and reinserting new pads, the piston failed to come back out of the caliper. Hmmm, odd problem for a car with 40,000 miles and is less than two years old. Of course this would never be discovered under warranty because who really needs new brakes before 24,000 miles.

Upon examination by a dealership was told I needed new calipers- yikes, $215 each. This is the first car i have ever heard of that required new rear brake calipers after 40,000 miles. These things usually go at least 100,000 miles. VW of America was NO help at all, they said the caliper(thats right, the caliper, not the pads) was a wear and tear item and that they would offer NO assistance. A caliper is not a wear and tear item, it is a mechanical device, pads are wear and tear. Being that I am out of warranty, i have no options.

VW really doesnt even have to work that hard to lose customers.

willg1961

I have a two week old Jetta and I find the sound that the blinker makes to be very annoying. It's very electrical sounding almost as if it might short out. It functions fine, but the noise is so irritating. I drove a Passat today and the blinker sounded like the normal click I'm used to. Is there a problem here or is this just something I'll have to live with?

foghorn48

Thanks for taking some heat for a discussion I seem to have started. I was asking about a perceived/overheard reliability problem with the Jetta vs Passat. I had been under the impression that the Passat (built in Germany vs Mexico?) was more reliable/durable, but after reading all of these posts, I wonder about them both. Does anyone remember what model year VW started building the Jetta in Mexico? FYI I'd be happy to read other sources that refute either position, if anyone can point me in that direction. Thanks for any info.

anonymous02

In to have rear bearings and whatever else it needs back there done (axle beam or trailing arm bushings?).

Just had struts put in there this past spring/late winter.

:-(

vocus

New brake calipers or rotors? It makes no sense that you would need calipers though. I know when you change the brake pads, there is a special tool that you screw the caliper in/out with, not like most other cars. I would take the car to another dealership quickly to get it looked at, just to get a second opinion.

And it sounds like you got a lemon car. They are out there, in every brand. And if you hate VWs so much, why don't you just get rid of the car?

blkjetta

I just bought a 1999 (new body) Jetta. I like the car, all of the nice features and the german feel. I have noticed that my temp gauge will drop to zero, and after a few miles go back up to 190, it never goes over 190, but seems like an electrical problem. Has anyone else experienced dash guage, or temp gauge problems?

soupnazi

Did you use the VW special tool required to back off the rear brake pistons? Did you bother to consult a Bentley manual before you screwed around with the back brakes? My bet is no. The design requires you use a special tool to back off the pistons, rather than just screwing them back in. If you've not used the tool, you've destroyed the adjustment mechanism inside the caliper and hence, ruined your calipers. This just floors me.
You screw around with something that you know nothing about doing the right way, destroy it in the process, and then have the audacity to blast VW for the treatment you've received. Heads up...You are the idiot. Not volkswagen. YOU made the choice to mess with the calipers when you didn't have the info needed to fix them properly. YOU need to accept the responsibility for destroying the calipers. Not VW. Pretty sure there's not a clause in the warranty that says, "If by chance the owner does their own repairs to the vehicle and destroys stuff out of his/her own ignorance of the vehicle design, VW agrees to pay for anything that the owner might screw up beyond recognition."
Need to point the finger at yourself, bub.

fish8

Why would you think there is a problem with your car if the temp guage never goes past the mid 190 mark? Mine does the same thing and that is normal.

markz2k

"mark- before you use a slang term for the Jetta you better go check the transmission on your Accord, Honda is less than perfect."

Mopar, you are right, Honda is less than perfect. They did make vehicles with bad transmissions. They also admitted their mistake, and offered an extended warranty on the transmission to those affected. I've received notice on their ownerlink web site that my accord is covered. Now, contrast their behavior with VW's?

How many years has the Junka been afflicted with windows that fall into the door? How hard could it be to replace the badly-designed plastic part with a metal part that it takes them YEARS to do it?

How many people here have had serious problems after warranty expiration and been told by VW to pound sand when calling their "customer service" line? That's what happened to me 20 years ago with my then-new '80 Rabbit. They haven't improved their customer service in 20 years, and it looks like they never will.

vocus

Does your temp gauge drop when you are driving? That's the problem he has.

vocus

Here is a TSB about replacing the temperature gauge and a couple other things. Might help you.

This covers 1999.5-2001 models, from what I have heard (MKIV only).

http://mach.mach-nine.com/gti/vwtechcontent/vwpdf/v970101.pdf

cpuerta

Thanks for the Concern. I do in fact own the special piston tool, own a Jetta Repair Manual, and I am an experienced mechanic.

If you have had the experiences with VW that I have had over the past several months, you would not be a satisfied VW customer. VW has no cares about the concerns of customers nor do they care about keeping their customers happy. This was an unfortunate repair, and I wanted to inform the general community of some of VW's manufacturing problems.

Maybe ask some more questions before calling someone an idiot.

nippononly

After your response, which I was most surprised at, I went to the newsstand today to check out the latest CR "Used Car Guide", which is the one on newsstands until 11-30-02.

The Jetta is on the list of "used cars to avoid". Reliability is listed as "sub-par". On the list of the "worst used cars", are the following models: Jetta '95-'97, '99-'00, as well as New Beetle '98-'00, and even Passats from most years with the V-6 engine. Only one year of the 4-cylinder Passat was listed, '95 I think.

Finally, if you go to the page specifically for Jetta, and look at the reliability chart, it is a pitch-black sea of solid black dots, the worst rating each system of the car can get. The only model without a lot of black dots is the '01, which makes sense since they are not really old enough to have had the really expensive repairs yet.

I apologize if I was not clear the first time, but the CR does not recommend this model.

soupnazi

First off, my bad for the idiot comment. It was out of bounds. And perhaps I wouldn't be happy if I had the same type of experience as you. It sounds like you've got some legit complaints. Here's my problem though. You're an experienced mechanic, and you're doing a routine inspection (with the implication that you do this more often than every 40,000 miles) and you just happen to notice that the pads are completely down to the metal? That's not just neglect man, that's abusive. As an experienced mechanic, you should know that brake pads are softer than they used to be to cut down on consumer complaints of squeaking in all cars. You should've noticed this long before it got to this point. Obviously such a condition is not condusive to long caliper life. Secondly, if you pay attention to the warnings in Bentley, if you even tap the brake pedal or incorrectly reset the piston while the caliper is removed, the mechanism will be destroyed. My opinion is still that you broke both the calipers. Otherwise, you're the only person that I've ever heard of that just happened to have both rear calipers break spontaneously at the same time. If so, you're running odds that would clean out every casino in vegas. Maybe it's just a coincidence that you tried to repair them and then they failed. Very, very highly unlikely though. Obviously they were still working before you did it though, as they managed to get all the way down to the metal backing plate before you noticed. Seems to me though that the design of the brakes are not bad, as much as the fact that you probably broke them trying to fix them.
Now, imagine yourself as the VW dealer. Hard, I know, but try. Someone brings in a car which has new pads on it, done by a do-it-yourselfer, who chose to tackle a somewhat sophisticated job that requires special tools. His/her back brakes don't work. What would you think? I gotta tell you, I'm charging that person what it takes to fix it. In my mind, you shouldn't have been messing with it if you couldn't fix it right. It's hard for me to accept that logic of "I tried to fix something that I wasn't properly educated enough on, and I broke it, so it's a crappy design. The company who made it is crap."
Again, sounds like you've got some legit concerns with your car. I drove around without a working drivers' side window for months. I understand the frustration. I'm just not sure you've got a leg to stand on with this brake thing...
Best of luck and sorry for the verbage...Soupnazi

goatmanbeware

I have a 2000 Jetta VR6. The car has about 38K on it. I get a grinding noise from the rear breaks when I come to a stop. I first noticed the sound when the car was still cold. Now I hear the grinding sound every time I come to a stop. Any thoughts? thanks

goatmanbeware

My a/c releases some funky scent when I first turn it on. The scent is a mixture of dog breathe and [non-permissible content removed]. Any thoughts? Thanks.

nippononly

goatmanbeware has the same problems with his rear brakes as cpuerta did?

anonymous02

I may not be the most satisfied with the Jetta as a car, but on the other hand, I don't have a lot of confidence in Consumers Reports, either.

nippononly

I did point out in the original post that I was aware of CR's controversial nature on these boards, and I was not pushing it as the be-all-end-all, but merely as a second source of information that matched my own personal anecdotes.

That was only because moparbad jumped in to challenge my words so quickly and thoroughly!! LOL

moparbad

To be very clear. Consumer Reports recommends the Jetta and recommends the Passat and recommends the Golf in the New Car issue. Used car issue I can not comment on since I did not see it. I will take your word at face value. It also states reliability has improved. 99.5 was the first year of the Jetta Mk4. Avoiding a first year of any new model is recommended as far as I am concerned. You never did say what type of VW you own nippononly.

re mark- vw is repairing window regulators w/o charge even if the car is out of warranty. The new part fixes the problem and VW is contacting owners and replacing the old part even if it has not failed yet. The Toyota, Honda and Nissan dealers in my area are just as bad as the VW dealer in my area. Chevy and Ford dealers are much better. I sincerely hope that VW improves their customer service. I wish no one a bad experience with their vehicle.

blkjetta

Vocus- thanks for the info link regarding possible corrosion of the wiring harness. I will check that out. Fish- yes, while driving after the engine has warmed up the temp gauge will drop to zero for a few miles......climb back to 190 and then drop back down to zero. It is not consistent. That is why I think it must be electrical.
Once again if anyone eles has had this problem I would like to know.
Thanks

shawnmalone

Mark Z, I want to answer the question you asked in post number #2174: "How many people here have had serious problems after warranty expiration and been told by VW to pound sand when calling their customer service line?"

I have called that customer service line on four problems after warranty expiration: two window regulators, one seat belt malfunction, and one door lock/power window problem. In all four cases, VW either reimbursed me or covered the repair 100%, even though the warranty had expired.

Of course, I wish my Jettas were more reliable, but I have to say that the company has stood behind their product when I asked them to.

markz2k

Glad to hear that VW is treating at least some customers well. Maybe they really are trying to improve their image and customer service. There are still quite a few complaints from others that their customer service is lacking, however.

sean89

Hi everyone,

I have a 2002 jetta 1.8T. I’ve had the car for 7 months. This morning tried to turn my radio on and it did not turn on.. I tried to turn the radio on when the car was running and when it was off, but had no luck. The radio will not even eject the CD that is currently in the cd player. I do not have the monsoon. I heard about radio troubles with the monsoon system, but was surprised to see that even my standard radio is broken. I’ll have to call VW and take it in for repair, I guess . Has anyone had such an experience
With there Jetta radio? If so was the dealer able to fix the problem and what did they do to fix the radio. I fear that when they fix the radio they’ll have to remove it from the dash and which will somehow introduce more rattles to my car. I live in the DC area, and I hear many dealerships aren’t good at fixing car problems, does anyone know of a reliable VW dealership that can be trusted to fix my radio? Also is it true that I should expect VW to give me a loaner, or does it depend on the dealer?

Thanks in advance

shawnmalone

I have mixed feelings about the various dealerships, and the general reliability of my Jettas.

I live in Austin and until recently, the only dealership that serviced VWs had a terrible reputation, and it was deserved.

Recently, Hewlett VW opened in nearby Georgetown and their service department is much better than the one in Austin.

However, I'm not delighted with VW today. One of my Jettas wouldn't start on Saturday. The car is only three years old and has 52,000 miles on it. I took it to Hewlett, where they report it will cost $296 for a new battery, new fuel pump relay and labor. To me, this seems pretty steep for a three-year-old car.

My other Jetta, also three years old, has only 35,000 miles on it, and the battery in that one had to be replaced also. I've never had car batteries last for such a short time, or cost so much to replace.

8u6hfd

Try this:

in the dash fuse panel

Locate fuse #42 pull it out, then after a minute, put it back in.

nippononly

why would they replace the battery AND the fuel pump relay? Seems like a pretty big coincidence, doesn't it? I would think only one of those two was causing your no-start problem, and they got some extra $$ from you for something that may have still been fine, like a new battery. Of course, you would know - did it crank at all?

New batteries at 3 years is not outrageous, but remember, you don't have to buy your dealership's $125 battery - you can go to the local parts store and buy one for half the price. It will take you 10 minutes to install, and it is really easy.

Batteries last longer the more regularly you drive the car (assuming a healthy charging system)...at 35K your other Jetta sounds like it is not driven that much, so that may contribute to shortened battery life too...

anonymous02

Walmart sells a decent one for under fifty bucks!

98jettavr6

I had to replace the battery in my '98 at around 52,000 miles, too. The car was barely cranking on cold mornings. I did my research and found that Jettas require an international battery. Sears load-tested the battery and told me it was almost gone, but they couldn't say with any certainty when it would die for good. So, I bought a DieHard International for around $100. Problem solved. Generally, I do not trust any VW dealer. VW dealers/service depts. are crafty & dishonest, compared to other dealers I've dealt with, especially Honda.

shawnmalone

... for your responses. "Why would they replace the battery AND the fuel pump relay? Seems like a pretty big coincidence, doesn't it?" Yeah, it did to me. I wondered if the battery going low could have damaged the relay; I wondered if the dealer was ripping me off. How are you going to know? They plug in the computer, read the diagnostic codes, and replace whatever the machine says has gone bad.

Before the problem, the Jetta cranked slower and slower, and then on Saturday morning just wouldn't crank enough to start. I am told that the owner cannot replace the battery in the Jetta. I've replaced batteries many times, of course, in older cars. But both the dealer and the independent shops assure me that once you take the cables off the posts, you will have to re-program the computers and the reset the radio security - - which require special electronic tools. Has anybody actually replaced the battery themselves?

98jettavr6

I'm not sure how technical an undertaking resetting computer codes on the engine may be, but (re)entering the radio code is simple. VW dealers seems to disuade owners from doing *anything* on the vehicle, everything should be done by the VW service department. Unfortunately, after I sell my current VW, I will not own another until the customer service shows marked improvement.

sallysaturn

I have the automatic.

lndshark11

I am in the process of buying a new car and I was getting ready to look at the Jettas. I had looked at them before and really liked them. I was wonder how good of a car they where and if they had any problems. Do they also hold their value when you trade them in.

nippononly

modern cars have the situation that they need to reprogram themselves after they lose power - it is very common. This does not need to be done by a dealer - since 1996 (in California) all car computers have learning capability, and with rare exception just need a few minutes of regular driving to be back up to speed, after disconnecting the battery. I have replaced my own battery, and have had this situation.

Now as far as radio security, I wouldn't know, but the worst that could happen is the radio wouldn't work, and you would have to stop by the dealer for a two-minute reset...

And this sounds even worse - sounds like when your battery quit, your dealer also charged you to replace a fuel pump relay?? I would have wanted to see the faulty relay, and test it myself to see if it was really faulty. It might well have been, but what a coincidence!

vocus

The Jettas do hold their value very well, in fact about the best in the small car category (next to the Civic). There are some problems with the cars, however. If you are looking for bulletproof, maintenance-free transportation, maybe a Honda or Toyota will do better by you. A VW will require more attention, and be more expensive to maintain.

The only known problems have been window regulator problems, MAF sensors, and brakes wearing out prematurely, particularly on the back wheels. The first two problems have been pretty much fixed for 2003, but the brake thing might still be there. VW is being very good about this though, and replacing affected parts at no charge, if you call their customer service line and let them know about it.

The Jetta might require more maintenance than your typical Honda or Toyota, but it's alot more fun and solid to drive as well. You just have to be sure you wanna compromise.

cpuerta

I noticed that in the last post you mentioned that there is a resolve to the MAF(Mass Air Flow Sensor, right)? I recently had to replace mine @ 37,000 miles, VW did not cover it due to out of warranty. Are they suppose to be covering this repair? Is there a recall or a TSB on it? I would like some more info if you have some. Thanks for the help.

krautkarvr6

Knock on wood. I've had my Jetta since Dec 2000. GLS model with 5 speed and VR6. Fully loaded with Monsoon and leather. Winter package, 17 in wheels and "sport" suspension. The car has 27K on it and ive had NO problems with it. I drove it to Washington State from Virginia and back last winter and it ran like a beast there and back. Absolutely flawless. One thing I do recommend is getting a bra for the hood lip if you are going to travel with it. Especially in winter.
Also......buy one with a 5 speed. Trust me on that. The "fuzzy logic" automatic in the Jetta is just that. I also owned an automatic 2000 Jetta GLS (also VR6) which I traded in . I tried to accelerate out of a parking lot one day with fast moving oncoming traffic and it was a full second or two before the tranny realized I had the pedal on the floor. So much for moving out when I want to. I almost got nailed. I was pretty angry at the car. Anyway, get a manual. Even in parts of the country with heavy traffic it will still be a joy to drive and its much much better with the manual in the snow and everywhere else for that matter. ~M