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Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    fact -

    2003 Jettas have coil problems.

    type H, type J, type AB negative, it does not matter. 2003 Jettas have coils problems :) Just go to your dealer and see - 02 AND 03 1.8T's waiting for parts.

    with all due respect, of course :)
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    also -

    check out the stats for J coils on Vortex and here on Edmunds. the reason they have less complaints is because their are less J coils out there - they are fairly new. but rest assured - they are crap too :) those poor J people might have to wait 14k miles like I did for them to fail. not cool on VW's part.

    i want to feel 100% secure that the coils are not going to be a problem - not sure that is possible :(
  • cards28cards28 Member Posts: 145
    Ok, if a coil fails, what happens? Let's say, I'm on an expressway doing 80, what happens, does the engine stop or just burn up? Then do I need to call AAA? It came with warranty. :-)
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    (cards28) If a coil (ignitor) fails, the engine suddenly starts running on 3 cylinders. (significant loss of power... but still runs)

    You are correct that it is under warantee. But most folks have reported that VW is having troubles supplying enough ignitors for all of the failed ones.... Thus your 'waranteed' car may sit at the dealer for weeks waiting for parts to arrive..... then there is to possibility that one of the other 3 ignitors may fail at any time.(repeating the entire scenario)
  • cards28cards28 Member Posts: 145
    Don't know much about cars, but the coil doesn't sound like a complicated part. Or, is it? Maybe like most companies who don't keep a lot of parts in inventory. Could be this problem caught them by surprise. Now their suppliers are short also. VW maybe scratching their heads and saying #@!!! Vos vs vlooss. (SP?)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    EVERY 1.8T (almost) that has been made (Passat, A4, Jetta, New Beetle, Golf) are affected by this coil problem. So of course they are going to be in short supply. They can't get suppliers to make them fast enough.

    Also, a majority of the coils seem to have failed after a cold start. Mine did, and a bunch of people I know had the same thing happen. It can fail at 80mph, yes. The engine will lose power and I think it doesn't go over like 30mph or something like that. Very scary stuff. I got a phone number at home to NHTSA to make a formal complaint, I just haven't called them yet.

    Also, my coil (the #3 one) went at 24K miles.
  • nedzelnedzel Member Posts: 787
    are bad too, but not to the same degree. The VR6 coil pack is a single unit. When it goes bad, what happens is that there are cracks in the unit. On a wet morning, the car will run poorly after starting for about 10 minutes or so. I replaced my at 30,000 miles, along with the spark plug wires. Since the engine didn't throw a code, VWOA refused to help pay for it, so I had to pay out of pocket.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I would have personally waited until the engine threw a code, but that's just me.

    Also, I forgot to mention that the new 24V VR6 has bad coils too, I think. I know at least one person who has had trouble with their VR6 coils going. And I know for sure the W8 coils in the Passat are bad too.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I looked at my service record last night from when I had my coils replaced, because it was lying out and I didn't know it. It said "coils arching", whatever that means. I heard on Vortex that the coils crack from the cold weather, so I wonder what they meant by arching?

    I am just waiting for another coil to go in my car (only the one thus far). I already told the dealer it will sit there until all the other 3 coils are replaced, or they can keep the damn thing.
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    Just got back from my hour and a half long wait at the dealer. driving this morning, coils died. they replaced #3 and #4, and the plugs. one H coil failed, and my new #4 J coil failed as well. The tech said that the J coils are supposed to be better, but that a bad H coil can mess up other coils, including J's, by putting strain/stress on them. Is that a bunch of baloney or what?

    They also tried to tell me that VW is looking at VW area gas to see if our gas is bad. I was like, how does that explain the WHOLE COUNTRY having coil problems??

    Anyway - they have J's in stock - $35 a pop. Once my real estate transaction are all finished, I am getting the Miata. Sure, no trunk room or FWD, but they start and run a bit better I think!
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    It sounds like it may be a good thing that I have the "reliable" 2.0...
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Until it starts losing oil by the quart, that is... Nah, I am sure the car will be ok.

    I have heard J coils going as well. Can't blame you for trading the car, Justin.
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    I di worry about the oil issue...but I have close to 10K miles and nothing yet.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Alot of people that I talked to said their oil problems started around 10K miles. One good thing is that you are leasing the car (if I remember correctly), so you can get rid of it if you do have problems and not worry.
  • rickb12rickb12 Member Posts: 4
    Just sent off the intial paperwork to implement WA lemon law on 2002 Jetta 1.8t. Have replaced #2,3,4 coils over the past 9 months. #3 has been replaced twice (so much for the J coil fixing the problem). Has anyone out there had experience with this problem and the WA lemon law?
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    Do not forget that the 1.8t is an AUDI engine...
    (Quattro, Avant, TT)thus, the short-supply of parts is also shared with the Audi coil failures.

    The 1.8t uses a coil-on-plug design. This means there are no spark-plug wires. Each coil actually 'plugs' into a sparkplug.

    BTW... the 1.8t has been known to produce over 350 Horsepower with the appropriate tuning.
    http://www.hofsport.com/
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    I am crossing my fingers that I don't have an oil issue....
  • cards28cards28 Member Posts: 145
    I usually do a lot of research before buying a car. I guess I didn't hit the right spots this time, because nothing I read or heard mention anything about coil problems. You would think that CR would have found something to pick at.
    Anyway....I wish you GLBS. Isn't this fun???
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I don't know about the law in WA, but here in MD it has to be the same exact problem 3 times. Since it's coils 2,3,4 and not 2,2,and 2, it might not work. Sorry, man. Good luck though.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Did you research this site before buying? This problem just started over the summer of 02...
  • sarahtsaraht Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone else think this is not a coil problem? I have had what I am assuming is a J coil replaced twice (the #1 coil). I would hope it was a J coil considering I waited three weeks for the part to come in the first time it went in late December. I am concerned about the safety of this car. If I'm driving on a crowded highway at 70 mph and I suddenly loses significant power it seems to me that I could be in some serious danger. I am supposed to be driving myself and four others on a little road trip this weekend. This doesn't seem safe. Can anyone boost my confidence or should I get a rental car?
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    don't know what to tell you :( it is a choice we all have to make. not a good place to be, i agree. i had it out with VW "Customer Care" on the phone today. it is pointless though - the people that work there are powerless.

    the only comfort is that a rental car can break down too. doesn't help much though. it is not so bad if you are in an urban area where there is a local VW shop. it stinks for people that live in the boonies where the local folk have never seen a Toyota, let alone a VW. then you have to get towed, stay in motel with roaches and smelly people, and wait for parts to come in. rent a car? yeah right - not in these places. maybe get a ride on a tractor to the nearest bus station. it can be a total nightmare. not to mention, the safety aspect that you pointed out about driving 70 and within less than a second, driving 20mph.

    scary stuff.
  • cards28cards28 Member Posts: 145
    I didn't really explore some of the Edmund's sites enough. My mistake! One of the sites that I came across was something like, "Read what some other people say about their cars". I was using the old fashion way to research, you now, every thing was on paper (CR, Auto Mags, etc.).
    I've used a computer for a long time, and now only really getting into it. Remember, I'm the "old" guy, it was too intimidating. I'm amazed at how much information is available. How is this mass of info in putted? Somebody has to put it in, maybe not.
    Sorry, this is for Jetta problems. Thanks for the tip on the J coils. It does make me feel more comfortable, though.
  • cpuertacpuerta Member Posts: 14
    I really hope that VWOA is reading all this information about the pieces of crap Jetta's that they have sold us hard working americans. I owned a 2000 VR6 Jetta and had all the same problems everyone is having with the coils. VW of America could care less about the problems with their cars. At least a RESPECTABLE car company would issue a recall and admit that their precious car may have a few problems rather than pissing off a lot of VW owners by making them pay for this out of pocket. I personally will never own another VW after the mess my Jetta had been through and the way I was treated from VW of America.
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    COILS COILS COILS
  • shawnmaloneshawnmalone Member Posts: 71
    I agree, a more aggressive recall-like campaign on the Jetta coils and window regulators would have been welcome, and would have done more to enhance VW's credibility.

    I don't think this stubborness is unique to VW, however. Think about Ford, from the exploding Pinto to the rolling-over Explorer, and how hard it was to convince them to fix problems in their cars.

    I have to say that while it was frustrating to have the window regulators fail so often, in my Jettas, the corporate Customer Service liaisons have been satisfactory. So my experience has been more positive, but I do agree that it would have been good for VW to send all Jetta owners a letter, which would have said: The next time you come in for service, ask for the free coils and window regulators.

    And if any VW reps are reading these boards as they design the next generation Jetta, here is my suggestion: Engineer a better front air dam. Most of the Jettas I see have the same damage mine do. The plastic air dam has pried itself loose and bent out of shape; this encourages the plastic grill inserts to fall out.

    I would either streamline that plastic air dam into a shape that wasn't so vulnerable to low clearance, -OR- attach a tougher air dam with a sturdier fastener. I don't see this problem with Passats or Golfs, so I assume the problem is solvable.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I am surprised to hear you say that. My Jetta scrapes far less than any of the other 5 cars I have had in the past couple years. I have only scraped it once or twice, and my car will be 15 months old on 2/3.
  • balticjetta18tbalticjetta18t Member Posts: 146
    I tend to agree about doing a recall on the window clips and coils. Yes the letter extending the warranty on the window problem was appropriate. I only had my right front passenger window do the dropsy thing. Parts availability caused my car to be in the shop waiting inside for close to a week waiting for the parts to arrive.
     It of course would be hard to do a recall on the coils since they could not get the better coils quickly. VW dealers would be overwhelmed even by people that had good coils that but could not tell by themselves. I wonder if the coil vendor will even take back a coil unless it actually failed.

    I would also tend to think that there has to be a Service Bulletin on this subject for sure.

    BTW, it seems as if mostly 02 and 03 Jetta 1.8t's with the 180hp motor are having the coil issues...
  • rdmatosrdmatos Member Posts: 11
    I know nothing about cars and how their parts work, but in regards to the coil problem in the Jetta, is there any way that Jetta owners can use coils that are designed for other (more reliable) cars like a Volvo or possibly a BMW? I assume that most car engines (or at least European ones) are built alike, thus one engine coil may be operable in another. (Isn't that the main reason that chop shops are so profitable-- because car parts are interchangeable with others?) This is just an idea and if someone could explain it that would be great. Again I apologize for the stupidity of my question-- I'm what you call one of those "silly women drivers". Have a good night, RDM
  • siverjetta2siverjetta2 Member Posts: 3
    My VR6 2000 model was just broken. At a stop light, the clutch kept engaging and I could never release it anymore. A dealer is looking into it and I was said that the clutch (and possibly the fly wheel) is completely gone and possibly the entire transmission is bad. They said the transmission is under warranty but things related to the clutch is not.

    I believe this is because clutchs are considered as a part that is worn out, like brake pads. However, in this case, the clutch could be just a part of a bigger transmission problem. I guess I have to pay for the clutch anyway, but I wonder if you guys can give me suggestions.

    By the way, the replacement of clutch costs me $1,500 and the fly wheel can be additional $300(ouch!).
  • ben03ben03 Member Posts: 2
    The NY Times has published an article on Feb.2 entitled "A Black Eye for VW and Audi". It discusses the infamous coil problem. You can check out the article online at www.nytimes.com.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I read that article. Very interesting. VW still doesn't want to recall the vehicles though, saying it's not a safety issue. If your car can pretty much lose power at any time, without warning except for when it's too late, I don't know what VW calls that.
  • shawnmaloneshawnmalone Member Posts: 71
    Paul/Vocus: I look around at Jettas like ours and see that quite a number of them have the same damage that mine does. I see it more on Jettas of this body style than older Jettas, more than my Honda Civic, and more than Passats and Golfs. I'm thinking of just having the dealer remove it when I get my 60-thousand mile services - - I saw somebody who had taken the front air dam completely off and I thought it looked OK.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I find that interesting though. I have a co-worker who has his front air dam damaged, but he hit a snowback or something and that's how it got that way. I have never seen a Jetta/Golf with front end damage like that though. And like I said, my Jetta hits a LOT less than the Proteges or the Cavalier I had before it.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    In the four Proteges I've owned in the last 11 years with a combined mileage of 177,000 miles, I've never struck or scraped an air dam on anything.

    Being careful must be part of the equation ...

    :-)

    Meade
  • justinjustin Member Posts: 1,918
    most of the Jettas I see (except mine) do have missing airdam grills. they are either being stolen, or come loose when people scrape things. i scrape mine everyday leaving work. haven't lost a grill yet :)
  • verduganverdugan Member Posts: 7
    Hello. I'm hoping somebody can help me. I'm having a problem with my 2001 GLX Jetta. I always leave the AC/Heating on Auto. After 1 1/2 years of having no problems, there is a really strong smell (rotten eggs, sulfur, you get the idea) when the heating first kicks in. It used to happen very infrequently, but it's now happening once a week. After a few mins, it goes away.

    I read the post about bacteria forming in the vents. Could this be it? How can I solve it?

    Any ideas/comments are welcome.
    Thx
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    The dealer has to run through some kind of cleaning stuff to get the smell out. Probably mold growing inside the system.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I used to scrape the front end on the 1999 DX all the time, and did it once or twice on the 01 ES as well. I was alot more careful with the ES though, since it was brand new.
  • asimpsonasimpson Member Posts: 5
    Finally, some national publicity about the "mysterious" coil problem.

    Check out the article in the NYT.

    I'll have trouble ever buying a VW/Audi ever again.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Unfortunately for the companies, so will alot of people. And rightfully so.

    I am sure everyone (by now anyway) knows the laundry list of possible problems with the 1999.5-present Jetta/Golf platform.

    * Prematurely wearing rear brakes, cheap materials the culprit
    * Coils (just added) on the 1.8T engines
    * Power window regulators (which they FINALLY did something about, 3 years after it happend!)
    * Peeling of interior trim (the latest, happening to a handful of people from VWVortex)
    * Rattles galore (some examples do rattle, some do not)

    This is totally rediculous for a car company to have these quality and workmanship problems in the 21st century. I was lucky that everything got worked out in my car, but I am only one example of many, many more people out there that VW is not being fair to. Total crap.
  • cpuertacpuerta Member Posts: 14
    Hooray!! I am finally glad to see some more people getting as pissed as I am at VW for not being a respectable car company and admitting their precious cars have problems. VW should be blatantly ashamed of the way they have treated their customers, thanks to them, I will never be one again.

    As far as that odor goes, when I had mine the dealer told me it was from the catlytic converter. Better get it checked out, it might be going bad. Mine smelled really bad as well on startup.
  • siverjetta2siverjetta2 Member Posts: 3
    I didn't know that the rear brake was a common problem, but it did happened to me too. The pads were gone before the front ones. I was puzzled. Also, I thought that I would get a warning sign for the brake pads, which never went off...

    It costed me polishing the roters.
  • cpuertacpuerta Member Posts: 14
    Just read the article and noticed that VW has offered a refund on the coil packs if the repair had been done before. Unfortunately they only offer it on 2001 & 2002. Does anyone know why they didnt offer it for 2000? Does anyone know if it is the same part in the 2000 as in the 2001 and up? This would be interesting to find out if its the same part as to why they wouldn't cover one model year lower? I fell victim to the Jetta VR6 failed coil packs and paid out of pocket, with zero coverage. Thanks again VW.
  • northern_sagenorthern_sage Member Posts: 2
    I purchased a new 2003 Jetta 1.8T and it does three odd things:
    1: When the car is shut off for more than 30 minutes or so and I open the drivers side door there is a 3 second buzz/whir from the back end, fuel pump, exhaust do-dad? I have no idea
    2: When I shut the engine off, even if it has only been running for a few seconds, ie it's cold, there is a whirring sound like a fan from the front of the engine (no, it's not the cooling fan in the radiator)
    3: my fuel guage only reads 3/4 after I fill it up.
    I'm a long way from the dealer so I don't want to go back until it's time for the spring oil change, any of you genius's out there have a suggestion? I checked through the boards and couldn't find any similar problems..Thanks!!
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    This happends to every car, Vw, Honda, GM, etc.

    The AC system, because of the condensor, there's moisture. So eventually there will be mold/bacteria. YOu can avoid this by suffering a bit, by nearing the end of the trip (in the summer), turn off the AC compressor and run the ventilation on high for a few minutes to dry out the system.
  • target3target3 Member Posts: 155
    1. The three second buzz when you open the drivers side door is the fuel pump, and is normal. Something to do with fuel priming, I think.

    2. Don't know, haven't heard this yet on mine.

    3. I have had similar issues, but not at 3/4 tank. When I fill my tank up completely, the needle will go close to the full line, but not quite get there. Not sure why this is, but I have determined that I have about 1.8 gallons left in the tank when my gas light goes on.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    The manual says 1.9 gallons with the light on. And my fuel gauge goes all the way to full sometimes, and sometimes just right up to full. I never said anything about it though.
  • offhamoffham Member Posts: 344
    You can actually get a can of stuff that you spray into the vents and designed to kill off this stuff and remove the odor.

    It is made by the major aftermarket AC systems people, cannot remember the name but based in Brooklyn NY.

    Trust helps
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    The buzzing sound is normal. When you arm the theft alarm (automatically happens when you lock the doors w/the remote), it deactivates the fuel pump. When you open the driver's door, you hear the whirring because the fuel pump is priming itself.

    The engine fan is normal as well. I have heard it run after I turn the car off many times, when the engine wasn't that hot.
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