I, for one, agree with your observations and always consider how many years ANY product has been 'on the market' as part og my purchase decesion.
One comment: PLEEEZZZEEE do not put the same append in multiple forums. Most of us are subscribed to ALL of the Jetta forums and it is a waste of yours and our time to read the same posting over and over. Also, any responses will be distributed and hard to follow in the future when searching the forums. Not to mention the additional hard drive space on the server.
I bought my 2000 GLS Jetta brand new and completely adored the car, recommended it to every person I met. Just recently I started having some problems. Seems like a lot of people on this board have had the MAF and the window break, which I have also had, but thankfully, got fixed under warranty. My question is: right now I have a problem that the car sometimes starts right up, and sometimes it takes 3-4 tries and sometimes, it takes 3 days. I've taken it to the dealer a couple of times and each time they say they've fixed it and it happens again. Anyone have this happen to them? Any suggestions? My lease runs out in 2 months and I'm trying to decide if I should buy this car.
If the dealer fixes that starting problem and there are no other problems to mention, I'd get the car. If they keep saying they fixed it, but never is, get rid of it. You should try a 2003 with that $199 per month lease. Even though it's a GL, it has tons of standard equiptment. I don't know too much about that lease (I just posted a question on the regular Jetta board) but I'd look into it. I agree with what 600kgolfgt said about the first year of production. In the middle of 1999 is when VW came out with the new body style Jetta's. If you bought your 2000 in the first half of the year, that would mean that the Jetta was still in its first full year of production. I have heard little complaints of the 2003 and it seems VW has worked all the kinks out for this model year.
I just received this notice in the mail; I no longer own a 2001 Jetta, but I guess I'm a party to the class action suit. Seeing the notice brought back memories of that awful day when my freakin' driver's side window fell right into the door.
You can add us to the list of Jetta owners who have had premature rear brake wear. Last month, heard metal-on-metal, brought it in: rear pads completely gone. Had to get new pads and rotors. This is a 2001 Jetta with just 16K on the odometer.
(casecom2) There were some cases of dragging rear brakes. (sticking calipers) But if it got to the point of metal-to-metal, you must have been totally oblivious that the brakes were dragging. How is that possible? It is your $$ that is being put into the fuel tank. Do you not measure the MPG at every fillup? (one of the best ways to measure the 'health' of your vehicle)
When in neutral and you release the brake pedal, if the vehicle does not tend to roll slightly, there is a good chance of dragging brakes. I am always checking mine... every time I release the brake pedal. It is pretty obvious when the brakes are dragging.... you can release the brake pedal and the vehicle just sits there in neutral.
Dragging brakes also KILLS the MPG. If my Jetta started to get less than 50MPG... I would be feeling the lugnuts to see if they were getting hot. (A sure sign of dragging brakes.)
BTW... A 2001 with just 16K miles has hardly been driven. Perhaps it is spending too much time sitting around. This can cause calipers to stick.
The mechanic said the calipers had a little rust on them but showed no evidence of being stuck (although he couldn't rule out them being previously stuck). There was also no evidence that the parking brake had been left on.
As for the miles, the car is mostly used by my wife for a short commute (3 miles one-way) each weekday. The only time it's "sitting around" is when we take our other car on vacation for a week or so.
I have re-read your append and now see that the calipers WERE NOT replaced... Apparently my original suggestion of sticking calipers was off base.
I realize that your "mechanic" said "There was also no evidence that the parking brake had been left on." But....I cannot figure out how ANYONE could determine this. (what 'evidence' does one look for??)
Unless you somehow ended up with VERY soft rear brakepads. I would have to say that the emergancy brake was not fully released during several of those 'short commutes'.
I know this may be a 'touchy subject' when it comes to modifing a wifes driving habits. (I have a wife too ;-)
I guess if the front brakes were not doing their full job... the rears would wear out prmaturally. (Do not forget that the FRONT brakes are supposed to do about 80% of the braking.... that is why the rear rotors are so small.)
hello all, well i finally just traded in my 2002 jetta 2.0 which was so problematic from the start that i took a loss on my loan just to get rid of it. anyway i got a new 2003 honda accord lx, and all i can say is the difference between the jetta that i had and the accord quality wise is night and day. the accord reeks of quality while the jetta reeks of well_ _ _ _ <.......you fill in the blank. anyway my take on volkswagen cars is this, volkswagen cars are alot like playing the stock market in that you toss and turn at night wondering if its going to perform at all, while on the other hand with the honda, you get piece of mind as well as a good nights sleep. no tossin n turning with my accord.thanx steve
Glad you are happy with your Accord. Though, I do believe you are way off base when saying the quality of VW's is $#%^. Yes, the Accord is known for its quality, but I think you are probably VERY jaded by the problems you had with your '02 Jetta. As far as mechanical quality, I will probably grant you that Honda's are more reliable. But, as far as fit and finish, VW's are known for their quality interiors and exteriors. Actually, VW's are the target for many manufactures interior designs.
I do hate to see anyone have troubles with their cars, but to say that VW quality is %$&^ is far fetched.
I hope you have many miles of troubefree driving in your new Accord. They do put together a great car. Eventhough, my Wife's '98 Accord needed a new transmisson at 75K miles. That may just be a fluke though!!
There are posters who jump down the throat of anyone who shares negative experiences with a Jetta on their board. They do this by insinuating that the many quality problems that Jetta's continue to exhibit (it seems 2003's are prone to many of the same problems as the earlier models) are normal and that the many owners sharing these stories have unrealistic expectations from a 20K+ auto. One person even went on to insinuate that the mechanic of an unsatisfied VW owner was less than qualified, doing so by inserting the mechanics job title in quotes. They also claim that the reason there are so many VW complaints on the internet is because most people that are happy with their autos don't bother to go online to share, only those unhappy customers do so. Yet they fail to explain why there are overwhelmingly more negative comments for VW's than most, if not all other makes. If this theory were true, wouldn’t we see even more negative postings on the internet for the many autos that outsell Volkswagen? One of them even stated that they prefer owning a fun-to-drive Jetta, because reliable cars are boring to drive (a flawed statement in so many ways). These people defend their VW's tooth and nail, resorting to condescending responses to those who post bad experiences with their VW's, flawed arguments insinuating that no reliable cars are fun-to-drive (my P5 says otherwise), and the idea that VW's quality problems are normal (JD Powers Three Year survey and Consumer Reports say otherwise).
So my question is, how much is VolksWagen paying you guys to be cheerleaders for products that are obviously inferior to the norm? The people who share their negative experiences are doing the public a service by informing us of the strong possibility that a VW would be a bad financial and emotional experience. Your constant attacks on them (yes, attacking) are unfair and unwarranted. If you’re getting paid, bravo! If you’re blindly defending your poor decision of purchasing a VW, shame on you.
At the very least admit the fact that you are owners of the few "fluke" Jetta's that happen to be hassle-free.
Ever since my first 1970 VW Beetle bought used in 1971,(had 10k on the clock and I sold it 7 years later with app 250,000 on the clock) the constant that has not changed is the need or emphasis or requirement for periodic maintenance (at least 35 years). Judging by the need for special tools for today's work, I would say that it has increased, rather than become less. Certainly the cost has increased!!! Certain things have improved, like 10k oil and filter intervals with a TDI. But there are back ward steps also. One can even ask why are VW OEM struts/shocks TOAST at 25,000 miles and Bilstein makes after market replacements with a lifetime guarantee? I have Toyota Lancruiser shocks with 105,000 miles on the clock with a DEALER assistant service manager telling me it doesn't need to be replaced. However he will gladly oblige me if I decide to replace them.
While NO car is maintenance free, the VW in fact probably can be considered a maintenance hog. Why did I go back in and take the 3rd time plunge? (I also drove a new 1978 Rabbit for 95,000 miles) The VW with the TDI has an interesting set of anomolies, 1. a 12 year rust through guarantee (Toyota and Honda doesnt even come close) 2. The TDI motor has a 10,000 hr design life. (given, that nasty word, maintenance)At an average speed of 50-55 mph the projection is 500,000-550,000 miles
The upshot is: over the life of the motor, if the projections hold out, we are looking at operation costs of 6-7 cents per mile with DIY scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. In addition to the TDI getting 45-50 mpg, given the understanding that maintenance has to be done, it is worth the gamble. In fact, there are a few folks who have run it to close to 623,000 miles. One's actual cost was something on the order of .068 cents per mile.
Check the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration website: www.ntsha.dot.gov Just a cursory comparison of the Jetta from `99 thru `03 models yielded 931 consumer complaints (186 per model year avg.). The Ford Taurus (volume comparison) `99 thru `03 yielded 1652 consumer complaints (330 per model year avg.). I don't know the ratio sold of Taurus vs. Jetta, but I would bet it's at least double. I realize they are different cars (midsize sedan vs. compact sedan) but this was strictly for volume comparisons. It would seem that the ratio of consumer complaints for the Jetta would be higher than the Taurus when factoring in the number of vehicles sold. But I would be willing to bet that a `good' Jetta (one with no problems) would outlast a Taurus, mileage wise. I have known a number of people who have owned VW Rabbits, Jettas, Scirrocos who have put 200,000+ miles on them easy. I've known a few Taurus / Sable owners and I can't say the same about them. It may just be the personalities of the type of people who owned those cars. The owners of the Taurus' didn't hold on to the cars for more than 4-6 years, whereas the owners of the VW's seemed to take some pride in getting every last mile they could out of their cars. Just my 2 cents.
Yes, like I said the VW has a few anomolies!!!! EVERY Taurus owner at the 5 and 6 year mark (small population I know!!) had roughly 5k of unscheduled work needed. One family I knew needed 7,500 dollars worth!!
The thing I didnt mention about the 1970 Beetle is that it needed a clutch (at 115k if i remember correctly). It cost 100 dolllars and a 12 bottles of Heneiken. (German Mechanic) Because it used regular leaded fuel, the exhaust system rusted out about every 1.5 years. It needed a carb rebuild once or twice and 3k on the oil change was PUSHING it. I once had fuel trouble with it on the road in Nashville TN, but an overnight stay and the local VW dealer flushed the tank and system and I was back on the road again. This bad fuel load was not the fault of the car. The tune up kits, brakes, tires and shocks were just normal scheduled maintenance. Of course gas was 30 cents a gal and during the gas crisis it got up to like 39 cents.
I find it odd, tho, that in order for the Jetta to compare favorably, it had to be compared to a Ford Taurus. I don't recall seeing a Taurus/Jetta comparison in the couple of months I've been reading VW forums. I'm wondering how it would fare in the same type of comparison using an Accord, Impreza, Altima, etc?
Also, I don't think the quality and build issues that Jetta owners are referring to can be dismissed by saying that the Jetta is a car that requires more scheduled maintenance than the common car.
Or maybe, just maybe, the many who post on this board, Consumer Reports, and JD Powers (the initial quality and 3 year study, if I remember correctly) and are just flat out wrong?
Based on your comment: "If this theory were true, wouldn’t we see even more negative postings on the internet for the many autos that outsell Volkswagen?" I chose the Taurus for volume purposes only, as I stated in my post. I chose the Taurus because it is a car sold in significantly higher volume than the Jetta. It was done merely to show a ratio, not to compare models.
Incidently, thru the same model years, the Honda Accord yielded 1270 consumer complaints (254 per year avg.) and the Nissan Altima yielded 348 consumer complaints (70 per year).
I don't think the Jetta compared favorably, based on the number of Jettas sold versus the number of the other vehicles sold. The Jetta sales numbers are probably similar to the Altima.
Well for sure it is a MEASURE. If you have ever taken the JD Powers survey, you will clearly see that. Let us use two covered examples: 1. struts/shocks 2. rear brake pads and rotors. You go into the dealer for the 20-30-40-50k service. In addition to the normal service items on the checklist they tell you your struts/shocks are toast and or your rear brake pads are worn and oh by the way ya need new rear rotors. I don't know about you but if it were me and I didn't DIY or know anything about the fact that VW is a maintenance hog, I'd be upset. Combine that with full retail and beyond for parts and a 90 dollar hour service bill, Id be fit to be tied!
If you take the Germany vs Japan issue, I have already stated I have had shocks INXS of 105k on a Toyota Landcruiser. I once sold a Honda Accord 5 speed with the original REAR brake pads and rotors at 96,000 miles. So how would you RATE reliablity???? Pretty obvious to me. If you take the more long term approach you can see it as scheduled maintenance and how do I extend it? Answer: Bilstein lifetime warranty struts/shocks, and Mintex Red pads.
However, my original point remains the same: I still believe that the many people who post negative comments about the Jetta on this forum are constantly, unfairly and at times condescendingly attacked by a few overly loyal VW fans.
When will these few ultra loyal fans start accepting the strong possibility that the great Jettas they own are the "flukes", and allow others in this townhall to share their negative experiences with Jettas without having to defend themselves at every turn?
I do not believe that JD Powers, Consumer Reports, and the many people all over the internet are wrong when stating that the Jetta is an unreliable, low-quality vehicle. I also do not believe that the same three or four who explain away every Jetta issue brought up in this forum are endowed with a knowledge and understanding of Jettas and their "quirks" that the rest of us are incapable of comprehending.
From an objective view it has been addressed. From an individual point of view I think the caveat still holds "buyer beware"
For my two cents if I was looking for the "Japanese" reliability, the reality is look no further than a Japanese car. What that means to me, from what I have researched read and talked to folks who have had it and do the maintenance is: if you are not willing to do the maintenance STAY AWAY.
My take is that there are a good lot of folks that find that out AFTER things go wrong and they are not happy campers. A good Japanese car will go the 5/6 years you have it on lease/ownership payments/etc and you will usually do only routine maintenance.
You must of REALLY had a BAD day. I agree with you to a certain extent. VW owners tend to accept problems with their cars more than other car owners per se. But, I do believe, as someone pointed out earlier, that VW owners tend to be more "obsessed" with their cars than the typical "Taurus" or "Accord" owner. I believe that VW owners tend to be more "Driver" oriented and look at their VW as an extention of themselves. One who truely enjoys the VW experience. Granted, I am not sure how much of this "attitude" is marketing driven, but I, personally, have had a pretty good experience with my VW compared to the 1998 Accord we previously owned. The Accord was more reliable, but, to me, not as much fun to drive.
So, I guess it is a trade off VW owners live with in order to drive a car they feel is worth the time and effort to bring in to get problem areas resolved. As far as the supposed attacks by VW owners on other forum posters, that is not called for. Though I must say, I read this forum everyday and don't really remember seeing many attacks. I am sure you will post an example for me to refresh my memory...that would be fine with me.
BTW: Your tone (no pun intended) is on the side of beligerent. After reading this thread for many years, it seems that Protege owners are almost as excited about their cars....
The intent of the this forum is to try and address issues (problems) that folks may have with their Jettas. I hope this forum does not degrade into a "whining area" for disgruntled folks. That would serve little purpose for anyone. (except the whiners may feel better ;-)
There are several folks with a lot of technical knowledge that are gracious enough to offer their time to help folks in this forum.
Do you have a problem with your Jetta you would like to discuss?
Honestly, I'm far from beligerent. Just disappointed, with a desire to share. Too often people are accused of whining when I believe they are just sharing.
Although it is hard to interpret one's emotions via a written medium, I guess I've felt too often that the 'regular' posters on this thread have been the ones being beligerent to the occasional posters who come here to share their negative Jetta experiences (after all, this thread is called 'Jetta Problems', not 'Jetta Excuses'). I admit that there is a lot of helpful information shared here, also.
I think I've stated my point (I feel like a broken record now), so I will not post examples.
And, as Bruce has so graciously alluded to, I do not have any Jetta experiences to discuss. Luckily, after I test drove a Jetta Wagon and loved it, I read Edmunds and other sites and publications, decided to not take the risk, and then discovered the P5.
I think folks need to pardon me for stating the obvious. ANY vehicle is not maintenance free. I think that if the OEM community could figure that one out, the world would beat a path to their door.
The VW (Jetta) NEEDS maintenance and to my mind, a maintenance hog. I think the major problem is that folks buy the car THINKING that little or no maintenance is due and are shocked and surprised WHEN their car looks, acts, and smells like a (maintenance) hog!! I think folks might be guilty of going into the situation with eyes wide shut!
I don't know about most folks, but before I even seriously consider a vehicle, the first place I haunt is the mechanic/mechanical side.
VW, even if you give it a cursory look is first and foremost a MAINTENANCE HOG.
Almost EVERYTHING you NEED to do on a later model VW requires SPECIAL TOOLS!!!!This doesn't even take into account what you will WANT to do!!
If we use the oil and filter change on a Jetta TDI for example, while you don't NEED a SPECIAL TOOL (evacuator) to change the oil, if you don't use or have the SPECIAL TOOL you need a SPECIAL TOOL to remove the plastic plate under the oil pan, to reach the oil pan bolt, 7-10 special headed bolts. You also need a SPECIAL TOOL(fluted) oil filter wrench or equivalent. Do you need to raise or JACK your vehicle to say change your tires, rotate perhaps?, Or to jack the vehicle to do an oil change because you don't have the SPECIAL TOOL (evacuator)? Don't EVEN THINK about jacking your vehicle, without yup, you guessed it, A SPECIAL TOOL!!??? The examples and the lists goes on and on.
It is so bad, you almost need SPECIAL TOOL to manage the SPECIAL TOOLS!!! So how anyone can walk away with the notion that the VW requires no maintenance, eludes me!!!???.
The tone of expectation I am hearing is that IT (VW) is not as reliable as the Japanese cars!!! I will have to almost 100% agree with that!! Given the above discussion, why didn't one buy a JAPANESE car or even an American one for that matter. NOT EVEN many American CARS are on the 5/10 worst car list!!!!!
Are there any warning signs that your door glass is getting ready to fall into the door? When I closed the door last week I heard a noise that sounded like something came loose and dropped to the bottom of the door. Now I'm thinking the next step is the whole window.
I have a 97 Jetta Jazz edition (a GL with a nice stereo system and alloy wheels basically) and I've had relatively good service out of it aside from the fact that the AC has been out of commission most of the time I've had the car.
My mechanic, whom I usually trust, is saying it's the evaporator and the cost to replace will be $1300. Does this sound right? I'm basically going to fix it and sell it and get a Mazda Protege 5. I am beginning to believe that soon my beloved Jetta may become a money pit.
(wonderwall) A quick search on the internet for an Evaporator for your vehicle returned a cost of $229 for the part. ( http://www.buyautoparts.com/ )
As with ANY Air-conditioning work, there is the cost of recycling the freon as well as R+R of the part.
In my mind, ($1300-$229=$1071) is a bit excessive for the labor costs.
QUESTION: Why fix it and sell it? Just sell it a bit less than you would with working AC. You will come out ahead by cutting your losses instead of spend $ to sell it. Let the buyer deal with it. Dont make it YOUR problem if you are going to sell it anyway.
If you were to be KEEPING the vehicle for some time, the cost of fixing the AC would pay you back with nice cold air during the rest of your ownership experience. (AND you could still sell it later)
In my experience, AC is short-lived in ANY vehicle. (Even my daughters HONDA at 212K miles has broken AC)
My second 98 TDI has been diagnosed with this problem and I was wondering if anyone hanging out on this site has some experience with this issue. The TDI club site has several mentions of the coolant migration problem, but no resolutions or experiences with VW. It seems that getting coolant into the electrical system should be a serious enough problem to warrant a notice from VW (or am I just dreaming.) Anyone here been down this road?
(jpc) I too, have read about the "Coolant migration" problem. Perhaps folks reading this forum would like a better explanation.
The coolant-overflow bottle has an electrical connector on the side of it. In rare cases, the coolant (under pressure) will seep out of the overflow bottle beside the metal contacts of this connector. From here, the wiring acts like a 'hose' to route the coolant into the rest of the electrical system. (bad stuff happens to electrical system)
There is a simple corrective action for this problem before it happens. A small hole is drilled in a specific spot so if the coolant DOES start to leak out beside the metal contacts... instead of following the wiring, it will just dribble down the outside of the overflow bottle.
If this problem occours... the only real FIX is to replace the overflow bottle.
Also, DO NOT overfill the overflow bottle. This creates more pressue in the system and may exasperate the problem.
Will my 99 Jetta (new style) be able to run to 100,000 miles, (of course with some repairs here and there) ??? I know many people that have original versions of the Jetta (before the new style in 99) who have loved that they can go to 100,000 miles. Yet, I have heard that the new models are not holding up and can't make it near that far. Is it time for me to trade in my 99 Jetta with 43,000 miles before it falls apart??
Okay guys I have a little problem. Today I took my 02 VW Jetta to the shop for regular scheduled maintenance. It has already hit 30000 miles, but I've only had it for about 3000 of those. The maintenance goes just fine, when the car is on the lift, the technician notices that the right back tire is showing some uneven wear. A closer inspection and it appears that I have a cracked rear axle. Judging by the crack it is not a defect of any kind, apparently something hit it. The tech said that since the crack appears to be from something that hit the axle, VW would not cover it under warranty. I asked the tech if there was anyway to have known that I knew i had this problem. He said that it would be near impossible to detect that kind of problem. It is going to cost me $800 to fix the axle. My question is do I have a case against the dealership that sold me the car? What if I blew a tire going 75 because the rear tire was damaged so badly due to a cracked rear axle that I was never aware existed? The only way the tech even knew was because he had it on a lift. He also said that it would have to take a pretty big hit to crack the axle, and I haven't hit anything or any curbs. I've had the car for a little over 3 months, if I can't get the dealer who sold me the car to pay for the damage do I have a legitimate complaint. How would I go about this to get it resolved? thanks for the input.
I'm sorry rebel22, but I don't think you have much of a case. I'm no law student but when you purchase a car (without a warranty), you acknowledge that there is no warranty, either implied or verbal. Any repairs after the purchase would be out of your pocket. As a consumer, it's also your job (and your right) to have the vehicle inspected before purchase. There is nothing that says the seller must disclose every problem with the vehicle, and even then, it would be hard to prove the dealership knew of the problem when the car was sold.
I feel your pain, though, pal. A few months after I purchased my Malibu, I found the rear control arms were badly bent. Now, for any competent mechanic, it would have been easy to see there was a problem. This was never disclosed to me when I bought, but there was nothing I could do about it.
hi rebel, sorry to hear about your jettas axle, unfortunatley you dont have a leg to stand on in this case. you bought a used car and all the risks associated with byeing a used car. unless you can prove otherwise, that the dealer who sold you the car knew about this which would also be very hard to prove. did you get an exteneded warranty also? if you did that might help you out.
Yeah I don't think that there is anyway around my situation. It's unfortunate because the reason I bought a newer car was to try and eliminate the need for repairs in the shop, with the car under warranty I thought I would avoid most repairs. I hate being a college student and broke... oh well thanks guys for your opinions, I think I will be a lot more cautious the next time I purchase a used vehicle. You have to learn from your mistakes, I won't make the same one again, a thorough inspection next time.
its not that you bought a used car that is the problem here,its that you bought a used jetta thats thats the problem. its a crap shoot when you by a new jetta or any vw car for that matter,you didnt exactley increase your odds by getting a used one.
I have a 2001 Jetta with 24000 miles. Recently, the Alarms goes off on it's own, no lights flashing though and shuts itself after 30 Secs. Happens randomly throughout the day.
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem.
I have a 2000 Jetta (2L 4cy) GLS I love the car, but problems continue to bother me. My main concern right now is about very poor gas mileage and oil consumption. My car used to run 350 miles per tank, but it suddenly dropped two years ago, and now it runs only a little over 200 miles (275 at best and sometimes 180! this is like Mini van, isn't it ?). Like many of you, I too have oil consumption problem (drinks 1qt per 900 miles), but according to VW, these are just normal !
My questions for you guys are, 1. What gas mileage do you get ? 2. Is oil consumption related to this ? 3. Is there any way to solve the problem (with for power train warrany)?
1) I have a 2002 Jetta with 2.0 and I can stretch my mileage to almost 400 miles. I usually fill my talk at around 375 miles. I sounds like you have a problem if you cannot get mor than 200 miles on a tank.
2)I don't think so, but I am not 100% sure. The oil consumption issue is a known problem and VW knows it's a problem. Take it to a different dealer. If the oil issue was caught before your 2/24 warranty expired, your dealer may honor the warranty and complete an oil consumption test.
I stated the problem before 2y warranty expired, but unfortunately, according to them, it is not filled in their record. However, they did the tests for free for a couple of times, so may be they will continue to provide free tests. (But I do not know if it will be free to fix the problem.)
I am more concerned about the poor gas mileage problem because it is (I think) rare. When I release gas pedal, speed goes down significantly, as if I am driving a manual transmission car (mine is auto). I have not driven other cars with same engines, but is this the way our engine works ? I think the engine should work more smoothly and this can be the reason for the poor gas mileage.
Finally, my wife just told me that malfunction light came on again! I thought they finally fixed it 6mo ago after 5 times visit. Problems of air bag & malfunction light is endless.
I have the 99 Jetta that I wrote about above. No one replied to my message but I am glad to help you out. My 99 automatic runs like a stick shift and has since day 1 (but very smoothly). It was actually one of the things I liked about it. As for my gas mileage I was getting great mileage about 310 a tank when it was new. It did drop off as the car got older but the lowest ever was maybe 280 a tank. As for the check engine light, mine goes off every other week when it feels like it and every mechanic has said it is just a fluke and everything is fine. I love my Jetta but with all that I have been reading and hearing lately I think its time for me to trade in before things get worse!
I am glad to know that your car also runs like mine (in terms of engine braking like stick shift). Yes, I also like the feeling! It is fun.
But your gas mileage is also significantly higher than mine, even though not 400. My car is only with 21000 miles, and I do not think my driving habit is too aggressive, so something must be wrong with my car. Low oil burn out the engine ? or fuel injection should be cleaned ? Or maybe a dead plug? I do not know.
I think VW may be the best auto maker if their cars are as reliable as Toyotas. (seeing current situation, which will be very difficult though...)
I may be getting more miles per tank because I have a 5-speed. From what you are saying, it sounds like your brakes may be sticking. If the pads are in constant contact with the rotors that would be a reason for your bad gas mileage as well as the decelleration you reference. Bring your car to any good mechanic and they will know if your calipers are sticking.
I would also call VW Customer Care regarding your oil consumption. That is a KNOWN problem and since you brought it to the dealers attention prior to the warranty expiring, that should be something VW addresses. Do you happen to have the receipts from your dealer visits regarding the oil consumption? If you do that should suffice.
There is an easy test for dragging brakes that anyone can do.
1)Drive for awhile preferably at freeway speeds.
2)Come to a stop using the brakes as little as possible. (coast then use brakes lightly to stop) This is easiset done entering a "rest area"
3)Turn off engine and get out.
4)Go to each wheel and CAREFULLY feel the lug nuts. If the brakes are dragging at a wheel... the lug nuts will be so hot you cannot touch them.
If you find HOT lug nuts... make appointment at trusted mechanic. (Or bring to my house for further details 8-)
WARNING -- driving with dragging brakes for any length of time will dry out the bearing grease... leading to bearing failure. The heat may also damage outer CV joint.
Here is a link to the actualy VW oil-consumption TSB (Technical Service Bulliten)
Comments
One comment:
PLEEEZZZEEE do not put the same append in multiple forums. Most of us are subscribed to ALL of the Jetta forums and it is a waste of yours and our time to read the same posting over and over. Also, any responses will be distributed and hard to follow in the future when searching the forums. Not to mention the additional hard drive space on the server.
Jeremy
When in neutral and you release the brake pedal, if the vehicle does not tend to roll slightly, there is a good chance of dragging brakes. I am always checking mine... every time I release the brake pedal. It is pretty obvious when the brakes are dragging.... you can release the brake pedal and the vehicle just sits there in neutral.
Dragging brakes also KILLS the MPG. If my Jetta started to get less than 50MPG... I would be feeling the lugnuts to see if they were getting hot. (A sure sign of dragging brakes.)
BTW... A 2001 with just 16K miles has hardly been driven. Perhaps it is spending too much time sitting around. This can cause calipers to stick.
As for the miles, the car is mostly used by my wife for a short commute (3 miles one-way) each weekday. The only time it's "sitting around" is when we take our other car on vacation for a week or so.
I realize that your "mechanic" said "There was also no evidence that the parking brake had been left on." But....I cannot figure out how ANYONE could determine this. (what 'evidence' does one look for??)
Unless you somehow ended up with VERY soft rear brakepads. I would have to say that the emergancy brake was not fully released during several of those 'short commutes'.
I know this may be a 'touchy subject' when it comes to modifing a wifes driving habits. (I have a wife too ;-)
I guess if the front brakes were not doing their full job... the rears would wear out prmaturally.
(Do not forget that the FRONT brakes are supposed to do about 80% of the braking.... that is why the rear rotors are so small.)
I do hate to see anyone have troubles with their cars, but to say that VW quality is %$&^ is far fetched.
I hope you have many miles of troubefree driving in your new Accord. They do put together a great car. Eventhough, my Wife's '98 Accord needed a new transmisson at 75K miles. That may just be a fluke though!!
So my question is, how much is VolksWagen paying you guys to be cheerleaders for products that are obviously inferior to the norm? The people who share their negative experiences are doing the public a service by informing us of the strong possibility that a VW would be a bad financial and emotional experience. Your constant attacks on them (yes, attacking) are unfair and unwarranted. If you’re getting paid, bravo! If you’re blindly defending your poor decision of purchasing a VW, shame on you.
At the very least admit the fact that you are owners of the few "fluke" Jetta's that happen to be hassle-free.
While NO car is maintenance free, the VW in fact probably can be considered a maintenance hog. Why did I go back in and take the 3rd time plunge? (I also drove a new 1978 Rabbit for 95,000 miles) The VW with the TDI has an interesting set of anomolies, 1. a 12 year rust through guarantee (Toyota and Honda doesnt even come close) 2. The TDI motor has a 10,000 hr design life. (given, that nasty word, maintenance)At an average speed of 50-55 mph the projection is 500,000-550,000 miles
The upshot is: over the life of the motor, if the projections hold out, we are looking at operation costs of 6-7 cents per mile with DIY scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. In addition to the TDI getting 45-50 mpg, given the understanding that maintenance has to be done, it is worth the gamble. In fact, there are a few folks who have run it to close to 623,000 miles. One's actual cost was something on the order of .068 cents per mile.
Just a cursory comparison of the Jetta from `99 thru `03 models yielded 931 consumer complaints (186 per model year avg.).
The Ford Taurus (volume comparison) `99 thru `03 yielded 1652 consumer complaints (330 per model year avg.).
I don't know the ratio sold of Taurus vs. Jetta, but I would bet it's at least double.
I realize they are different cars (midsize sedan vs. compact sedan) but this was strictly for volume comparisons.
It would seem that the ratio of consumer complaints for the Jetta would be higher than the Taurus when factoring in the number of vehicles sold.
But I would be willing to bet that a `good' Jetta (one with no problems) would outlast a Taurus, mileage wise.
I have known a number of people who have owned VW Rabbits, Jettas, Scirrocos who have put 200,000+ miles on them easy.
I've known a few Taurus / Sable owners and I can't say the same about them.
It may just be the personalities of the type of people who owned those cars. The owners of the Taurus' didn't hold on to the cars for more than 4-6 years, whereas the owners of the VW's seemed to take some pride in getting every last mile they could out of their cars.
Just my 2 cents.
The thing I didnt mention about the 1970 Beetle is that it needed a clutch (at 115k if i remember correctly). It cost 100 dolllars and a 12 bottles of Heneiken. (German Mechanic)
I find it odd, tho, that in order for the Jetta to compare favorably, it had to be compared to a Ford Taurus. I don't recall seeing a Taurus/Jetta comparison in the couple of months I've been reading VW forums. I'm wondering how it would fare in the same type of comparison using an Accord, Impreza, Altima, etc?
Also, I don't think the quality and build issues that Jetta owners are referring to can be dismissed by saying that the Jetta is a car that requires more scheduled maintenance than the common car.
Or maybe, just maybe, the many who post on this board, Consumer Reports, and JD Powers (the initial quality and 3 year study, if I remember correctly) and are just flat out wrong?
"If this theory were true, wouldn’t we see even more negative postings on the internet for the many autos that outsell Volkswagen?"
I chose the Taurus for volume purposes only, as I stated in my post. I chose the Taurus because it is a car sold in significantly higher volume than the Jetta.
It was done merely to show a ratio, not to compare models.
Incidently, thru the same model years, the Honda Accord yielded 1270 consumer complaints (254 per year avg.) and the Nissan Altima yielded 348 consumer complaints (70 per year).
I don't think the Jetta compared favorably, based on the number of Jettas sold versus the number of the other vehicles sold. The Jetta sales numbers are probably similar to the Altima.
If you take the Germany vs Japan issue, I have already stated I have had shocks INXS of 105k on a Toyota Landcruiser. I once sold a Honda Accord 5 speed with the original REAR brake pads and rotors at 96,000 miles. So how would you RATE reliablity???? Pretty obvious to me. If you take the more long term approach you can see it as scheduled maintenance and how do I extend it? Answer: Bilstein lifetime warranty struts/shocks, and Mintex Red pads.
However, my original point remains the same: I still believe that the many people who post negative comments about the Jetta on this forum are constantly, unfairly and at times condescendingly attacked by a few overly loyal VW fans.
When will these few ultra loyal fans start accepting the strong possibility that the great Jettas they own are the "flukes", and allow others in this townhall to share their negative experiences with Jettas without having to defend themselves at every turn?
I do not believe that JD Powers, Consumer Reports, and the many people all over the internet are wrong when stating that the Jetta is an unreliable, low-quality vehicle. I also do not believe that the same three or four who explain away every Jetta issue brought up in this forum are endowed with a knowledge and understanding of Jettas and their "quirks" that the rest of us are incapable of comprehending.
For my two cents if I was looking for the "Japanese" reliability, the reality is look no further than a Japanese car. What that means to me, from what I have researched read and talked to folks who have had it and do the maintenance is: if you are not willing to do the maintenance STAY AWAY.
My take is that there are a good lot of folks that find that out AFTER things go wrong and they are not happy campers. A good Japanese car will go the 5/6 years you have it on lease/ownership payments/etc and you will usually do only routine maintenance.
So, I guess it is a trade off VW owners live with in order to drive a car they feel is worth the time and effort to bring in to get problem areas resolved. As far as the supposed attacks by VW owners on other forum posters, that is not called for. Though I must say, I read this forum everyday and don't really remember seeing many attacks. I am sure you will post an example for me to refresh my memory...that would be fine with me.
BTW: Your tone (no pun intended) is on the side of beligerent. After reading this thread for many years, it seems that Protege owners are almost as excited about their cars....
The intent of the this forum is to try and address issues (problems) that folks may have with their Jettas. I hope this forum does not degrade into a "whining area" for disgruntled folks. That would serve little purpose for anyone. (except the whiners may feel better ;-)
There are several folks with a lot of technical knowledge that are gracious enough to offer their time to help folks in this forum.
Do you have a problem with your Jetta you would like to discuss?
Although it is hard to interpret one's emotions via a written medium, I guess I've felt too often that the 'regular' posters on this thread have been the ones being beligerent to the occasional posters who come here to share their negative Jetta experiences (after all, this thread is called 'Jetta Problems', not 'Jetta Excuses'). I admit that there is a lot of helpful information shared here, also.
I think I've stated my point (I feel like a broken record now), so I will not post examples.
And, as Bruce has so graciously alluded to, I do not have any Jetta experiences to discuss. Luckily, after I test drove a Jetta Wagon and loved it, I read Edmunds and other sites and publications, decided to not take the risk, and then discovered the P5.
The VW (Jetta) NEEDS maintenance and to my mind, a maintenance hog. I think the major problem is that folks buy the car THINKING that little or no maintenance is due and are shocked and surprised WHEN their car looks, acts, and smells like a (maintenance) hog!! I think folks might be guilty of going into the situation with eyes wide shut!
I don't know about most folks, but before I even seriously consider a vehicle, the first place I haunt is the mechanic/mechanical side.
VW, even if you give it a cursory look is first and foremost a MAINTENANCE HOG.
Almost EVERYTHING you NEED to do on a later model VW requires SPECIAL TOOLS!!!!This doesn't even take into account what you will WANT to do!!
If we use the oil and filter change on a Jetta TDI for example, while you don't NEED a SPECIAL TOOL (evacuator) to change the oil, if you don't use or have the SPECIAL TOOL you need a SPECIAL TOOL to remove the plastic plate under the oil pan, to reach the oil pan bolt, 7-10 special headed bolts. You also need a SPECIAL TOOL(fluted) oil filter wrench or equivalent. Do you need to raise or JACK your vehicle to say change your tires, rotate perhaps?, Or to jack the vehicle to do an oil change because you don't have the SPECIAL TOOL (evacuator)? Don't EVEN THINK about jacking your vehicle, without yup, you guessed it, A SPECIAL TOOL!!??? The examples and the lists goes on and on.
It is so bad, you almost need SPECIAL TOOL to manage the SPECIAL TOOLS!!! So how anyone can walk away with the notion that the VW requires no maintenance, eludes me!!!???.
The tone of expectation I am hearing is that IT (VW) is not as reliable as the Japanese cars!!! I will have to almost 100% agree with that!! Given the above discussion, why didn't one buy a JAPANESE car or even an American one for that matter. NOT EVEN many American CARS are on the 5/10 worst car list!!!!!
My mechanic, whom I usually trust, is saying it's the evaporator and the cost to replace will be $1300. Does this sound right? I'm basically going to fix it and sell it and get a Mazda Protege 5. I am beginning to believe that soon my beloved Jetta may become a money pit.
As with ANY Air-conditioning work, there is the cost of recycling the freon as well as R+R of the part.
In my mind, ($1300-$229=$1071) is a bit excessive for the labor costs.
QUESTION: Why fix it and sell it? Just sell it a bit less than you would with working AC. You will come out ahead by cutting your losses instead of spend $ to sell it. Let the buyer deal with it. Dont make it YOUR problem if you are going to sell it anyway.
If you were to be KEEPING the vehicle for some time, the cost of fixing the AC would pay you back with nice cold air during the rest of your ownership experience. (AND you could still sell it later)
In my experience, AC is short-lived in ANY vehicle. (Even my daughters HONDA at 212K miles has broken AC)
It seems that getting coolant into the electrical system should be a serious enough problem to warrant a notice from VW (or am I just dreaming.)
Anyone here been down this road?
Thanks
The coolant-overflow bottle has an electrical connector on the side of it. In rare cases, the coolant (under pressure) will seep out of the overflow bottle beside the metal contacts of this connector. From here, the wiring acts like a 'hose' to route the coolant into the rest of the electrical system. (bad stuff happens to electrical system)
There is a simple corrective action for this problem before it happens. A small hole is drilled in a specific spot so if the coolant DOES start to leak out beside the metal contacts... instead of following the wiring, it will just dribble down the outside of the overflow bottle.
If this problem occours... the only real FIX is to replace the overflow bottle.
Also, DO NOT overfill the overflow bottle. This creates more pressue in the system and may exasperate the problem.
I know many people that have original versions of the Jetta (before the new style in 99) who have loved that they can go to 100,000 miles. Yet, I have heard that the new models are not holding up and can't make it near that far.
Is it time for me to trade in my 99 Jetta with 43,000 miles before it falls apart??
The tech said that since the crack appears to be from something that hit the axle, VW would not cover it under warranty. I asked the tech if there was anyway to have known that I knew i had this problem. He said that it would be near impossible to detect that kind of problem. It is going to cost me $800 to fix the axle. My question is do I have a case against the dealership that sold me the car? What if I blew a tire going 75 because the rear tire was damaged so badly due to a cracked rear axle that I was never aware existed? The only way the tech even knew was because he had it on a lift. He also said that it would have to take a pretty big hit to crack the axle, and I haven't hit anything or any curbs. I've had the car for a little over 3 months, if I can't get the dealer who sold me the car to pay for the damage do I have a legitimate complaint. How would I go about this to get it resolved? thanks for the input.
I feel your pain, though, pal. A few months after I purchased my Malibu, I found the rear control arms were badly bent. Now, for any competent mechanic, it would have been easy to see there was a problem. This was never disclosed to me when I bought, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Jeremy
axle, unfortunatley you dont have a leg to stand on in this case. you bought a used
car and all the risks associated with byeing
a used car. unless you can prove otherwise, that the dealer who sold you the car knew about this which would also be very hard to prove. did you get an exteneded warranty also? if you did that might help you out.
the problem here,its that you bought a used
jetta thats thats the problem. its a crap shoot when you by a new jetta or any vw car
for that matter,you didnt exactley increase
your odds by getting a used one.
I have a 2001 Jetta with 24000 miles. Recently, the Alarms goes off on it's own, no lights flashing though and shuts itself after 30 Secs.
Happens randomly throughout the day.
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Zinc
I love the car, but problems continue to bother me.
My main concern right now is about very poor gas mileage and oil consumption. My car used to run 350 miles per tank, but it suddenly dropped two years ago, and now it runs only a little over 200 miles (275 at best and sometimes 180! this is like Mini van, isn't it ?). Like many of you, I too have oil consumption problem (drinks 1qt per 900 miles), but according to VW, these are just normal !
My questions for you guys are,
1. What gas mileage do you get ?
2. Is oil consumption related to this ?
3. Is there any way to solve the problem (with for power train warrany)?
2)I don't think so, but I am not 100% sure. The oil consumption issue is a known problem and VW knows it's a problem. Take it to a different dealer. If the oil issue was caught before your 2/24 warranty expired, your dealer may honor the warranty and complete an oil consumption test.
I stated the problem before 2y warranty expired, but unfortunately, according to them, it is not filled in their record. However, they did the tests for free for a couple of times, so may be they will continue to provide free tests. (But I do not know if it will be free to fix the problem.)
I am more concerned about the poor gas mileage problem because it is (I think) rare. When I release gas pedal, speed goes down significantly, as if I am driving a manual transmission car (mine is auto). I have not driven other cars with same engines, but is this the way our engine works ? I think the engine should work more smoothly and this can be the reason for the poor gas mileage.
Finally, my wife just told me that malfunction light came on again! I thought they finally fixed it 6mo ago after 5 times visit. Problems of air bag & malfunction light is endless.
As for the check engine light, mine goes off every other week when it feels like it and every mechanic has said it is just a fluke and everything is fine.
I love my Jetta but with all that I have been reading and hearing lately I think its time for me to trade in before things get worse!
But your gas mileage is also significantly higher than mine, even though not 400.
My car is only with 21000 miles, and I do not think my driving habit is too aggressive, so something must be wrong with my car. Low oil burn out the engine ? or fuel injection should be cleaned ? Or maybe a dead plug? I do not know.
I think VW may be the best auto maker if their cars are as reliable as Toyotas. (seeing current situation, which will be very difficult though...)
I would also call VW Customer Care regarding your oil consumption. That is a KNOWN problem and since you brought it to the dealers attention prior to the warranty expiring, that should be something VW addresses. Do you happen to have the receipts from your dealer visits regarding the oil consumption? If you do that should suffice.
1)Drive for awhile preferably at freeway speeds.
2)Come to a stop using the brakes as little as possible. (coast then use brakes lightly to stop)
This is easiset done entering a "rest area"
3)Turn off engine and get out.
4)Go to each wheel and CAREFULLY feel the lug nuts. If the brakes are dragging at a wheel... the lug nuts will be so hot you cannot touch them.
If you find HOT lug nuts... make appointment at trusted mechanic. (Or bring to my house for further details 8-)
WARNING -- driving with dragging brakes for any length of time will dry out the bearing grease... leading to bearing failure. The heat may also damage outer CV joint.
Here is a link to the actualy VW oil-consumption TSB (Technical Service Bulliten)
http://pics.tdiclub.com/members/dieseldorf/PDFs/oil%20level.pdf