Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

justin · January 2002

In the 5 speed you definitely have more control, and if you can drive "stick" correctly, you can get to the next red light faster as well

For an automatic, the Tip is pretty flexible (5 forward gears) and smooth too.

Never drove a Jetta with 17" wheels. They were not an option for me, as the Jetta with 15" handles fine for my commute, and the 17" wheels detract from the car's nice more upscale economy car image. I know lots of younger people are really into the big wheel look though, so to each his own with that

A Jetta is a small car - I think the 16's are as big as I could go.

vocus · January 2002

I personally like the way the 17-inch wheels look on the Jetta. And everyone that makes comments about the car always asks about the wheels as well. They make it look sportier, but subtly.

But, the 17s will scrape on the curb because of the way they are kinda "flared" out at the face. I learned that the hard way about a week after I got my car.

Oh well, $95 to reface the wheel and I will be good to go. Or else, change wheels with one of my co-workers. We shall see.

mvs1 · January 2002

If I read that correct your in South West Conn. Your in luck since I've dealt with three different dealers. Although I'd try the ecommerce approach. Which have you visited, if any? I have the 1.8t Auto for the same reasons you've stated, very good power from a 4 cylinder. This engine is also one of the easiest to tune. My 00' is rated at 150hp, I believe the 02' is rated at 170hp but really is 180hp (rated lower, as to not step on the same Audi Turbo). This engine can easily be chipped to over 200hp for around $400. At the time I leased the sport package wasn't available, although you could upgrade the wheels/tires and springs, which is essentially the package, less the sway bar.

blueguydotcom offers the best advise, drive both, personal preferences vary, so only you can decide.

justin · January 2002

you can get the sport package aftermarket though your VW dealer. when i take my car in for the 5k service, i am considering the sport springs. not too expensive, and they will lower the car just a bit. that way i still keep the 15" alloys, but there is not that impression of so much space between the wheel and the car. checking into it.

the 2002 turbo is 180 hp in the jetta/golf/beetle and 170 hp in the passat. not sure why.....if they are different at all anyway.

teo · January 2002

The 1.8T feels livier in the Jetta/GTI/Beetle than in the heavier Passat.

The 1.8T is the best engine in the VW/Audi lineup.

vocus · January 2002

In the Passat, it's rated at 170hp. In the Jetta/Golf/GTI, 180. In the Beetle, it's rated at 150hp. What's up with all the different ratings? They all make no sense to me, since it's the same engine.

teo · January 2002

Is the torque rating the same on all 3 cars?

justin · January 2002

pretty much, the same on all cars. the passat torque is lower than the jetta torque. the beetle "s" is 180hp. not sure if they are making the 150hp beetle anymore. why would they?

blueguydotcom · January 2002

It's not the same engine. Some are longtitudal. They also different boost levels. Some have variable valve timing. The TT, A4, Beetle and Jetta all use different chips too.

And the torque rating is different across the board.

moparbad · January 2002

The 1.8T is recognized as one of the 10 best automotive engines available.

http://ca.autos.yahoo.com/011212/11/fljd.html

moparbad · January 2002

The 1.9L TDI offered in the Jetta was recognized as a great engine even in 1997.

http://www.hatfieldheath.freeserve.co.uk/passat/wards.html

teo · January 2002

The best VW diesels are not available in North America. You'll find them in Europe.

The TDI is getting old.

jphdxl · January 2002

The 1.8T looks like to way to go. I feel better about the tiptronic not sapping too much power. As was said, we'll have to try them and see which one we prefer.

mvs1: Yes, we're in southwest CT, we were going to look at Greenwich VW on Saturday. The dealer in Stamford is actually closer for us, but the initial comparison shopping is easier in Greenwich with all the different dealers so close together. I saw there was a dealer in Fairfield as well, a bit far to go for regular service for us, but for the right deal It might be worth the trip.

Which dealers do you have experience with and how did they compare on the sales experience and service?

Thanks again for all the input!!!

vocus · January 2002

Just because you buy a car at one dealership doesn't mean you have to go to that dealership for service and maintenance. Keep that in mind. You can go to any VW dealer in the US. Don't let distance of a dealership keep you from getting a better deal, as long as it's not too far away.

venus537 · February 2002

http://www.cars.com/carsapp/national/?szc=53717&srv=parser&act=display&tf=/features/truthabout/gas/todaysgas1.tmpl

Here's an exerpt from the above link:

"it's a bad idea to make a habit of running a vehicle on gasoline of lower-than-recommended octane. Retarding the spark causes a richer fuel/air mixture, which decreases fuel economy, increases emissions, causes the engine to run hotter, and reduces the longevity of both the engine itself and the catalytic converter. The money you save by pumping low-grade fuel into a car that demands higher octane is lost anyway, in decreased fuel economy and possibly gradual damage"

i strongly recommend anybody whose has the 1.8t engine and is thinking about using lower octane gasoline to read the complete article.

vocus · February 2002

I have been at the pump many times with my 2002 1.8T (I have 7700 miles since 11/3/01). I always check the prices, and it's only like $.10 difference between 89 and 93 octane. I just can never bring myself to put less than 93 in the car.

vocus · February 2002

Has anyone seen the new series of commercials about the VW turbo engine? I saw the on FOX and on NBC last night. It shows a diagram of the engine on the inside, a technical explanation, then a person kinda giving you the "KISS" version of what the technical stuff meant. There are a couple different versions though. I think they are pretty cool.

In the end, it says something like "VW turbo technology - it's not rocket science. Well, maybe a little". I think it's neat.

justin · February 2002

people are STILL going on about the octane thing? goodness gracious! there is no mass produced car sold in the U.S. that will self-destruct by using regular unleaded gas. not economically sounds for the auto manufacturers. think of how many warranty claims there would be.

use 93 octane in a car that asks for 93 octane. use 87 octane in a car that asks for 87 octane. pretty easy. the in-between ratings - use your judgement.

vocus · February 2002

Venus was just showing information found on a website. He wasn't going on about anything.

justin · February 2002

...but, it sure does seem like we have all had this conversation already. i will remove myself from the octane discussions from here on out

mvs1 · February 2002

Sorry my geographies a little of, I'm in southern CT but not that far west. The three dealers with my experiences are as follows, Montesi (North Haven) high prices/limited selection, Curran, Stratford, where I purchased/friendly/easy negotiations/service dept from the 50's, Langan in Meridan and Glastonbury, excellent facilities/lowest prices/great sales manager (only reason for not buying from Langan, was at time of purchase did not have right color combination, late 00')

If prices aren't to your liking I'd recommend e-mailing/visit/call Curran, they seem to always have the car loaded properly/right color/good price.

Oh, and again I use 87 octane in all my vehicles never a problem.

popman · February 2002

I haven't been to the board in a while so I'm sorry about the delay.

I'm In NW Indiana and two people I work with own VW's. One owns a Jetta and the other owns a Bug. They bought them at Team VW Audi on RT. 30 in Merrilliville, IN.(Formally MVP). They both receive a decent deal and felt the the salesmen were good and are Very happy with the service department. After reading many of the post on this board and others about bad VW dealers, these guys seem to be a lot better than most. I've been there twice looking at cars. Not a high pressure experience like I have received at other dealerships in the area nor was I virtually ignored like I was when I was looking at Mustangs at Webb Ford in Highland, IN. Will NEVER go back there again -- totally turned me off.

ttomm · February 2002

News for all you Jetta TDI fans. A Manchester MI fuel wholesaler (Wacker's Amoco) is the first in the state to offer biodiesel to the public. The fuel is 20% soybean fuel & 80% regular diesel. It's selling for $1.41/gal. as compared to $1.26 for regular diesel. It produces cleaner exhaust, gives a boost to the state's soybean farmers, and they claim gives better mileage than regular diesel.

debr1 · February 2002

I just got my new Jetta 1.8T yesterday-had to hang around in the showroom for about 2 hours because a delivery of work benches interfered with cleaning the car. Anyway, I was told first oil change is 5000 miles and every 5000 after that. Is this correct. Also, my car had 27 miles on it when I bought it and already the passenger side door creaks so badly it sounds like driving while the door is ajar. It is a cool car, though and I love the way it drives.

bluewolf · February 2002

Congrats on the Jetta. I love my 1.8T so much that I just bought a 2nd one! Have them look at the creak though, that's not right on a brand new car!

Yes, every 5k for oil changes, although you can do them a little sooner if you'd like. I did one @ 4k & 7k so far.

Welcome to the family.

justin · February 2002

Welcome to the Jetta Forum! You will never be bored here

Yes, 5k is first oil change.

question:

you bought a new jetta yesterday? did you test drive the car? why did you buy it if it is making noises you do not like? or did the noises just start today? what a coincidence that noises would start the day after you bought it. certainly well within your rights to take the car back and get something else. seriously. if you read through the posts here you will find that many people complain about rattles/noise problems. so, now is your chance! take the car back and get something else! you will be much happier!

galogvi · February 2002

DEBR -- I agree with Justin! Did you test drive the car before buying it? Like jphdxl, I too live in Fairfield County CT and drove several 1.8T's at Miller VW in Fairfield and Curran VW in Stratford. At both locations I test drove vehicles which had similar problems -- door creaks. It made me really think about whether this vehicle was worth pursuing. I looked at a Suburu Legacy GT Limited and was also considering a new Altima 3.5 and an Accord EX.

However, yesterday I decided to take a ride to Montesi in North Haven and ended up having a great experience. No hassles, no pressure and lots of patience. I tested two 1.8T's and one VR6 (very long test drives too). I found the VR6 to be a little too powerful for my heavy foot.

All three of these vehicles rode solidly and had no noticeable rattles. I put a down payment down on a 1.8T and will be picking it up this Wednesday.

For the person who mentioned Montesi as being high priced -- I shopped CarsDirect.com and was able to get a lower price from Montesi. Curran would only match it, but I refused to buy a car with door rattles.

justin · February 2002

Congrats! Again, if you do get some door rattles, up where the top of the door meets the body of the car, have the dealer install the "foils" - it worked for me. Hopefully you will have no problems! Just remember - it is a VW - not a Lexus

Keep everything in perspective, and will have a blast! The 1.8T Jetta is truly one of the best car buys ever.

galogvi · February 2002

My only problem is that my wife drives an RX300 ;}

debr1 · February 2002

Thanks for the welcome. I drove a Jetta at the dealer but had to order one so I didn't drive the one I purchased. The one I drove did not have door rattles. It was late yesterday by the time I got the car home and today I also noticed a few scratches as well as what looks to be some places where touch up paint may have been applied. I'm really kind of bummed-hoping the dealer will take care of all this without problems. I wasn't aware that I had the option of getting another car-or did I misinterpret you guys messages.

venus537 · February 2002

you should get another car if you noticed scratches and touch up paint. but it will be a cold day in hell before the dealer would do so. It wouldn't hurt to ask though. hopefully, the dealer will at least do a good job in fixing your problems.

check your owner's manual for your car's complete maintenance schedule.

justin · February 2002

debr1:

If you are reading this, you are not in the right place! You should be at the dealer picking up another car. You bought a car, "sight unseen?" Is that even legal? Take it back! Only the beginning of problems...touch-up paint and scratches and rattles? Is this your first new car purchase? Seriously - you can get another one - but not if you don't do it NOW

galogvi:

Oh, a Lex RX300. You will have no problems then. I was referring more to the LS430's....they are tanks!

vocus · February 2002

Well in that case, maybe I should take my car back too. I have had rattles since the car had 1000 miles on it. Now the dash is rattling. The last car I was in that did that was in 1999, and the car was a 1996 Cavalier with 40K on it. A shame.

justin · February 2002

I took a car back three days later - a Honda Civic - because the 5 speed transmission was to clunky - not typical Honda smoothness. Someone had said in VA you get a certain amount of time. Not sure if it is true, but I used it on the dealer, and it worked. I just took another right off the lot.

blackjetta18t1 · February 2002

i have rattles and squeaks in the dash, in the transmission shifter area, some creaks, etc, and I have 10780 miles. I am seriously doubting if my car will beable to hold together till 39k miles. Also, sometimes when I hit bumps, the doors sound like the insides are all loose. And also, when I hit bumps, I hear a clunking of sorts from under the car, and I hear the same noise when turning all the way to the elft or right. It really is a shame...

vocus · February 2002

I don't know what's going on with my car. Yours sounds alot worse than mine. At least I can kinda hide mine by turning up the radio some in it. But still, these are $20,000+ cars we are talking about here (mine MSRPed for $24,675). Come on now, this makes no sense!

I took it for service, and they said they didn't hear a thing. 3 passengers in my car the other night heard it clear as a bell though. I have never taken a ride with the service guy yet though, so that's my next step.

I am just mad, because I hate squeaks and rattles more than anything. It burns me that my $15K Mazda didn't have them at all after 20K, but my $25K Jetta does after only 2000.

Also, before it's said, it's alot easier said to trade the car in. Cars lose value too quickly to trade because of a little rattle. It's inexcusable.

blueguydotcom · February 2002

You're sounding like me...complaining about rattles, mentioning how passengers talk about the rattles, etc.

blackjetta18t1 · February 2002

yea i turn mine up to/...my frineds would hear these things to, and in fact in the summer, I was with the service guy in my car along with my friend, and we heard the knocking noise which had been fixed then had returned the next day, and he refused to admit he heard it, although my friend and I both, right next to him heard it....

debr1 · February 2002

Thanks everyone for your postings. I contacted the dealer today re the problems with the rattling and the paint. The guy who sold me the car was extremely accomodating-took a drive with me, heard the rattles and also took a look at the problems with the paint. All the paint things can be taken care of. And he said there is a problem with the seal on the door which can also be repaired (I wonder if that means foils). Anyway, I got a loaner car for 2 days until the work is done. I have confidence that things will work out OK. One other thing-don't know where all of you live, but ordering cars is no big deal here-people do it all the time.

427435 · February 2002

Is there anyone following this thread that has a Jetta wagon (which a dealer tells me is assembled in Germany)? If so, are you dealing with the squeaks and rattles that the Mexican built sedan owners seem to be experiencing?

teo · February 2002

The Jetta wagon is built in Germany unlike the sedans which are Mexican assembled. Since the Jetta wagon is still very new (Less than a year in the market) and far less popular than the sedan, it is hard to tell whether the build quality of the Jetta wagon is better in this respect. The Jetta wagon is a pure "VW Bora" twin.

My sister bought 2 weeks ago a brand new 2002 VW Golf GL 5-door hatchback and the car so far has been pretty impressive. very solid build quality and not a single noise yet. Her Golf was assembled at VW's plant in Curitiba, Brazil.

Unless the squeaks and rattles are inherited and part of the Jetta design (Read: unfixable defects), then one can assume that the Mexican built cars seem to display more build quality issues than its German and Brazilian assembled counterparts.

If I were to buy a new VW today, I would personally steer away from the Mexican made cars. To me the German and Brazilian made VW's seem to be much less problematic than the Mexico made gems.

justin · February 2002

.....didn't we go through this "mexican-made" jetta debate just last week?

need some new material guys.

teo · February 2002

So then why the Mexican made Jettas exhibit more of the squeaks and rattles, more so than any other non-Mexican made VW?

The Puebla plant is perhaps without a doubt pretty advanced but there have been recent laboral disputes reported in that location.

Going over with a "Fine Tooth Comb" over my sister's new '02 Golf GL, I can't understand how a car manufactured with laser welds, special compounds, tight panel gap tolerances, unit body construction, excellent interior materials and clean as a whistle fit and finish, can begin to exhibit so many premature squeaks and rattles, or have its front doors re-aligned????????

I believe the quality coming out of the Puebla plant needs and must be scrutinized.

vocus · February 2002

My God, I never thought! Something that actually is useful without fighting and arguing. Cool!

I actually wish I would have gotten a Jetta 1.8T wagon now, because they are built in Germany. I have heard less quality problems with the Golfs when they were built in Germany, but it might also just be a "luck" thing.

vocus · February 2002

There is a Jetta station wagon forum on Edmund's too. Go into Owner's Clubs from the Town Hall, then under "Volkswagen". You will see it there when you click in.

vocus · February 2002

My only rattle is the dash now. Everything else was fixed. I have never driven the car with a service tech yet though. I am going to one of these days.

vocus · February 2002

Sometimes when revving my 2002 1.8T Tiptronic a little hard (redlining maybe one or two times) and then turning it off like 3 mins. later (of course, letting it idle before I do), I have this burning like smell. A friend of mine even smelled it, and more than once too (outside temp. doesn't matter, because it was dramatically different 2 of the times). But always after the same kind of driving. She joked that "it was my turbo frying". I hope not, but I did think about it. The dealer told me to run the car hard with him, then let him smell it. I think that's what I will do.

But does anyone else have that smell? Blueguy, you seem to drive pretty hard (from what you have said). You ever have the smell in your car?

teo · February 2002

When I went with my sister to buy her Golf, I test drove a new '02 Jetta wagon GLS with the 2.0L engine. Not a bad little wagon, actually it was pretty entertaining. I just can't imagine how much better the 1.8T wagon must be. The dealer had none for sale or test drive. Our salesman told us his dealer is getting a very small allocation of 1.8T Jetta wagons. Once they get 2 or 3 units these are sold out in just 2 days.

I had an opportunity to compare a Mexican made Jetta sedan and a German built Jetta wagon side-by-side.

The Jetta wagon feels much more solid and some finish details are more refined.

As soon as the dealer gets a new allocation of 1.8T Jetta wagons, I'll be taking a test drive. Actually, I am interested on a Tiptronic equipped model.

teo · February 2002

If I were you, I would seriously think about trading your Jetta 1.8T sedan for a new German built 1.8T wagon. the wagon is very cool and it is more practical than the sedan. Plus the Jetta wagon is more rare in comparison to the sedan that everybody and their mother has.

vocus · February 2002

I have a Tiptronic 2002 turbo, and got a 2.0 loaner when my car was in the shop last week. There is a world of difference in power and performance between the two. The Tiptronic is more of an entertainment aspect though, but it's still cool to have. Actually, it helps alot in snow (to cruise in whatever gear you want, almost).

So you going to trade the Impala for a Jetta now?

Just curious...

Volkswagen Jetta 2005 and earlier

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