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We will see!
I don't think that's good for the car. I've heard that the catalytic converter, fuel pump, and/or fuel pump relay can be damaged if you run the car until it sputters out of gas.
I dopped the car off and the service manager told me matter-of-factly "Without an appointment I can't guarantee you'll get your car back today." Oh, darn, I missed the memo from my Jetta that something would go wrong soon with its emissions. Rather than getting surly with him I just turned away and muttering sotto voce, "There's some excellent customer service."
n. pl. Sotho or So·thos
1. a. A group of closely related Bantu languages, including Tswana, spoken in southern Africa.
b. Any of these languages.
2. A member of a Sotho-speaking people.
adv. & adj.
In soft tones, so as not to be overheard; in an undertone: “There were aspersions cast, sotto voce, but knees quickly folded into curtsies when introductions were in order” (Barbara Lazear Ascher).
Music. In very soft tones. Used chiefly as a direction.
(Not that I knew what "sotto voce" meant, but if I read it better, I probably would have been able to derive it from context.
Thanks!
If it's the MAF, I'm in deep trouble as I just read that replacement MAFs are harder to find than Britney Spears' dignity.
If they keep your car overnight, you should get one. Did you ever before?
is the car "acting up?" if not, you have no worries. get the car back. the light will reset itself after a few tankfuls of gas. i learned that the hard way once, but it did take me letting the car get to almost empty and refilling twice.
if the "check engine" light is on, and the car is acting stranger than usual, you have a problem
I knew it was going to happen eventually. Thank God it was when the car was at home, and my friend was here (so I have someone to hang out with) and not on the highway or in another state.
sorry you guys had the trouble. at least you weren't 300 miles from home in a monsoon over a holiday weekend where everything was closed.
vocus - i thought you car was automatic! since mine was is auto, they brought me a flatbed truck and just drove my car up on it, with what little power it had. isn't that required? or did my towing company just screw over VW Roadside (not like i care...)??
also - both of you - did either of your cars smell like rotton eggs? oh wait, BLUE, is that the smell you were complaining about? my car STUNK like heck when the coils went....what was causing your car to smell?
i went and looked at the 03 Miatas. they now offer BLACK leather and BLACK CLOTH tops. truly the most simple yet gorgeous car out there.
The car got there safe and sound though, I checked because I had to pass the dealership last night anyway. It was in the parking lot. I have to go there in the morning to get something to drive to work. We will see how long they keep the car.
My car has never smelled like rotten eggs actually. It did have this shaking at idle, but I thought that was normal. On Friday, it started shaking a little more than usual. Even more so on Saturday, then the engine light started flashing.
Also, if your car smells like eggs, it might be the catalatic converter that's bad. The woman on the phone with VW Roadside told me usually when the engine light flahes, that's the problem.
I will find out the prognosis tomorrow when I get there. I don't care how long they keep it, as long as it's fixed right.
I had it towed on Saturday afternoon, for the first time since I got it. There is a big problem with ignition coils on the 1.8T engine. It's affecting the Audi A4 and the Jetta/Golf/Beetle. I am the 3rd on this forum alone to have it happend to me, and know many, many people that have had it happend to them. I called the dealership, and would have gotten a loaner right away, had the svc. dept. not been closed already. They are gonna have one ready for me tomorrow morning while they work on my car to determine what's wrong with it.
I bought my car on 11/3/01 with 119 miles on it, and have had it in the shop many times (more than 10) for rattles. (All those problems have been solved, thank God!) It's a great car, I love it. It's also one of the safest and most solid-feeling small cars on the road.
Besides the coil problem, there is a window problem with the Jettas. VW claims this has been fixed for the 03 model year though. We shall see what happens. The back brakes tend to wear a little prematurely due to soft pads being used (this has happend to one co-worker of mine with a Jetta). VW paid for the parts & labor for the repair though, even though his car was out of warranty. So VW will step up to the plate for you and work with you through problems. As far as customer service, I have had one bad experience with a dealership. VWoA solved it promptly for me. Most experiences have been great though. Depends on the dealer you are working with.
I love the way my car drives and handles. It's also the most comfortable car I have had. Are Jettas in general a paragon of reliability? Not really. They are not going to hold up as well as a Honda or Toyota. They offer a much more rewarding driving experience though, and their interior functionality and style are top-notch (provided they don't rattle). And as much as I love this car, I will get the warranty extended when the basic warranty runs out. Parts/labor are pretty expensive for any car, especially a European one. Am I sorry I got this car? Not at all. I wish I'd not had to deal with the niggling rattles that I have gone through though.
Bottom line is if you are looking for a car to last 100,000 miles+ with minimal expense, the Jetta or any German car might not be a good alternative for you. Best of luck on your decision though.
Reliability on my Jetta is not exactly bad (at least not American car bad, but certainly not Japanese dependable). So far i've taken the car in for 4 legit problems and sundry minor complaints. Real problems: one broken center console, one broken sliding cover for the power outlet, AC that reeks of mildew and finally the blown coils. I haven't been stranded though, so it's not like the car is a keeping me from getting anywhere.
Would I buy another VW? Probably not. I really do have fun with my engine and I love the feel of the car now with the better tires and swaybar. I also dig the interior and i feel positively safe in my car (something I never feel in any Japanese or American car). But I'm not real pleased that in 24k miles and 18 months I've had to take the car in 4 times for real problems and 3 other times for rattles and squeaks.
It's a real dilemma actually. I love the feel, safety, styling and driving dynamics of German cars but their penchant for frequent and expensive repairs scares me. Seeing the latest JD Power 4-5 reliability ratings only confirmed my feelings...the Japanese still build the most trouble free cars. At this point I'm fairly certain my next car will have to be Nissan, Infiniti or Mazda (I won't drive Hondas or Toyotas).
Just my .02 cents as a VW owner and prior Japanese car owner.
One thing you need to remember about message forums is that you'll hear way more complaints than you will positive comments. Misery loves company.
I used to drive a Honda Accord, and it was a very nice appliance. It got me from point A to B reliably.
My Jetta is fun to drive. It makes me smile. I feel good just looking at it. IMO the Tornado Red is the perfect shade of red for a car. (I didn't know Tornadoes were red)
If reliability is your #1 priority, this may not be the car for you. But you ought to at least give it a test drive and see if it speaks to you.
Ooh, and I ordered me some sweet smoked E-code headlights on Friday, they should be here any day now. I can't wait to get them on my car!
it is almost like they don't want to be considered ultra durable cars for some reason. i don't know why... Such pitiful little issues that can cause major problems in certain situations. knock on wood, mine is driving just fine lately.
If they are that inexpensive, I will demand that all be replaced if I ever have such a problem.
they won't replace all of them, if all of them aren't bad. and besides, the replacement parts are just as faulty as the ones installed in the factory. until i hear otherwise, i would just have to assume that it is going to take three years for VW to confess like it did for the window regulators...
From Clubb5.com
Re: 2 Ignition Coil packs on my 2002 1.8T Wagon a ... (pvander1) 4:05 PM 10/2/2002
...thats odd. Usually they fail within the first 10k miles. Its strange to have them last 28k miles, then fail. When coil packs are good, they generally last the life of the car or at-least 100k miles.
They fail beacuse of insulation break-down. Instead of passing the high-voltage to the spark plug electrode inside the cylinder, the high voltage dischages through the bad coil insulation to the valve cover which results in no-spark in the cylinder
They told me it's the coils (duh). I called service this morning, and they told me I couldn't have a rental until they found out what the problem was with the car, and if it was in fact covered under warranty. I then called the dealership's sales manager, and went and picked up my rental car. The guy told me there is no definite order date for the coils, and that they are on nationwide backorder. He said it would be anywhere from one day to one week to one month. Wonderful.
I am now driving a 2002 Chevy Impala (poo brown) until they fix my car. It was either that, or a Chevy Metro.
The Impala isn't that bad really. It brings back fond memories of cruising in the Bonneville (my mother had 2 of them) when I first started driving. I was 19 and pretty much loved by all my friends because I had use of the only car that could comfortably hold all of us. God, the road trips that car saw...
I did have a challenge though. I tried to make a U-turn in the middle of an intersection up the street from my house, which the Jetta can handle very easily. Not so in the Impala. I had to back up twice.
what is the REASON the coils went bad? and why are they replacing them with the same backordered part. if the part is on BACKORDER, that means it is happening to every VW. have you asked why? just wondering what the excuse is.....
you seem like such a harda$%, i thought you would have gotten to the bottom of this already. come on man, do some research and report back!!!
Meade
Meade