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VW brand experience - good or bad?

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Comments

  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    "how many people can you fit in each car, and how comfortable will they be? That is what counts."

    Perhaps for you.... I want (need) a vehicle that will not rust into oblivion within 8-10 years. Many Asian makes do just that. (Why do you think Daewoo(now GM), Kia...etc cost so little?...CHEEP SHEET METAL AND FINISHING) Here in Vermont, the roadsalt attacks your car right off the dealers lot... and never stops.

    The VWs have the 12-year/unlimited milage warantee that noone else offers in that pricerange.

    Besides.... the seats in the VW have consistantly been rated as EXTREMELY comfortable.... and my bad back has proven it over 20 years of VW ownership.

    PS: Even with my bad back... I have gone on many 16+ hour trips in my Jetta. One trip... (Vermont->Colorado->Vermont) was abou 4 days of constant going... only stopping long enough to swap-out drivers. This was 3-4 adults in the very Jetta you suggest has not usable rear seats.

    (I also averaged 55MPG the whole way!!!)... try that in your Accord or Camery
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    If your priority is maximum space per dollar, then clearly VW is not for you. VW is not building cars that are going to appeal to someone who has that as a priority. Did you really think they might be?
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Good one, LOL. But I think socala4's on to something.

    BTW, to gagrice: I also remember family trips in our 1955 and 1961 Chevy sedans: 3 adults and 2 children, with all luggage in the trunk -- plenty of room.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Answer: because I'm a former VW owner (2 Rabbits), and I like to see how VW's doing!
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Space is not always reflected in the measurements given for each car. I worked with a guy that only likes his Lincoln Town car and his Suburban. His wife started looking at little cars for around town errands. The only one he fit in at 6 foot 8 inches was a VW Beetle. The rest had him ducking to see out the windshield. VWs have better headroom than their counterparts at Toyota and Honda. Accord and Civic are the worst. The older Camry not bad at all. I have not sat in the new one. Some of the comments lead me to believe they are less head room.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    I don't see much rust at all any more, in any vehicles, except very old ones (15 years or much older).

    Of course, I don't live in the cold north, but in Virginia. Still, we do have (or at least used to have) winter including snow and salt!
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Space is not always reflected in the measurements given for each car.

    You are right about that. Two cars my wife considered last year were the Jetta and Volvo S40. By the numbers the Jetta and the S40 seemed to be about the same size, but when sitting in them the S40 seemed cramped while the Jetta seemed spacious.

    Accord seems okay space-wise to me, but I do not have a long torso and do not like sunroofs. I have not been in the new Civic, but when I looked at one in 2000 it seemed crowded...with just me in the car :) . I remember that it seemed like the mirror was right in my face.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    "Did you really think they might be?"

    Goodness, I really don't understand the question you posed there. I mean, their TV ads don't say "VW - we build them to minimize space efficiency, because that's the way we like it!"

    So when everybody TRUMPETS how the new Jetta is SO MUCH BIGGER than the old one, why wouldn't I think to myself that maybe it could now seat five in comfort?

    Never mind, this is as bad as the old GM threads. Avid fans of the brand who take it badly when anyone has a different opinion. So I will quit.

    But there is one thing I find very interesting: a disproportionate number of the regulars here are TDI owners. From the mix here you would think that 2/3 of all VW sales in the U.S. were TDIs, which is far from the truth. I wonder if the TDIs are just much better built than the rest of the fleet, or if fantastic fuel economy (and a build location in Germany, with correspondingly better build quality?) make all the difference to customer appreciation of the vehicle.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    ..."But there is one thing I find very interesting: a disproportionate number of the regulars here are TDI owners. From the mix here you would think that 2/3 of all VW sales in the U.S. were TDIs, which is far from the truth. I wonder if the TDIs are just much better built than the rest of the fleet, or if fantastic fuel economy (and a build location in Germany, with correspondingly better build quality?) make all the difference to customer appreciation of the vehicle."...

    Being one of the "group" in which you refer, at the time I bought the 2003 Jetta TDI, TDI's (of ALL VW stripes)were fully 4% of total sales in the USA market. And this is from one of the premier makers/marketeers of diesels. (USA of course). As you probably know the TOTAL passenger vehicle fleet in the USA is app 2.3-2.9% diesels. ( of 235.4 M vehicles)

    As a comparison, European sales of ALL oems contribute to 45% DIESEL (and growing rapidly % wise) of the European passenger vehicle fleet. I read in passing the European vehicle fleet is roughly the size of the USA passenger vehicle fleet.

    At that time, all tdi ENGINES were German made and assembled AND sent(crated) to Mexico for VW assembly. The Jetta WAGONs (TDI) were made and imported from Germany. Percentage wise the Wagons are as rare as hen's teeth.

    TDI engines have a structural design life of app 25,000 hours. This is a very well hidden "secret"; and the next sentence might hint at the reasons why. So given say 50 mph we are talking about a life of 1.25 M miles. So to keep this engine in the overall game (avg age of the passenger vehicle fleet is 8 years @ 12-15k per year or 120,000 miles, 7-7.5% per year salvage rate) they have designed some "suicide" features.

    But if you know what those suicide features are and mitigate for them, keep good inspection and maintenance, you of course increase your chances of going the distance. In comparison, the 2.0 and 1.8T have had a WONDERFUL RUN at 300,000 miles. So while the good news is I have NONE of the problems the gasser 2.0 and 1.8T have (which if you look cause the lions share of the complaints against VW) the TDI has it own quirks. :(:) Mercifully they are far less than either/or or in combination of the gasser engines.

    Major maintenance cycles comes at app 100,000 miles. I do 25,000 mile oil and filter changes, with an oem recommendation of 10,000 mile oil and filter changes. The innards are literally spotless.
  • jefferygjefferyg Member Posts: 418
    With lower fuel consumpion, a car-like ride but the space of a pickup, I'll bet that a segment would snap these up, too.

    Then why isn't the Honda Ridgeline the best selling truck in America :confuse:
  • jefferygjefferyg Member Posts: 418
    How right you are my friend! ;)
  • jefferygjefferyg Member Posts: 418
    a disproportionate number of the regulars here are TDI owners. From the mix here you would think that 2/3 of all VW sales in the U.S. were TDIs, which is far from the truth.

    We have a GAS-BURNING 2006 Passat and so far it has given us 13,000 trouble free miles. However, if it had been available at the time we purchased, I would have taken a very serious look at a TDI.

    BTW, when my wife and I were shopping for a new car, our test for rear seat room was based upon how our son's booster seat fit into the rear seat. It fit perfectly in the Passat but in the Accord we had to put it in at a slight angle. This is mostly due to the countour of the seat back. With that said I think that because of the countour of the seatback, the middle seat in the Accord would be very uncomfortable for an adult. OTOH, the Passat's downside in the middle is the much larger "hump" in the middle of the floor which I suppose is larger to accomodate the driveline in the coming 4-motion.

    Also, to us the Passat seems roomier than the Accord. I believe it has more rear leg room (you can't just go by the measurements) and it seems much easier to get in and out of the back seat in the Passat.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    So when everybody TRUMPETS how the new Jetta is SO MUCH BIGGER than the old one, why wouldn't I think to myself that maybe it could now seat five in comfort?

    It can now seat 4 in comfort. Personally I don't think any sedan seats 5 in comfort...I sure don't want to be the one in the middle of the back seat of any car, do you? However, we did have 5 adults and teenagers in our Jetta for a two hour trip at Christmastime last winter.

    Goodness, I really don't understand the question you posed there.

    Please...you understand just fine...you have been complaining about the new Jetta on various forums here for over a year now.
  • tach1tach1 Member Posts: 2
    I drive a VW Passat 2000 model, done 33 500 miles now with full service history... oil changes you name I've done it... lately I have had some serious leaks from the tappet cover, my mechanick tells me its because the "half moon" at the end of the camshaft is broken and that the oil lid needs to be replaced. Has anyone had this problem. I am also experiencing leaks near the oil sump under the car, cant tell where, can some please advice on best solutions if having similar problems. I'm told opening teh tappet cover and replacing the Half moon thing could be an expensive job, any alternatives.

    Tim (Virginia)
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    "Please...you understand just fine...you have been complaining about the new Jetta on various forums here for over a year now."

    The original statement was sincere, my "complaints" have never been anything such (why would I complain about a car I don't own?), but have in fact been a perspective that merely differs from yours, and for responses this unfriendly I can go ask my co-workers to do my work for me!

    OK, I will take the hint and duck out now. Buh bye. :-)

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • corvettecorvette Member Posts: 10,229
    ...they have designed some "suicide" features.

    Like a timing belt tensioner that locks up 19,000 miles after its replacement, and a dealer that refuses to offer assistance on the belt and tensioner that they installed. That episode negated any fuel savings my father had previously realized by owning that car.

    We have owned Hondas, Volvos, and Toyotas with timing belts, and never had a problem having them replaced. We also never received the car back from the dealer with the timing set so that it wouldn't start in cold weather, which was also a feature of our TDI ownership experience.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    which was also a feature of our TDI ownership experience

    That was incompetence on the part of the mechanic and dealership. The TDI just like any other engine should be worked on by a competent mechanic familiar with that particular engine. A friend of mine had his 1998 Volvo S70 develop a gas leak while traveling in Arkansas. He ended up leaving it at the dealership and continued on in a rental car. They still were not done when he returned a week later. So he flew back to San Diego. Three weeks later they had gotten the fuel line that had split replaced. He flew to AR picked up his car and drove home. He kept the S70 one week and traded on a new S80. He said the S70 had been in and out of the shop since it was new. He almost bought a new Toyota Avalon and read about all the transmission failures and stuck with Volvo.

    All brands have problems. The last year Toyota has had more recalls than in their history I believe. We keep insisting on more gadgets and complexity and will pay for that crap in the long term.
  • corvettecorvette Member Posts: 10,229
    That was incompetence on the part of the mechanic and dealership.

    I agree, but it was also incompetence on the part of VW's engineers, as they specified a factory range for timing that, if set in the middle or below, would cause extremely hard starting in cold weather. There is no TSB or memo on the TDI cars telling the mechanics that the timing needs to be advanced as far as possible within the allowable range, so it seems reasonable to set it in the middle.

    Faced with the cold starting problem, VW dealers frequently recommend replacement of the injection pump ($$$$) instead of simply advancing the timing.

    If you have a great dealership who takes care of you, it can make almost anything bearable. Unfortunately, we haven't encountered a VW dealer that meets this criteria.
  • orbit9090orbit9090 Member Posts: 116
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  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Honda Civic: OK for the masses. Less than desirable, handling and braking. No comparison to a Jetta or the rebadged Golf (Rabbit). Cannot compete mileage wise with the VW TDI. Civic, just another little car, nothing special about it. Only the over priced Civic hybrid & GX are available with PZEV rating. The Civic sold to the masses has a quite low "Six" on the emissions ratings. Maybe they need to get some tips from the Germans on emissions.
  • orbit9090orbit9090 Member Posts: 116
    Gagrice, it's not 1982 any more. Go drive a 2006 Civic EX.
    VW won't sell ANY TDI's in 2007 - they STILL can't figure out how to make them clean...but Honda has, and will begin selling new diesels in the US in a year or two, but they won't be as noisey or stinky as today's VW's. VW WISHES they could appeal to the masses (those darn picky masses who desire reliability and value).
    VW definitely needs to get some tips from Honda on quality.
    Here's is a link to some relevant info regarding the VW brand experience...
    :lemon: www.myvwlemon.com
  • jefferygjefferyg Member Posts: 418
    I've been on both sides of this coin. Have had two Accords and a Civic and am now the proud owner of an 06 Passat 2.0T. Loved all our Hondas. Reliable, Inexpensive to operate and maintain, very good cars. HOWEVER, There is no comparison between the driving experience in the Accords and the Passat. Everyone compares the Civic with the Jetta. On that comparison I cannot speak from personal experience. But if you compare an 06 Accord with an 06 Passat, the Accord just comes up short.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    but Honda has, and will begin selling new diesels in the US in a year or two

    That's when I will give Honda another try. By the way I don't think Honda has a car in the 10 best selling cars of all time. VW has at least Two. The only car that has outsold the Golf world wide is the Corolla. Outside of the USA and Japan Honda does not sell that well. Americans are easy to sell anything to. I will say that Honda had a good run through the 1990s. I think they have had their share of lemons to suck the last few years. Just mosey over to the Honda discussions and search for fire and leaks.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    My Honda experiences: 1979 Accord (80k)/1982 Accord (95k)/2004 Civic (31k).

    My VW experiences: 1970 VW Beetle (250k)/1979 Rabbit (95k) 2003 Jetta TDI 79k).

    Quality wise the VW is head and shoulders above the Honda. Reliability wise for sure the Honda has a much better reputation than VW. My (limited to be sure) experiences have Honda to be way less reliable than the VW's, as I have WAY more miles. In addition if you have rust and winters as issues (not as much for sunny CA) :) :(the VW has been far more rust resistant than ANY Honda I have had. I currently have a Civic for inexpensive and cheap to maintain commuter transportation (I call it purpose full) over 250,000 miles seems to be of good value.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    "Americans are easy to sell anything to."

    If that's true it makes VW's sales slump even that much more dire.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    VW's sales slump even that much more dire

    VW sales are up about 30% over last year this time. The Jetta is selling very well especially the TDI diesel.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    VW themselves admit they are struggling.

    http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/25/bloomberg/bxvw.php

    You were saying?
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    From your article:

    Volkswagen is expected to report Thursday that second-quarter net income more than doubled to €809 million on sales of new models and the divestment of its Europcar rental unit, according to analysts

    He is preaching doom and gloom to justify cutting 20,000 jobs. When your net income doubles in a quarter, it is hard to feel sorry for them.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    When your net income doubles in a quarter, it is hard to feel sorry for them.

    That depends...if your net income doubled from $1 to $2, I think I'd still continue to feel sorry for you. :)

    The article says: The Audi brand is the profit engine at the carmaker, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the company's €1.12 billion, or $1.41 billion, in net income last year, on €95 billion in sales. This means income is a little over 1% of sales...and 3/4 of that is from Audi.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    German VW labor (probably management also) is living the NIRVANA lifestyle while the American (profit) numbers indicate it is flirting with disaster. Most folks, let alone most auto labor wishes they had (cradle to grave) high per hour wages, lifetime healthcare benefits, 6/7/8 week vacations, low hour work weeks (28 hours?, correct me if my memory of recent VW articles is incorrect) and large governmental and union pension ownership of shares and large subsidies at ALL LEVELS. I have also read that AMERICAN (my) 2003 VW products were sold at a LOSS. (which I personally have a hard time believing, being as how most of the American products are born in MEXICO) This is despite VW products being priced much higher than comparable Japanese products. So to the extent they need to get their costs DOWN, and RELIABILITY UP, they will experience continued and sustained pain.

    Let me put it closer (as a consumer). As happy as I am with my Honda and Toyota products. I'd be happier still if they had the quality and quality touches the VW has. Of course, VW has the equivalent quality of (European)American FORD and Chevy.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    "He is preaching doom and gloom to justify cutting 20,000 jobs."

    But they are cutting 20,000 jobs ... much like GM. Honda, Toyota, and even Hyundai are adding jobs and production. Something still doesn't smell rosy in VW land.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Every VW Jetta, Passat or Touareg I have bought for people have been junk. Several of them have come back to me and I've been stuck with them. Oh, they drive nicely and have that german feel and all, but the windows don't work, the Air Conditioning is a joke, and it's noisy to boot, and the problems with them are endless. It's gotten to the point where I just refuse generally, to buy them for people in most cases. Unless the customer understands from the beginning that I am not standing behind the car, I did not build the car, and I am not going to be responsible for all the issues they may have encountered with the car, I won't by them and tell the customer to go elsewhere to get one. That's my experience with them, and it mystifies me that people still want them.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Well, not enough people want them to please VW. It looks like we won't get the next-gen Golf next year, because Rabbit sales have been so slow.

    The only people I have ever known with VWs have sworn them off after one, never to return. There is one exception though: a coworker that had a late 90s Golf for almost ten years, finally traded it in on a new A3 about 18 months ago, which she likes a lot. She called the Golf reliable, but when we got into the details of it there were enough repairs that I would have tired of it quickly and walked away from VWs permanently. She just likes that "German feel" and is willing to put up with lots of repair hassles to have it.

    She has managed to have three bad accidents in the A3, only one of which was her fault, but apart from that there have been no repairs so far.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    She just likes that "German feel" and is willing to put up with lots of repair hassles to have it.

    And that, I think, is really the only reason people buy VWs at all. They do drive well and feel good, if you can stand the failures and repairs. Some people aren't bothered by that. But most, as you said, in my experience don't go back for a second VW.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    the Air Conditioning is a joke

    The A/C in my son's 1996 Jetta is fantastic...still ice cold. It is better than the A/C in my new Mazda. My wife's A/C in her 1995 new Jetta is also seems better than mine.

    While several models have had reliability problems, according to CR the new Jetta and Rabbit, with the 2.5 engine, have had average or better reliability so far.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Both of those Jettas in your family are older cars now: did they need repairs in the first 100K miles? Of those (if any), was there anything that actually stopped the car from running or presented a health or safety issue?

    My friend's '95 just about drove her nuts - she was always repairing something. Windows were a problem. I was always remarking that some new little thing, usually a button, had fallen off. The moonroof stopped working. Lots of little things cropped up, including the odometer quitting, which happened six months before the auto trans quit, causing her to dump it with about 75K miles, at the tender age of 3-1/2 years.

    The A/C ran like a dream up until the day she abandoned it for a Camry (talk about a change of pace in cars!). That Jetta had better A/C than just about any car I have ever owned.

    She DID like the car. Had it continued to run, even with all the little things that no longer worked, I do believe she would have kept it. But of course the trans required some huge repair, estimate in the $1000s, and the car was grounded without the repair, so she said adios. She has never had a VW since and warns people away from VW who are thinking of buying one.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Wow, my wife's new car is now older :surprise: :)

    We don't drive a lot so she only has about 25K mi on it. The significant repairs (covered under warranty) were replacement of strut bearings with a redesigned part and replacement of transmission throttle body. There were a handful of very minor items when it was new. It also needs the trunk struts replaced as they are supposed to lift the trunk lid and no longer do, that'll be done under warranty at next oil change. Nothing stopped the car from running or was a safety issue all issues were or could have been taken care of at the same time as normal maintenance was being performed and VW provides a free loaner during warranty period.

    My son bought his 1996 used about a year ago and it has needed an amazing amount of repairs. We knew about $600 of these when it was purchased, but he put another $1000+ into it after that and it would have been even more if he had not done the oil pump and ignition coil himself. Several times when it was not broken he has thought about selling it, even had it on craigslist once, but has not. He has certainly learned a lot about cars from owning it and researching his problems. He does like the comfortable seat, handling, and "solidity" of it. He now is modifying it, his next project is to install a super-charger...which is a crazy idea to me. I made no reliabilty claims regarding that one, which is only right around 100,000 miles, just pointed out that the A/C is great in contrast to the comment that was made about VW A/C being a joke.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    A roomate of mine in college had a 95 Jetta, at the time only a few years old. It was very glitchy, it had the window problems too,along with a factory stereo that only worked half the time, the typical VW failing exterior lights, and I remember it had an appetite for wheel bearings. No less than once every other week I remember having to take him to the dealer to pick up his car.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    The "joke" about the A/C is not the temperature of it - it is the noise the fan and air makes coming through the vents, while not a lot of air, albeit it cold, is actuallly coming through the vents. Very noisy compared to any other car I have, and insufficient volume of air in the Touareg.....whatever that means...
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Yup, the light problems sound familiar, my friend had plenty of those and would sometimes just let them go until she was warned by the police, unless it was the actual headlights. She rode around for about six months with no working rear lights except brake lights, The police finally caught her. That one was expensive, I remember that. The third brake light quit in year two and never worked again - she DIDN'T fix that one. And like so many others, hers was one of "those" VWs where warning lights on the dash were just on permanently, they became part of a familiar landscape and after a while nobody paid them any mind any longer. It's a good thing cars don't have to pass smog until year five in California, because one of the lights that was permanently on was the CEL, and I bet that would have been expensive to fix too.

    She had no wheel bearing problems, but did have to replace one of the front axles IIRC, and I know she was absolutely PLAGUED with problems with the remote entry....and it wasn't a case of needing a new remote battery either. She had no-starts on several occasions because of electrical this and that but I tell you, she would have stood by that car even with ALL THAT, if that transmission hadn't quit. Some people just like that VW "feel". When the tranny gave out though, she was left in the hole as she hadn't paid the loan off and the car was worth way less than what she had left to pay. That left her kind of sore, which is why she actively campaigns against VW when the topic arises.

    jeffyscott: well, cars bought at 100K miles don't count in my book, as neglect and abuse can have wrought a grim picture by that age, and have necessitated all sorts of repairs regardless of make. But your wife's '95 only has 25K miles?? Did you mean it was a 2005? And I'm afraid I don't know what a transmission throttle body is - do you mean the throttle body in the fuel injection system? That's kind of an esoteric part to go with only 25K on the clock.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    A coworker of mine had an 04 Jetta...it would lose a taillight like clockwork about every 6 weeks or so. It also ate a couple headlights in the 40K miles he had it. That's just not right.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    I'm one of those that bought a Volkswagen once and won't touch them anymore. It was all the way back in 1979 (an 80 Rabbit) but it was a nightmare of electrical glitches which seems to be a common theme in here.

    Back in 99 I came very close to buying a Passat. If I had even the slightest faith in reliability I'd have bought it but in the end I ended up in what I considered a lesser but far more dependable car. The years have proved me right. Sigh...
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    If a few burned-out lightBulbs is considerd "unreliable" then your standards may be a little high.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Well the bulbs in the newer VWs do seem to burn out much too quickly (as do those in the newer Volvos), but that wasn't my friend's problem. She had problems with switches and wiring that caused lights not to work. If it had been just burned out bulbs, she would have fixed each one much more quickly!

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    I never said unreliable...the car never stranded him. But he did have to make some unscheduled dealer visits and was driven crazy by the lights. I do recall the car had a seat track break and something went wrong with the steering column that put it in the shop for a week....and the VW service was everything one would expect, that being VW service is German revenge for WW2...

    Funny thing is he had a Beetle turbo before the Jetta...it had headlights that failed all the time, and according to him they are a major PITA to replace. On that car the turbo died and it had alarm faults all the time...but he had to get another VW. His current car isn't a VW.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    I'm afraid I don't know what a transmission throttle body

    Oops, meant "valve body" there. It was actually replaced at 10K mi. What we had noticed was the shifting was getting rough, especially 1-2. It seemed minor enough to us that we waited until it went in for an oil change for this. Despite all the horror stories about VW dealers, ours diagnosed this issue right away and did not want us to drive the car until the part came in. They even gave us a Mazda6 to drive, when I told the guy I thought we'd rather take our chances with the Jetta than have his Malibu (classic, I think) for the week. It is kind of funny that the biggest issue we have had was with the Japanese built Aisan transmission.

    Yes, it is a 2005...or 2005.5, in 2005 they sold both the old and the new Jetta. The "new Jetta" came out in about March/April as a 2005, it was a very short run for that model year, by August they were selling 2006s, IIRC. My wife got hers right off the truck on about the last day of May 2005. So we kind of expected a few glitches...
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I'm one of those that bought a Volkswagen once and won't touch them anymore. It was all the way back in 1979 (an 80 Rabbit) but it was a nightmare of electrical glitches which seems to be a common theme in here.

    You should be able to sympathize with me buying a POC 1978 Honda Accord. It was trouble from the minute I drove it out of the dealers lot. Funny thing is I wanted a VW Dasher diesel and the wait was at least a year. The Accord's were on the lot and ready to go. So I have had it in for Honda all these years, same as you and VW. I have owned a modern 05 VW Passat Wagon TDI that was a great little car the 13 months I owned it.
  • BilKopBilKop Member Posts: 12
    Hi all
    I'm about to buy my first car, and based on user and Edmund's reviews, I had settled on a 2009 VW Jetta. After reading these posts, I'm not so sure... Everywhere else, people make it sound like it's the most fantastic thing ever, you get a ton of car for the money, it's super safe etc.

    Before I settled on the Jetta (haven't bought it yet though), I was thinking about a new Honda Civic, but we already have one of those and there are many little things that annoy me about it - tiny trunk where absolutely nothing fits, uncomfortable and loud ride, and we have things breaking all the time. The last thing to go was the A/C, which we decided not to replace, because it's just too expensive.

    Does anyone have any advice for me? Help! :confuse:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The dealer makes a lot of difference. My sister's old '00 New Beetle had a bunch of electrical issues and the dealer was awful. About 4 years in, VW must have hammered them and the service improved markedly (as did my sister's attitude towards her VW). She didn't buy another one though.

    Ask around locally and check out the ratings sites like Dealer Ratings and Reviews.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    The dealer really does make all the difference. Jettas overall have an average reliability record.

    The biggest problem with VWs is that if they do need repair they aren't cheap. My guess would be that you'd know what you got into by the time the warranty ran out and could decide accordingly. They do have nice resale value if you changed your mind.

    VWs are wonderful little things to drive and have the best interiors for the money. There's no denying they are attractive.

    gagrice and I had te same problems on opposite cars which I always find rather amusing.

    I ahve a friend who had a flawless Windstar that was exactly the same vehicle that I had an awful experience with, so things do happen.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
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