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I've researched the '97 Vento III (right-hand drive UK version of Jetta III) and one report with video clips (Euro NCAP I think) shows that it can survive a 65mph rear-ending with rear passenger compartment intact!
But the gas tank may rupture even in a 35mph rear-ending! Tank is located to the rear of, and below back seat, a vulnerable site, apparently. Had to give this advice to my father, who bought a Vento III in Oct '97--if rear ended, just GET OUT of the car pronto!
BTW, on reliability, he has an incredible '78 Golf I (again a UK model, like a US Rabbit) with over 150,000 km or nearly 100,000 miles! Original engine, 4-speed transmission etc. Still rock solid--I drove it for the last 5 years.
Help? I have recently entered the market for a 2000 Jetta. I have seen many postings on this website where people have mentioned that they "ordered" their car. How is this done? Unfortunately what I want is almost never available from the dealers because of the particularity of my Jetta Selection. I'm looking for a GLS VR6 Atlantic Blue/Grey or Black interior, manual 5 sp, three-prong steering wheel, leather optional. How do I "order" this car?
Could anyone tell me what I should pay for a 2000 GL Jetta with automatic transmission. Based on the info from this web site invoice should be $16,617. With Pa sales tax at 6% and tags around $150.00 the total is $17,773. The dealer "offer" is $18,200. The sticker price for the vehicle is $18,400. This is the first time I have purchased a car and have no idea if I'm being ripped off. Anybody have ant advice?
There are several topics in the Smart Shopper and Sedans conference about the Jetta where folks may be more able to answer your questions than here in Maintenance and Repair.
Why don't you use the search feature at left to find topics under "Jetta" and repost in one of those?
I took delivery October 2. Ordered the car and it took 7 weeks. Came with two unwanted items - leather seats and six disk cd changer. I took both items and paid dealer cost for them. And I am happy I did. VW had a special on the cd for around 200 and the seats were around 750. It took me ten minutes to make a deal. I computed a fair price based on a 4% dealer profit. I was not interested in haggling for a "great" price. The dealer met my price because it was fair and he knew I was a serious buyer. The delaership (Three County NJ) was great. VW however was not as great. I called them and complained that the car did not come in as ordered. They said, "yes that's how we do it...we send the dealer a car that's close to your order...you will eventually get your car, but it may take 4 or 5 months...the cars sell so fast" So after a couple of months and 1300 miles the car is great. Only complaint is the small gas tank as I hate stopping for gas.
wsommariva - that discussion really is more appropriate for the Jetta topics in Sedans or Smart Shopper.
ramon - if you will do a "search" (using the feature on the left) on JETTA, you will find lots of topics in the Sedans conference. You will probably get better feedback over there.
Pat Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
Edmunds has the most car problems I have seen. If enough people post their problem on this site. They will surely do something about your problem.
"Government engineers analyze the problem. If warranted, the manufacturer is asked to conduct a recall. If the manufacturer does not initiate a recall, the government can order the manufacturer to do a recall.
We do not have to receive a set number of reports before we look into a problem. We gather all available information on a problem. Your report is important to us."
If you're trying to decide whether or not you should by a Jetta, please search our Sedans conference.
If you are buying a Jetta and you want to know how to get a good price, about dealer holdbacks, financeing etc., please search our Smart Shopper conference.
If you own a Jetta and you need help with maintaining or repairing it, this is the place.
It is very helpful when posts are in the right conferences so that everyone can find the information he wants. Thanks for your enthusiastic participation in the Town Hall.
Last Monday I got hit from behind so hard I thought I would have some serious damage. I could not believe it but I found no damage, just some scuff marks. I was very very surprised. Same situation on a 1980 Datsun 280 ZX I owned. The 5 MPH bumpers both times saved me from damage. I heard that the law is now for 2.5 MPH bumpers? Seems we are going backwards.
I have the 2000 Jetta VR6. Pure city driving resulted in between 17.5 and 19 mpg. Mixed city and higway resulted in 23. A bit disappointing. Only thing I dislike is the small gas tank. Yesterday I had to fill up after only 218 miles. (I filled it just after the low fuel light came on, so I could have expected about another 40 miles)
drive normally buddy? Or do you race the car? Is it manual? Boy that's pretty bad. It's almost driving an SUV. Maybe it will be better once it's properly broken into.
I check my mileage whenever I fill up. The 17.5 happened once - probably due to a lot of New York City driving in traffic. The car is rated for 19 city. I hope to never see 17.5 again. No, I don't drive fast at all and I have a 5 speed. Also, only have 1500 miles on it.
You are reading correctly what the book says and my salesman told me the same thing. I wanted to come in at 1K but they told me "the engine has a break-in oil and needs to go 5K before changing." At my dealership they do the first 3 oil changes for free, 5K-10K-20K. Tomorrow I will be paying a visit to the service department for a more in-depth discussion about this. My engineering friends agree with you and I. I will post here tomorrow night what if anything I find out.
I took delivery of a 2000 Jetta VR6 last October. I also did not like the 5,000 mile first oil change deal. My salesman said if I wanted it changed before 5,000 miles I would have to pay. (remember that the oil changes for the first two years are free) I researched this fairly extensively on this site. There was a discussion that explained that the factory adds special breakin additives and that they should remain with the car for 5,000 miles and that VW used to say 7,500 miles!!!! So, I will do this, ALTHOUGH, I check my oil level once a month. After the first change at 5,000 miles the manual says change it at 10,000 and then at every 10,000. This I certainly will not follow. I will change the oil at 5,000, or twice as often. If you still need assurance, maybe call the service manager at the dealership.
I had a friend ride with me on my 00 Jetta GLX and he was mentioning some sort of vibration on the passenger side floor (when i change gears from 2-3 and 3-4). i dont know if this is normal or what? and another thing is the engine noise when im in between 35-50 mph (whinning sound) normal too?
Just bought a 2000 GLS VR6. Have 750 miles on the car. Will change it myself at 1000 miles. Dealer says it has a "break in" oil in it till 5000. I say it has "break it" oil in it if left in till 5000. He also says the break in oil is made by Castrol with no detergent in it. I will replace with Castrol 10W40 (with detergent) at 1000 then at 4000. I will get the 5000 for free from them as well. Let me just say this. Detergents in engine oil do NOT harm new engines after the first 1000 mile break in period. Detergents are added to oils to keep engine galley ways open in narrow tolerance engines that go extended periods with out changes. Only an idiot would spend the kind of money new cars demand then not change the oil every 3000 miles. My grandfather was a Porsche mechanic for over 20 years and he says you can never do an engine harm by changing the oil frequently. Only good.
So I'm an idiot, what is VW for requirind changes at 10,000 miles? Stupid I guess, maybe irresponsible, or they just want the cars to break down sooner so the owners will go right out and buy another. Your opinion regarding the breakin oil, perhaps very valid is overshadowed by your unkind remark. And any idiot would already know that changing the oil after the breakin period every 3,000 miles instead of 10,000 miles is probably better for engine life.
1. Well the info I found out is not going to help you. Live is different for me with my TDI. The TDI has syinthic (spell) oil for break-in and the oil filter is much different then the dealer replacement filter. The one on the car now is design to get those little medal chips that are made by the engine. The diesel engine as pointed out by VW engineers to the service techs is the engine will not be fully broken-in until 60K, yes that is , 60K miles. So sorry the info I got won't help with your gas engine. 2. Also found out that we are flying by wire. There is no linkage between the gas pedal and the engine. The pedal goes to a input box that talks to the computer, the computer then controls fuel flow. No more popping the hood and grabbing the fuel linkage to raise the RPMs.
I own a 2k jetta tdi and there has been a lot of discussion on various forums about the 10K oil change interval. The consensus is that with the diesel engine it's possible, but only if you're using high quality synthetic diesel oil like mobil delvac-1. There have been a lot of oil analyses run, and it appears safe to run the diesels with this interval. I believe that may *not* be the case with petrol engines. If you want to try it, at least have one or two oil analyses done, make sure you use top quality filters and synthetic oil. If you would like some *really* in depth, scientific discussion about this topic go to http://www.tdiclub.com.
i have a 2k jetta tdi. put 7k miles on it in two months. love it, great ride, consistant 52 mpg. this is on a 160 mile round trip commute. question: vw recommends timing belt check/replace at 40k. does any one know if this is necessary, of just over kill? are there any manuals available for this vehicle? i worked for buick for 15 years so i know my way around an engine, but would like the written word for back-up.
This is a serious matter and perhaps one of the few engineering flaws I can cite for the TDI. The MK-IV TDI's run the injection pump off of the timing belt. Apparently VWOA, began having more warranty claims using the previous 60K mile interval and shortened it. If you don't change it every 40,000 miles I think you take a *big* risk!!
Bentley makes shop manuals for Volkswagen TDIs, I just don't know if the Y2K version is available yet. I also know a little about cars, but I can tell you all that changing the timing belt can be a major PITA!!
Every 300 miles or so I must scrub the wheels with wheel brushes to maintain the wheels is top condition. Back breaking but worth it. Any replacement pads out there that are dustless?
THE SAME DAY I PICKED UP MY GLX THE FRONT PASS. SIDE BELT WOULD NOT PULL DOWN. HAD TO PULL THE HEIGHT DOWN AND THEN IT RELEASED(TAKE OFF THE SLACK). UNFORTUNALTY THE REAR SEAT BELTS DO NOT HAVE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENTS. I TOOK MINE TO THE DEALER FOR THEM TO LOOK AT AND IT DID THE MAGIC TRICK OF WORKING FINE FOR THEM. SO I PICKED IT UP AND ON THE WAY OUT OF THE DEALER I CHECKED IT AND IT DIDN'T PULL DOWN. I WENT BACK THE NEXT DAY AND SPOKE TO THE MANAGER AND ASKED WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INJURIES IF THE PASS. COULD NOT PUT THE SEATBELT ON AND I CRASHED. HE ORDERED THE PART AND IT TOOK ABOUT 10!!! DAYS FOR IT TO COME IN. I SAY IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFTEY OF YOUR PASSENGERS AND THE USE OF YOUR REAR SEAT SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR REPLACEMENT.
how come it seems that a lot of people have problems with brake dust on their VWs? i have 2000 miles on mine and never had a problem. i've taken it to a car wash twice in the month that i've had it and they came out sparkling each time.
this is the same with my girlfriend's '98 golf that has about 25,000 miles on it (although she doesn't have the alloy wheels like i do).
I notice the problem too with a lot of VWs. What gives? Do u guys use the brakes properly ;-P. My friend is havign the same problem with his Jetta GLS 2000
I purchased a 00 GLX 3 weeks ago. Love the car but have a minor problem (I think) with the auto climate control system. When turned to auto setting the fan speed doesn't go to the highest setting. It runs at about 1/2 speed. This is when the outside temp is 0 and the set temp is 75. Is this normal? Shoudn't it run on high until nearing or reaching the set temp? Also, when the fan speed does increase while on auto, the meter showing the fan speed doesn't change. It stays in the middle. The dealer tells me that the above is normal. I am not so sure.
I have a 2000 jetta gls vr6 and have the exact same knocking or rattling noise in the front left end of the car. I have had the car in service three times. After the third time, they told me all 2000 jettas have that knocking. Goneboating or anyone else who can help, please respond to tell me how you had this resolved or how I can resolve this.
I do mostly city driving and therefore constantly use the brakes. Also, I wash the car myself. I would suppose that someone who did mostly highway driving would have much less of a problem. This isn't a problem really, just that in order to keep the wheels looking brand new, which I vow too, I must scrub them every 300 miles. The dust comes off easily with wheel brushes and that's perhaps why your wheels are always clean. So, if anyone knows of replacement pads that are dustless and work just as well or better, I would appreciate that information.
I have the same car and have no such noise. It seems that from my experience with dealer's service departments, any noise that is "minor" and/or hard to diagnose is called "normal" Don't stand for it. If it's normal then they can take you for rides in 5 Jettas and ALL will have the same noise.
A friend of mine did this and all should take note: He had a Matador - anyone under 40 has no idea what I'm talking about. It didn't shift right into second gear (automatic). He brought it in to the dealer three or four times under warranty. The dealer wrote - doesn't shift right into second. Diagnosis written by the dealer on the invoice was "no problem - shifts correctly" AFTER the warranty expired he took it back with the same problem. Dealer said it needed a new transmission. Friend said fix it. When he picked it up they expected payment for a new trans. He showed the three or four previous invoices with the "no problem" notations and walked away with out paying a dime.
I recently bought a 1999 Jetta, a decision that I do not regret in any way, shape, or form. However, I made the purchase under the impression that the car would get good mileage (like above 30 MPG on or off the highway). To my dismay, the best mileage it has ever gotten was 32 MPG (87 octane as per the User's Manual). More often, it weighs in at around 26-28 MPG. It seems that a car this size running on a 4 cyl. engine should get better mileage. Is there something wrong or is this just the case with these 99's?
The TDI gets about 50mpg on the hwy. It's also, smoother at highway speeds and generally more fun to drive than the 2.0L. Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong! 6^7
people have been crying about the 10k oil changes, i cant understand why? i have two other cars a 87 jeep and a 97 ford. i've been using amsoil syn. oil for years. i change the oil in my cars once a year. but change the oil filter every 5k miles. no problems with my cars. my truck has 175k miles and the ford 50k. stop for a second and think of how much money you save in a year, plus how you help the eceo by not dumping the oil every 3k mile. buy a good brand oil and filter and you'll be okay.if you still dont belive have you oil tested after 5k miles.
Is there any sort of cleaner/beautifyer that anyone has had success with in cleaning the interior of their 99/00 vw? I would normally use Armorall, but the matte finish on the dash and other surfaces might not like it.
I am looking at purchasing a new Jetta GLS VR6. After driving one yesterday, I had a couple of concerns. First, all of the cars on the lot seemed to have a large amount of fog on the windows. Has anyone experienced a seal problem that might allow a lot of moisture into the inside of the car? Also, the remote trunk function on the key did not work. Has anyone had any problems with that?
Just bought a 2000 Jetta GLS TDI. Would like to disable the daytime running lights. Found a 15 amp fuse, but when pulled, the headlights did not work at all. Any suggestions? I know the engaged handbrake shuts them off, so that's a possible area to explore.
I have a 2000 GLS VR6. Have had it for 3 months and 2100 miles. No trouble at all. No seal problems. That fog - maybe normal early morning condensation?...especially if it was on all cars.
In order for the trunk to open via remote, you must press the button for two seconds. Perhaps that was the problem.
The only thing I dislike is the small gas tank. The V6 gets about 19 (maybe) in city driving. Also, a lot of brake pad dust. Otherwise the car is great.
i have my jetta gls for a while now through some pretty wet times (it snowed the day i got it and been raining a lot ever since) and the fog isn't bad at all. the defrost works pretty well and it clears up the side windows too. it's much better than my '90 nissan sentra anyway.
Some folks on this list report that the radio in the 98 and 99 Jettas get poor reception. Does anyone know if the radio is any different in 2000 Jetta? My husband and I were really excited about the Jetta but the radio thing could potentially cause us not to buy it. We commute between two radio markets, and also like to listen to am radio on long trips. Any advice someone might have would be welcome.
For more info than you could ever want, VW owners should check out www.vwvortex.com and read the forums. 6000+ members, all Dub fanatics.
The "3k oil change" interval has about as much validity as the "2 month salary" rule for engagement ring buying. Pure marketing derived by the people selling the product. Don't believe the hype.
Mercedes, BMW, Audi and VW all recommend changing your oil at 5000 to 10,000 mile intervals dependign on driving conditions. If you believe it is some sort of conspiracy to sell us another car sooner, as wsommariva does, then you are watching too much X-files. :-)
Again, just my opinion, believe what you want, it's your car. :-)
...I think you misread my comment....My comment was (supposed) to say that why would VW state a 10,000 mile interval if it hurts the engine? If so, we wouldn't go out to buy another VW. I am uncomfortable about the 10,000 mile interval, so will change the oil every 6 months or about 4,000 miles for me. And thanks for the vortex recommendation; probably a much more useful site for us.
I've had my 2000 Jetta VR6 since last October and have had only excellent FM reception. I live in an area where we do get strong signals. Hope that helps.
i've had my jetta for about a month now and i'd have to say the radio reception is pretty good. i'm pretty sure it is a different radio than the ones in the previous model jettas.
There are number of us that are not too happy with the AM reception. FM is good but my Mercury's FM is better. After living in Germany for a number year I was never impressed with Germany electronics. The GIs would take out the Germany equipment and put in better radio/stereo equipment. A number of people have done that with their VWs here. If the car's radio/stereo is important enough to you to change your mind about buying a VW then check on what's available for replacing the VW radios and go from there. Don't buy a car base on the car's radio/stereo because after market equipment for car stereos are usually a better quality system all the way around. The Jetta does have some pretty good speakers, 8 total, so I wouldn't replace the speakers. Hopes this helps you. I have a 00 GLS TDI with 3K miles and loved every one of those miles. Can't wait for the sun to shine to check out the sun roof.
Comments
But the gas tank may rupture even in a 35mph rear-ending! Tank is located to the rear of, and below back seat, a vulnerable site, apparently. Had to give this advice to my father, who bought a Vento III in Oct '97--if rear ended, just GET OUT of the car pronto!
BTW, on reliability, he has an incredible '78 Golf I (again a UK model, like a US Rabbit) with over 150,000 km or nearly 100,000 miles! Original engine, 4-speed transmission etc. Still rock solid--I drove it for the last 5 years.
I have recently entered the market for a 2000
Jetta. I have seen many postings on this website
where people have mentioned that they "ordered"
their car. How is this done? Unfortunately what I
want is almost never available from the dealers
because of the particularity of my Jetta Selection.
I'm looking for a GLS VR6 Atlantic Blue/Grey or
Black interior, manual 5 sp, three-prong steering
wheel, leather optional. How do I "order" this
car?
Why don't you use the search feature at left to find topics under "Jetta" and repost in one of those?
Pat
ramon - if you will do a "search" (using the feature on the left) on JETTA, you will find lots of topics in the Sedans conference. You will probably get better feedback over there.
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
"Government engineers analyze the problem. If warranted, the manufacturer is asked to conduct a recall. If the manufacturer does not initiate a recall, the government can order the manufacturer to do a recall.
We do not have to receive a set number of reports before we look into a problem. We gather all available information on a problem. Your report is important to us."
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/
If you're trying to decide whether or not you should by a Jetta, please search our Sedans conference.
If you are buying a Jetta and you want to know how to get a good price, about dealer holdbacks, financeing etc., please search our Smart Shopper conference.
If you own a Jetta and you need help with maintaining or repairing it, this is the place.
It is very helpful when posts are in the right conferences so that everyone can find the information he wants. Thanks for your enthusiastic participation in the Town Hall.
carlady/roving host
2. Also found out that we are flying by wire. There is no linkage between the gas pedal and the engine. The pedal goes to a input box that talks to the computer, the computer then controls fuel flow. No more popping the hood and grabbing the fuel linkage to raise the RPMs.
Thanks.....
Buddy
BTW... Diesels Rule!!
6^7
this is on a 160 mile round trip commute.
question: vw recommends timing belt check/replace at 40k. does any one know if this is necessary, of just over kill? are there any manuals available for this vehicle? i worked for buick for 15 years so i know my way around an engine, but would like the written word for back-up.
Bentley makes shop manuals for Volkswagen TDIs, I just don't know if the Y2K version is available yet. I also know a little about cars, but I can tell you all that changing the timing belt can be a major PITA!!
I SAY IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFTEY OF YOUR PASSENGERS AND THE USE OF YOUR REAR SEAT SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR REPLACEMENT.
this is the same with my girlfriend's '98 golf that has about 25,000 miles on it (although she doesn't have the alloy wheels like i do).
A friend of mine did this and all should take note: He had a Matador - anyone under 40 has no idea what I'm talking about. It didn't shift right into second gear (automatic). He brought it in to the dealer three or four times under warranty. The dealer wrote - doesn't shift right into second. Diagnosis written by the dealer on the invoice was "no problem - shifts correctly" AFTER the warranty expired he took it back with the same problem. Dealer said it needed a new transmission. Friend said fix it. When he picked it up they expected payment for a new trans. He showed the three or four previous invoices with the "no problem" notations and walked away with out paying a dime.
buy a good brand oil and filter and you'll be okay.if you still dont belive have you oil tested after 5k miles.
disable the daytime running lights. Found a 15 amp fuse, but when pulled, the headlights did not work at all. Any suggestions? I know the engaged handbrake shuts them off, so that's a possible
area to explore.
In order for the trunk to open via remote, you must press the button for two seconds. Perhaps that was the problem.
The only thing I dislike is the small gas tank. The V6 gets about 19 (maybe) in city driving. Also, a lot of brake pad dust. Otherwise the car is great.
in 2000 Jetta? My husband and I were really
excited about the Jetta but the radio thing
could potentially cause us not to buy it. We
commute between two radio markets, and also
like to listen to am radio on long trips.
Any advice someone might have would be welcome.
The "3k oil change" interval has about as much validity as the "2 month salary" rule for engagement ring buying. Pure marketing derived by the people selling the product. Don't believe the hype.
Mercedes, BMW, Audi and VW all recommend changing your oil at 5000 to 10,000 mile intervals dependign on driving conditions. If you believe it is some sort of conspiracy to sell us another car sooner, as wsommariva does, then you are watching too much X-files. :-)
Again, just my opinion, believe what you want, it's your car. :-)