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I've been out of the VW camp since '94, but am thinking of jumping back in. Looking at a 97 Jetta GLX w/auto trans and 53K miles. If I am not mistaken, the VR6, which it has, is standard on this model. Also has sunroof, leather, Bose stereo. This car was well kept, and doesn't even have any door dings on it. What weak points should I be aware of on this car? I haven't driven it yet, but would like a list of potential problems to look for.
They don't say which engine this is for, but I'd have to say watch our for the electrical problems.
Hope that helps.
How about asking for a new jetta?
Secondly, changing out your ECU should not affect HP unless it is not OEM.
I recently brought in my Jetta to fix passenger side window (regulator broke!) and VW Service says that Oil Pan was damaged and needs to be replaced as well.
So I did, for about $320. Then brought into Honda dealership for Trade-In and they said Oil Pan was wrong model, the plug that came with it was not there and the Wires were cut - which is the reason why MIL light is on. It will cost Honda $1000 to fix.
What is the relation between Mil Light, Oil Pan, Wires? Why did VW quote me $300 while Honda says $1000? Any advice on moving forward?
Anyone have any similar problems? Hate Jetta, tired of it, that's why trading for as much value as I can...
thx,
ed
Also, the plug that came with the oil pan is not there? Are you driving around without an oil plug (hence no oil)? I don't know how you could even have the wrong oil pan. The wrong one wouldn't even seal right and you'd be leaking oil at an outrageous rate. I'm not sure that I'd trust a Honda dealership's diagnosis of your oil pan. It sounds to me like they're trying to give you B.S. to low-ball you on trade in value. Why would the VW dealership cut the wire to the oil pressure sending unit? If they did, the MIL light would've been on when you got the car back from being repaired, and you should've told them they screwed something up with your car.
Gimme some details and I'll see what I can tell you.
The best advice I can give you is to never take a vehicle in for a trade with the MIL on. If things are really as screwed up as your post indicates, take your car back to the dealer that did the work and have them fix what they screwed up, ask nicely, then if they refuse take the car to a knowledgeable independent mechanic and get an estimate on the repairs and ask what was the cause of the problems. As long as the cause is the original dealer the next step would be to ask the dealer to fix the problem again or end up in court. It's your time and money and it will either take time or money to fix your Jetta problem.
- Jetta 2000, GLS, 2.0
- MIL Light is constantly on. It's been on for about 6 mos. now. However, brought it in last month for Replacement of malfunctioning Oygen Sensor (recall letter)
- Check Engine light was off for one week after recall fixing then came back on again.
- I brought in the car to fix broken passenger side window and get recall work done. They called me same day that Oil Pan needed to be replaced - and I gave my approval $300+ for oil pan work.
- FYI, there were no leaks that I reported. VW just called and said it needed to be done.
Some revelations/questions from everyone's post:
- sounds like Honda is low-balling me and giving outrageous explanations for MIL light being on. My mistake to go in without having that fixed, at least temporarily. Needless to say I'm still unhappy with Jetta with all maintenance issues.
- ALCAN's post. Honda did mention that there was a wire clipped and I do remember few times when oil level was very low, however CHECK OIL light never came on. I will speak to VW to fix that.
- Still want to trade-in Jetta for as much value as I can. Any explanation on my issues and advice moving forward would be greatly appreciated.
Disclosure:) if my posts do not make any sense, just to let everyone one know - I don't know anything about cars and still trying to get up to speed with all terminolgies. Thanks again for being patient and everyone's help!!!
Would it not be wise to check oil level monthly rather than trusting a mechanical or electronic device to warn you, thereby sustaining damage to the engine
This all being said, I'd say your best bet is to get the problem looked at (I would take it to a different VW dealership that you last did) and get it fixed. Don't tell them the history of what's been done to it or where it's been serviced, make them come up with a unbiased diagnosis. I'd then take your trade to a competing Honda dealership to see what happens. Sometimes the difference in dealerships is like night and day. Don't take any financial lumps to get rid of it. Even with the problems that you've had, the car is extremely marketable for them, and blue book trade in value does take into account some reconditioning of the car to sell. There's always a market. Best of luck.
But my problem is that before replacing the "broken" O2 sensor, I have about 25 mile/gal on highway, but now only has about 20. I just really don't understand why fixing the O2 with a new one would decrease the gas-mileage.
Any advice is highly appreciated!
what are your opinions of the mid 90's level Jettas (ie. 1996 and up)? I'm helping my brother look for a car and was considering the Jetta...the only thing that shakes me are the electrical problems that I often hear about.
What kind of engines did they offer back then? Which ones were better? Any particular trim recommended? Thanks.
TDI
VR6
The two better engines are the VR6 and TDI (Diesel)
75 miles of this ride is highway. Any ideas as to why this would happen? I would obviously like to duplicate. I know that it's valid, because I'm the one that fills it up.
The sound will randomly switch from stereo to mono tone and back.
Also, the power to the radio cuts out occasionally and all stations need to be re programmed.
Any advice? It's not a fuse problem.
Thanks
JEB
http://www.parts4ws.com
http://www.rapidparts.com
are two places I know of online
Second, how can I do in order not to have day running light ?
Thank you very much !
1. At the headlight switch, push the knob in firmly, then twist to the right
2. Pull the switch out
3. Locate the "TFL" pin and cover it with electrical tape.
4. Reinstall switch.
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With the HID's, keep in mind, putting in a retrofit kit will eliminate your high beams (which may fail safety inspection). You can import OEM HID's, but that's pretty expensive.
try places like http://www.hids4less.com
To be more specific it's not streaking I'm seeing,just a kind of film left right after the blade passes, then it goes away after the wind dries it. This is not a nice problem to have while driving at night.
1. eats light for breakfast
2. loss of power
3. also eats rear breaks for dinner
4. incompetent service from dealer
5. check engine light comes on just to put me in a bad mood
6. faulty window and light switches
7. paint chipping when people breath on the car
ANYBODY WANT A GOOD JETTA FOR A DOLLAR
- Any one else's VR6 "eat" so many O2 sensors in such a short period of time?
- Any advice on what recourse I have? The first three were under the 2year/20K B2B warranty.
Thanks,
Ken