Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

1…9192949697…131

Comments

  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    Sounds like you may request VWoA to replace this car.
  • sdm69sdm69 Member Posts: 5
    I have an '06 Jetta 2.5 with XM ( no navigation) and have not had any radio related issues. Works like a charm. Once in a while I get a brief display without the song title, which may be during an update, but the channels always work. Perhaps it's related to the navigation system.
  • pruzinkpruzink Member Posts: 112
    I'm not sure how much this will help you or not, but I read this post somewhere a while back and found it very interesting on how the immobilizer feature works. Hope it sheds some light on your problem:

    "As someone who basically gets paid to hotwire cars for a living (I am a 12V electronics installer by trade.... remote starters), I can tell you a few things:

    1) Main issue is breakage on the actual antenna wires leading from the reader to the cluster. They are very small...... 28ga or so. In the cold, moving the column a lot will do this.

    2) The RFID pellet on the VW keys lives along the outer edge of the key.... for those of you with valet keys, the two halves of the head pop apart. You will see a torpedo shaped glass pellet. This is the RFID pellet. It is in roughly the same location on the switchblade key. It is not accessable without doing major damage to the key (irreparable) on the switchblade key. The antenna around the chamber in the column reads using it's outer edge, like 1/16" or so, and towards the interior of the car. Simply gluing the pellet to the back of the ignition switch, or even the antenna itself will not read. It is an extremely low power, narrow window for the reader (micro watts)....... and the pellet pretty much needs to be within 1/8" of the antennas fronte (visible) side.

    3) On immobilizer 3 cars, a key that is not seen by the cluster in around 4 months of daily start cycles, will be dropped by the system. It assumes lost or stolen, and will remove that key from the memory for system integrety's sake.

    4) The car only reads the key until the end of the crank cycle. It then could care less if a valid key is in the ignition.

    5) It doesen't really care about seeing 2 keys at once... as long as both are valid keys for the car. Due to the transmission power of the system.... you would need to have both keys within 1/4" of the antenna.... not an easy feat with the size of these keys.

    Dropping your key a lot will eventually crack the glass pellet... this will let moisture accumulate inside the tube, and will eventually render the circutry inside the tube inoperable (ues... there is a weee little board in that tube.....)

    VW does use one of the more secure systems...... GM on the other hand uses the least secure system (PK3). PK3 can be gotten around without any programmed keys for the vehicle...... all you need is a PK3 key that is cut for the ignition. I know the procedure, but I am not sharing it.... for obvious reasons :-)

    Ford, Dodge, Mits, all need 2 valid keys to program additional keys (Fords will hold up to 10 valid keys, BTW.... then it will bump #1 when #11 is leasnrd, and so forth) Dodge, and Mits are both using a Phillips system that also "marries" the programmed key to the vehicle. Once a key is programmed to a Dodge product, it can not be programmed to any other car, no matter what (unique to the Phillips system) VW, BMW, and Mercedes all require the use of an SKC for additional key programming.... Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, and Kia require the scan tool be used to get into programming mode (well... Toyotas you can do with a combination of gas pedal and brake presses... the scan tool is just easier). Mazda uses Ford keys. (and there are now 7 different Ford key based Immobilizer types, BTW. And 5 of them look pretty much the same key wise..... an interesting challenge to say the least)"
  • scotteeescotteee Member Posts: 5
    Thanks. I've been reading a lot about how it works but that is the best explanation I've seen.

    I got it working although not sure if it's anything I did. I had the battery out overnight charging, put it back and it worked. It did fail a couple times in the past week but worked fine after one try. I finally sucked it up an went to the dealer so they could read the codes. According to the computer, "has low input signal, key not to VW spec". So they cut a new key for $177 and sent me on my way. Hopefully this chapter is closed.

    If nothing else though, I found this forum which I'm sure I'll be back to often. With 85k miles I'm sure I'm looking at many little surprises on the horizon. :)
  • cruzer80cruzer80 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2000 Jetta GLS 2.0L with approx 55K miles. A few months ago the speedometer stopped working (so I can't see my speed when driving) and the odometer stopped recording mileage. Then about a month ago, I started the car and it shut off right away. I kept restarting it and it kept starting and then shutting off. When it finally stayed on, it "chugged" down the road for a while until it began to drive normally. While driving, the gas gauge needle was moving all over the place; it would move left as I accelerated and move to the right when deccelerating. The starting and chugging has happened randomly a few more times since and the gas gauge only goes haywire when the gas is running low. Otherwise, the car drives fine. A mechanic hooked it up to a computer but could see nothing wrong. Any advice? Has this happened to anyone else? :confuse:
  • kimag1978kimag1978 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2005 Turbo GLI model Jetta. It has about 45,000 miles. It was on it's way out of town when the clutch was engaged and never came up from the floor. Immediately we went to a VW dealership only to find that there were about 5 other people in the maintenance department for the exact same thing!! The mechanic told us that it could be the pressure plate or the clutch (in which case the clutch is not covered under warranty). I only have about 5,000 more miles under warranty anyway. The problem is, I can't figure out why I would have to replace a clutch in a car with only 45,000 miles, when I have been driving a manual transmission for over 10 years. Has anyone else had this problem, is there a recall anyone knows about, and is the dealership going to tell me it is the clutch regardless of whether it's the pressure plate because they stand to make about $1,500 off of this problem? Help please.
  • waiwai Member Posts: 325
    I own a 04 GLI (VR6) with only 24,000 miles. Do you feel any jerking when engaging the transmission from first to second gear, or from four to five gear no matter how you release your clutch? Mine happens while shifting. Is there any other sympthom before the clutch failed?
  • kimag1978kimag1978 Member Posts: 2
    There were no other symptoms before this happened. We were cruising along on a highway and downshifted to pass a car, when the clutch failed. Initially, it was really bad only between fourth, fifth, and sixth gears, and now it is getting worse for all of the gears. So bad in fact, that we had to tow the car home, and are not driving it at all anymore. I just figured since there were other people in the dealership with this problem, there had to be more and I could find out if it really is the clutch, or based on other's experience, it is probably the pressure plate. How long has yours been jerking?
  • waiwai Member Posts: 325
    Its starts one day after I bought the car brand new. Its still the same after 1.5 year. At first I thought because this is 200hp with a lot of torque, thats why this will jerk.
  • greenmachine1greenmachine1 Member Posts: 1
    Hello All,

    I have a 99 and 1/2 vw jetta that just turned 100K miles, and it has been chugging for some time with the EPC light coming on occasionally (maybe 4 times over last month) but not staying on longer than a minute or so. It would only chugg after start up; like the pedal was sticking. Always runs fine on acceleration. This a.m. was the last straw I think; and the car would not respond to gas and just rolls around at about 5mph. Any ideas what is going on?
  • wmoliver1wmoliver1 Member Posts: 4
    When I release the brake pedal, sometimes it will not come up all the way and the brakes will be engaged(depending on how stuck the pedal is). The VW people say that everything is fine. I've been complaining about this for over a year.
  • dome625dome625 Member Posts: 5
    Can anyone here tell me where to locate the relay box for 2001 VW Jetta 2.0? I've looked all over this car and can not find it.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    Did you look to on the far left of the dashboard WITH THE DRIVERS DOOR OPEN. (opening the drivers door uncovers the fuse panel)
  • ravenx013xravenx013x Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1995 jetta gl 111 and it failed emissions inspection for nox what are some causes of this I have a new muffler and oxygen sensor? :(
  • vwinflvwinfl Member Posts: 1
    I just bought an 06 2.5 about 3 weeks ago. As soon as I picked it up, I noticed it shakes after about 60MPH. I thought it was a flat spot in the tires but it didn't work itself out after I've put roughly 1000 miles on it. So I thought it needed a tire balance on the front end. I've had it at the dealership twice for them to tell me there is nothing wrong with the car. I know a brand new car with only 29 miles on it should not be doing this. This last time that I took it in, they gave me a service loaner which was the same car as mine just a package 1 instead of a package 0. It has only 2200 miles. It also did the same thing, only not as bad as my car. This is my first VW since my old rabbit in high school. Is this nornal for a VW?
    And it pulls just a bit. The service tech told me that VW has a computer chip in the steering wheel that :confuse: automatically aligns the wheel and that after a few minutes it should adjust to the road I am on and straighten itself. Does this sound right or is it BS? I don't know what to do. I'm thinking of taking it to another dealership. Help.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    We have a 2005.5 VE with 12,000+ mi. No shaking or vibrations at any speed. But if you are sensing this on multiple cars, maybe it is something you feel but others don't???

    We also have not had any pulling ever. When it was new the steering wheel was very slightly off-center...but no pulling. Dealer adjusted this and it has been fine since.

    The car does supposedly adjust steering for wind (and maybe other factors), so that you steer straight even in cross wind for example, which must be the automatic adjustment your dealer is refering to.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    There is no "computer chip in the steering wheel"... this sounds like an attempt to describe the "steering wheel angle sensor" by somone that has no clue what its purpose is.

    A VW should be ROCK SOLID on the highway up to and beyond 100MPH. Dont forget it is desigend for the German Autobahn.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    NOX is most often caused by the peak temparture in the combustion chambers is so high that Nitrogen oxidizes.... thus "NOX".

    The EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system is intended to reduce NOX. Neither the muffler nor O2 sensor has much affect on NOX.

    I guess that running to lean could cause NOX to go up... but you did not mention that was found to be as issue.
  • usausa Member Posts: 8
    The DSG transmission in my 2006 Jetta TDI has failed at 20K miles. Failed with no warning symptons. At approach to interstate on ramp, would not shift out of first gear. I drove on the shoulder of the road to VW dealer 4 miles. I shut down the car and then restarted, now when I put the car into drive the transmission stalled the engine. Dealer has new tran on order. Talking with a sales person he told me that he knew that two transmissions replaced at this dealer and 15 replaced at a dealer south about 60 miles. This happed on a Saturday so service dept was closed. On Monday the service rep also said that they have replaced two DSG transmissions.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Were all the replaced transmission you mention DSGs?
  • usausa Member Posts: 8
    My assumption was that they are. I don't think I asked that question. By the way. I called the Voa customer support number to follow up on the salesman statement because I was shocked at the number of replacements. I shared with the customer support person my conservations at the dealer and he said he would call the dealer to try and get more information. The service rep did confirm the two transmission replacements (again not sure if DSG) however the salesman denied telling me anything except what rental car company they use. This is very disturbing.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    ...the salesman denied telling me anything except what rental car company they use

    Maybe he got spanked after VW called the dealership in response to to your report. ;)
  • sdm69sdm69 Member Posts: 5
    I have a new ’06 2.5 Jetta (3,000 miles now) and had a very slight vibration at 65-75 MPH when I first drove it on the highway. Brought it in to the dealer right away. They balanced the wheels. Front right wheel was a quarter ounce out. It now runs smooth as glass, up to 90 anyway. Steering is also very good – no pulls, even under acceleration. Perhaps you should search for another dealer, but it is not a normal Jetta problem.
  • aidanraidanr Member Posts: 1
    Cars been taking more cranks to start now that it has over 130,000mi. Mid day last week it wouldn't start; no sound just lights on dask flickering as key is turned & held.
    Checked battery and connections- OK
    Pulled the starter & replaced the brush assembly and bench tested - OK
    put starter back on car and I hear the solinoid click attempting to engage starter but there is no whirring or cranking. I've read that this can occur when the TCM=Transmission Control Module is at fault anyone know how to proceed????
  • jschonsjschons Member Posts: 1
    so i just bought a used 2000 jetta 2.0 a few months ago, and i drove from salt lake to logan today, drove all around town, then went out to start it so that i could go home and it just wouldn't start. the radio, lights and dash lit up, but the car wouldn't even make any noise as to turn over. so i had to pop the clutch to get it going, but it is really random? does anyone know what might be the problem?
  • jettawagoncarjettawagoncar Member Posts: 1
    Hello,
    I have a 2003 jetta wagon that has begun having a popping noise from the front driverside when turning. Anyone with ideas what it might be, and more importantly, how much it's "gonna run me"?

    Thanks....
  • wolfsburg1wolfsburg1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 wolfsburg edition. Where is the Altenator located? And how can I change it? If possible please help. VW dealer seem to like to take you for all you are worth when it come to fixing thing.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    Alternator is under the hood bolted to engine with pully that is driven from the engine via serp. belt. There are a few wires connected to it.

    I beleive I have seen a step-by-step R&R procedure with photos somwhere on the internet. I would suggest you do some internet searches.
  • dome625dome625 Member Posts: 5
    BPeebles,

    Yeah I know where that is. Is the fuse and relay box all in the same panel?
  • wmoliver1wmoliver1 Member Posts: 4
    I have had no responses to my message. If no one can help; do you have any suggestions where I might get some help.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    Suspect youu vacuum brake-booster is the problem.
  • wmoliver1wmoliver1 Member Posts: 4
    Do I need to replace the booster and master cylinder: The VW people quoted about 500 in parts and four hours of labor. They will not quarentee that it will fix the problem since they can't "reproduce" the problem in the test drive. By the way, did you know that all the service department personnel get paid solely by commision. Even less from warranty work. The manager at one of the VW dealers admitted that to me; I couldn't believe it.
  • jayme256jayme256 Member Posts: 1
    I just bought a 96 Jetta with 118k miles on it. After a couple days of driving it, it started to show a couple of problems. It idles a little under 10 (not sure if this is normal), when I start the car it hesitates and sometimes I have to crank it twice before it starts, also when I accelerate when stopped it waits and then jumps forward.
    Anyone have suggestions on what might be wrong with it??
    Thank you
  • mwebb11mwebb11 Member Posts: 13
    I have a 1998 Jetta Wolfsburg and just replaced my ignition switch, including the electrical system, and starter. My car was a little different... it said the e-brake was always on, and it was loose and had troubles initiating the starter... i'd check into the TCM, then check the ignition system
  • mwebb11mwebb11 Member Posts: 13
    do you know when your spark plugs were last replaced.. also check and make sure the distributor cap is ok and all cables are ok.. simple but might help... it sounds like your having troubles with igniting because other than plugs, those two problems shouldn't be too related.. i just replaced the plugs and wires (kinda have to on a jetta) and it has 120k and the stock plugs were in it!!! you should just do this anyways
  • mwebb11mwebb11 Member Posts: 13
    i have a 98 jetta, and i'm pretty handy at it now, but how can i replace the light for my gauges, or one of them. for those of you with the older jetta you'll know the gauge doesn't light up, but instead a green light (or w/e color) just lights up the gauge. how do i get to these?? thank you anyone
  • ccostableccostable Member Posts: 55
    Idling a little under 10 is normal. If the plugs, wires, distributor cap are all fine, you may want to have the ignition coil tested. I had a small crack in mine that developed further until the car wouldn't start at all. Starting my Jetta has never been a pleasant experience, especially when cold. That is even after new cap/rotors, better plugs, better wires, new battery, new ignition coil. Electrical problems are something inherent in gen 3 Jettas. Is the car waiting then jumping forward because the transmission is slipping?
  • tblizzytblizzy Member Posts: 1
    I have an 01 Jetta VR6, that recently had the Emission Workshop message come on with the check engine warning light. In researching the net, people have suggested its only an O2 sensor, or vaccuum hoses, but I am noticing a serous lack of power in my engine, especially at low RPMs. I had filled my tank with some god-awful gas (literally, a no-name brand "FUEL") cuz I was close to empty, and I thought that maybe it had water in it and that was causing my problem. (The warnings came on the next day) I have since filled up with Hi-Test, and run it a significant amount, only there still exists the problem. Any ideas, any one?
  • dagerdager Member Posts: 1
    I just leased a 2006 GLI. It's a nice machine, but since I also tried one at a competing dealership, I see now that the car I drove there must be a 2007 model--which I hadn't realized was on the market yet.

    The steering wheel in the'07 seemed a bit thicker. The driver's headrest, and, I think, the passenger's too, are a design which supports the head and neck actively in some way in the event of a rear collision.

    I've noticed that these two items are missing from the 2006 I leased.

    Are there other differences between the 2006 and 2007 GLIs?
  • usausa Member Posts: 8
    I got my car back Saturday. Two weeks to the day when the transmission failed. However I was disappointed to learn that the replacement is a reman not a new unit. I was told that they were ordering a NEW transmission. So the transmission I have now has failed at least once before.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well not necessarily. The transmission you got NEW failed before---a reman might have been inspected and corrected for defects. You may not be worse off with a reman.
  • steven39steven39 Member Posts: 636
    with all of the well documented problems and quality issues regarding the vw jetta,how anyone can buy a 10 year old jetta with over 100,000 miles is beyond me.you are asking for trouble with the purchase of that used jetta.you should have gone with a used toyota,honda,ect.get ready for some major league repair bills with your jetta.sorry to burst your bubble here.
  • em97jettaem97jetta Member Posts: 2
    I have a 97 GL, manual transmission 2.0 litre, with 121K miles. The problems have been very few, if any. Other that regular maint, I haven't had to do too much more to the car to keep it in good order. Recently though, a occasional problem with the brake light on the dash has revealed itself. This only happens when driving with the headlights on. The brake light remains lit even when the hand brake is completely disengaged and the reservior is completely full. This in turn shuts off my headlights, the interior lights stay lit. Sometimes when this happens, I can lift the handbrake handle slightly to engage the brake light for the hand brake, disengage the hand brake and the light goes off and the headlights relight. It seems to me there is a problem with either the sensor reading the brake fluid in the resevior or the sensor on the hand brake. Regardless, when the brake light on the dash lights up with the hand brake disengaged, it is dimmer than the normal light with the handbrake engaged. Anyone have this happen to them?
  • mwebb11mwebb11 Member Posts: 13
    well this has happend to me on two different occasions. in the past, i thought my ignition switch needed replacing to fix it because it was loose, but no, the whole elecrical part of the ignition needed replacing. however, when my light was on, my headlights WOULDN'T turn on... but if i wiggled the key it would go off and fix my lights... ignition! but, i just put new calipers and roters on the rear, and i had to disconnect the cable of course.. but when i refilled with some fluid and after a week of driving, it was fixed.. will this help, i dont know... it could definitely be the sensor.. check that the plunger that falls into the fluid is working
  • em97jettaem97jetta Member Posts: 2
    Thanks - will give it a try.
  • ccostableccostable Member Posts: 55
    I wouldn't necessarily agree with buying a 10 yr old Jetta with a lot of miles. I will say that they are a hell of a lot more fun to drive than a used toyota, honda, etc. It's been worth the money I've spent to keep mine going. I guess it is a personal preference thing.
  • lilafaerielilafaerie Member Posts: 4
    I currently have a 1994 Jetta with 135K miles on it, I bought it after my 1991 Jetta with 155K miles on it.

    The idle under 10 is a typical problem that I've encountered with my Jettas. I had that problem in the 91 for about 3 years before it got unbearable. From what I can gather and remember, I believe that the problem was the distributor. I've recently replaced the distributor on my 94 (and several hunred $ later) and I no longer have the idle/racing problem. With the slipping, I've also found that on both of my Jettas, but I haven't noticed it as much on my 94 since the distributor was replaced.

    However it did take about 1 month for the mechanic to diagnose the problem and he was hesitant to do it due to the cost.

    Overall I've found that older Jettas do have their issues, typical exhaust system repairs, suspension and an occasional water pump, but I feel as though I've gotten my money's worth out of it.
  • jessyjessy Member Posts: 4
    I have posted before but I am trying again becuase it feels like no one can hear me!:)
    I have had my new jetta ( lux package) since July, I love it except for the fact that I can hardly get 250 miles out of a tank, sometimes more like 200. I am a city driver but no one told me this would worse mileage than an SUV. VW doesnt care of course and I am really annoyed. I had a honda before and even when it was old I filled it every 2-3 weeks. Can ANYONE relate??
  • conessconess Member Posts: 15
    How are you breaking your engine in? I get about 200 miles for half a tank. Do you have a lot of stuff in your trunk? In otherwords alot of weight? If it's city driving, how many miles do you put on? My guess is that you haven't reached a point where you have broken your engine in and the stop and go is killing ur mileage.

    IMHO - You shouldn't exceed 60mph prior to reaching 1000 miles. If you accelerate, ease your engine down. But that's just me.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    What was your actual mpg in the honda and what year, model, and engine was it?
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles