VW Golf

afryar · May 2001

Thanks for the reply. I have already contacted the Attorney Generals office, the Office for Consumer Affairs as well as VW of America. Once I informed the Service department of all of this, they decided to keep the car for another couple of days and get some "techs in from corporate" to go over the car with them. Went back there yesterday and the guy from the service department at the dealership admitted that what they would've fixed, wouldn't have solved the problem, and that the guys from corporate took it a lot further and had them replace a bunch of other stuff. We'll see, picking the car up tonight. Next time it breaks down (which I'm fairly confident it will) it's a LEMON. Already have the letter written up and the AG's office on speed dial.

mrsgreenthumbs · May 2001

My husband and I had decided on purchasing the Forester L...or we thought so until the price of gas skyrocketted. Some of our priorities were Safety, decent gas mileage, 4-door, a hatchback, and reliability (we keep vehicles a LONG time). He also was hoping to be able to do general maintenance on the vehicle. We did more research and test drove a VW Golf (diesel). The ride was not nearly as comfortable as the Forester. But it is about $2000 cheaper, has side airbags, excellent safety rating. I computed that it would only save us about $6/week in gas at the most (I thought it would be more!) The all wheel drive component (Forester) is not really a factor, since we own 2 4-wheel drive vehicles. But money is a factor. My husband is all ready to buy the VW now...but geez, the difference in the ride...is it worth it for $2000 + $6/week????

I keep reading about the rattles in the 4 door golf. I'm dumping a very unsafe, '96 Cavalier Convertible with incredible rattles and a bumpy ride. So I'm hoping the rattles in the 4-door Golf are not "standard".

Someone please help.

saenzski · May 2001

My wife loves her 2001 GLS. no rattles. The only things are the cupholder is kind of in an odd place for her. (makes radio hard to fiddle with)
And when she closes the glove box the left side has to be pushed in to go all the way.

If these sound like very small trivial things its because they are. This is the best car we have ever had(after 5 new cars), for the money we could have not made a better choice.

VW on.

leomort · May 2001

of VW Golf 4door desiel. I'm also looking into these hatchbacks. Never had a desiel engine or turbo engine. How reliable are these engines? How reliable are these cars in general? Mechanics tell me they're expensive to fix/maintain. I average 25k miles/year and keep my vehicle about 8 years, so I need a reliable vehicle that can easily last 200k without major repair. VW's 2 yr/24k bumper to bumper has me skeptical considering every mfg. give 3yr/36k bumper to bumper. I'd like to see VW match the other mfg.'s bumper to bumper warranty.

Leo

Leo

stammt · May 2001

Mrs Green Thumbs, I actually just traded in a 2001 forester (ouch) for a 2001 golf 1.8t. So far after 3 weeks the golf has gotten *much* better gas mileage, ~29-30mpg compared to ~20mpg. I know the forester is rated 22-27mpg, but I only got over 22 once. Usually hovered around 20, even after 5000 miles when it was supposed to be fully broken in. To be fair, the forester was auto, and the golf 5-spd, but still...

Also the golf is a lot more fun to drive, and although it's not quite as big as the forester you can fit a ton of stuff in the hatch, especially with the seats down.

Oh yeah, my forester after 6 months had a ton of rattles. It's only been 3 weeks but so far the golf is dead silent.

nick77 · May 2001

I bought a used '99 Golf GLS two weeks ago and am enjoying but today the oil light came on. I checked the dipstick and it was bone dry! I had the car inspected b4 buying - and I remember checking the oil initially as well - so it wasn't missing any/much two weeks ago...
So what's going on? There aren't any stains in my driveway - the car hasn't been leaking - where's the oil going and is this a common problem?
A mechanic mentioned to me that they typically see this for the first 20 000 Kms (that's kilometres for those that are not from the Great White North :-) but I'm at roughly 37 000 Kms.
Any thoughts?
Thanks all,
Nick

hiwaysanity · May 2001

and your driveway's clean, and you did indeed, check the oil when you bought it, and your antifreeze has no oil in it . . .

maybe it's going up in smoke!

nick77 · May 2001

There isn't any smoke coming out... so I don't know know what to figure? Like I said a mechanic was telling me that they supposedly consume oil for the first 20 000 kms. But I'm at close to 40 000 so I'm at a loss for any explanations.

hiwaysanity · May 2001

with no noticeable smoke. I went through a quart every 450 miles in a brand new Escort and never noticed it, mainly because I wasn't loking for it. When the oil light went on, just like yours, I started watching, but could rarely see any sign of the oil.

That was a new lemon (valve job at 1800 miles!), not quite the same thing as yours. Any real chance the oil was not really checked when you got it? That would be the most pleasant explanation.

mdriver · May 2001

Anybody know what the powertrain warranty includes? In an article in Car and Driver (June) they evaluated a long term Beetle. Apparently, it burned up a clutch just after the 2/24 warranty expired and they complained about the repair cost. They did not mention whether it was covered under the 10/100 powertrain warranty. I wonder if the clutch is excluded.

adg44 · May 2001

That engine is notorious for drinking quarts of oil. Not really much you can do about, just make sure you check it weekly and keep the oil in the "a" level of the dipstick.

- Anthony

nick77 · May 2001

Hi AD,
Yes it is a 2.0. Where is the "a" level on the stick? Forgive my lack of technical terms here ... I have the oil coming up to the end of the little ridged section on the stick. I'm assuming that it is o.. there? I added two quarts and it leveled off there. So I guess it wasn't bone dry - maybe at the halfway point.
I don't mind checking/replacing the oil - it's neither a huge ordeal nor is it expensive... I just can't get past the fact that a company can sell their product with this type of shortcoming. Had I not noticed I could have blown out the engine and I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't just be offering up a new one for free.
I'm taking it in for servicing this week and am going to talk to the manager about this.
Have any of you purchased the extended warranty on your WV's? I'm considering doing this as I'm nearing the 40 000 mark - so time is running out. I just want to read the fine print and see what exactly is covered.
Thanks to all for your help and input.
Nick

beaugrumpus · May 2001

My Wife and I just bought a 2001 Golf LS 2.0 3 weeks ago. After owning the car for 1 week the check engine light came on. I gave the dealer a call and asked him what I should do. He asked whether I had put gas in the car (which I had) and suggested that it was just the computer thinking that I had a gas leak. He said that the light would go off after a few more times driving the car. Of course it wasn't so we brought it in to get it checked out. Bottom line. They're not sure what's going on. I'm fearing the lemon factor big time. I'll post an update when I hear back from the dealer. I never expected to have problems with a brand spanking new car. My wife and I are very frustrated.

moparbad · May 2001

The motor did not fall out of the car and it is under warranty. Some cars will have problems that require correction when they are new.
A check engine light can be very minor.
Thousands of parts all put together under the supervision of an imperfect human can equal a trip or two to the dealer.
No manufacturer of autos produces 100% defect free products. As long as your CEL issue is repaired, enjoy your Golf.
Unreasonable expectations will always reward you with disappointment.

scrumshy · May 2001

I've done a whole lot of research for a new car and want something fast, sporty, and compact. The golf 1.8T or Jetta Wolfsburg came out on top for me. I've test driven the auto golf and manual jetta. I love the manual a lot more. I'm 19 and looking forward to a new toy, but i am also keeping in mind of costs. Does the 1.8T really require premium gas? I've been stalking owners of new VW's to talk face to face and a few owners of turbos use regular gas and have had no problems. Anybody install an afterfactory alarm or audio system? Any probs? The people i've stalked have '97 vw's to new 01's. They all have had no complaints about their car and didn't not speak of any woes that are discussed here. I think bad press gets more attention.

scrumshy · May 2001

Since the Premium gas seems to be a must i'll still get the turbo. Been to VWvortex.com. One more question i have is about chipping the car. Has anyone installed a afterfactory computer chip for their car to up torque and hp? Any opinions, cons, pros?

mdriver · May 2001

Why were you considering spending over $20k for the car, but were worried about the extra 20 cents/gal for Premium? The 1.8T actually gets slightly better MPGs than the 2.0 which would just about offset the price of the premium. The 2.0 takes regular. No point in getting the VR6. It uses more fuel and its extra weight in the front hurts handling.

adg44 · May 2001

for my VR6 and it's made by AutoThority. They are only 20 minutes away from my house, so it's a given that I'd go there to get chipped. Some of the best 1.8T chippers are APR and GIAC. You will be sitting about 205 hp and 240 torque. Very very nice.

Ask around in the forums on VWvortex... I'm adg44 on there too.

- Anthony

nick77 · May 2001

I brought in my golf for servicing at Sources folks in Montreal, Canada today for an oil change and the check engine light was on so I wanted that looked at as well.

Today was the last day of my bumper to bumper - and they got it fixed in time:-)
The service manager, Michael was very helpful and took much of his time to answer my questions patiently.

Anyone in the montreal area looking for good service I strongly recommend going to Sources Volkswagen.
Nick

adg44 · May 2001

Say what you want, it's only 150 lbs more, is much more smooth, has no lag, and out of the box it is faster than the 1.8T. If you want to take my modded VR6, go ahead and I'll see you in my rear view mirror....

- Anthony

wordman93 · May 2001

What type of increase did you get from the chip?

jace1 · June 2001

I have only put premium in my 99 1.8T Passat. VW recommneds it for a good reason, to prevent combustion problems as already mentioned above. The mileage is excellent in the Passat when driven moderately (up to 36 mpg highway)sothe cost increase is minimal. The engine is an excellent design and I'm sure will function well in the Golf too.

adg44 · June 2001

HP: 12
Torque: 18

It's really a different engine after it's been chipped. No more lagging throttle, and lack of pull up top. It was the best thing I ever did to my car, and it was free!!!! Yup, first 2001 VR6 they had seen, so I got it for free.

- Anthony

scrumshy · June 2001

I've also considered getting the VR6 or GLX GTI. Does the V6 also require premium? Anybody add their own after factory stereo?

scrumshy · June 2001

Final question for anybody who can answer. Is the Audi A4 1.8T engine the same or similar engine as the 1.8T available in the Jetta/Golf/Passat? Because the 1.8T engine in the Audi is one of Car and Driver's 10 best engines for 2001.

adg44 · June 2001

The Audi 1.8T engine and the VW 1.8T engine are exactly the same, except the Audi's is transversly mounted.

- Anthony

beaugrumpus · June 2001

Thanks for the advice moparbad. The problem was fixed quickly by the dealer (it ended up being a malfunctioning valve of somekind that made the car think it had a gas leak) and everything's working great now. My wife and I drove it about 800 miles last weekend without a hitch. YEAAA WARRANTIES AND YEAAA VW GOLFS!

scrumshy · June 2001

thanks to the few people who have answered my questions. After much research in cars that i would get i've narrowed it to the vw golf 1.8T with sport suspension,16 in wheels, a rear spoiler , and lojack, and shall be blue or silver (wheels, and spoiler will be dealer specialties). Finally my own sound system. lates all. should i hold out for 2002 golf?

adg44 · June 2001

They are giving the 1.8T a few upgrades, mostly a chip upgrade to get it to 170HP. Sure you can get a chip now and be at 200HP, but that's not factory and they can void your warranty if your chip causes problems with your engine.

The 2002s should be here in a couple months.... You probably just want to push the price down more on the 2001.

- Anthony

scrumshy · June 2001

What do '5M' and '4A' stand for? I see the same models like Jetta GLS 4a and Jetta GLS 5m. One of them is a little more expensive. What's the difference and why is it more expensive?

m3fan · June 2001

5M = 5-speed Manual
4A = 4-speed Automatic

the 4A would be the more expensive one.

albakes · June 2001

I just last week bought a 2000 Gti VR6, only 40 miles on it so as new really...
already it's been back to the dealer with electrical faults... the headlights had blown and the sunroof would not work.

They fixed it up and all seemed well, but now the sunroof is playing up again. It won't always open when I first start the car, but then works after a while...

anyone else had this sort of trouble? (and I'm waiting for the windows to fail of course)

This is my fourth Golf, but first in the US (I'm from the UK)... I'd really prefer the old wind up windows and cranked sunroof of the mid 80's, but hey, that's progress.

pedrolobo · June 2001

Since I'm having a very difficult time finding the Jetta Wagon I want (VR6, 5M, Sport Suspension), I'm considering a GTI. Of course I'll sacrifice some cargo space, but perhaps it's worth it.

Can anybody tell me if they've used a GTI to haul a bicycle? I know I could put a rack on top, but I like the added security of being able to lock it up inside the car.

Also, can anybody tell me the length (and width, if possible) of the cargo area with rear seats folded forward?

Thanks in advance!

leomort · June 2001

I've heard that maintenence is expensive on VW, is this true? For example I read on another website about someone said that it would cost 2 grand when it came time to do the timing belt change along with the other maintenence require at time. Yikes!!!!

hiwaysanity · June 2001

dunn3 · June 2001

My brother has a silver Golf GLS (00) 4-door with 9400 miles (apprx.) Anyway, he has the continental tires with 4 grooves. The two middle grooves on both front tires are completely worn. Does anyone know what might have caused this?? Does anyone know if VW would pay to replace these tires. Any help would be appreciated.

hiwaysanity · June 2001

either extreme over-inflation, or habitual tire-spinning. In either case, it's not VW's problem. The tire manufacturer may have a treadwear warranty.

I have the Conti's on my Passat. At 22,000+ they show little wear.

seminole_kev · June 2001

Were the tires over-inflated? Maybe like to the MAX pressure value instead of the recommended value?

leomort · June 2001

Well, I'd hope that this poor fellow got ripped by his mechanic. But he was trying to justify how much cheaper it is to maintain the diesel (TDI) versus the gas versions.

But I also know I person who was charged $300 for rotors on her VW Golf too. I thought that was on the expensive side.

VW's may be nice cars, but one has to take in consideration the maintenence and repair cost on the vehicle. Looking to see if anyone who owns VW Golfs can give insight to maitenence and repair costs.

Leo

adg44 · June 2001

But I think that was from autocrossing and over 100 burn outs

VW wont help you at all, you'll have to deal with continental. I got new tires from Good year for 10 bucks each and they are paying for mouting and balancing.

This is also a good time to get some 18s for the car, and get rid of those wimpy 15s.

- Anthony

mdriver · June 2001

I don't know about 18s. Anything beyond 17" and the sidewall would look too skinny (on a Golf). Low profiles are nice up to a point. When you can hardly see any sidewall is when they start to look a little strange.

adg44 · June 2001

Take a look at my photo album.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1565856&a=11911242&f=0

- Anthony

dunn3 · June 2001

I thought that it was so odd that the two middle groves would be that low. I'll double check the air pressure just to make sure.

hiwaysanity · June 2001

It's conceivable that the tires were under cured, but that is almost unheard of today. At 9,400 miles even underinflation would not cause that much wear. Wheel spin???

loomandzoom · June 2001

Hi,
I'm considering purchasing my first VW and wanted to know if anyone has any experience with Colonial VW or Patrick VW.

Thanks

moparbad · June 2001

The VW's tend to be higher for similar services such as brakes or oil change compared to domestics. VW's require/recommend replacement of timing belt and replacement of brake fluid that is not required/or longer interval than on many domestics and Toyotas, Hondas, etc..
The fact that there are fewer VW's sold and fewer dealerships contributes to this.
While I would not recommend VW as a car for cheapskates, the added cost for maintenance is minimal over 100K and VW's tend to have exceptional longevity.
TDI's compared to gas models are more expensive for some parts and services and less expensive for others, so unless you keep a car for 300K miles (which favors the TDI) the maintenace cost is a small factor in a purchase decision.
Overall, if you can not afford to pay $350-450 for a timing belt change every 60K miles, do not buy a VW. If driving enjoyment is important to you, then VW is worthy of your consideration.

adg44 · June 2001

Call Contiental - they will take care of you. All tires have warranties on them for atleast 40 or so thousand miles. Those tires probably have a longer tread life warranty.

- Anthony

moparbad · June 2001

adg44 is correct. A Continental tire dealer will be the one to discuss this with.
The warranty booklet for the tires is in the front pocket of the owners manual in recent VW's.
Check the booklet and I bet it has phone number listed.
The Continental is generally a well regarded tire on the Golf and Jetta. The Goodyear Eagle LS that is standard equipment on some Golf and Jetta models is the tire to avoid due to uneven wear and cupping.

leomort · June 2001

thank you for your response regarding VW's maintenence.

Leo

mdriver · June 2001

$350 - $450 for a timing belt change on a Golf seems to be the same price as any other car. But is the belt change interval as low as 60k mi? That's seems very low given my Civic's recommended change at 105K mi. Does the VW 2.0L engine have interference design like the Civic?
Also, does anyone know if the clutch is covered under the "powertrain" warranty? Some automakers consider the clutch to be a "wearable" item like brake pads, others don't.

VW Golf

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