Need to vent about newer volkswagon jetta
 

My mom has a 2001 VW jetta 5-spd. Fun little car really, gets up and goes decent for a little four banger, and really tossible. Those are the pluses of the car, that and a ten year 100000 mile powertrain, a/c warranty. The car's interior is a peice of crap. Almost all the storage bins and cup holders have broken, the last of which brough on this need to vent(and it's not even my car lol). On the last oil change, my mom brought it to the dealer's attention that the glove box latch was half broken, as were the rear cup holders(prior to this the front cup holders, front coin tray, a/c vents, a/c dials had all been replaced due to malfunction/breakage, and many of the trim peices had started to peel off rubber etc). The dealer informed her that the glove box latch would cost 200$ (WTF????!?) and the rear cupholder would cost 100 dollars. Now keep in mind that the dealer was the one who broke the glove box latch the last time the car was in for service. My mom just let that go, and figured the latch was still functional and she never used the rear cupholders. The dealer's reason for not covering it was the "car is more than two years old". Then she remembered that one of her tail lights was out. That was all fixed fine and dandy and the bill came, 86$ for an oil change. Turns out the dealer charges 36 dollars to replace a lightbulb. Apparently on this car only the dealer can change out the light bulb(this is horse ****, if a dealer personel can do something my dad or I can as well), and they had to remove the entire assembly to replace a light, to the tune of 36$. I dont think i'll ever buy a VW after all this, and i though mercedes were expensive to maintain, and this VW is still under warranty and only two years old!!!! Man i wish i was at the dealer with my mom, she's a much more passive person than I, and i have more of a bull in a china shop mentality with things like this. They certainly would have heard about all this in front of potential customers, so that if at the very least someone would re-think their decision to buy this Peice(POS) of german engineering. thanks for letting me vent,
Ryan

I have never liked VWs. Their reliability was bad a few years ago and has only gotten worse. The New York Times had a really good article in the business section a few days ago about VWs reliability and recall woes. VWs are a sharp car on the surface and on paper, but I think they have severe quality control problems and they use cheap materials. VW cut a lot of corners in the development of their newer cars to save money, time, and bring the prices down. The Jettas, New Beetles and Passats of late looked great inside and out, and were fresh and new, and this brought them a lot of new customers. I think a lot of people are starting to regret their purchases. Management has also proven to not be completely organized and consumer oriented, as shown by their handling of the ignition coil problem. I personally wouldn't buy a VW until they can prove that they have their act together. This usually requires several years of slow and consistent improvement. BMW and Mercedes took many years to build up their reputations. I don't know why VW thought they could take shortcuts.

UPSIDE: VW makes some of the best styled cars today (Audi twins). VW makes the only new Diesel car you can buy--and it's alot faster than the older MB's. VW makes a credible alternative to the Japanese cars if you want a small car. Really, why would anybody but a car rental agency by a Chevy Cavalier.

DOWNSIDE: VW has had major reliability probs with their Diesel models (check out the TDI forum). MAF sensors fail, engine computers fail, relays fail, timing belts have to be replaced every 60k miles. VW has had problems with manufacturing consistency. In one review the car shifts well, in the next it doesn't.

What's up with these German car manufacturers? They used to lead the World in quality of production.

Sholin

we have a pure stock 96 jetta gl and can only say good things about it. it has 65k on it and sofar have replaced since bought new-

-one front wheel bearing (under warranty)
-exhaust cat-back (twice) northern salt...
-front brake pads and rotors
-emergency brake cables
-fuel filter
-timing belt (recommended at 60k)
-alternator and waterpump belts (while doing the timing belt)
-brake fluid (twice, once under warranty)
-spark plugs (twice)
-distributer cap and rotor (twice)
-02 sensor
-tires (twice) -jettas eat tires :eek:
-a few light bulbs -tail/licenseplate/headlight etc

that's it - apart from regular oil changes.

it even has the original a/c charge and original battery !

all things considered i think that is very little for 65k and coming close to 7yrs old.!!??

keep in mind though it is a '96 and newer models have been well known to have more problems.

stay away from the mexican assembled models. if you don't have a choice, pick one that was assembled closer to wednesday than to monday or friday :p

ours was a mexican model but i believe it was during the first few years of production they were doing there so maybe that was a factor. i cannot say that i can tell the difference in quality or workmanship between the 96 and other german assembled vw's i have owned in the past. i must say however i would not buy a vw built after 96.
make no mistake a vw is not a mercedes!!:D

I must say the turbo bug and the diesel one seemed to be well engineered and good quality when I test drove them and looked at various combinations available in the dealer inventory.They drove nicely as well.

I used to have the freezer box style rear engined Vans circa 70s they proved to be very reliable. The main problem was brrr no heat but other than that they drove and ran well.

Sorry to hear about the troubles on the newer model, hope things settle out and the car proves to be reliable once the latest glitch is resolved. Cup holder design is an issue in many cars, four cup holders on our Pontiac Transport broke within 4 weeks. The replacements also broke within 6 months, after that we gave up!

We have 3 VWs in our extended family and they have been doing well except for the cup holders in one of them. The same one had chronic issues with fuel fumes leaking in the garage but the cause was chronic overfilling of the tank!

Hang tough, the basic platform should live up to the classic german engineering reputation.

Alot of the TDI folks are having problems. The MAF sensors fail stranding you, the relay 109 (ECU) fails, they have had water injestion problems which hydrolocks the engine, the EGR system cokes up the intake that requires a time consuming cleaning, the timing belts on the Diesel must be replaced more often, ect....

They may have fixed some of these problems and granted, there is alot of them on the road. Any vehicle with the numbers that VW has on the road is going to have some problems. I'd expect more from VW, though, because quality cars is their bread and butter.

Still, I really like VW's and if they made a CDI passat wagon, I'd be there. Of course if MB sold their 220 CDI C class wagon here, I'd really be there.

Off the topic, but what's the deal with modern Diesel's. Check out the ford/GM/dodge diesel pickup BBS's sometime. All of them seem to have problems running properly.

Sholin

4 Comments About VW
 

1. Work well FOR THE FIRST 6 MONTHS!!!

2. Worst Customer Service

3. They are getting what they deserve

4. Burned once shame on you, burned twice shame on me, VW NEVER AGAIN!:mad:

These comments are based on my experience with a 97 Golf which I finally dumped after the whole wiring harness in the engine burned up ($2800 To Replace)

BTW many of my friends had just as many problems. JUNK

sorry to hear about the problems with your golf - but as i said i would not get any vw built after 96. we have had good luck sofar with ours (knock on wood 3 times....:rolleyes: )
the customer service at the dealer where i got the car sort of stunk but luckily i did not have to encounter them too often in the 2 years it was under bumper to bumper warranty.
mostly it was in only for oil changes that they managed somehow not to screw up , heheh.
i have had 3 prior vw's
73 super bug - loved it but the pan cracked and car imploded
(drove it 90k.. not bad for a $1300 car)
79 rabbit diesel 5spd - great car - died cracked block at 120k
89 jetta gl -auto - great car - totalled may 2002 - 120k

on the plus side the car is a blast to drive(although if you shift quickly into second it grinds-no it's not my driving it does it to everyone). Another plus is the car has only been into the dealer for interior trim peices(which are terribly crappy), and oil changes, and now has 25k on the clock. A/c is ice cold as soon as it starts, and it has a decent factory radio. I still think it is INCREDIBLY rediculous that only the dealer can change the light bulbs in the damn car. I mean come on, almost 40 dollars for a LIGHTBULB???? something is very very wrong there.
Ryan

Newer VW's do have problems and are expensive to fix. But the older diesels are GREAT! Easy to work on and parts are cheap. I am talking the A2 models 1985-92. Some examples: front rotor $17 CDN, rear brake cylinder $13 CDN, Front coil spring $40 CDN, rear brakes $7 per side, half-shaft with inner and outer CV joints $79 CDN with core, muffler $50 CDN. All these prices are for new parts. When you go to the the A3 1993 up models prices start to soar. Example muffler $210 for a 1993, 1997 $379 for a muffler. If you do your own repairs on the older models they are very reliable and have great mileage (diesel) and once you get the hang of working on them, they are very easy. I just bought another '86 Jetta diesel for $600 for my youngest daughter - nice shape - needs a clutch. Dealer quoted $1200 to change and supply new clutch - owner decided to get rid of car. I bought the complete clutch assy and new clutch cable for under $300 CDN. After working on these older models for 10 years - I swear by them.

The problem I see with VW is a complete lack of understanding of their market. They have in the last few years taken VW upmarket by huge strides. They've increased their pricing dramatically, and expanded their entire line "up."

But, many people feel the VW's are relatively inexpensive cars. The Golf used to compete with the Civic and Corolla. Not anymore.

So, we've got a different buyer in the showroom. Heck, a Passat is priced so far above a Camry or Accord, it just is not competing for the same buyer. A base Passat is more than an Accord EX-L. (In Canada, anyway). This buyer is unloading $40-$50K for a Passat. He/she expects everything a Mercedes buyer wants. They want top notch sales service. They want free loaner cars. They want no-hassles warranty service. They want their cars washed when they come back. They want everything that goes along with buying a $50K car. (A Passat W8 hits $60K)

Well, been to a VW dealer? Those folks may want, but they ain't getting. Service wait times are huge thanks to poor quality and overwhelmed service depts dealing with warranty work. VW fights tooth and nail over warranty fixes. The dealer's showrooms and facilities are to sell $20K cars, not $60K or $100K or $125K cars.

Do you think Golf buyers get treated like Phaeton buyers? NO. Phaeton buyers will be treated like Golf buyers. Wonder why Mazda couldn't sell the Millennia? Because luxury car buyers don't want "323" service. Mercedes, BMW, Lexus and Infiniti get it. Come with me to the dealer. I roll up in my five year old C230. I get treated like bloody royalty by the service dept. (Sales is another story) I have a free loaner car. My car comes back sparkling clean, inside and out. Free coffee. Yadda yadda. Okay, the labour rate is $83 per hour. Go to the VW dealer. $80 per hour. The $3 is more than worth the extras.

A collegue of mine has a Passat wagon. She spent WAY more on her car than I did on my Mercedes, and you wouldn't believe the poor service she gets. And her Passat is junk. It's been back almost weekly. She paid cash for the car, and is seriously considering taking a serious hit to be rid of it.

I agree and disagree with John on this one. When I bought my Golf it was still a competitor with the Civic, and my issues weren't with the dealers.

The dealer I had (Also a Toyota Dealer) was excellent with regards to customer service. They always cleaned my car and would also brief me in detail before any work was done. They usually didn't have problems locating faults. Except in the instance when the wire burned up and another dealer (I was stranded) misdiagnosed it as a faulty sensor.

The problems I had were with VW of N. America, the car fell apart (brake line, interior, trim etc.) after 26K miles and finally at 52K miles was not driveable. They didn't care and said "I'm sorry it's out of warranty".

Since then we've had two Honda's, first a V6 Accord and now a CRV. Honda goes out of their way to insure your happy and they go the extra mile to wash your car with every $20.00 oil/filter change. They even replaced a leather cover on the Accord when it was 8K miles our of warranty! That's why we bought another one.

VW will fall flat on their face when they introduce the Tuareg and Phaeton, CAN'T WAIT!

By the way RG5384, I had the same problem shifting from 1st to second!:D

I have a 98 Jetta TDI (A3 body) bought new in Nov 97. Now with 225k miles, I only have praises for the car. It's been a joy to own with no problems at all. Most of my miles have been driven with the car heavily modded performancewise. My HP and torque numbers have been greatly increased with no adverse affects (yet) on longevity or reliability.

Granted, I do most work myself, I've found it to be MUCH cheaper to drive and keep well maintained than most anything else I've owned, GM vehicles included.

Going through all my receipts, I'm certain the entire 225k miles have cost significantly less than the single cost of repair to have the top end redone on my 87 300SDL. Oh yeah, no $2000 sunroof repair on the VW either.

I hear of various problems with TDI's...MAFs, windows, Relay 109, etc. Mine was built in Mexico and maybe I just got a good one. The power window regulators have been dealt with a couple times, mostly at VWs expense. The relay 109 is a $16 part that has never went out on my car...I do have a spare in the glovebox. No trim has ever broken off, nor do I have squeaks or rattles. Heck, I've only needed to replace the front brakes twice, the rears are still original, albeit needing replacement soon.

Before my Benz I drove a 89 Diesel Jetta. Greatest little car in the world. Took a beating and kept on ticking.

Parts for it were easy to come by and inexpensive (could be ordered through mail order catalog from some place in Michigan, y'all old VW owners know who I'm talkin about) Working on it was simple although some things required unique ways to overcome the space constraints (glow plugs were a pain in the butt, luckily we made do most of the time replacing only one and using the block heater when needed) but everything that could go wrong was right there in one spot, you didn't have to hunt down mysterious Vacuum lines or anything.

We actually were contemplating putting in a newer VW Diesel (1.9L Turbo, or even the TDI) to replace the 1.6 n/a Diesel with all of its lazy 52 horsies. The Jetta we had was as base model as they came. only luxuries it had was a sunroof (manual) and Power Steering (std feature). It also had A/c but the belt was loose or something and when you tryed to run it it had ZERO acceleration, took like a minute to reach 30-35 mph.

We replaced the Transmission that my brother killed after 6 months of abuse. The only problem we incountered then was the fact we did it 2x because I over tightened the fly wheel bolts (oops) and the fly wheel sheered the bolts when we went to start it.

The thing that finally caused us to sell the last of a long line of VW diesels we had was the fact there was Diesel Fuel gushing from a weep hole on the IP, the car ran fine but had the worst Fuel economy ever cause of that (quarter tank in 10 minutes).


Basically, our last VW was one of the best cars we've ever owned and if a new one could be a 10th of what the old one was we'd be happy. We wouldn't get any fancy stuff like an Automatic transmission or anything like that, it would be the base model TDI, just like the Diesels that came before it were. (2 VW Rabbits, and a Jetta) We'd also be sure that it was built in Germany (standing req for my mom if it has a German name on it, she's German)

There seems to be a lot of anti-VW in America. I must say, over here their reputation is pretty good, if perhaps not as good as it used to be in the '80s.

My family's shop sell a LOT of newer VWs (polo, golf, passat, no-one buys jettas over here because they're a pointless car IMO)

They aren't as problem free as older VWs, particularly '80s ones, but they're pretty good.


I don't think we get Mexican built ones however, so this may partly explain things.

My dad used to have an old '85 Jetta, amd I gotta say I loved it. It wasn't the greatest car, but was just a neat little thing. The inside was in horrible shape (the rear foot area was flooded for some reason or other, the trim was falling apart, left rear door didn't open, etc...) and the engine was dying, but it still ran. We had to sell it because the engine was just giving us too many problems. There was an alarm going off all the time (a high-pitched buzzing), but it ran fine. Mainly the problems were with not being able to figure out why alarms were going off and parts failing and having to be replaced. Still, I miss that car. When my dad would drive me places the car just flew. It had crazy acceleration and was extremely light and manouverable. If I had the opportunity, I'd love to get another one or a Saab or an old Audi and just make it into a rally racer. I love those old cars...

Our 84 Rabbit had the buzzing warning light for no reason problem. It was a Diesel and ran for a year with that damn buzzing. From what we coud figure there were 2 oil pressure sensors and the internal one was on the friz (we disconnected the external one.

Jettas are great!!! Although I don't have one right now, I would love to buy one!

HERE WE GO AGAIN
 

Never Again
 

My first car was a VW (type 3) and others were a 65 Beatle 74 Sun Bug and 84 Rabbit diesel (U.S. Built), all fine cars. Then I bought a 4 year old 91 Passat with 130, kms There is not enough room here to list all the problems I had with that car, but the $1000 heater core was the last straw, that was the indie price too. I walked into VW and test drove a new Golf diesel, it was a bit of a come down from the Passat but I wanted out. So I sat down to write a deal, the usual first question was how much I would get for my trade. The answer was: nothing!, we don't want your car, we already have too many on the lot!. So since then I have not graced the VW dealer with my business.

I ended up trading on a new Toyota Tercel in 97, only cost so far is a new set of tires a couple of weeks ago after 67, kms and services. Took a bloodbath on the VW, but everybody already knew the Passat was a lemon by then, the first question they asked was "is it automatic", if you said yes, they said bye!

Actually I really like the way Toyota have fixed services A, B, and C in rotation with fixed prices for each and add on items at specific milage, you always know how much it's going to cost you in advance. Never a suprise when you pick up your car, they really do have the best Service Departments IMHO.

Still have a '73 VW convertible bought new, BUT
 

the "hecho en mexico" VWs are horrible...a '90 I bought new and maintained well turned out to have engine parts practically made of milk chocolate so far as durability goes.

But think even post '85 MBs suffer from too much embedded electronics, crappy and non-durable upholstery and trim, and a host of other problems that mean a NEW car -- no matter how expensive -- is designed to have a TRUE service life of about five years...longer than that and the EXPENSIVE maintenance problems keep piling up until the owner surrenders...and buys a new car.

What a racket! Buy a 240D or 300, or a pre '75 Bug.

In addition to my 300D, I also have a 2001 Jetta TDI. It was made in Mexico and is a wonderful car! I have 40k on it and I have been averaging close to 58mpg! :D Other than a few trim pieces peeling, I haven't had any window, mechanical, MAF, 109 or any other problems! The TDI's are great cars and are well-built IMO. :)

We've owned our '96 Passat tdi (German built) for nearly 5 yrs, and have been extremely impressed with the reliability, performance and economy. It's definitely not an MB, but I can't rave enough about it. In 135k miles, I've only had to replace the h20 pump and rear rotors--that's it. I've heard that MAFs are less prone to fail on the earlier '96 and '97 Passats, than on the later generation tdi's.

I'm not sure, but I think this 90hp car might be as quick, or quicker 0 to 60 than my 148hp 300td. I know, apples and oranges, but impressive performance nonetheless.

My wife uses it to commute 70+ miles/day, and the fuel savings have been an absolute blessing.

I have a '98 passat. done 50k this year - no problems, except a radiator. Dealer service is poor - not worth going into. Well, ok I will a bit. It took me three trips to get the radiator replaced.

1. Me: 'I have a leaking radiator. Please replace it.'
Dummy: Certainly sir.
2. (Next day) Me: 'All done then?'
Dummy: 'We pressure tested the cooling system, no problem found..here is a bill for it'.
Me again: 'There is coolant running down the side of the radiator - you just have to look'.
Dummy: 'leave it with us sir.'
3. (Day 3): Me 'All done this time?'
Dummy: 'Err..we ordered the wrong radiator..come back tommorow...'


There are other episodes like this. Like the time they dismantled the dash when I told them the diff was whining. I guess part of the proble is staff training. They are replacing sesoned mechanics with quick-fit monkeys clutching electronic diagnostic units who can't spanner properly.





The light bulb thing is a deliberate scam. They have designed the light pods so you can't get your hand in to replace the bulb - they made the aperture smaller than a normal hand. WTF indeed.

jjl,

Your passat, is it a CDI engine or a TDI? Here in the U.S., I think that VW only sells their jetta with the TDI. I've heard that they plan on bringing back the passat TDI, but I don't think we get their CDI or more powerful TDI's until our low sulphur fuel laws in place.

I've heard good things about the VW jetta TDI, but I'm really only interested in the passat. It's just a bigger, nicer car.

Sholin

My passat is a 1.8 5-cyl gas engine, auto transmission. I really don't have any complaints about it - it is comfortable, quick enough and seems (to me) well-made. I have heard the TDi is good, but never driven it. I would buy one again (bought this one at auction - saved about 20% on retail). As I mentioned above, the main problem I found is VW service.

If you'll let me slightly enhance your knowledge here :)..

The CDI engines are 'common rail' diesels, as used in the latest Merc, BMW, Ford, Japanese, and almost everything else except Volkswagen and Audi.

Volkswagen are going it alone however using their in-house developed 'Pump Duse' high pressure technology instead.

There are advantages and disadvantages. Mainly, though, they are more powerful - its 1.9 TDi has been available for over a year in 150bhp Golf GTi trim = 79 bhp/litre.
Of all the many CDI manufacturers, none beat this specific output,

BMW is next with the 320d's 2.0 150bhp = 75 bhp/litre.
Incidentally I have driven this BMW and didn't like it much, very uncharacteristic, lacking the low-down torque hit of VW PD diesels, while still remaining rather breathless at the top end.

The CDIs are however, quieter and have a supposedly less narrow power band.


N.B. VW and Audi PD Diesels are still badged TDI. The 1.9 PD versions are/were initially the 115bhp 6-speed Golf (badged with a red D and a red I).

Then the 90 and 110bhp (red I) non-PDs were replaced with a 100bhp PD (I think badged plain silver TDI) and a 130bhp PD introduced (I think again identified by a red D and a red I).

Finally the 150bhp GTi was introduced with 235 lbft from 1900rpm, featuring a fully completely red TDI badge.


So there you are. VW have introduced an all-new 16v 2.0 diesel block, from which they will no doubt pull over 150bhp soon.

Volkswagen has great cars and also has some real lemons (especially since the Lopez era)

Our 87 Passat station waggon (that would be a Quantum in the US) ran great for 290 tkm until a truck hit it. No mayor repair, only the transmission. When I was carrying around a heavy oven (about 600 lbs) the car actually got a little bend around the B-pillar :rolleyes: )

A friend of mine worked on a 1990 Golf 1.8 to replace the alternator. Not only it is almost impossible to get to this thing (it is completly obstructed by the power steering pump), but the Dealer and Volkswagen cannot tell him, which make and model of alternator he has to buy. For the `90 Golf they have 29 different versions... With different mounting brackets...

The Mercedes W 123 has about two which are interchangeble...

Kind regards
Eberhard

speaking of badges, i saw on the road the other day a Jetta wagon marked BIO TDI

what is with that!??

According to both Car and Driver and Road and Track, the Passat diesel is back with a 2.0 liter unit with 134 hp and something like 230 lb/ft of torque (can't remember the exact number).

Check out the current R&T (or whichever one has the new cars '04 article in it) for details.

-Sam

That car more than likely was signifying that it is either running, or wants to run on biodiesel. I've been thinking of modifying MB turbo diesel script to read "biodiesel"--shouldn't be too hard.

if it was an 'aftermarket' badge it looked real for sure!
perhaps the vehicle was running BIO fuel. that would be really cool. i have not sofar tried to experiment with my fuel but i am dying to try.. hehe :D

Dealer only? I don't think so!
 

Well, I've searched the Bentley manual and I can't see how replacing a tail light bulb is a dealer only endeavor. It seems quite straight forward, it uses a bulb 'holder' quite like the other German cars I have(see sig.). If you'd like a copy of the instructions in an e-mail attachment, e-mail me at busfamily@REMOVEearthlink.net I have to admit, my dealer experience has been quite bad as well. Live and learn.

On the Passat, tail lights are straighforward - headlights -- ha ha - tried those? Guaranteed to have you jumping up and down...

Well I don't know about elsewhere, but IMHO generally they are rather better cars than the competition, although the gap probably isn't as marked now as the reliability is not quite 100% it used to be.. - it's no MB-esque drop though.

my point was exactly that, the tail light is not a dealer only item and they took advantage of my mom by charging her 40 dollars to fix it. And then, in addition, wouldn't even fix the glove box latch that THEY broke. I havn't been home to know if there are any more sagga stories, but i was personally very irritated that they would take advantage of someone like that. I don't think i'd ever buy a volkswagon now because of this, it's rediculous.
Ryan

Didn't take the time to read the whole thread, but...
 

my 2001 Jetta GLS 1.8T has given me only very minor problems which are to be expected from any car. I had a coolant temp sensor go bad (replaced by dealer out of goodwill for free, even though out of warranty.) That's it! The rubber coating wore off of my door handle because that's where my watch rubs against it...I don't wear a watch while driving anymore. Okay, it's a little annoying but not so bad.
I've heard about the window regulators breaking and such but I think this is mainly due to abuse. People lean on windows and close doors with windows and expect them to hold up!

In my opinion, this is a silly thread. Why start a complaint throwing generalities at VW that aren't shared by other VW owners? :confused:

Why didn't you try changing the bulb yourself first? It's so easy...I've done it in less than 2 minutes and part of that time was standing in line at the auto parts store.

Has your MB been any cheaper???

ryan,
that's precisely when i got our Jetta (new-0 miles) from the dealer
i knew what was going to be the score there. i took advantage of them for all the time the car was under the bumper to bumper warranty. i went looking for stuff for them to do! in the end i couldn't find much though. aside from them replacing one wheel bearing and all the locks and the airbag/steering wheel unit, (all for free:D) i only had the usual oil/filter changes etc done under vw's standard free maintenence schedule.


bottom line with the dealer - use 'em for all they're worth while the parts and labor is free then go to your favorite indy from thereon for non-drive train warranted stuff.


:)

Did you spot it in Southern Mass?
Sounds like MITBeta's car. He runs biodiesel. in both his TDI's.

well it was in CT actually. a silver one.

I have had vw diesels since 1978. First Rabbit diesel that went 212,000 miles, good cheap trouble free transportation. rusted out, engine still strong.

I have currently a 86 vw Golf with 194K on it, only trouble a snapped timing belt that bent 1 valve (the belt went at 120K,
60k past the recommended belt change)

I also have a 98 TDI jetta with 191K on it. No problems as I have meticulously followed the maintenance book, bought a vag-com
tester for codes and stayed away from the dealer.

One person's experience usually form their opinion about a situation or car, and of course their experiences are valid I guess as they see it.


Frank Bertrand
79 300sd
84 300td
91 350sdl

i've had 3 of them...i'd buy more
 

I am an outside salesman... i drive 200-300 miles a day... 50k or more a year....

Only problem I have with VW is the high maint. schedule... and the no touch auto transmission b.s. ....

I have heard horror stories, but I've also heard them with all manufacturers... anger is a far louder voice than happiness...

VW's customer service is horrible.. but their cars are well made, safe to drive in the event of an accident, and last a long time..

i put a 150k on a 92 gti.. never changed the clutch, one brake job....one timing belt change.. that's it...

2000 TDI 100k.... no problems...

2002 2.0 Jetta...100k...change timing belt, change tranny fluid.....
still driving.. i'm going for 300k on this car...

They are simple to work on, so self maintainence is a good thing.

I have a 68 MB 230..... but thats for fun...

We had a 2001 320 SLK.... that car was bunch of hassles..... Leaking power steering... weights that would never stay on tires... FROM THE DEALER..... Cup holders that let condensation drip into auto tranny shifer, causing shorts.... rattles forever.... Lights full of water.....ETC...


bought a Camry... haha...i'm getting old...

What's my point? Everyone has there problems...

MB got their reputation from the 60-70-and early 80's... There cars had 4 speed auto's, good fuel injection, Front Disks, sometimes 4 wheel disks, independent rear suspensions, more isolation of motor from the frame, etc.....etc....

Everyone has caught up now..... I would like to see a simpler designs.. engine management, transmissions, interiors, etc.... The cost of these vehicles for repairs is ridiculous... 3k for a transmission because it cannot be rebuilt? $10 for a spark plug? Computer interfacing with every single part on the car?

It might be cool, and create a more efficent vehicle, but the cost effectiveness for long run ownership is not always there..

Re: Need to vent about newer Volkswagen jetta
 

One of my taillights went out on my Jetta last week. Just as I suspected, there was no trick to replacing the bulb. I got 2 'European' bulbs from Wal-Mart for $2.50 and changed it out in less than 5 minutes. Seeing as dealers buy these bulbs by the ton I'm sure they cost them next to nothing. It sure would go a long way in customer satisfaction if they comped the stupid bulb at oil change time. Instead they'll leave someone with a bad taste in their mouth for the whole dealer experience. Not smart.