1998 Volkswagen Jetta

Summary:

Decent, but what's next to break?

Faults:

Check Engine warning light came on for no apparent reason.

Side moulding peels and falls off.

Rattling and noise at 70000 miles was rear wheel bearing, which took over a week in the shop to even begin working on it.

Glove compartment handle broke off with all info locked inside forever.

Broke down 50 feet from my house.

General Comments:

You have to put some muscle into making u-turns.

Buy some Liquid Nails Heavy Duty Construction...you'll need it for the side moulding.

Phenomenal stereo system, but no cd player.

Window tint is highly recommended.

Huge trunk and ample room for large drivers.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th September, 2003

1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLX VR6

Summary:

High performance. Electrical nightmare!

Faults:

Fun car to drive, but not worth all of the electrical problems that keep breaking!!!

Before 50K miles the following happened:

-Replaced Coil Pack ($300)

-Both passenger side window motors ($750)

-All 4 Brakes/Rotors/Pads

-Passenger molding came off

-Glue for molding leaking out on doors

-Battery blew (VW dealer in Texas said car not made for hot ($80) weather...haha..why do they sell em in Texas... and I now live in Arizona... plenty sold here too!)

-Battery blew again (Took the dealer a while to figure it out... because battery was so new) ($80)

-Windshield washer tank broke (leaking) $120.

After 50K (Car has 63K now in 8/2003)

-Driver window motor broke ($520)

-Can hear the passenger side window slowly going out... will be the 2nd time that one gets replaced!

-Ignition gets stuck... car systems don't work when this happens!

It is the window motors I think that really make me mad. It seems that this is a chronic problem with the entire Jetta line. You would think VW would help out with this!

Next car will not be a VW although it is a fun car to drive!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th September, 2003

1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLX V6

Summary:

A Fast Black Lemon

Faults:

There so many things that have gone wrong.

Two days after owning the car the check engine light came on and I was told that the gas cap wasn't clicked after fill-up. Took it in for a computer reset. After three more visits and a new gas tank they found a cracked pressure relief hose.

The front struts went three months into owning the car. The front end seems to be having problems again.

Coil pack went at the same time. Then again 2 years later.

Both rear windows have gone off track and have had their motors replaced, the front passenger is now making the same pre-death grinding/clicking noises.

The ABS module went.

Both fog-lights filled with water 2 years into owning the car and burned out. You cannot seem to find replacement bulbs at parts dealers and VW wants $150 apiece.

Front passenger speaker had to be replaced after 1 month owning the car.

Car went into "sleep" mode driving down the NJ turnpike, this is where the car limps along in second gear. Had it towed into dealer where they found "nothing wrong" and re-set the computer. Two weeks later limp mode kicked in again and transmission started "clunking" going from reverse to drive sporadically. They reset the computer and again told me they didn't know what was wrong. Another two weeks later the transmission completely went. I think 40,000 miles is a little too soon for that to go. I will be holding my breath at 80K if I still have the car.

Security System failed at around 30,000 and had to be replaced.

The cruise control had to be replaced at 5,000 then again at 20,000.

Door trim moldings constantly fall off. When they were under warranty VW would only replace the failed moldings, once the driver side and once the passenger side. When the driver side fell off after warranty they insisted that I had to replace the whole set. I did so and one week after that set`s "1 year warranty" expired the drivers side has come off.

Random interior trim pieces have broken.

There is a windshield wiper issue. They squeal even when the windshield isn't overly dry and they wear out very quickly. My husband has had his blades on his Ford for over 2 years. I get a smeary streaky mess in a few months after replacing the blades and I've tried several brands. I've also tried different cleaning solutions. My belief is that there is too much tension on the wiper arms.

The door handles have faded.

General Comments:

The car overall is great looking, very fun to drive and has really good performance.

However, this car soon become a money pit because the extended bumper to bumper warranty is about to wear out.

Overall, I would not recommend Volkswagen due to the lack of quality. They used to stand for affordable, finely engineered and crafted vehicles. This is why I bought one and feel as though I was duped.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th August, 2003

17th Jul 2005, 10:23

I agree especially with the door trim. Since our passenger side trim fell off, I make it a point to look for the same issue on every Jetta I see on the road. In 2 years, I have spotted at least 8 Jettas missing the same piece of trim.

VW says they are unaware of such a problem. I will never purchase a VW again.