2000 Volkswagen Jetta GLX 2.0

Summary:

Great car to drive--but not the most reliable choice

Faults:

Hinges for glove compartment fell apart.

Hinge on centre console fell apart.

Stereo system won't send any signal to the speaker on the driver's side.

Rear passenger window opens correctly, but then without any intervention it closes it self.

Turn signal indicator switch failed at 93,000 km.

Exterior plastic/rubber components severely faded making the car look very old.

Seat-belt retainer button fell off rear, middle passenger's side belt.

Replaced Mass Air Flow Sensor around 60,000 km.

Water pump or thermostat died 106,000 km.

Leaking engine bay seal around 103,000 km.

General Comments:

I love to drive this car. The interior is finished well. The leather seats have excellent support and feel luxurious.

While the 2.0 only has 115 HP, I rarely notice this because the engine has nice torque and gets up to the 140 kph range without struggling.

This model was built in Mexico. My two biggest complaints are: (1) the plastic parts are cheap and fade or break well before one would expect these types of failures and (2) the engine is not nearly as smooth and quiet as comparable Japanese cars.

It's the lack of attention to details (or engineering trade-offs) that bother me the most. Individually, these items are tolerable, but when they start adding up and appointments are missed because of a broken-down car, one begins to question the overall quality of their vehicle.

At this point, I doubt that I'd buy another Volkswagen. I'll probably keep this one to learn how to tune cars (plus, I do enjoy driving it). However, reliability is the most important factor in my buying decision, which is why I will investigate other brands before making my next purchase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 28th August, 2006

26th Sep 2006, 09:58

Hey, I'm now shopping for a used car and I'm in between purchasing a 1998 acura 1.6EL, with 70,000km, or a 2000 VW Jetta, with 90,000 km (both in same price range)...from the reviews on this site I've been real hesitant about the VW, but it seems like a great car. Seeing as how you have owned both, thought maybe you'd be able to help me out here...thanks.

2000 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0 V6

Summary:

It's a nice car, but not worth the headaches and Money for it's value

Faults:

Catalytic Converter went at 93 K Miles.

Battery went dead last winter. We replaced the battery and the next day the battery was dead again. Had to put a battery Disconnect on and Charge the battery. it would work as long as you turned on the disconnect every time the car was off.. it didn't matter if it was for a half hour or 2 hours. We found a VolksWagen Mechanic close by to where we lived, he saw that the cooling system was going and replaced it, had no problems when he would start it up. it got home and was not driven for a week, as my husband was overseas at the time, but I would start it to get the engine going and make sure the battery would work, after a cold night, I went out to start the car and it was completely dead, it would not turn over or anything. so I called a mechanic and he jumped it.. and I tried to let it run, 15 minutes later. it died. I charged the battery, AGAIN, and haven't had a problem with it since, but am reluctant to see if the same thing will happen again this winter.

Currently, there is a popping noise that it makes in certain parts of the city. in the front end. it made the same noise last year and we replaced the CV joints and the problem went away. it started not to long before we got the catalytic converter fixed and a mechanic told us there was nothing wrong with it and he couldn't hear anything.

We have gotten numerous alarm lights come on on the dash. things such as ABS fault, Engine Workshop, Emissions workshop, airbag default and many more. we hooked it up to a sensor, a problem with port 2. the problem is.. even referring to the Volkswagen guide. there is no port 2 clarification, and our mechanic does not know what it is.

The car remote sometimes will not unlock or lock the car, and will not pop the trunk. when we open the door to hit the electronic lock/unlock, it will not work either, the only way it will work is to turn the car on.

Twice recently, my husband has come home from work. Stopped at a Stop sign or Stop light and the car has shut off.

It was estimated that the electrical component in the dash was going, but our mechanic has no idea what it could be.

We have not hooked the car up to a sensor since.

The glove box hinge has broke.

The Cd player tells us there is an error and skips songs when this happens.

The Cigarette Lighter blew as well as both turn signal lights and switch.

The drivers side door interior is literally falling off it sticks and causes the door not to close all the way, and we have done absolutely nothing to it.. for it to come unhinged... and when you open the car it drags on the door frame cause it to damage even further.

The dash and center console area, as well as the carpets are extremely hard to clean and keep clean, especially if we take our dog with us on trips.

Also, the VW customer service is one of the worst I have ever dealt with, it seems to me in general, they do not care about quality, but how much they can get for their poorly engineered and manufactured cars. We had a flat tire and had to change it. the Car Jack that comes with the tire kit, was horrible and flimsier than cardboard. we also could not find the key to unlock the safety lug nut, and had my parents go to the VolksWagen dealership to see if they could help us. to sum it up. told us there was nothing they could do and that it sucked for us... I was appalled at how they treated my parents... and on a prior occasion that in order to find out what was wrong with our jetta it would cost almost 200 dollars just to have them take a look at it.

That and the cost of parts/and to fix it and the maintenance is just not worth the money to invest in it.

General Comments:

Honestly, it drives nice and smooth, especially in the winter time and it accelerates really well and has incredible horsepower.

The seats are comfortable and this car cools down really fast when you turn the AC on.

I like the side rear doors tinted and the back windshield tinted. it's easier especially when you have a child.

It did get really good gas mileage, but lately seems like it sucks a lot of gas down.

We really liked our car, but are in the works of trading it in, and we wish we could keep it, but the demands for maintenance of the car is not worth it and it too much of a headache.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 20th August, 2006