Faults:

The floors of my car are soaked during a rain. I have only noticed this since there have been heavy rains. Today, as a matter of fact, is the first time I have noticed it. The passenger floor has puddles the driver and back floor of driver side are also wet. Rain is coming in on the sides of the car, both driver and passenger, from the top. I also noticed rain coming in from the bottom of the console on both sides of the car in the front. This is ridiculous. Something has to be done on the dealer's end to fix this. I have never had a car that gets soaked during a rain. VW should be forced to do a recall and dealerships should be made to inform potential buyers of the flooding problem before purchase. If anyone has made any progress with getting VW to foot the bill on the defect, please let me know. I do not have the money to repair a defect!

Faults:

Had to replace and align tires after 5 months. This past November I had to replace the coils, cost was over $900.00. The airbag light is on and am told I need to have the airbag replaced, even though I have never had an accident, another $700. Now yesterday, the passenger side window dropped into the door and will not operate, I have to take it to the repair shop today, cannot even imagine what this will cost! And the check engine light is always coming on, last time it was the coils, and now, I don't even know why, but it is not the gas cap, because I always check that! It is like building a kit car, by the time this car is paid off, I feel like I would have rebuilt the entire thing! And for the amount of money I am pouring into it, I could have bought a Lexus!

General Comments:

I am very heartsick about my Volkswagon Jetta, I thought it was such a nice car, until I owned one!

Faults:

All 4 ignition coils (recall)

4-way flasher switch (recall)

Routine maintenance (timing belt, water pump, brake pads, tires, etc.)

Alloy rims do not hold up well, leak in cold winter.

2 wheel bearings went.

Plastic closer on center console has broken twice. Made cheaply. Some black plastic pieces of dash are showing wear.

Random engine misfires. Check engine light comes on and off every week or two (last year) but nothing can be diagnosed as wrong.

Has started to burn oil a little quick in old age.

Occasional rough cold starts require fuel injector cleaner.

General Comments:

Never had exhaust problems.

Never had brake problems.

Never had transmission problems.

Extremely reliable. Always starts on the first try.

The suspension is terrific and it is very peppy for a compact 4cyl car.

Gas mileage between 25-30mpg, depending on use. Premo only gets mighty expensive these days!

The sport trim on Wolfsburg is nice and the front seats are extremely comfortable.

Faults:

Nice Ride, But At What Cost?

I have fond memories of my childhood driving around in Volkswagen vehicles in Jamaica, West Indies. Until I bought my 2001 Jetta VR6, I had a favorable view of the brand and truly wanted to like it. I regret giving away my 1983 Toyota Cressida and buying the Jetta.

The Cressida was a dream. If memory serves, it was Toyota’s first flag ship luxury car. I inherited it from my mother and neither she nor I had any problems with it, apart from routine oil changes and replacing brake pads. I drove it numerous times between NY and Chicago for school, not to mention driving all around Chicago. And I never had a problem with it, even when the Cressida was pushing over 100K miles.

With the Jetta, the front passenger window exploded during the first year of ownership. Thankfully, repaired per a recall notice.

Some exhaust related issue also developed during the first year and caused the check engine light to trip. It was twice repaired and fortunately both were covered under my extended warranty. Otherwise, that would have cost about $1,400.

The trunk pump failed in 2005, so I have to manually lift trunk open. The $700 repair estimate from the dealer prompted me to forego that cost.

The ECM (engine control module) failed in PA while driving from NJ back to Chicago over Thanksgiving 2006. It took about 5-days to get it repaired, which cost a cool $1,300.00. I had to stay in a hotel during the repairs. Add another $600 to the bill for food and lodging, not to mention time away from work.

In Nov 2006, I brought it in for its 80K mile check up, which cost about $700.

In April 2007, the ignition coil and surrounding wires failed. They cost around $1,300. I was also told I had to have the device housing the spark plugs cleaned of built up carbon. That cost another $200. I also had to replace the rotors and pads, another $1,000.

Of course these do not include the other untold recalls, the maintenance and minor repair costs, and the Jetta’s voracious appetite for gas.

I allowed sentimental childhood yearnings to cloud my purchase of this car. Lesson learned: if you are shelling out the kind of cash it cost to buy a Jetta, do your homework, your due diligence. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me and the other disappointed folks here, who only wanted to love this car.

General Comments:

A nice, nimble feel on the road, but you can do better elsewhere. I am getting it repaired and hopefully I can sell it or trade it in for something more reliable. Maybe one of those Toyota hybrids.