Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I keep seeing bad reviews about the Jetta, specifically for the 2001 model year, and when good ones appear, VW bashers seem to say that the "low mileage" is the reason it hasn't had problems yet. Well, I have a 2001 Jetta GLS 1.8T with over 125,000KM's and absolutely nothing has gone wrong with it.

Faults:

The rear brakes wear out rapidly. The front brakes never show any wear. This is curious.

The interior plastic peels off like sunburned skin.

The windshield developed a crack without visible or known impact damage.

The "VW" emblems fall off the hubcaps.

The engine wiring harness has been replaced twice: once at 25,000 miles and again at 30,000 miles.

At 35,000 miles, the driver's side window regulator broke and the window fell into the door.

One of the integrated remote/keys quit working at 40,000 miles. It is not the battery. I tried that.

At about 50,000 miles, there was a loud bang from the passenger seat, and a huge spring came flying out from under the seat.

Also at about 50,000 miles, the Mass Airflow Sensor failed.

General Comments:

I was very happy with this car for the first year. And it is still delightful to drive. The acceleration is excellent, the handling is crisp, and the road feel is quintessentially European. I have owned many fine European marques, and I should know. But it has been a troubled relationship since the first year.

Knock on wood, the car has been trouble free for a while now. But I feel like the other shoe is about to fall.

The final blow for me was the $968.00 repair bill to replace the timing belt. This is a standard maintenance item every 40,000 miles. The cost exploded for this scheduled event because, I was told, all the rollers must be replaced for the second scheduled timing belt exchange. The $500.00 charge for first this service the first time was bad enough. The delayed disclosure of this type information is the modus operandi of my dealer. Or, I should say, my former dealer.

Say goodnight, Volkswagen. Later this week, my lovely and talented wife gets a new mini-van. And you get a transporter ride back to Mexico.

Faults:

The driver's heated seat was malfunctioning when I first bought the car. Replaced immediately for free.

The front passenger window would roll up and then go back down with the one touch system. Dealer found that the pinch protection was not accurately set and replaced for free.

Engine light recently came on and I was told that the it was a mass air malfunction. For some reason this was also fixed for free even though not under warranty anymore.

General Comments:

This car has been very efficient and very fun to drive. It has been reliable in the rain, snow, wind, hot tempuratures...everything! The car has all the options except for leather seats and I have not had any problems with the functionality of the car.

The service department that I go to is always very helpful and are very flexible with me. They have loaned a car to me for two weeks while my seat was getting replaced and will pay for a rental if they have no loaners. Also, even though the car came with a 24,000 mile warranty, they have still payed for all problems. They even didn't charge me the full 40,000 mile maintenance price!

This is a great commuter car for me because it really gets up and goes on the freeway. It is very easy to drive and comfortable.