2002 Volkswagen GTI GLS review from North America

The paint peeled off the drivers arm rest, light panel and the center armrest. These parts were replaced under warranty, but they continue to peel.

Brakes grab or jerk early in the morning as if it has moisture on the brake pads. I am going to replace the pads this weekend.

Stereo had one speaker that would not play as loud as the other three. I took the car in three times for repair. The service department replaced the stereo the first time, the speaker the second time and finally repaired a wire the third time which was on a Volkswagen bulletin.

Car stalls occasionally, but only once a month or so, usually when I have to accelerate quickly to merge into a high traffic lane. It only stalls for about 20 seconds.

Air leaks through the door seal when driving at a speed of 50 mph or faster.

This is very annoying on long trips. The service department said there is nothing they can do about the air leaking in around the door seal.

The tires that came on the car were made by Goodyear, and they worked fine with a smooth ride in the first 10,000 miles. They started making bumping, roaring noises that made me think a wheel bearing was going bad. The dealership said it was "chopped" tires. The tires were supposed to be rotated every time I took it in for service.

The service center personnel should have listened to me the first time I took the car in for the speaker not working properly.

I cannot get the engine to stall anytime I take it in for service, but it still continues to stall. Especially when I try to cross a road in front of on coming traffic.

It is VERY expensive to maintain at service intervals of 10,000 miles. It is about $59.00 to change the synthetic oil and filter.

It costs 100 to 400 dollars each time I take it in for service. The timing belt (yes on a diesel) has to be changed every 40,000 miles.