1999 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Jetta from hell. J.B

Faults:

The windshield whipper motor broke. The sunroof clips broke causing the sunroof not to open. The center console broke. the glove box broke. Inner lights blew.

General Comments:

The car handles well and the brakes are good.

The inside of the car is falling apart. Nothing works inside.

Don't buy it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th May, 2002

1999 Volkswagen Jetta LX turbo diesel from North America

Summary:

Buy with caution. 50 mpg comes at a price

Faults:

O2 Sensor (replaced by recall).

Luckily nothing else (except by an accident).

Lots of little rattles & a very noticeable amount of cloth appointment wear.

General Comments:

I have had great luck with things breaking - they haven't.

But service is very expensive. Not only are regular oil changes upwards of 80 (only synthetic allowed), but my 40000 was almost 700. That seems like a crazy high number for 'scheduled service'.

Also, I was in an accident that hit the right front of my car. 7 weeks being repaired (& the total cost was only $3500 so you can tell it wasn't that major). My shop could not get parts to fix it. Apparently VW doesn't sell enough of them to keep all the little TDI specific parts in stock.

Now I live in CA where they don't even sell them- so they have absolutely nothing in stock & they seem to hardly know what they're doing..

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

Review Date: 29th April, 2002

1999 Volkswagen Jetta GLS from North America

Summary:

Quick, reliable... and cool!

Faults:

Temperature gauge works intermittently.

No illumination on the climate controls; impossible to find and adjust at night.

General Comments:

All the slams on the Jetta in this area prompted me to reply.

I commute 150 miles a day round trip on both highways and winding roads. I already have 57,000 miles on this Jetta and it's been great.

The car is solidly built (even though it's a Mexico car... as if that alone would mean anything) and runs beautifully.

The instrumentation's blue/purple lighting draws oohs and ahhs every time I drove through a fast-food window.

The car's a champ. Don't let all the negativity here dissuade you from buying a car that New Car Test Drive calls:

"Nothing about this car is cheap except for the price. Volkswagen Jetta offers a sophisticated exterior design that bucks the melted jellybean trend in favor of crisp lines and an aggressive stance. Inside, quality craftsmanship and attention to detail make owners feel they should have paid thousands more for their car."

I agree.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th November, 2001

13th May 2004, 14:40

First of all, I want to point that I was born and raised in Mexico.

I was reading this review and I saw a comment about the car being built in Mexico.

Don't go thinking that because the car is built in Mexico there's a lack of quality in it.

Remember there's a lot of cars being built in Mexico and they are exported to several parts of the world, and you can only do this by assuring the best in Quality control.

23rd Jun 2004, 14:23

I owned a Jetta when I lived in Europe. I bought an exact same model ('99 vr6) when I moved to the US ------ I had a CAR in Europe (rock solid and reliable) ------- I own now a Mexican built "Jettano" - not a car, but rather a pile of metal things that keeps me constantly, well, unpleasantly surprised. Adieu.

1999 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

It's like playing craps with $22,000

Faults:

Both front window regulators have failed within a month and a half! If I hadn't known this was a common problem with Jetta's and called VW Customer Care, I would've been out about $600. However, according to the VW Customer Care Supervisor in Auburn Hills, MI, "VW doesn't admit there is a problem with the Jetta window regulators".

Plus it takes 2-3 days for the repairs to be authorized if you are over the 24,000 mile warranty... and don't even think of asking VW to pay for your rental car. They go so far as to imply that the customer is lucky to have VW pay for the repairs, mush less a rental car. They say they'll pay for the repairs "in good faith". What a joke!

They should issue a recall letter "in good faith" and make the repair process a little less tedious. Is that too much to ask?! They'd rather alienate thousands of customers than issue a letter stating that there is a problem with their product.

By the way, my dealer had 6, count 'em, 6 window regulator replacements this week alone.

General Comments:

Save yourself some money and headaches... DON'T buy a Jetta.

They look good and handle great, but beauty is truly only skin deep with these piles of garbage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th September, 2001

28th Jan 2002, 20:19

Not only do regulators on Jettas have problems - all VW window regulators have this problem - it's a design flaw, and VW will not admit it.

I own a '99 New Beetle - mine went out, but luck would have it, it was still under warranty. Crossing my fingers, that it doesn't happen again - 7 months left on my lease! All VW owners should file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, if they are charged to fix this problem within a reasonable mileage or time (5 years?)