Faults:

Where to begin? I admit - I love my Jetta, but I have had NON-STOP problems with it since the week after I bought it in 2002.

Less than a week after I bought the car, when I turned it on one evening, none of the interior lights would go on. After putting the car off and restarting repeatedly, I drove home unable to see my speed, gas, time, radio or anything else. On top of that, when I reported it to the dealer, they said that it was not an emergency and I would have to wait for an appointment the following week. Ridiculous!

Since then, my window has fallen into the door. My radio has died on me twice. My gear shift has gotten locked in Park twice, once on Thanksgiving morning after I picked up my pumpkin pie! I had to call AAA to get my pie home! Random error lights have gone on until I took it to the dealer to have them turned off. And finally, my car still makes a loud rattling sound whenever it's on.

Faults:

I was reading about the window problems (falling down into door). I had this problem today and it is covered under an extended 7 year warranty, supplied by VW. There was no charge at all.

General Comments:

I have found the car to be pretty reliable.

Faults:

We had the car for about a year before the transmission blew. Concurrent problems there after stem from expensive service (brakes, oil filters, ect.) and we have had to replace the cover to the right rear-view mirror twice because it has cracked.

General Comments:

The car drives like a dream. Despite the fact that the gears became delayed once the new transmission went in (replaced at a VW dealership, and it was a quickie job because the car was used for a traveling business and we did not live in the same area as the dealer), the car accelerates like a dream and functions beautifully during braking. The side-note about the transmission however is that is blew due to misuse of the tiptronic shift in combination with a bad drive. The tiptronic shift is absolutely annoying however. Otherwise, the interior controls are easy to use, and the fact that the car has electronic everything, and still works, is great.

Faults:

I think most are lucky here to buy the car new. I, an idiot, bought it used with 40k miles on it.

On my way home from purchasing the car, the check engine light came on. I went back and got it fixed, and when I got home, it was on again. 7x in the first month of owning I took the car in for this check engine light, before giving up.

Right before the warranty ends, the alternator goes out. OK remember what I just said -- the warranty ended! Now I don't know if it is the Volkswagen manufacturer or the service people that make the car such crud, but once the warranty was up, all of the little problems that nobody could figure out were then discovered. Let me say it wasn't cheap. Every time I walk into service to repair the car it is over $2,000-us. I have spent more repairing this piece than I paid for it.

I would never suggest buying one unless you want to take it off of my hands, because I am getting a new car and I am DONE with VW!!!

General Comments:

If you frequently throwing cash out the window just for fun, get a VW.