2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS from North America - Comments

I bought a 2002 Jetta 1.8T with all of the bells and whistles, except for leather seats and a spoiler. I really liked this car until the past 6 monthes of owning it.

1. RADIO ISSUES: Firstly, the stupid radio, whenever you reset a code or mess with the fuses, the radio decides to not come on. Luckily, there are some really nice Jetta Owners whom have had the same problem. The fuse directory is not self explanatory as it doesn't tell you which fuse is for the radio. However, it is fuse #41 and #42 that you want to pull out for about 30 seconds while the key is not in the ignition. Replace the fuse, and the radio should come back on when you hit the power button, of course once you put the key in the ignition.

2. MASS FLOW AIR SENSOR - Ridiculously expensive! If your car is running richer than usual and your fuel economy isn't the usual 28 mpg city and around 32 mpg highway, it's your Mass Flow Air Sensor that is bad. Now, VW Dealerships charge $120.00 for the part, however they claim it takes 2.5 hours to replace. That is baloney! I had my brother, who has common sense replace the part, after purchasing it from the dealership for $120.00, it took him 15 minutes to remove the bad part and replace with the new part! So take my advice, if this is your issue, buy the part direct and install it yourself, save money that the dealerships are charging people!

Other than that, the car has been good. Don't have any leaks, nothing with the transmission or engine issues. I was part of the brake light recall. Haven't heard anything about the window recall and nothing on the heated seats recall. So, other than paying a lot more money these days for premium gas, overall I am still somewhat satisfied with my car.

Now, if I will ever buy another VW... hmmm, I think it's safe to say that from an economical and money saving stand point, I have to give props to Honda, who take their time to engineer something the right way. Wish, we were like that with the American Cars!

I hope this helps someone out who might be experiencing the same issues I had with my Jetta.

Let me add, timing belt and related parts @ 60,000 miles, also another common problem is the breather hose assembly, it's cheap rubber, plastic crap, go with a catch can. What's the beauty of this car? You can tune it to produce 250-300 Hp and more. All from a 1.8 four cylinder. This is a great car for mods. Easy to work on if you're a diy type. Fun to drive too. I love mine and would grab another. Good car for cheap price.