2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLX from North America - Comments

2002 GLX VR6.Bought it new in 2002.First problem was ignition coil failure (s) with very low mileage. I brought the car in for coil replacement after each individual coil would fail. Due to the massive # of failures, the dealer told me he could not replace all the coils as I requested the second time a coil failed. (due to limited availability) The heater / air conditioning controls stopped illuminating after the first week. I always forgot about that when I went to the dealer so it was never repaired. For some reason, this past winter they started working again and only go out occasionally when turning temp. or fan controls. The heated seats work great. Just watch out if they seem to be getting too hot. Like my driver's seat, they may be on fire or at least smoldering. I got out of the car to find a hole burnt through the leather. Luckily I was able to lick my finger & put it in the hole to extinguish the smoldering. The dealer repaired the "common" electrical problem with the seat. when asked about the hole it burnt into the leather, I was informed that he took photos to justify replacement under warranty and he would notify me when I could have it repaired. He never called and I never went back to them again. I forget when exactly my driver's window fell into the door. what I do remember was it happened around 12 A.m. and I was in my driveway pulling the door panel to see what happened and ended up propping my window in the up position. Luckily my brake lights stopped working with the arrival of etc & cel indicators on. They replaced my defective brake light switch, coolant temp. sensor and something also happened to traction control, I don't remember what they did. Front door handles;peeling like sunburned skin, and chrome coming off parking brake lever release button. I didn't realize the chrome was peeling until I pulled a piece of plating out from my finger and figured out where it came from. Another thing is an intermittent start and stall. If I go for a long drive, stop and shut off car. When I restart it, it won't idle unless pressing accelerator. It will stall out with no cel coming on.?? The last thing I can think of is what brought me here. Recently my radio has no sound. Luckily I found this site. I plan to try the fuse 42 trick. I tried checking wiring (all fuses checked OK).Radio and amp wiring were all OK, I checked voltage and grounds to amp in trunk and radio. Hopefully the fuse thing does the trick.

I looked at a lot of cars before purchasing my jetta. I was attracted by the euro look and interior styling of the car. I bought my car fully loaded. Every option except climate control. It seemed a little expensive for a vw (over 26,000 before taxes, etc.) but I justified that to myself with all the options I had, cold weather, luxury & performance packages.5 speed auto with tip-tronic,17" wheels. I don't know if I would do it again. I can't go without saying this, the VR6 is a pretty impressive engine.

I bought my jetta used about 6 months ago, but it is the same make and model as the one you are describing. I have a lot of the same problems. Driver side door handle peeling, heating and cooling lighting goes on and off (if you hit it on the side sometimes it will switch on) and when I had a used car inspection done, they told me that there were recalls on the seat heaters and that they should be replaced for free. It would probably be worth your time to look into that, since all recall repair should be done without charge. I also recently received a letter in the mail having to do with another recall on a brake light part.

I would be cautious when taking it to the dealership, that's where I had my used car inspection done and he came back with an analysis for 1,400 worth of repair that "needed" to be addressed. I took my car to several different specialists with the list of problems and ended up paying $150 total. Only two of the 8 things listed actually needed repair.

Other than that, every car has quirks, and for the speed she gives me, gotta love my jetta. :)

I love my Jetta too. The VR6 is a powerful engine that can keep pace with a lot of muscle cars of the past. Unless you go to a dealer, it is hard to find a mechanic who will work on it. My trunk won't open right now, and the temp gauge is on and off. It is a beautiful blue that my friends always comment on my polish work. But all and all it is not a weekend mechanics car.