Comments: 1-15, 16-24
Replaced transmission.
Replaced front hollow axle.
Passenger side window, broke in door.
Drivers side front end rocker or sway bar bolt missing.
Remote for door locks & trunk doesn't work from a distance, especially in the rain.
Dead battery upon new car delivery.
Empty radiator following 10k check-up.
Outside temp gauge on dash not in sync with the one on the temp controls display on console.
Poor service from dealership.
My wife and I purchased in 2001 a new VW Jetta VR6 from Newton Motor Sports in Newton, New Jersey. We were excited to purchase the car because it handled well and had a V6 engine that seemed to have pretty good power. We were also sold on the fact that the dealership told us that they would have someone from their shop pick up the car and drop off a loaner any time we needed service, and that would also wash the car while it was there.
On the day it was delivered to us we signed the papers and preceded to the prep-area where the car was waiting, this is where it all began. We were handed the keys and went to start the car only to find out that the battery was dead, I think this was an omen. Eventually the battery was re-charged and we were on our way.
A month later my wife and I were at the supermarket and it was raining pretty good. We were leaving the store in the rain and approached our car. As with most new cars they have a remote control to unlock the doors and trunk. I was about 15 feet from the car and pressed the button for the trunk release and it didn't work. I walked within five feet from the car and pressed it again a few times and it finally worked. Thinking that it had something to do with the remote I called the dealership and they told me either the car was facing in the wrong direction because of where the unlock sensor is on the car, or that the battery in the remote was bad. I decided to give it a day or so and the problem randomly occurred on and off.
About a month or less after that my wife was driving to work when she heard a loud banging sound coming from the right drivers side wheel. Since she was almost to work she brought it to the gas station that was right next door to her job. The mechanic told her that a rocker arm or sway bar bolt was missing and needed to be replaced or it could cause her to have an accident. He also told her that he believed there was a problem with either the transmission or the front axle. We had him replace the bolt, but doubted that there could be such a major problem with a new car.
We called the dealership and told them what had happened. We were told that we should have brought the car to them rather than the gas station and that they would not cover the cost of the repair because we didn't do so. I made an appointment with the dealership and asked them to look at the transmission, axle and the remote for the door and trunk locks. When we returned we were told that there was nothing wrong with the sensor on the car for door and trunk lock, but the remote may have a bad battery. I was also told that there wasn't a problem with the transmission, but there might be a problem with the front axle since it was hollow. I asked if they would replace the battery in the remote and they said they would, but it would cost me $39. Needless to say I was not pleased since the car was new and it should have lasted much longer than it did. I then asked about the axle and they told me that I would have to make another appointment to drop the car off to have it replaced. I told them that they could pick it up any time once they had a loaner car available. The service person told me that they do not have a pick up service and that we would have to bring the car in, one of the reasons we bought the car from them because this was a perk that they offered.
At this point I wanted another opinion. We have a friend that works for a VW dealership and asked them if they could have one of their service technicians look at it. We were told that VW knew of a problem with the hollow axles and that they were not recalling the cars, but instead were replacing the hollow axle with a solid one for any customer who complained about it. It's funny; it seemed to me that VW was intentionally hiding something to avoid a nation wide recall. We had the part replaced because it was under the warranty and it appeared that the problem went away.
A few months later we were due for a 10k check-up and an oil change. The night before we dropped the car off so that it would be ready by mid-afternoon the next day. The next day I picked up the car and drove it home and it seemed fine.
My wife was on her way to work and noticed that the check engine light came on, she immediately returned home and called me. I asked her to look under the hood while I was on the phone and we found that the anti-freeze reserve well was completely empty. I then called the dealership and explained to them that the car was just there and that there was a problem with the car. They told us to bring the car in and that they would have someone look at it. I told them that I wanted them to send a tow truck to pick it up and they instead sent the service desk rep to take a look at it, why I don't know. He arrived at my home and had a couple of gallons of anti-freeze that he was going to use to fill the reserve/radiator and then drive the car to the dealership. I then again I told him to tow it and he did. Later that day we called to find out what was wrong with the car and were told that the radiator was empty. I asked why, and they told me that the 10k check-up did not include emptying the radiator so they had not idea, believe it or not they told me that it may have been delivered to them that way from VW itself. With all of this said my wife lost a days pay of work because she had no way of getting there.
Well by this point what else could go wrong, it's a new car after all? Again my wife was at work and decided to go to lunch. She got in her car an let the windows down because it was hot inside the car. As she was doing so she heard a crashing sound coming from the front passengers side window. Thinking the glass broke she tried to make the window go up to see if it did and the window would not move. Again she called me and I stopped by her office on the way home to look at it only to find that the window was not broken, I also noticed that there was some sort of grease coming from the drainage hole in the door. I called the dealership once again and told them that we had another problem with the car. We were told that there were no loaner cars available and that we would have to wait until one became available. This was no good since there was rain predicted in the weeks forecast. We eventually had them take in the car and provide us with a loaner/rental car that we had to pay the insurance on and pick-up ourselves at the rental agency. The next day we called to find out what was wrong with the window and we were told that VW has had a number of problems with the arm that lifts the window. They were breaking because they were made out of plastic, causing most windows to fall and shatter. I then asked if this was under warranty and was told that we would have to pay for it since we were past warranty. I refused to pay because of the number of other problems we had with the car and they agreed to absorb the cost. I asked about the grease as well, and I was told it was the fireproofing leaking out and not to worry about it.
OK, so here we are today, 1 year 5 months later from the time we purchased the car and guess what we need a new transmission.
We went through our friend once again and he couldn't believe all of the problems we have had with this car, or should I say LEMON! It's going to take them a few days to get the new transmission in and I'm hoping that the car will be OK after this.
One last thing, I will be contacting a few of our consumer protection offices as well as a NY TV news station. The reason being is of course the problems with the car and the fact that I talked to the owner, (his name is Michel or something like that), of the Newton Motor Sports VW dealership who told me that this is normal and that we should expect to have a few problems with any car. I owned a 1985 Toyota Celica GT which had 340,00 miles on it and never had this many mechanical problems with it, as a matter of fact there were very few problems with it overall. I currently have a 1996 Honda Accord EX (126k) and have had it on the shop only for general maintenance, brakes, oil changes, etc.
So I say "Normal for any car", I sincerely doubt it.
---Mark & Gina Forder.
I have a 2001 VW jetta Wolfsburg 1.8T And I have to say that I am having the same problems with my car. First the ABS control unit that malfunctioned, and later VW issued a letter of this and to have it "checked out". I did that, then later my check engine light came on, and was told that it was a faulty ignition coil, and also a defective turbo valve. About two weeks after I picked the car up, I received yet another letter explaining the potential problem with the ignition coil, and they offered to reimburse me for any expenses I may have incurred prior to receiving this letter. Then a month later, having had the car for just under two years, and less than 26,000 miles. I am told I need to have my clutch replaced (I have a manual tranny), And was told the reason for this was "abuse". The Cost $1,600. Now, I hardly think I abused the car, since I too had a 1996 Honda Civic, with 86,000 miles and a manual transmission and NEVER ONCE had a problem with anything. I was wondering if you had any correspndence with VW or how it all worked out for you. vwboy79@comcast.net.
I have had exactly the same problems. I bought my 2001 Jetta I.8T in August of 2001. Since then, I have had to have it towed in to the dealership twice for a check engine light illumination accompanied by the engine running really rough. They attributed that to a faulty ignition coil. I have also had to bring it in another two times to have recall service done on other faulty ignition coils and windows. I have also had problems with my airbag unit, which had to be replaced. There is an incessant, annoying ticking noise that the dealership says is normal. And most recently, the clutch went out on me when I was 200 miles away from home. The dealership quoted me $1500.00 to fix it. Aamco offered to fix it for $870.00 and when I told the dealership that, they magically reduced the price to $870.00 (I had it fixed at Aamco). The dealership told me that a clutch is an "expendable item" that I had likely not used correctly. However, I have been using a clutch since my first car (a reliable '88 Celica) and have never, ever had to replace one. My clutch died at 30,000 miles. What makes me the most irate is that the Aamco guy said his sister has a 2001 Jetta Wolfsberg whose clutch went out on her at 29,000 miles.
My roommate is a mechanic. He has rode in the vehicle with me and agrees that my driving style is in no way abusive to the clutch (or anything else). I believe that this car has more than a few issues.
-Mina.
Approximately 5 months ago, I bought a used 2001 VW Jetta VR6 and I too have had several issues. I notice that my transmission jumps between 2nd and 3rd gear when I accelerate and I don't believe it's because I'm pushing the gas pedal too hard. I was a bit concerned and decided to take the car in and have them look at it when I had an oil change done. I was told that I had to have the car flushed at 40,000 miles and it would fix my problem. (Never once did the technician look under the hood to determine that would fix any problem.) At a cost of 675.00 for the flush, I was against it to begin with. I asked him to take a look to see if that was the problem.
After he brought the car back from the oil change (the original reason I'd gone into the dealership) I asked him if he'd taken a look at the car. His response was "It will cost you $89.00 for me to take a look at the car." I was furious... How can VW charge me $89.00 to investigate something that is covered under warranty? I left the dealership angrier then heck and called the VW warranty department to ask them how I should go about getting this problem looked at. The lady on the phone told me I had to pay the $89.00 dealership fee and that warranty does not cover dealership fees. I politely said to the lady that I will just wait until the transmission blows up and I will pay the dealership fees then. (She didn't know what to say after that.)
I originally bought the VW Jetta because the cars ride great in the snow. Now, I wish I would have never, and probably never will again, buy a VW. I've tried to get this resolved with VW, but to no avail. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know as I've come to the end of my road with VW and I'm ready to sell the car.
Karen
karebear31781@wi.rr.com.
We also own a 2001 Jetta VR6, bought used with 32K miles on it. Thank heavens it came with an extended warranty from the original owners. We have had multiple "lemon" problems with this car and reading others' posts I couldn't ignore the similarities. In shop multiple times for recalled items. Broken window regulator (driver’s window fell in door). Replaced alternator. Replaced water pump. These things are all going out at under 50K miles total on the car.
The transmission skipping from another post grabbed my attention. Our AT Jetta will "hiccup," "skip" when shifting (I believe from 2nd to 3rd gear, maybe 1st to second) under light acceleration and especially up slight hills. It doesn't happen every time, but enough to notice. The dealer of course has no idea what that would be or says it is normal.
Finally, dealer service is outrageously expensive and time-consuming. Like I mentioned, ours is under warranty, so we usually just pay a $50 fee when things go wrong. But the dealer’s fees: water pump - $400; alternator - $700. Oil changes through dealer are $58. The battery just went out and they charged my wife $210 ($100 for battery replacement “labor”).
We’ve been very dissatisfied with this vehicle and like others mentioned, we’ve had Hondas and Toyotas that drove well past 120K miles without needing a thing except routine maintenance. Beware!
I bought a used 2001 Jetta with 64,000 miles and I have no warranty~I'm not one to write and complain about anything (I usually keep things inside) ANYWAY, I'm SO MAD at myself for buying this car~The dealership charges so much.. I can't afford this..I've taken my car to 6 automotive car places and they don't want to touch a my car. I just paid $700.00 for ignition coil to be put in... and I woke up this morning to take my daughter to school and my car would not start. Maybe I need a new battery.. I can't figure out how to take the top off. I wish I had my 99 explorer back.. never had any problems with it. The car may "look nice" but my God.. who ever built these must have been on crack or something~
I also own a 2001 VW VR6 that now has about 68,000 miles on it, and have had quite a few of my own problems.
So far I have had to have replaced:
1. The throttle body at a cost of $1298.00.
2. Catalytic Converter at a cost of 980.00.
3. Brakes (at VW dealer they wanted 480.00 to do it. I did it myself for 75.00, which is what the brake pads cost.
4. Shock tops at a cost of 375.00.
5. Had to have remotes reprogramed at a cost of about 50.00, plus a few minor things like lightbulbs at a cost of about 100.00.
6. The cluster had to be replaced at a cost of 895.00 (the cluster is where your speedometer and tach are located). My car wouldn't keep track of mileage, it kept resetting when the battery was disconnected, and when you replace the cluster you have to have all your remotes reprogramed and have the immobilizer, which is contained in the cluster reprogramed.
Now I love this car it handles great and the customizations I have put into it so far, are:
A full Kenwood Excelon sound system with 10" retractable DVD in the front, and 2 10" DVD headrest monitors in the back for the kids for long trips, 1600 watt mono amp, 10 disk Excelon CD changer in the trunk, GPS navigation, TV tuner and Sirius Satellite hookup. Basically the ultimate entertainment system.
I also love the car because of all the customizations you can do to the engine as well as suspension. Right now I am saving to put in a supercharger that will boost HP to 400HP plus, which will make this car a serious contender on the roads.
Also the car is unique in its looks and handling. They weren't kidding when they said you had to drive one to understand... it handles like a dream and has immense power.
I can only hope that now that I have done all these repairs, that nothing will pop-up in the future.
Also, if you guys can find someone other than a dealer to do the work for you, or for the simple repairs do it yourself, for example the throttle body that cost me so much would have cost me 35.00 for the part off of ebay and to put it in is just two bolts... the whole thing would have cost me 40.00... LOL.. what I usually do now is take it to VW to have it diagnosed and then do the labor myself... Well anyway good luck to all you VW owners... take care and drive safely
Mario.
There is no supercharger that will make any Jetta have 400hp, be it at the wheels or bhp.
A throttle body for 1200 bucks? Man you got reamed. ALos WHERE in the world would you get a VR6 throttle body for just 35 bucks? Nowhere I can find. When your throttle bosy failed what were the symptoms?
Naza69@yahoo.com.
I realize the first comment was about two years ago, but I believe you have to hold the button down for the trunk to release.
I also have a 2001 VR6. I also had the transmission problem between 2nd and 3rd gears. I had to have the entire transmission replaced. Thankfully I bought an extended warranty with it, as I bought it a year ago. Other than that the car has run pretty well mechanically. I have to take it in for the Catalytic Converter recall as well as a recall for the power windows. All of my other problems have stemmed from the actual Volkswagen dealership that I purchased it from itself.
...A word to the weary... complaining to Volkswagen corporate will get you little to nothing at all. Just a bunch of apologies and a possible investigation into the dealership in question. The particular dealership I dealt with didn't seem to care about yet another complaint with the BBB or local news media. As far as purchasing another Volkswagen... I would in a heartbeat. In general I think generally they are well built cars, and I can personally testify to their safety record. If it had not been for the safety features (mostly the airbag systems) I would not be here today to write this review.
Everything built by VW since 1993 is JUNK.
VW is DEAD to me now.
The Honda Fit is what the Rabbit GTI was in 1984.
VW will be bankrupt in about 10 more years when everyone buys Honda, Toyota or Subaru.
About a year ago, I got a 2001 Jetta (VR6) edition with leather seats, butt warmers and everything.. but just like everyone else's.. it's a piece of junk!
I got the extended warranty from the dealership, plus it still had the warranty from the original dealership through VW. Well, it kept overheating and the check engine light kept coming on. I'd have it looked at, they said, "We fixed it, you shouldn't have any other problems." and then what do you know... two weeks later it would start all over again.
One day it overheated and was smoking like a bandit... I got it towed to the dealership and they said it was the thermostat and the warranty didn't cover that part of the car... so about 600 bucks later it was "fixed", only to continue to keep overheating and jumping between 2nd and 3rd gear, and leaking out coolant like crazy!!
It's a piece of junk, but it was the first car I ever actually owned, and I've having difficulties getting rid of it at a decent price because everyone knows it's a big pile of crap! Oh lucky me!
I will never buy a VW ever again in my life! Ahh!!
I too have an 01 VW Jetta VR6 and it is a POS. I bought it used from a dealer, it was originally a leased car. I had it for less than a week and the check engine light came on. It was the O2 sensor. The dealership fixed it after waiting 12 hours in their customer waiting area with a 1 1/2 month old. I wasnt very happy. Then about 6 months later, my check engine light comes on again. It was the sensors by the catalytic convertor. Then a day later my check engine light came on again. This time its supposedly the coolant sensor. I say screw that. Im done. My coolant level is fine. I can't afford all the problems with this car. I had an old beat up toyota tercel that had to have the spark plugs changed every couple of weeks and oil added every week and still paid less than the maintence on the jetta. I would love to have my tercel back over this POS Jetta anyday. Don't BUY A VW.
I am ASA.
I went through all your comments and thought that it is the same car going around with the same problems.
I own a 2001 VW Jetta VR6 as well, with similar problems, mine deserve to be a headache since I already drove over 112,000 miles, however I guess some times it is a matter of luck to buy a good car or bad one.
I like this car more than any other cars I have ever had, including the S Class Benz I had, except it is just small for me, it has reasonable in gas mileage with its V6 power, and sometimes I forget its problems just because of I like it, but I guess it's time to sell it because I want to buy another VW 2010 or 09.
By the way, do any of you guys have IN DASH navigation system with bluetooth, CD and radio player on this model of Jetta? In case my wife doesn't want to sell it, I have no choice but to buy her navigation system.
Please let me know what kind of navigation system fits Jetta VR6 2001. Here is my e-mail jemaw@hotmail.com
I have an 02 Jetta GLI, and I've had no problems. For the entire 70k I haven't had a single thing go out on me, that wasn't by my own doing.
My alternator was replaced, but because I'm running a car stereo that requires 5 times the electrical output.
I don't know how so many people who are having problems found this forum.
Personally, maybe instead of changing the car, change the driver. ;D.