2001 Volkswagen Jetta GLX review from North America

Beginning at 23,000 miles, I began to experience a pulsing feedback through the brake pedal which increased gradually over time until I took it in to the dealer at 23,634 miles.

I was informed that all four brake rotors and pad sets required replacement! The dealer said that the rotors "are considered a wearable item." I replied that my 93 Civic SI with four wheel disk brakes went over 80,000 aggressively driven miles before I replaced the pads, then sold it to a friend, who has had no problems with the rotors. I said that any rotors that warped beyond service limits in this low level of miles were either designed or constructed inadequately for the intended purpose and that they should extend the warranty for this work.

Upon further pressure at the management level, the dealer split the cost of parts & repair, but this still cost me $475, plus $150 in car rental fees! Can I expect this every 25K miles?!

One other minor fault is the rear cup holder's flimsy design - I've just left it broken, as any replacement would surely break quickly, but this is insignificant to me.

Generally, I love this car! The engine is a joy - quite able to embarrass many other cars off the line, and accelerate at speed. One tip: keep the turbo spinning to avoid turbo lag when you want to accelerate after deceleration. Manually downshifting helps.

The auto transmission shifts according to my driving style at a given time, crisp when gassing it; soft when babying it - very intuitive.

The sports handling package is a good investment, as low profile tires and the car holds the road well and ride is firm, but not harsh.

And the fit and finish is comparable to a car $10K more expensive.

I still love this car, but am now a little afraid for my bank account!