Oil leak from head gasket at 65,000.
Water Pump broke at 67,000.
Major Tune-up at 75,000
Replaced timing belt and tensioner at 75,000.
Check engine light malfunction at 80,000.
Front headlights replaced at 90,000.
Transmission replaced at 96,400.
This car gets up and goes.
Great turning radius.
A trunk big enough to fit a football team in.
Overall look is nice.
I am really upset with the overall experience I have had with my VW. I have friends who swear by them (the best car) but I think the customer service, warranty fullfillment and the durability of the car is lacking.
I bought the car used from a dealership. I was the second owner and it only had 29,000. (a little less then 10,000 a year) At about 35,000 miles I noticed the transmission having problems shifting. It would hang at 40rpm and then shift hard into the next gear. I took it in to the dealer and was told the standard factory settings were not right. They adjusted the idle and timing and sent me away. It continued to happen. I took it in again at 45,000 miles for shifting problems (different dealer) and was told the same thing. Now my car is out of warranty and the pump is shot and my transmission needs to be replaced. I called VW and they have my information, but claim because of "the age of the car and the mileage, we probably won't be able to do anything about it."
I am amazed. I take care of my car with it's maintenace and overall look. I too have experienced molding falling off and plastic pieces breaking. I don't even know where they break off of. My driver seat is broken. I could go on and on. I will never buy a VW again. I have read these reviews and it seems like the 97 Jetta has a transmission problem that VW doesn't want to take care of so they will just continue to blow their consumers off ...and away.
I bought a 97 jetta brand new and took it to the dealer many time, during warranty and after warranty expired for the same transmission problem. After driving it for a while, say few months the gear does not shift until it reaches 40rpm! Everytime, they tell me that "after we reset the computer the problem is gone" and the same "we adjusted factory settings" and yes, I drive it few more months and the same problem returns. To be honest with you, I think the on-board computer has a bug in it and probably VW does not want to admit it. Now my car is out of warranty and I still have the same problem. I am sure when my trans dies, they will say "there is nothing we can do". But I agree with you, that model and year has a problem with the transmission and it does not seem that VW wants to admit it.
At one time when the car had some 40k miles on it, the dealer told me to replace the trans oil and filters. I took it a year later to another dealer, this other dealer told me that there is no need to replace the oil and the filter since these parts are not servicable unless there is a problem and to find that problem, go figure out the $$ you have to pay.
I have a 97 Jetta GT, and the transmission is doing the same thing. VW said it needed to have the timing adjusted (sound familiar?. I took it to my regular, non-VW mechanic, who said the fluid was REALLY dirty, but he couldn't flush it for two reasons: 1. It is a sealed system and 2. If he did, it might never run again. He thinks the seals have deteriorated significantly. He suggested rebuilding or replacing the transmission, which I don't want to do, since it will cost more than the car is worth! He also told me this is VERY COMMON IN 97 JETTAS! Yet, VW won't admit there is a problem.
Is this transmission problem with standard models or automatic models? I'm looking into buying one and I'm trying to be smart about it. I'm a college student who needs the trunk space and the reliability, but I don't have the cash to repair major issues such as transmissions.
You should always be able to change the tranny fluid. That mechanic sounds like he is taking you for a ride.
And to the college student, the auto tranny's on VWs tend to have problems, go for a manual.
I am the owner of a 1997 VW Jetta and the transmission has been a major problem for me. It has trouble shifting until reaching 40 mph, as stated in previous comments. I actually had to replace the entire transmission!!! All other problems were common and minimal, such as the spark plugs and brakes. I have to agree that the parts are expensive and the dealers are hard to work with.
Owning this car really broke me down- I kept having small problems way too frequently for my liking. Overall, I am not satisfied and will never purchase another VW again. I am comforted in knowing that the transmission issue has been common in 1997 Jettas. Though it drives well, the constant problems are a hassle. I do not recommend this car.
Well...first of all, your transmission problems are expected because you have an automatic. Drive it like a man and get a standard. everything you say is a load because I have a jetta and mine is perfect. the only thing I replaced on it was the exaust and new headers, with a new intake. not because it needed it, but becasue I wanted more hp. all in all I think you should be a man and get a standard.
I personally believe that VW should be ashamed of themselves for producing products that do not meet the company's so-called high standards and obviously overpriced maintenance. What the company should do is own up to its poor workmanship and give the consumers what he/she has rightfully paid for instead of leaving them with an expensive mechanical and out large amounts of hard earned money time and time again. It seems to me that this company is more concerned with incoming revenue than it is with maintaining lasting relationships with customers who would ultimately come back for more business if products purchased and services rendered were as good as the company makes it out to be. What they needed to have done is put a recall on the 97 Jetta transmissions and replace the malfunctioning part (s) accordingly.
I own a used 1997 VW Jetta GLS and it has been my biggest problem from 6 or 7 months after I purchased the piece of crap. The first problem I had when I was under warranty was the muffler. It fell of while I was driving and it showed no signs of being loose or problematic prior to this. From there the problems seemed to escalate, especially when the warranty ran out. Next it was the windows. The cheap window regulator that is placed in this car is ridiculously absurd. You figure it cost the average consumer about $250 for the part alone and then you pay about $75-$95 plus a hour for labor and all you get is a part that uses cheap plastic to hold the window up! It’s a scam and a complete rip off. I would assume the company did this to create more revenue for them because who is seriously going to drive with inoperable windows.
As you read my comments, please keep in mind that I have only had this car since late 2004. I have had my back passenger side window fixed twice. I have had my back driver side window fixed 5 times. I have had the front driver side window fixed twice and it is broken again. And I have had the front passenger side window fixed once and it too needs to be replaced again. And because the front windows do not work when it gets hot outside, I failed my recent state car inspection. I also failed because of the malfunction with the computerized cluster, which contains your check engine light, speedometer, and etc.
I took my car a few times before for the check engine light that seems to turn on and off when it wants to and the VW mechanics told me that it could have been a few different things. Then they ultimately told me that the cluster needed to be replaced, which they said would cost over $500. So when I took my car in to get it replaced, they said they didn’t have it in stock. They then told me they would call when the part came in and I haven’t heard from them since.
As for my failing transmission, I am having the same issues as everyone else. When I try to accelerate, my car shifts like I am driving a manual instead of an automatic. It stalls between speeds. So at 35 or 40mph and 60 or 65 mph it stalls between gears then jerks hard into speed. It’s ridiculous. The VW technicians told me the same thing everyone else was told and then eventually they told me that the transmission would have to be replaced. When I was told that, I thought to myself, I’ll sell it before I do that. The car is not worth the money and considering I have paid over $2500 getting the windows, timing belt, extensive tune up and everything else done to the car, I refuse to put any more money into it.
After this experience with Volkswagen, I would tell everyone I know not to ever buy any of those cars or Audi for that matter since the same manufacturer owns both car companies. Altogether Volkswagen has poor and incompetent sales/customer service representatives, slipshod workmanship, and reprehensible business morale. I do not stand behind or support companies that produce and sell crap to its consumers and leave them hanging when consumers have obvious mechanical issues that are no fault of their own.
VW sucks! Never again will I buy from them!!
First off, to the person above me, which I pray to god sees this comment, you're a whiny little baby. I've never seen anyone cry over a car like this before. I've had a 95 Jetta III since it was brand new and I've never had hardly a problem out of the ordinary with it. Maybe if the car was better taken care of, it wouldn't be costing you so much money. Yea, VW may be pretty pricey, but that's YOUR fault for not looking into it before you bought it. Hell, I even race my AUTOMATIC car, and it still has no problems. Grow up and consider placing blame on yourself or previous owners. To all others who actually have advice or need advice, please contact me at HTS_Redlined@yahoo.com and Ill be glad to help you.
My girlfriend and I have had a 97 jetta gl for going on 2 years now. In those two years we have driven from Indiana to California and back and Indiana to Virginia and back twice, and we're planning on going down to Florida this weekend. The car has had a lot of problems, and we've spent a lot of money repairing it... two cracked rims (I think my gf hit a curb, but she won't admit it) we've replaced the exhaust from the catalytic converter back three times, had to change the battery last winter, had to replace the alternator twice, like everyone else says, the tranny shifts choppy and hard, the rear passenger side shakes slightly, the trim is falling apart (both in and outside, (but we also realize that the car is pushing a decade old) the check engine light is on and the dealer's gave us the run around, and the clincher... we took it to a VW dealer in our area and the mechanics blew the engine twice!!! We really can't complain too much, we got to drive a brand new Passat off the lot for a month, and we got two free replacement engines and we don't have nearly as many engine problems, but we don't EVER go back to a VW dealer, we get way better service at a way better price if we just take it to our family mechanic. Even though there are many things that go wrong with our Jetta we both really enjoy driving it and will probably purchase a VW as our next car... probably a Passat though, we both agree that the Passat is a way better investment.
THE JETTA Is THE WORST CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED!!! And It's not just because it's an AT either. Me and my wife have had nothing, but problems with it! We are the second owners of the car and the first owner was a mechanic, so it has been taken care of very well. The vacuum door locks are the stupidest think they could have ever built! they stopped working at about 75,000, and you can't put in the key-less entry because of them! The spark plugs go bad faster than anything I have ever seen, I got a major tune-up at 60,000. I had to replace the catalytic converter at 90,000 and I had to rebuild the tranny at 95,000. And I still have that same problem as everyone else with the trans jerking at 4000 RPM it feels like its going to blow up. If I drive up a steep hill it seems to happen even more. The side panel strips fall off all the time, and the body (bumper) falls off easy.2 days ago my gauges stopped working (like my speedometer, RPM) Yesterday I went to turn and my signals wouldn't work and the clock went out and so did the odometer. The accessory lights won't even turn off and my car won't even start now So I'm guessing that It's a bad electrical problem or the main CPU went out!! With as much money as we have spend on this car we could have bought a BMW. Oh and not to mention the parts are SO SO expensive, almost twice as mush as most! I WILL NEVER BUY A VW again! My honda accord went to 250,000 with no major problems I only got 145,000 and I could list plenty of other problems! This is a very bad car and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Even the 2003's are breaking down already! All they are is an expensive paper weight. I will buy Honda's and Toyota's from now on. I think its Hitler's Revenge!
I agree with everyone, vws suck,,,,,, cheap workmanship, bad engineering, but what do I know, i only been a mechanic for 40yrs.and it is a non serviceable tranny...vw...so...is volvo.fords...mazdas...because they wanna stick it to you when the cheap ass tranny claps out after 50k,,,,
I currently own a 95 JETTA GLX. I want to first speak to all those who call the people speaking about their problems wimps and babies. I have problems with my car. I do regular maintenance and treat my baby like gold. There is nothing too good for my VW. But again I am having many of the same problems as above. You can take the same 2 cars and put them side by side, but because Joe was having a bad day when he built mine I may not run into the same problems as you so consider yourself lucky.
As for the problems that I have had since I first bought it... My car is an automatic. I bought it in 2001, it had 127,000 kms on it. For the first couple of weeks I was back into the dealership with the car everyother day because the car was stalling on me. It would just turn off. Although they never found the source of the problem they did catch a few other things the car needed replacing on. Eventually the car would stall less frequently until the point where it stopped stalling completely.
After that was when my rear passenger window broke. The thing went down while I was on the highway and no one pushed any buttons.
All be it many of the things have been maintenance repairs my biggest problem right now is that I went for a drive yesterday. I was eccelerating and then all of a sudden the car lost all power. I pulled over (thinking that it was the stalling problem again) and tried to restart the car. NOTHING... The battery works because we replaced it and still nothing. Unfortunately I no longer have contact with the VW loving friends I once had so I can't get advice orideas from them. My boyfriend had to tow me back to the house (I wasn't far) which was scary since we live on a very winedy road.
I love VWs, but I must admit that all the little problems are starting to add up.
I don't have any answers to why the transmission problems exist, but I can empathis with all of you who are in the same problem. GOOD LUCK!
Well I owned a 97 WV Jetta and I had to ask for a raise to my boss just for pay all the money that I had waste in this *&&&%$# bad transmission, change almost every sensor, muffle fell down, for real I don't recommend this car to nobody.
Please go for a manual...
Pretty sad that everyone has the exact same transmission problem, myself included. I've gotten the transmission serviced a few times and it fixes it for awhile, but goes back to its old ways. oh well, at least now I know there are people out there feeling my pain.
There have been many of the other problems people have mentioned. I know a lot of people who swear by vw's, but I guess the 97 vw jetta automatic was just not their best.
I had my car lose power altogether once, it was something with the ignition; an easy fix but not cheap.
Sorry to whine, but who races with an automatic anyway?
I've had my 97 jetta GL for a few years now, it has over 166k miles on it and it is still running great,.. my only complaint would be the jerky transmission, but other than giving it a little tlc every once in a while it has been a damn good car, it never has died, or not started... reminds me of my old honda, bulletproof.