1999 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI review from North America

~25,000 miles - One of the glove box door hinges broke. Never bothered to fix, still works fine on just one side.

~42,000 miles - Entire engine (short block) replaced under warranty by VW North America. (Water pump also replaced when engine was replaced.) Engine killed when a valve stem holder broke, allowing engine to ingest valve, which destroyed head, piston & possibly block. Timing belt had been changed just a few thousand miles before this, but the mechanics at the VW Dealer (not the dealer at which the timing belt had been done) found that the timing was still correct, even after the catastrophic engine failure. Repair took approximately 1 week. Rental car paid for by extended warranty.

~44,000 miles - Broke down and left me stranded when a fuel filter connection slipped loose & engine tried to run on a 100% air-air mixture.

~50,000 miles - Glow plug harness failed, replaced under extended warranty.

~63,000 MAF Sensor (Mass Air Flow Sensor, if you know TDI's, you've heard of this) replaced - paid for by extended warranty.

~68,000 miles Radiator return hose replaced after sudden failure dumped all the engine coolant. Left me stranded.

~72,000 miles Front brake rotors & pads replaced. The fact that I got 72,000 miles out of the original pads/rotors suggests how good this car could have been.

~74,000 miles - Brake booster & brake master cylinder replaced - paid for by extended warranty.

~79,000 miles alternator replaced - paid for by extended warranty.

Wonderful mileage, fun to drive, spirited despite having only 90hp.

Maintenance has been a disaster. The car has broken down and left me stranded numerous times.