Comments: 1-15, 16-25
This has been a completely maintenance free car. The only problem I had was when I got it home. All of a sudden, there were no interiors lights, the doors wouldn't lock, and the remote wouldn't work. Turns out fuse #14 was blown out. Replaced the fuse and haven't had any problems since.
This car gets amazing gas mileage. Depending on how I drive the car, I can easily get between 500 and 600 miles on one tank. It has a smooth, quiet ride, and starts great in the northern winters.
Brand new car and you already had to replace the fuse because your lights went out? On the first day of ownership??? Doesn't sound to me like you have had a maintanence free car. Good luck. Expect more monkey repairs soon.
You consider changing a fuse maintenence?
Good grief...
500 miles for how many gallons??? Do the rest of the math for us!
The car receives 500-600 mpg because it runs on diesel fuel, which provides a much higher gas mileage.
600 MPG!!! That is more than the 42MPG my 2001 TDI got! Wow, VW sure has made some leaps and bounds in fuel economy! Gore invents the Internet, and now VW get 600 MPG!
There is NO way a Diesel can get any GAS mileage. They get FUEL mileage.
Diesel economy is achieved simply because diesel fuel has more energy per gallon than gasoline and can run lower stoichiometric ratio of fuel and air.
Be careful of the terms and math you use! You sound like you really don't know too much about how your car really works so your opinion really doesn't amount to much other than you are happy to have a 'new' car.
Let us know what you think at 50k miles...or your first oil change!
Quite right!
I wonder what term we should use for the fuel consumption when a car runs on LPG (gas, methane, I think) rather than gasoline (petrol) or diesel oil.
I love the idea of going over 12,000 miles per tank.
Pity it isn't true.
I guess if I went from a Neon to a Jetta, I wold be happy too... for a while.
Good luck! I own a 98 Jetta TDI with 174,000 miles. I have never replaced anything machanical, not even the timing chain. However I have gone thru god knows how many tires and allignments (both front and rear!). The dealership claims that it was in some kind of major accident. I have owned the car since it was new, it was never in an accedent! This all started happening at around 55,000 miles.
And you never will replace the timing chain... because it has a TIMING BELT.
And if that belt hasn't been replaced yet, it is about to snap and trash your engine!
Indeed, VW's have all had timing belts until 2005, when they started putting timing chains on the new jetta. You should really not brag about not having changed the timing belt by 174,000 miles. That's amazing that it hasn't snapped and killed your engine, maintenance suggests replacing it every 60,000 miles though I waited until 80k and it was fine. If you want to own your jetta for some time, consider changing that.
I have driven a 91 Jetta TDI for 350,000 miles and a 96 Passat TDI for 305,000 miles with no major engine or transmission issues. I have averaged 43 miles per gallon, making it a fuel efficent car. My biggest complaint, now that gas or diesel is over $2.50 everyone wants one and I can't find one at a fair price! My biggest expense over the years has been tires. I don't get service done at a VW dealership, but at a independent for minor stuff, the timing belt change happens at the dealership. I would like a Passat TDI with a 6 speed manual transmission and more horses. The big three in NA should have been selling diesels along time along. Why can a European drive a Honda Accord diesel or a Chrysler Caravan diesel, but not in the U.S.?
Actually Diesels get better fuel mileage because they have a higher compression ratio. This is possible because the fuel is added (injected) at the instant of ignition, and in fact is the ignition trigger. Homogeneous fuel mixtures such as those in spark-ignition engines would detonate because of the temperature rise resulting from compression and therefore are limited in maximum compression ratio. Gasolines and Diesel fuels have about the same energy per Kilo and stoichiometry has nothing whatsoever to do with this. Rather than debating this, please refer to Mark's Mechanical Engineer's Handbook or Lichty Combustion Engine Processes for a thorough if tedious discussion.
I just bought the 2006 Jetta TDI. I saw someone say they started putting in Timing chains insted of belts.. Is this true? I hope it is :) belts scare me.. I am 34 female from Florida never owned a new car or a VW before. Thanks for all you comments I have learned a lot from you all. Marian
It seems the same people who are dissatisfied with VW post negative comments on every thread that starts here - it may be just 6 people who have posted >50 comments for all I know.
I have a VW - it's not very reliable, however, they drive and handle very nicely, are not appliances in the sense that a Toyota or Honda are, and look / feel good. VW are fun to drive despite all problems. That's what keeps people buying them.
Also remember, all cars, no matter what brand have faults in design and are subject to recalls and warranty claims. My new Subaru has not been problem free, and my former Honda Civic was a piece of crap.
Don't post these nasty remarks about "of course he's satisifed because he used to drive a Neon"
What exactly is the maintance interval with the timing chain???