Comments: 1-15, 16-17
Brakes worn at 20,000.
This car has the "crayon" odor that is so objectionable. VW has failed to respond to repeated e-mails and will try calling. The local dealer denied knowlege of the problem that the car detailer identified immediately as the VW smell attributed to oils used in the vinyl.
I've owned 10 Volkswagens, and never had one that smelled like crayons. Are you sure that nobody dumped a box of crayolas down the defroster vents?
Honestly, all new Volkswagens (especially Jettas and New Beetles) smell like Crayons. Some old Audis do too.
It really IS normal, there isn't really anything you can do about it unless you use hardcore air freshener or start smoking in the car, and if it bothers you that much, sell the car.
VWs are great cars though.
I just bought a used 2001 jetta GLS.. the car is absolutly wonderful, but you are so right on the fact that it smells like crayons! Everytime anyone gets in it that is the first thing they say, it doesn't bother me.. just buy febreeze for vehicles.. that helps a little bit! I guess its good to know that others have the same problem so now I know its nothing too serious,, I thought it had something to do with the heated seats, but who knows!
I have had problem of putrid crayon-like odor in my 2001 VW Jetta since it was purchased 4 yrs ago; the problem has only gotten worse. Shampooing car interior has proven useless. I am now concerned about the potential toxic implications, since my daughter-in-law, who is pregnant drives the car. Speaking with VW service people is of no use, since they deny any problem. There are other Jetta owners I have had contact with who have an odor problem. One owner had carpets and filters changed to no avail. My sense is that the vinyl used in the interior of the car (seats/dashboard) may be the problem. I am now preparing to go to senior VW management to help resolve the problem.
The odor STINKS. It makes my clothing stink after riding in the car for 5 minutes. My SKIN stinks like it. I'm breathing this garbage into my lungs. Only God knows if my chronic coughing-until-I-literally-vomit situation is from this odor.
It's a foul smell. Anybody who jokes about it is either a smoker, or somebody who wears an annoying amount of perfume/cologne as it is because they have a lacking sense of smell, or one of those disgusting people who doesn't bathe anyways and can't smell their own foul stanky hair and unwashed clothing when everybody around them can.
It's DISGUSTING, it CAN'T BE HELPED with air fresheners or Febreeze or anything else you do to the interior of the car, and it's NOT NORMAL.
The crayon smell seems to be coming from the insulation they are using. The link below is of an owner who found this out. I tried to have them replace it also, but was denied since I was the 2nd owner of the car.
http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_80873.html.
I'll admit mine smelled a bit funny compared to other cars. (mine is a 98 jetta k2)
I just bought some new car scent odor tree things. And instead of partially pulling the bag off little by little, I just pulled the bag off the tree. Then left it in my car. While it may not be authentic new car smell, it has a better scent than before and I wouldn't consider like cherry or blueberry or whatever it is they have for scents now...
Such a trivial thing I know.
The crayon smell comes from bee's wax inside the inner doors and body panels. vw uses the wax as a sound dampner...it's a feature not a flaw. dr. dodds your friendly vw tech.!
I LOVE the crayon smell and so do all of my friends. I don't understand why people would go to such absurd lengths to eradicate it! As long as you're okay with "crayon smell" (as everyone to enter my car can identify it), then it is not stinky or offensive in any way. I personally HATE the smell of artificial air fresheners. Consider your own tastes, not someone else's. Besides, if you test drive the car you should be able to tell exactly how it smells!
This continues my previous posting from.
http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_80873.html.
Crayon smell is still gone.
At 43,000 miles the cars check engine light (MIL) came on while my wife was driving home. As she was driving she called the VW dealer and asked what she should do. A lady at the VW dealer asked if the check engine light was blinking or just on. My wife told her it was just on and the lady at the dealership said that it should not be a problem and to have it checked out as soon as possible.
5 minutes later the engine died and my wife was stranded on an overpass. I told her to wait a few minutes and try to start the car and finally the car started again. I did some quick research and found the following EPA document http://www.epa.gov/otaq/cert/recall/420b04018.pdf that discussed a recall on the Mass Air Flow Sensor.
We took the car to the dealership to determine the problem. The dealership said it was an O2 sensor and a Mass Air Flow Sensor that was at fault. The dealership said it would be $800 to replace both. I showed the dealership the following EPA document and a letter sent by VW stating that the Mass Air Flow Sensor would be covered. Because we had the letter from VW they agreed to replace the Mass Air Flow Sensor, but wanted $200 to replace the O2 sensor. I told them to replace the Mass Air Flow sensor and clear the code for the O2 sensor. They were reluctant to do that and stated if they did the MIL light would immediately come back on. It did not.
At 48,700 miles the car died suddenly again, but this time the MIL light did not come on. Like before my wife waited a few minutes and tried to start the car again it started right up, but she was really concerned that this would continue to be a problem.
We originally wanted to keep the car for my daughter when she starts driving in a few years, but with these continuing problems we thought we would let it go. We traded the car in for a new American made car.
Despite all of these problems my total out of pocket cost over the years was less than $100 not including normal wear an tear items such as brakes, tires, and a battery. But with relatively low miles on the car for its age we never had a vehicle with so many (silent or reluctant) recalls. I think the 24 Month/24K Mile original manufacturers warranty was the tell tale sign. So this ends our saga of the 2001 VW Jetta VR6; A love hate relationship. Love the car; hate the problems that the manufacturer does not stand by without a fight and documentation.
Oh yes, you are not going to believe this; the MIL light came on as I was driving it to be traded in. We left all of the letters from VW in the owners manual so the next owner will have all the documentation as well.
1991 Jetta also has strong crayon smell "Crayolamobile". We open the windows when parked in a garage. The black rubberized coating on inside door trim and around front console started to peel off within two years of purchase. Hair and fibers stick to the seat and are hard to remove. Other than these silly items that VW really should have taken care of, the car is a great reliable and fun driver.
I have a 2001 jetta. and the smell does not bother me, but my girlfriend finds the odor to be offensive. I know it is my car when I smell like it. The car runs great and I love the V6, the car has 44,000 miles and runs like a champ. If you don't like smell yankee candle makes a strong air freshner.
I Have a 2006 Jetta, and at a little over 4,000 miles I noticed a very strong strange smell that just would not go away. I took it to the dealer and they did what they call flushing or cleaning out the vents. I was told it was mildew. It didn't work the smell never went away. I tried every type of air freshener and that didn't help. I recently took it back to the dealer and they replaced a filter, I was told if that didn't help they would have to keep the vehicle for a couple of days to remove the dash and look inside the vehicle to see what was causing that smell. At this point, this will be my first and last VW vehicle that I will ever purchase. As soon as I can I will be getting rid of my 2006 jetta. Anybody that gets in my vehicle notices that strong crayola scent, at times the smell is so strong that I get a headache from it.
I'm so glad I found this site because I thought I was the only one who had a stinky crayola car (aka 2001 VW Jetta)!!! I hate the smell!! I have tried Frebreezing and air fresheners to no avail. If I leave a jacket or clothing item in the car for 5 minutes then they smell like crayon until I wash them! VW's are great cars save for the smell... I hate it!!
I have the same problem (crayon smell on 2001 jetta VR6). Can someone tell me what to do with this problem?