14th Jun 2006, 07:45

If a Volkswagen that did not have a terrible crash in the first place was poor on reliability; why would one that had been totaled equal a better value and be more reliable? This generation of the Jetta is very horrendous with reliability. Although not the same car, we had a 98 Jetta that must have had a crash before. All of its body panels did not match up and the engine fell out of the cradle and bent the transmission. A lemon yes, and a prior accident, yes!

19th Aug 2006, 21:39

I have 2003 jetta wolfburg and I must say that this is a fun car to drive, and it seems to get faster everyday. The only issue I have had with the car is that the rear driver door latch does not release on the first try to open the door. This was cause by a mechanic that did not know what he was doing when I first bought the car. All together this car is fun!!!

22nd Sep 2006, 22:14

I just bought my Wolfsburg a few months ago and the first week my water pump went. I was pretty upset at the time cause it had to get towed away. Other than that, it's been good, and very fun to drive.

1st Oct 2006, 18:55

I own an '03 Wolfsburg (bought new) and it has been a great car for me. I know several VW owners and half of them have horror stories about reliability and service. Fortunately, that has not been the case with my car. The car is fun to drive, and is very sporty and stylish without any mods.

I don't like any of the newer VW body styles and I don't know if they will make the Wolfsburg model again in the future. O3 may be the last year of this great car.

DubLuv.

Eight.

26th Oct 2006, 15:37

Hello.

I just purchased a 2003 Jetta Wolfsburg with 44000 miles and an automatic trans. It's in near perfect condition inside and out. The previous owner was a clean freak and his other car and his Harley were also immaculate. I feel fortunate to have landed this beauty for 13K.

That being said, I'm not naive and know these cars can become repair nightmares if you don't treat them like sports cars.

I'm looking to head off any potential mechanical breakdowns with preventative maintenance. I'd greatly appreciate hearing any suggestion on how to care from my new baby (oil, gas, etc.)

23rd Aug 2009, 19:01

My 2003 Wolfsburg is great. But its overheating at 100-110kmh, on the highway. Coolant level is fine. No leaks. I read some other threads the water pump impellers were made of plastic. Saw a couple of comments about the thermostat.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

24th Aug 2009, 14:42

To the above comment:

If you coolant level is fine, then it might be your water pump or your thermostat like you had stated. I suggest having them both checked, neither one is a real major repair.

17th Jun 2010, 14:22

I have owned a 2003 Wolfsburg since new.

It is a wonderful car when it's running well. It had no issues until 140K. Then oh boy, even though meticulously maintained, it has given nothing but trouble since.

Name it, and I have replaced it. Now the differential is noisy, very noisy. Volkswagen claim they have never heard of this issue. Mind you, the differential was replaced under warranty at 30k. Recent internet searches have revealed that this is more common than one might think. It is an expensive repair, and a difficult one on your own.

So beware, all these cars are approaching this mileage by now. I am a spirited driver but never hard.