I recently purchased a 2002 Oldsmobile Alero which I really like, but have read several negative reviews - good ones too. Most of the bad reviews had to do with similar items like brakes, intake gaskets etc. Most seemed to make issues out of some modest repairs- handles or dome lights coming off. I got a general feeling that the owners of Jettas are a bit more - well, educated than the young people who seems to own the olds. I am hoping that as with Jettas that the overwhelming majority prove to be OK, maybe not great. Should I get a warranty from AAA, it's $1731.00 up to 100k or 5 years. I have 13k on it now. I have to pay for it over 12 months and really do not like to dish out this much cash like I was really paying for repairs the first year. I would prefer to take my chances. I'd pose this questions to Alero owners, but do not want to handle the myrid of emotions I am sure to get from that group.
This is a case of making a mountain out of a mole hill. Yes the car has a crayon smell, but it is less offensive than other car smells that I have been subjected to. The car is my wife's and sometimes I meet het at the door and her hair does small of crayons, but I think that it is funny, not offensive. Seriously, if you wanted a really non-offensive depenable car there are plenty of options from Japan. You bought the car for it's status, power (in v6 and turbo form), and finish, why else would you have paid so much more than you would have paid for its Japanese counterparts? Remeber, people driving corollas and civics don't have any fun and don't get compliments or second looks. It is a maintenace nightmare, but it will get you chicks!
I just got done reading this bulletin and wanted to ask, not about the crayon smell, but about you transmission problems. I have an 01 jetta VR also and at 65,000 miles the trans is starting to slip and its getting worse. I noticed at 15,000 miles you said yours had slipping problems and I was wondering what they said was wrong with it? thank you for the story about your car.. Yes mine also smells of the crayola #5.
I had to fight tooth and nail to have them finally admit that the transmission needed replacing. They denied it the whole time I owned my car, no matter how many times I complained about it. I kept getting their horrible "we can't recreate the problem so we can't do anything" b. s speech.
Thing was, not a few months after I could tell the whole process was starting up again (!). Sure enough, slowly it started to slip more and more. Finally, driving in the rain where my transmission was slipping so badly I'm lucky to have made it home without a major accident, I traded that pile in for something great (that works and SMELLS CLEAN AND FRESH!)
All you have to do is print out all the slipping transmission stories you find on the internet about your car and slap it (hard) into the faces of your dealership. That's all I can suggest.
Or trade in your pile, too.
Another '91 Jetta crayolamobile owner. The smell is overpowering when you get in the car after it is sitting. Five years into the car you still don't know much about it. 1980 Honda Accords had a great name out of the gate, but they all had the engine mount cross-frame rust away from the body - every single one of them. My '90 Toyota Celica was problem free, looking and working fine until someone ran into it at 210,000 miles in '05. That's quality. In fact, that defines good quality. The '91 Jetta, though a lovely car to drive, has some niggling defects that VW should never have swept under the rug.
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.
It smells, point blank. True it may not be as bad as some other smells, BUT on a hot summer day after spending an hour showering and getting ready to go out, sitting in the car for 5 minutes...you're ruined! The odor somehow is absorbed in your hair and clothes. I swear if I ever got pregnant I'd have to get rid of it, the smell is vomit inducing. And friends always comment on it. So I've gotten in the habit of mentioning it first. What do new Jettas smell like? I'll never know! LOL!
Last year I bought a 99 Jetta for my daughter... it did smell like crayons, but the salesperson said it smelled that way because it had been freshly detailed...BS. The stench has only gotten worse. It is unbearable. My daughter is embarrassed as her and her friends carry the smell around school or wherever they go. It is completely absorbed in their hair and clothing. I have tried everything but nothing works. She is graduating from HS in June and we are getting rid of the car and the God awful smell forever. Unfortunately, it will now be someone else's toxic problem.
Is there going to be a class action lawsuit about this stench yet?
I agree that it HAS to have SOME level of toxicity.
I agree, there needs to be some type of lawsuit. The smell is unbearable and it apparently seems like everyone is experiencing the same problem.
I am going to write VWoA a letter and hopefully something positive will come out of it. I love the car and do not want to sell it only because of the putrid smell.
HOW TO REMOVE CRAYON SMELL:
I have a 2001 Jetta TDI. The crayon smell comes from the "wax" coating on the plastic components of the interior. The good news is that it can be removed. The bad news is that it is very time consuming. All you need to remove the wax coating is some "Totally Awesome Cleaner" from Dollar General, a non-abrasive scrubber you would use to scrub pots and pans in the sink, and some elbow grease. I spent a fair amount of time removing it from every coated surface and the smell is 100% gone. The only other negative to this project, besides the time, is that not all components are made from the same plastic and some will be slightly lighter or darker once the wax is removed. If VW would re-manufacture the same parts out of quality plastic without the waxy sound-proofing coating they could all be replaced easily and the smell would be gone forever.
2001 vr6 smell
Believe it or not, as soon as I changed my cabin filter (engine compartment by the passenger side windshield wiper),the smell was gone.
This has to be the most hilarious thing ever. I have been considering purchasing an 01 Jetta VR6. Not any particular car from a certain source, just doing a little research before I start my search. At only 34yr old I have driven many cars in my time to include 3 classic beetles. My latest daily driver is a 68 beetle, of which I have been building from the ground up. So, let me entertain everyone with my similar Jetta issues ;-)
Crayons? I spell like fuel all year around with a hint of exhaust fumes in the winter time. Ha! Beat that one!
Transmission, after two throwout bearings coming off in 6 months, I have decided to just drive without the clutch. The classics were designed for RPM match shifting, so who needs a clutch anyway.
Center consol clip… guess I need to have one before the clip can break.
Cup holders are in the way of your CD changing? Put the drink between your legs. :P.
Window falling, rofl, My drivers side has no regulator at the moment. Every bump I hit is followed by my window crashing down.
My favorite comment is the “Mr Potato Head” name, you guys rock, I named my second beetle Ele after I had to rewire her three times. I found out the hard way that I had a 74 fuse block in a 71 Super.
So, thanks for all of the entertaining comments. It sounds to me that by moving myself into a Jetta I will continue performing my own maintenance, and continue enjoying German engineering.
Oh and one last thing, my car does not drip oil; it sweats horse power, around 60 to be precise.
I absolutely love my 2001 Jetta, and the great deal I got it for.
However I have experienced both of the above problems:
1. My car smells like a crayola factory, luckily I haven't noticed myself smelling like a crayola factory worker but the smell is aggravating.
2. At 33,000 miles my Mass Air Flow Sensor was clogged with silicone buildup, If only I had read this article early about the EPA mandate and saved myself the $800 in parts and labor.
I really wonder if any tests have been done on the smell, there is no way with such a putrid odor it can be good for your health. I worry that with all the long trips I take, I am poisoning myself.
In all it's a great car, handles well, looks beautiful, fun to drive, and will impress many while still being relatively low cost. If only these stupid little problems would be fixed. Its such a stupid thing to ruin such a good car with bad chemicals in the undercoating, wax, and other places.
I just bought a 2001 Jetta VR6 loaded. I guess we didn't notice any smells, but it is 0 degrees out.
I paid 5000 cash, we went out to eat, and proceeded to drive home. About 20 miles into our drive the engine began to over heat and we pulled over.
Today I brought it to a mechanic nearby; he thinks it's the thermostat. I sure hope so. I called the guy we bought it from and we brought to his shop. I guess it will be done tomorrow. My wife is terribly angry, as am I.
We got home and began to read these horror stories. I sure hope I didn't get jacked, by VW and the dealer. Well maybe I'll finally get my car back someday. What a mess, I hate the Internet.