12th Aug 2010, 08:58
Just purchased a used 01 Vetta VR6 (red!) and noticed the odor immediately.
However, it was a very hot day and the car was in the sun for a while. My first impression was "what is that smell, not awful but needs to be detailed." After reading the posts, it appears that I will need to do up to 3 things to rid the smell:
1) Replace the vent filter.
2) Strip the wax from the plastic.
3) Replace the sounding board material under the seat and dash.
I will let you know how successful I am... I will post the results after each action.
13th Sep 2010, 15:31
I purchased a 2002 Jetta GLI this summer and have had the same problem. The crayon smell WAS horrible... WAS!!
I noticed when I bought it, the driver's side floor mat was missing and their heel had worn through the carpet. I went the rest of the summer putting up with the smell.
In preparation for the rainy season, I bought 2 thick rubber winter mats for the front and the fist thing I noticed the next day... for the first time since I bought it, NO CRAYON SMELL.
I mean not even a whiff. It's still outside in the sun so it has to be the thick rubber mats trapped the smell from coming up. Now I enjoy the car like I should have all along.
29th Sep 2010, 17:12
ALL:
I have a 2001 Jetta GLX VR6. It had the waxy/chemical crayon smell. I approached several different VW dealerships about it, and they acted like they knew nothing. Anyway, I did some digging and I too confirmed that the sound-deadening material (grey, fibrous padding) under the carpet is the culprit. Anyway, I took it to an auto upholster who for $400 dollars, removed/replaced the material. Over the past two months, the smell has all but completely disappeared.
I'm located in Fairfax, VA (outside DC).. so if you need the work done, look up Craftsman Auto Upholstery. They did it for me.
21st Aug 2011, 00:57
I run a car dealer, and I have bought and sold countless used Volkswagens, Jetta, Beetle, Golf, Passat, etc. Firstly I'd like to say these cars are styled very nicely and do handle good. Here are the things I've noticed:
The 1.8t motors on my cars all had problems, most relating to oil clogs, no pressure, and bad turbos.
Nearly all the Volkswagens from 98-2005ish I've sold have ALL had the crayon smell to SOME degree. I have removed the carpet and the sound deading material; this appears to be most of the source of the smell.
The plastic materials on the cars I owned all seemed to break, and the electronics all had a problem of some kind or another.
They did all require a little more work than other cars typically would. But if you can pick a good one, and are willing to give it TLC, they can be your best friend. If you want a car to just drive without problems or quirks, this isn't the car for you in my opinion.
29th Jun 2010, 16:53
I have a VW Jetta VR6. It has 126.000 miles and it is great; for the price it's a bit too much I think... all my friends have them and love them.
Cars can go bad, it does not matter what car it is. I would not trade my car in for the world. Had no problems at all from it. I drive it everywhere. For my car with that many miles, I paid $4100.