27th Jul 2007, 17:33
I bought a 1995 Jetta GL last April. It too had the Odometer issue mentioned a few posts above. I fixed this by simply re-seating the wire harness at the back of the instrument cluster.
Several of the items mentioned in above posts are well known 'issues', at least amongst certain MK3 Golf and Jetta owners. There are fixes available if you go to bentleypublishers. com and additional help (but mostly community or cheap parts) at vwvortex.com. There are a lot of mechanics (both by trade and Do-it-yourself-ers) on Bentley Publishers, so they are quite helpful. Even if you don't want to fix the stuff yourself, at least you will have an idea of what is broken in the first place!
I love my Jetta most of the time, but have found I cannot take her just anywhere to get fixed. "Just anywhere" inevitably breaks something that wasn't broken before.
1st Apr 2010, 02:32
I would not suggest buying a VR6. They are a pain to work on, therefore you will be charged for labour. All these other problems you are hearing are simple. Not like everyone is saying they needed to rebuild a tranny or replace a head gasket or have huge rusting problems.
Falling off trims... clean it, put some glue on, stick it in place. everything else has been regular maintenance.
If you aren't scared to get your hands a bit dirty, a v dub will last a lifetime. They are great built cars. Just do some research on the vehicle you are buying.
25th May 2011, 05:30
The clicking in reverse is most likely the synchro in reverse. Drive it until it goes completely. In the meantime, look for a good used transmission. The mouldings can be reattached with a 3M double sided tape - I have used it, and mine have not come off since.
19th Jun 2007, 14:11
My Girlfriend bought her 1998 Jetta GT last summer. It's been quite reliable, other than the starter dropping dead a couple months after the purchase. We've replaced wear & tear parts, including: muffler (prone to rust-out apparently), rear shocks (the trunk is so big, the back end sags when you fill it!), and now one of the rear wheel-bearings needs replacing. But, at over 600km/tank on the highway, this car is a pleasure to drive and she loves it!