26th Oct 2009, 17:39
We bought a 2007 VW Jetta Wolfsburg in January of 2007. We were extremely happy with everything about the car until a month ago. At 28,000 miles the rear brakes needed to be replaced. Although relatively minor, further research has us upset that VW is not recognizing this as a problem. Many 2007 Jetta owners are complaining that the rear brakes are failing between and 10,000 and 20,000 miles. The dealership and VW USA both stated that it is normal wear and tear for this car to need new rear pads and rotors every 20,000 miles.
28th Oct 2009, 10:39
If your only problem is having to replace the brakes at 28,000 miles, I wouldn't complain.
15th Feb 2010, 23:22
We have a 2008 Jetta Wolfsburg / DSG, and yes the rear brake pads were worn down at 16,000 miles. I do agree that some cars are set up this way for the performance/braking aspect of driving that car. The 16,000 miles we put on it are almost entirely city / stop n go mileage.
Now, here's what I did; I replaced the rear pads with an aftermarket "ceramic compound" brake pad, for 2 reasons;
1) Way less brake dust to dirty the wheels.
2) Longer pad life.
The only slight sacrifice is, the brake pedal pressure is a little softer than before, but I don't like the brakes being too sensitive anyway.
Also, I only put new pads on, there was no need to replace the rotors yet, I figure til the next pad replacement. Although, these brake rotors are not resurface-able... so you'll have to make your own determination.
So far, I'm happy with what I did with the rear brakes, and that's been the only maintenance other than oil and filter changes since we have had the car. Nice German engineering, feels much more expensive than it really is.
1st Jan 2011, 11:48
I have a 2007 Jetta 2.5 with every luxury option, and has 32,000 miles on it. I had an issue with the cruise control only working when it wants, and the driver's side window motor went, so my window was stuck down. The dealership fixed the issues quickly for me, and with no hassles.
I have been noticing the tranny shifting hard, however I just received info from VW that this is now a known issue, and the warranty for that has been extended.
Just a tip for Wolfsburg edition owners; that is a base bottom of the line model, so issues with those would be expected. My advice; if you decide to go with a VW again or for the first time, is don't get the so called "special editions", they are junk.
10th Feb 2011, 22:28
I have a 2007 2.5L engine. I can say it with confidence that the car lives up to its reputation of being unreliable. Now at 64k, the car had 10+ dealer trips, including rust issues (rusted hood and side panels), alternator problems, air intake sensors (replaced 5 times), and recently discovered that the power steering fluid is leaking occasionally. I am just waiting what's next to fail in that car. Thankfully it hasn't stalled yet, but that's definitely not out of the question before it hits 100k. Would never buy this car again.
20th Aug 2009, 02:15
I have a 2007 Jetta Wolfsburg. 32K miles. Just went in for a 30K service and the dealership where I bought it advise me that my transmission was 'seeping' and needed to be replaced. They took me out back and showed me a similar Jetta on the lift with the Tranny out and same problem. Looked like a dried black stain all over the side of it. Service advisor told me it just bubbles up at the seal and never reaches the ground, so I would never have noticed. He stated that there is a bulletin out about it, and that for preventative measure they would take photos and get permissions from the Gods to replace the tranny, which they did. Now I'm freaked out. He said I could have driven it to 100K without it getting worse, and that they were once again, doing something preventative... but replacement transmission at 2 years/32K miles??
I'm looking hard at something else like a Lexus to trade this in for.
It has run well though. No complaints. Good highway power (5 cylinder - yeah gas mileage could be better, but go get a Civic if you want to drive a weak lawn mower that gets good mileage) - this new Jetta styling is smooth, but once again I'm freaked and worried about further maintenance issues. A private mechanic I met today just winced when I pulled up in it. He said he had worked on a few of these new Jettas, and that they would eventually have costly issues... that it wouldn't make it to 100K miles! Oh snap! Time to dump it maybe...