2003 Volkswagen LT 35 GLI review from North America
"Great car to drive, but the electrical gremlins are becoming too much"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Passenger side window stopped working.
Stereo stopped working.
Cigarette lighter has never worked, and won't work even with replaced fuses.
Brake light is out and drains the battery if replaced.
Driver's side door latch is failing, which means the door open chime comes on randomly along with the interior lights.
Check engine light is permanently on for no reason.
Moon-roof sometimes has random issues with closing (as in it won't). Luckily I've eventually gotten it to close after a few dozen attempts.
E-brake has issues, is stuck on sometimes and grinds when not on.
General comments?
The car has tremendous power and is really fun to drive.
The transmission is great, but the brakes are weak, even after they've been replaced.
Going over small bumps in the road at low speeds results in all sorts of weird noises from under the car.
Overall it's a really nice car with either poor craftsmanship or poor engineering. Hopefully VW is working hard on their reliability issues, because at this point, the electrical issues are insane.
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| Comfortable reliable excellent in every way what more can I say |
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| 1991 - LT 35 Extra LWB, extra high roof 2.4 diesel Brilliant for hard work |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2003 |
| Year of manufacture | 2002 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.8 Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 38000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 85000 miles |
| Previous car | BMW Z3 Roadster |
| Date of Entry | 19th June, 2009 |