2006 Volkswagen Jetta tdi from North America - Comments

Nothing wrong so far.

Surprising pickup for a diesel.

Easy to stall with clutch, until you get the hang of it... much less forgiving of insufficient throttle than a gasoline engine-clutch combo.

The seating positions are the most adjustable I have ever seen. I love the up-down lever to adjust height of driver's seat.

Diesel mileage a little worse than promised (45-47), but better than all, but my Prius.

Sunroof wind-screen hums at highway speeds. Wish it didn't make all that noise.

Windows-up feature includes closing the sunroof, all with the locking key. Great feature.

I own a 2006 Jetta TDI, manual transmission. I have driven it for a full year as of this posting.

At 20K miles, just after the scheduled maintenance, I have experienced problems with the clutch. Fortunately VW is paying for this repair as a warranty item, after some wrangling.

What led me to having the car towed to the dealership on this instance involving the clutch repair was that the wheels locked after I turned them toward the curb having parked on a sloped driveway. I turned the car off and then realized that I needed to move the car down the driveway a bit only to discover that the car would not turn over and that the steering wheel was locked with no apparent give. As the key would not turn the ignition and I couldn't release the emergency brake to get the car to move down the hill for rolling into a large bush, I resorted to calling VW's 24-hour roadside assistance.

I called at 10:30pm on January 1st. The roadside assistance representatives could not find a tow truck to come out that night and I was forced to wait until morning the next day.

A side note relating to towing a VW: At 4K+ miles I had to have my Jetta towed by calling the Roadside Assistance service because my rear break light failed and completely drained my battery. I have learned that this issue has now qualified as a recall. However, this was the first time I confronted the challenge of towing my new Jetta. And a challenge it was. This most recent occurrence was a repeat of the challenge. VW should redesign not just the way the car is towed, but their documentation explaining the how to do so and reconsider the placement of the tool pouch which is necessary for use when needing to tow the car. Being forced to move all items in the trunk in order to access the spare tire wheel well, then being forced to unscrew and lift the spare up and out of the way in order to get to the tool pouch is a user experience design flaw.

Once the car was received at the VW dealership, I was told that the wheel locking/failure to turn over the ignition problem for which I had originally called Roadside Assistance was fixed by the dealer service tech while the car was still on the tow truck bed. Why Roadside Assistance couldn't have talked me through how I might resolve this on my own without having to have the car towed to the dealership is a problem. If this is a common occurrence as two different VW dealer service technicians claim, I would think the 24-Hour Roadside Assistance Program would have a troubleshooting spec sheet documenting the procedure to remedy this problem right away in order to help VW owners resolve this without being forced to go through the hassle of having the car towed to a dealership.

The clutch problem that I have experienced is frustrating. Prior to the wheel lockup, I noticed the car began idling very roughly just after the 20K mile service. I suspected that maybe something wasn't properly re-tightened during the service or that in the 300 miles I had driven since picking it up from the dealer that I had unknowingly hit something on the road and maybe dislodged some connection. The new clanking at idle was bothersome and it increased in loudness and frequency. Shortly following the noticeable increase in volume and frequency of the clanking, I noted a change in performance when shifting from one gear to the next. I didn't happen every time at first. The occurrence increased with frequency. The problem was noticeable when I was letting out on the clutch. As I was in another city over 80 miles from home, I was concerned about driving home. I told the dealership this after they managed to make me feel like a fool for having the car towed because I couldn't figure out how to get the steering wheel unlocked or the ignition to turn over.

I detailed my concern about picking up the car without them first looking into the cause of the clanking sound. Next thing I know, the VW service department had taken it upon themselves to dismember my car rendering it un-driveable, in effect stranding me in another city, 80 miles from home (note that's 20 miles less than the 100 miles required for the Roadside Assistance Trip Interruption benefit to kick-in).

They supposedly identified that the clanking sound was related to the clutch. I explained to the VW service rep handling the case that ever since delivery of the car, I had complained of the difficulty of moving the gear shift lever. It always seemed tight and hard to move from one gear to the next. I have driven other manual transmissions and they all seemed to shift like butter, nice and smooth. Friends and family who have driven standards for years complained when they drove my car. Everyone seemed to have trouble with it. They embarrassed themselves when they stalled so frequently. One particular trouble I pointed out was when shifting from 4th into 5th. Sometimes I'd mistakenly end up in 3rd with it revving loudly and shocking me to quickly get it over and into 5th. I explained that I told the VW sales rep who sold me the car about this difficulty shifting shortly after picking up the car when I took it back for the window tinting. He assured me that it would smooth out after awhile and that I just wasn't used to it. I special ordered this TDI and waited 3 months to get it. I gather that only one person at the dealership actually ever drove my car before I picked it up. It only had 10 miles on the odometer. Whoever initially drove it probably dismissed the tightness of the shifting to the car being new. Having never *owned* a standard before, I figured that VWs were just more challenging to shift. I was also told by my local VW dealer service rep that the TDIs do tend to stall more often and were a bit more challenging. So how was I to know?

When the service rep told me that it was simply wear and tear on the clutch and that I would be responsible for the repair, I was dismayed and angry. How can a clutch go out at 20K miles?, I asked. The "Well, you must not be driving it correctly" response was lobbed back, and then I let them have it, going over yet again all the the problems I've experienced since purchasing the car. VW actually had the nerve to suggest that because it was not documented in writing with them that I had these problems and they were in their opinion only hearing about it now for the first time while it was in for service on another problem that there was no recourse and that it would simply be a wear and tear issue, not covered by warranty.

However once the mechanic actually heard what I reported about it being a problem from the beginning, that's when everything changed. I was then told that he was "90%" certain it would be covered by warranty. He supposedly had to go back and forth with VW North America to insure that this repair was going to be covered under warranty. It now appears there *is* some serious problem with the pressure plate.

It took two days to determine if VW would cover the clutch repair under warranty. Meanwhile, I'm left stranded 80 miles from home, luckily staying at a friend's house, with NO offer from VW for a rental car to allow me to return home and get to work. I had to press for getting a rental car from them. And because I was 20 miles shy of qualifying for trip interruption service, I was told there was nothing they could do for me. "What do you expect us to do?" was what one of the VW customer care phone reps asked me when I was so frustrated that I was trying to figure out if I was going to have to call in for a second day off from work. Out of desperation, I just said I wanted to know when I'd be getting my car back. Her only offer was to make a "courtesy call" to the dealership to inquire. I could just have well done that myself. After about 30 minutes I called back and told them what I expected. I asked that they at least reimburse or comp me my next oil change, which for a Jetta TDI runs about $80. By the time I end up getting my car back, I will have spent 4 extra hours driving back and forth to the city where I was stranded in order to pick up my car, then return home. I will have logged close to 200 miles out of my way because of this breakdown. But because I'm not 100 miles from home from where I broke down, I don't qualify for any Roadside Assistance benefits other than the free tow. The rental is covered only because the clutch problem is under warranty.

I chose to buy a VW because it was safe and because the TDI has great mileage and allows the option of running on BioDiesel. I think my Jetta feels like a solid car, versus the Japanese and American model cars of the same class. The *comparable* rental they've put me in is comparable only in cubic feet. I don't feel safe in the American tin-can-on-wheels rental. If they are going to proclaim putting someone in a comparable vehicle, I would think that Safety would be first, not cubic feet of passenger space.

VW North America needs to rethink the entire customer experience when they come up with their policies, when they create their owner's manuals, and when they design how to tow their cars.

To set the record straight:

A TDI is NOT a low carbon footprint vehicle. NOX emissions for TDIs are through the roof too, even with the catalytic converter!

TDIs, through their fuel efficiency, burn 2 to 3 times as much air per gallon of fuel as compared to a gas car. So that means 2x to 2x the CO2 and NOX is released by YOUR Jetta TDI.

If you want a REAL low emission/carbon footprint vehicle, you need to buy a propane/CNG fueled vehicle.

Sorry :(

Don't forget all the SO2 TDIs generate. SO2 is the prime cause of acid rain. Nice!

Your both wrong. Most stations have at least 2% biodiesel which cuts the carbon. Comparing a TDI to a 2.0 or 2.5L it is already 20% more efficient in CO2. Your facts are not facts. Using biodiesel furthers reduces the CO2 output largly. I can say for a fact, sine I own both a TDI and a 2.5L 2006 Jetta, the TDI gets 215 miles more per tank in the city and almost 325 miles more if all highway. 400 miles is a stretch for the 2.5L, 730 miles have been recorded more than once on the TDI. Furthermore, NOX emissions will be handled in 2007+ models, almost with S02.

2006 TDI - 3 wheel bearings go two weeks after warranty expires.

Outerboot after three weeks.

Anti skid system goes after four weeks.

Unknown to me due to our cold weather - compressor has never worked - warm weather here now.

No air-warning light about burnt out bulb - on all the time - no burnt out bulb.

Drivers side do-me light - goes on for a second - then goes out - don't know what's going next.

But 57 miles per gallon Canadian in Summer

47 minimum winter and minus 30 f. is common

Updates j.k.204-293-1595.