2001 Volkswagen Jetta VR6 from North America - Comments

2001 Jetta VR6 - I love it until something breaks, but often it is covered by one of the 'secret' recalls/warranties that you're not told about until you talk to the dealership. "Oh,yeah, VW has identified that as a problem and we'll fix it..." I'm so relieved to hear that I'm not paying for it, but I am always afraid that something is going to give way. I fear my car as much as I love it. (It sounds so tawdry!) Scared to pass it on to teenaged driver in my home, however.

Problems:

-Window controls are consistently inconsistent.

-Windshield fluid motor shot.

-Both front windows have dropped.

-Center console latch broken.

-Front bumper is always falling off.

-Interior water after a rain. (Fixed by cutting off the ends of little black 'nipples' (that divert water from sunroof track) located inside driver and passenger front doors. They clog and back up. You can Google the how-to.

-Recently lost engine power, motor rattled badly, engine light blinked, strong smell of gas. VW Dealer wanted almost $1000 to change spark plugs/wires and clean fuel injection. Advanced Auto had parts for $160. Again, pictoral how-to online, less than two hours.

-Engine light goes on for no reason. Recently fixed under recall.

To note: EPA has identified a catalytic converter problem that has made VW extend the warranty to 10/120,000.

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/cert/recall/vw2.htm.

I wanted to document my CRAYON odor experience for perspective buyers. Myself, I would not have purchased this car if I knew I would have to put up with this odor and I am considering taking some sort of legal remedy.

I have 1998 New Beetle since new.

It currently has 52k miles and lives in coastal-cool Santa Barbara California.

It has cloth interior and was manufactured in Puebla Mexico.

It is mostly garaged with windows up. I am a control freak and rarely let anyone roll down the windows and use air conditioning instead.

It has always been washed and detailed (dusted and vacuumed) by myself. No one has sprayed anything in it except Volkswagen sealant products. Many people commented on the "new car" smell for several years.

About two years ago I started noticing the crayon/burning oil smell. The smell can get very strong to the point of skunk-like causing eye burning and chest pains similar to sitting downwind from a campfire. It sticks to you and your clothes.

While driving or parked I now crack the window to vent with little success. The smell occurs in cool and warm weather and seems strongest after driving but also even after sitting in the garage for several days.

Twice I have asked the dealer to determine what the odor is and they cannot detect it (one service representative had a very competitive cologne on.) Annoying, yes, very much so and hopefully we all won't find out over time that it is affecting our health.

I am so happy to have found other people who also have the "crayon" smell in their 2001 Jettas! The wax-like odor is pervasive and has worried me for years. My husband has been driving the car for the past few months and it has been making him feel sick. I have never had any help from dealerships when asking about the smell -- they have never directly addressed it. Thanks so much for posting your comments. I hope to get some help from VW now that I know that I am not alone.

I own a 2001 VW Jetta. I love this car. I understand what most of you are going through. FOR DRIVERS OF 1999+, 2000, 2001, 2002... TO 2004.

MY CAR RUNS PERFECTLY. I OWNED A 1990 JETTA, GRADUATED TO A 1997 JETTA AND POST GRADUATED TO A 2002 JETTA.

1) The crayon smell? Some of you say it is the door wax. In my experience I felt it was the A/C insulators... those black foams that shoots out when the air is on! Know what I did? I kept pulling the derm thing out the vent till it stopped coming out. NO SMELL EVER SINCE. I think I have no insulators anymore and it smells niiiice!

2) Engine problems? Blame most of it on 2 things (i) SPARK PLUGS/S.P WIRES AND (ii) CATALYST CONVERTER.

STEP (1) If you find your power short on a journey say driving 90-100m/h or less and you smell oil or gas? Your engine light comes ON and blinks don't worry!!! Reduce speed drastically. Get to your destination and check your spark plugs, one might have exploded... I mean the head blown off!!!

Or if you are lucky your spark plug wires are short of power! How do you know?? Pull out one spark plug wire from the spark plug while the engine is on. If the sound of your engine does not change, either the wire or the plug is bad! If the sound does change it's working fine! Now plug it back and repeat the same with the next wire. Remember, car must be on; precaution don't place the wire on metal. And please only hold rubber end.

RESOLVE THE PROBLEM BY CHANGING ALL SPARK PLUG WIRES AND PLUGS. THE TOTAL COST TO YOU WILL BE LESS THAN $80, if done yourself!!!

STEP (2) IF former works properly 85% it is the catalyst converter... go to a dealership and change it! Anyhow go to step (3).

STEP (3) NEXT: disable your battery and plug it back on, this is to reset your computer board... afterward start your car. Your engine light may still be on or off... but the car self diagnostic will switch it off after a couple of hours, BE PATIENT;... bizarre right?

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: YOUR ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON AND KEEP BLINKING IF YOUR SPARK PLUG/WIRE IS BAD... WHICH YOUR CAR WILL ASSUME TO BE YOU CATALYST CONVERTER! LESSON? YOUR SPARK PLUG/WIRE CAN DAMAGE YOUR CATALYST CONVERTER. BUT FIRST DEAL WITH THE PLUGS/WIRES. AND REPEAT STEP (3).

IF STEP (3) FAILS ITS MOST LIKELY THE CONVERTER!

STEP (4) Interior exterior Issues? VW plastic parts does not take likely to heat or external forces of nature. It expands and contracts and then stops, causing breakage, the chemistry is messed up in that one!!! JUST REPLACE IT!!!

IF YOU CAN PASS THIS HURDLE, YOU HAVE THE PERFECT CAR. IT IS REALLY A NICE CAR TO RIDE IF YOU OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING!!

P.S Change your oil every 2 months. I CHANGE MINE EVERY MONTH, CALL ME CRAZY... AND MY CAR RUNS SUPREME!!!

My daughter recently moved to the east coast and I inherited her 2002 VW Beetle. The smell of crayons is overwhelming and sickening. I had smelled it before but I was rarely in the car and so didn't pay close attention. Now I am driving the car and I know something is very wrong. If this problem is so widespread, someone must have taken legal action? I called the dealership and the representative told me he wasn't aware of any common problems with crayon smells and VW had not offered to fix any such problem. The smell definitely sticks to your clothes. Has anyone gotten VW to admit to a problem?

I have a 2002 Jetta that has the "crayon" smell. it is overwhelming and unmistakable. I researched it on the web and there seems to be three possibilities. The interior plastics, the insulation under the carpets and the rust proofing. I don't smell it coming from the interior plastic, I don't believe it would be so strong if it was rust proofing and today I pulled up the carpet and cut a piece of the sound proofing off. It is without doubt the waxy layer of backing on the sound proof material. I'm going to pursue it with VW.

I have a 2001 Jetta GLX with 110,000 miles. Similar problems to everyone else here - windows, glove box latch broken, and an engine light that never goes off.

I gave up with engine light. It has come on everytime I have started my car for the last 15,000 miles. Annoying, yes, but not worth it too get a light fixed when nothing is wrong.

I have stuck to the maintenance to a tee and have only got oil changes every 10,000 miles. So far - no major problems.

The crayon smell, yes! Mine went away at around 35,000 miles when all the annoying door goo finally leaked out during really hot weather. Has not returned.

Volkswagen just denies the problem. I have a 2007 beetle with the same CRAYON smell problem. I sent a formal complaint to VW of America and they told me today that their engineer and service director feel it is normal and they are dismissing my complaint. The smell makes me sick. I plan on going to the attorney general, media and BBB... anyone who will listen and help!

If you would like to join the fight, please speak up on this website and I will set up an e-mail address. Enough is enough!

I own a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T and I don't even notice the crayon smell anymore. Sometimes my friends will tell me they smell crayons, but it's a rare thing anymore. I've had several problems out of my car, but I love the thing more than words can say.

I've had to replace spark plugs and do all of that mess and my car still sometimes doesn't want to start. Within the past couple of days my car's brake pedal is incredibly hard to push.

I haven't had any problems with the windows, center console, or anything like that. My car has nearly 96K and I've experience nothing of that sort. My only problem is the check engine light is constantly on and sometimes my car doesn't start.

I love this car, but sometimes I wish someone would steal it so I don't have to deal with it.

I love my sapphire blue 2001 Jetta VR6.

But buying used and from a non-vw dealer is a BAD idea I think.

Unfortunately my car didn't love me in the start of the relationship. I believe that even thought there is nothing in the carfax that it has been through a super duper snow slip accident.

One wheel is was bent when I got it. So was the back axle which is hard to do, not extremely hard but still hard.

I have had to get three new tires and replace the strut mounts, the back breaks, pads and everything. Oh and tons of other suspension stuff. Also my idler pulley seized and exploded bearings into my windshield washer reservoir. The idler pulley is easy to get in and out and your car can run with out it for a super emergency but I wouldn't recommend it.

Radiator fluid is only sold through VW and Audi, it's pinkish red which is kinda cool but it is still a pain to find.

The one thing I noticed was my car smelled icky until I replaced the Cabin air filter. Then I sprayed it with febreeze and now it's fine. My oil pan is cracked (but sealed) so it stinks a little but only when you are outside of the car and when it is hot.

Now for the part that's most important.

If your ASR and anti lock brake light comes on get it in asap. When mine came on I thought oooh no big deal. Then I finally got it to a dealer and they had to replace the pump in my brake system. Parts ALONE cost $2600. But that was from the dealer and I couldn't shop around.

If your trunk latch decided to stop latching there is an easy fix. I swear it takes longer to take the fuzzy liner out then to actually fix the latch. There are a lot of forums that tell you how to, I used a clear plastic hair tie and now it is fine. Best way to figure out how to get the goofy thing on is take all the fuzzy stuff off and sit in your trunk with it open and watch the latch when you hit the button on your keys. Just wrap the hair tie, twist tie, spring, or what ever around the little arm and the mechanism that moves.

If your bumper likes to fall off!

My Jetta's grey silly bottom bumper thing is super deformed and catches on everything and use to rip the bumper clean off every time I got close to a parking block. Me and my Dad reinforced the holes with a little metal. Kinda like you do your note book paper with the little O stickies. On the top set there is a place you can jam a bit of sheet metal with a screw welded to it and it will be super strong. I have hooked it on stuff a few times and it hasn't popped off at all since! Unfortunately the grey thing falls off now, lol. But it is easy to snap back on and soon I will replace it.

When your changing the blinkers please be super careful! If the little clip gets snapped off it won't stay on super great. I can't tell you a good way to do it because I broke mine getting the silly thing off.

And that's all my advice! And random comments. Hope it helps some one out there!