What has your reliability been with VW in general?

I have been researching cars alot, and I test drove a jetta TDI and wow is it fun. It's a tottaly different feel of a car, and therz something about it where it feels like a go-kart or something and it's a blast to drive! Maybe only b/c I've been driving a honda odyssey since I've been driving (just hit the 200,000 mark today ) So anything compared to that is faster. My only verrrry deep concern which makes me apprehensive is reliability! I am going to be sharing this car with my parents as I commute to school and car pool with another person, and will be using as a weekend car and it's very important that it doesn't break on me. Consumer Reports gives every VW dismal ratings (lower then any car) and I don't want to be cought broken down somewhere or have rattling doors and everything falling apart. I've read on MSN car info shopping thing (proobly not the most reliable source) that alot of people were VERY unsatified with their Jettas, the happy ones seemed to be the ones with TDI (which are directly from german factories?). I know that from 99-2002, Bad sensors and window packs were an issue but even some 2003 people had problems and 1 year isn't a very reliable source to go by. Are there any other sources which I can check that are repituable like Consumer Reports (although, some of there test are really messed up, but still reliable) that I see how the jetta fares up?

just some additional notes, My family and I drive about 20,000 miles a year and the other cars i'm looking at is the mazda 3, jetta TDI, and subaru imprezza

I have had my '03 since January 2003. It has 60,000 miles and all I have done is replaced oil and filter, fuel filter, added coolant, and fuel. The radio reception was terrible and was replaced under warranty. Oh yeah, I have had the rear bumper replaced twice for being hit from behind by people not paying attention to the road. All in all, I have been very pleased with the reliability.
Ken

Unfortunately, it isn't really possible to see how a vehicle stands up until it is several years old.

My '96 Passat has 393,000 km on it now. I have had to fix things, but nothing unexpected with something this age. It has gone at least 100,000 km longer than the odometer at which any previous vehicle I've ever owned has gone to the junkpile, and that includes two Toyota vehicles. I take care of it - I fix little things before they become big things - I use the recommended fluids.

My dad, who has more $ for buying new toys than I do, has had three later-model VW's. All have been good, none have been perfect.

The current model Golf/Jetta has been around for a while. The bad thing is that people are starting to look at it as "dated". The GOOD thing is that most of the problems that have come up over the years have been fixed, and the problems that are left, are mostly known on sites like this.

Our 2001 NB 1.8T has been a good car. It currently has 60k miles. No real problems. A couple of small things, but nothing that would leave you stranded.

I know that the few TDI's that make it to the U.S. are from germany, but the rest of VW (1.8T,2.0) are made in Mexico. Could TDI's have better reliability b/c the factories that are making them are better then the ones at mexico?

are my facts strait here?

I know that the few TDI's that make it to the U.S. are from germany, but the rest of VW (1.8T,2.0) are made in Mexico. Could TDI's have better reliability b/c the factories that are making them are better then the ones at mexico?

are my facts strait here?

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Nope. The problems people have reported are all due to subcomponents, not assembly. Therefore, the same problems affect German-assembled Golfs/Jettas that affect Mexican- or Brazilian-assembled cars. The quality control, employee training, and equipment is all the same no matter where the VW factory is. Our Mexican-built Jetta was just as reliable as our German-built Passat.

My first two TDI's were manufactured in Mexico with no glaring defects and no serious problems while I owned them. My 05' wagon was made in Germany, but it is too new to give any feedback. None of them has every stranded me. I will continue to purchase VW TDI's with confidence as long as they are available. Nice to have a site like this to keep up on the info good and bad about our cars.

My 2000 Golf has been very reliable for me and has never really had any issues.

I was going to give you a lengthy argument in favor of the TDI... then realized that I already did when you first asked these questions about a month ago. So what I said then still applies. If you want a TDI, buy one. If you treat it right, it should serve you well for 300k or 400k miles or more. Treat it badly, and you will probably dump it off on some poor schlub in a couple years.

What has your reliability been with VW in general?

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Excellent. One or two very minor problems, no major problems of any kind.

I know i've posted Posts that have simulair topics but I want to be educated so I can make a rational desicion for buying a car and wanted to hear more opinions. I really apreciate all the help that everyone's been giving and i'm sorry if I've been a hinderance but I rather post again then make a finacial mistake. No harm intended

Just don't wana be ignorant or make bad choices

Just don't wana be ignorant or make bad choices

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Don't worry about it.

Some people learn from their mistakes. Me? I'd rather learn from the mistakes of others.

My take... Well first off thanks to this site my life with my TDI has been much happier than it would have been otherwise. If you will be at the mercy of a dealership good luck. Hopefully you are one of the lucky ones who has a good service department. I love my car and keep it in top running condition myself. I have known and heard of many people who had Jetta's and will never buy another VW again. Infact I was out to dinner with friends last summer and cars came up. Someone at the table asked what I drive and when I said a VW Beetle he gasped. He then went on to tell what a nightmare his Jetta was and the final straw was when he put the key in the ignition after a morning jog turned it and a big puff of smoke came out of it. It's the little things with these cars that can make one crazy. I will say though,,, now that my Beetle is 61/2 years old it is finally perfect. These are the only cars I know if that get better with age.

My '02: Intermitant brake warning light until ABS control circuit board replaced under federal recall...no more light. The ONLY problem I've had. I start my 4th year with this car this month. 57K miles.

Mrs. V's '03 Jettawagen: 28K miles. Flawless!

I bought my 2003 Jetta TDI about 18 months ago. It currently has just over 44,600 miles. I have changed the oil and filter regularly, topped off a few other fluids, and that is about it. Oh, I did have a light bulb burn out behind my climate controls at about 42K, but it was fixed under warrenty while I waited. (It was a good chance for me to test drive the new Passat TDI Wagon anyway . TDI ownership is very easy as a member of this site. You are surrounded by some of the finest diesel gearheads who have already answered most of your questions a hundred times. I have learned volumes just from reading these posts, and the FAQ. If you haven't already, check out the FAQ while your here.

I love my Beetle, but it will be the last VW I ever buy. If you want reliability, get a Toyota. I'm really sorry to be like this, especially on this Forum, but I have had more things go wrong with this car than any other vehicle I have ever had - and I used to own a Triumph Spitfire! If it weren't for this site, I would have driven it into a quarry and reported it stolen. My busted transmission is the last straw.

Most problems were covered by the warranty. However, the fact that these things break is a testimony to the lack of quality. Windows regulators, relays, glow plugs, harnesses, MAFs, water pumps, fuel lines, window switches, mirror switches, fuses, cooling fans, battery boxes, oil pans are all subject to problems. Now, at 114,000 miles, I have to have my manual transmission rebuilt. I never mistreated this car or any of my cars. 95 percent of my mileage is highway at 70 mph, and I now have transmission problems?! Give me a break! I had 214,000 miles on my Celica when I traded it for the NB and all I ever did was change the oil - Never any major repairs.

Well, I have learned my lesson. No more VW, no matter how fun they are to drive. This is a great car if you are a VW mechanic. If you like reliable transportation that will give you trouble-free years and miles, VW ain't the way to go. Any money I have saved because of the economy of the TDI engine has been far wasted at the repair shop. I would be ahead of the game with a reliable car that got half the fuel mileage of the TDI.

I know I sound like a disgruntled owner, but I am tired of defending my VW to people. I guess I have realized the truth.

Whew. I feel better now, at least until I get the tranny bill. And no, VW would not cover the rebuilt tranny.

When I truly enjoy a vehicle, I can put up with its' small problems much more easily. My '00 has had a few issues here and there in 90k miles. Nothing major and never anything that cost me much if anything to fix. I enjoy driving it, like the looks, features, and the mileage. My previous vehicles were appliance Toyotas that were generally reliable, but the last one gave me quite a few problems. It's twice as annoying when you have problems with a vehicle purchased mainly as a reliable appliance.

The Subarus aren't exactly highly reliable either, and the Mazda 3 is probably too new to tell. Both are decent vehicles, with different personalities that you may or may not enjoy. I personally would just pick whichever you really like best and hope for the best on reliability.

Satummoo-
You are asking about reliability. It sounds like you have limited time and other people depending on your car. I am assuming you are considering a new purchase and not used. That would be a major consideration, as well as the local dealership's service. Service at VW dealerships has a pretty poor rep, in general.

I own 2 TDI's, so I'll report my experience on both:

'01 Golf GL (plain jane- no power windows), made in Brazil and purchased new in Sep '01- currently has 107K miles.
-ABS light came on when driving home from the dealership (~500 miles as I was driving it from Dallas to Michigan). ABS control Module replaced by dealer, under warranty of course.
-ABS unit replaced again under recall about 4 months later. Brakes felt spongy after the replacement and I got into a big pissing match with the service dept over that- but it was resolved in the end.
-MAF failed around 90K miles. I don't know if the aftermarket oiled foam filter I put in at 50K miles had anything to do with that. This was $90 for the part.
-Right rear caliper malfunctioned (one pad worn down to the rivets) around 90K miles and had to replace the rotor because it was gouged up. $150 for a shop to fix this.

'97 Passat, made in Deutschland and purchased about 1 month ago with 126K miles on it.
-central locking feature inop- previous owner didn't even know it had this feature. Troubleshooting in progress.
-ignition switch malfunctioning. Even though there is a Technical Service Bulletin to replace this, it is only valid until the car has 100K miles. I think this item should last the lifetime of the car- same goes for the central locking function. I currently have the switch guts replaced but need to disassemble the steering column to install them into the lock assembly.
-CEL on when I bought the car. Through the resources on this site, I was able to fix the car by replacing some tubing to the computer even though the code was for an internal ROM error in the ECM.
-oil leak when I bought the car- fitting at turbo inlet replaced by dealership for $150.
-coolant leak when I bought the car from cheap plastic fitting used at the cylinder head. replaced by dealership for $100.

If you don't have time to work on the car because of your schedule, and would be up the creek if it needed to be worked on, I would suggest you consider a Honda or Toyota. Funny that your old car is an Odyssey. Our other car is a '99 Odyssey with 125K miles and I have had a coolant leak at the head which I fixed the coolant leak with a new gasket. The transmission went out after warranty expired- stranding me while on vacation. After some lobbying, Honda of America gave me a new transmission- a $5000 value. I bring this up to contrast with VWOA's dismal customer service record. My '89 Honda Civic still had fully functional power windows and locks when I drove it to a scrap yard with 190K miles on it. It was rusting out and had a hole in its gas tank. My '90 Toyota Corrola (no power options) was completely reliable for 70K miles and we sold it for a larger '86 Camry. Camry power options were fully functional at 150K miles when we sold it and got the Odyssey.

Maybe the newer VW's are better made. I still question their customer service. If you are reliant on this if problems do come up- then you are better off with Honda or Toyota.

Sorry for the long post. hth
-tom

After 30,000 miles (I've owned it almost a year now) no problems to report. Thanks to this site, I do my own oil & filter, air filter, fuel filter, and cabin filter changes. I've saved a ton of money on fuel (compared to the V-8 Grand Cherokee that I used to drive). I know it's probably a little too early to tell, but I think I'm in it for the long haul with my TDI.

I did the research, like you, prior to buying my TDI. At some point I made a "leap of faith" realizing that no vehicle is perfect and that some people have better experiences with identical vehicles than others. I discount Consumer Reports to some extent because I think they're biased towards Japanese vehicles (I can't factually support this, however). I bought my TDI hoping for the best and also hoping that I wouldn't get a "bad one".

So far, I haven't been disappointed. Good luck.

I thought that NBs and Jettas were from Mexico and that Golfs were from Brazil?

Anyhow, 55,000 trouble-free miles. This is VW #4 (diesel #2) and VW #20 or so in the family and all have been excellent vehicles.

My 2002 Golf was assembled in Brazil.
Its covered 85,000 km, thats 53,000 miles. at 59.4 mpgUS.

In its early days it had a slight leak of the engine coolant, and a badly connected vacuum pipe, both of these were fixed in the first 5k miles.
Since then, its been purrrfick.

What Chrisb said above is pretty much my experience with VW.

My 2000 Golf TDI is my first VW and it will be my last, though I'm still very pro-diesel. I've only owned 4 cars in my life, but my Golf has definitely been the most troublesome and the most maintenance intensive. I too have spent several times over what I saved in fuel on repairs. The dealership and two independant shops have each CAUSED new problems when I've brought the car to them.

I agree with some others, if you like to tinker with your car, get a VW. I want something that's reliable, there are dealers everywhere and I can get parts anywhere, so I'm waiting for the upcoming 2005 Chevy Cobalt Coupe.

Steve

My 2001 Golf GLS 5-speed has been perfect, as far as the engine and drive system go. In the first year or so I had a lot of minor electrical problems (lights not turning off, car latches, etc.), but these were all repaired under warranty.

I've owned 2 VWs now, my girlfriend has a 2000 Passat, and my parents have driven Jettas since 1985. Here's the rundown of the cars I've owned:

2001 Jetta GLS 1.8T Wolfsburg Edition:
Bought Certified used, 29,000mi
<ul type="square">[*]Window Regulator Clips and Ignition Coils replaced under warranty before they failed.
[*]PCV hose cracked, causing oil condensation under the intake manifold. I could have driven it like that indefinitely, but I didn't like the mess.
[*]Door lock control module on the driver's door died, so the car didn't know when the door was open.
[*]Had the brake light switch replaced under warranty.
[*]The MAF sensor died at about 49,000mi
[/list]
None of those problems cost me any money or caused me to not be able to drive the car. I sold the car with 53,000mi on it and got a brand-new Golf TDI. I've had it for about 500 miles--no problems so far!

2000 Passat GLS 1.8T
Bought Used, 36,000mi
<ul type="square">[*]MAF Sensor replaced under warranty
[*]Rear wheel well liner recall
[/list]
That's it. The car has about 51,000mi on it now and is in great shape.

My parents' Jettas (1985, 1990, 1996, and 2004 TDI) have all been workhorses. The '96 has been rear-ended twice and is still going strong. No major problems. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend VWs to anyone (and I do, often! ).

I've had my 04 NB since February. So far:
Rear hatch rattle. Take to dealer for adjustment.
Brakes sticking. Take to dealer, who couldn't reproduce. Brakes still stick occasionally.
Sunroof rattled. Dealer replaced track mechanism.
Seat release handle came off. Dealer replaced.
Driver window popped off a track or something, resulting in
a loud clunk on roll down. Dealer fixed.
Loud creaking noise when turning right. Been to dealer twice, dropping car off for a whole day the second time. Problem persists, taking to dealer AGAIN this weekend.

I have a 03 Jetta Wagon. To straigthen some of the people out, the wagons are built in Germany. Yes it is subassemblies, but those are all sourced locally.

Car was bought new in June 03, I have 53K miles on it. Changed oil and fluids and that has been it. Small squeek in the dash which I can't seem to solve that drives me nuts once in a while. Also the rear window's sensitivity needs to be adjusted, when it rolls up, sometimes it hits the top and goes back down again. But that has been it for me.

I took a major leap of faith too to buy a VW, always have been a Japanese car person before. I could not overlook the cost per mile of the TDI, so I can justify it. I work sales and drive all over the place, so my per mile cost was VERY important. Also if I do have a major issue, I feel I can fix alot of things, and I also have another car to use.

Tony

I could not overlook the cost per mile of the TDI, so I can justify it. I work sales and drive all over the place, so my per mile cost was VERY important.

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Ditto. My Golf is one month newer than yours, and I've just rolled past 67k miles. Cost per mile has been really low. But if I was only driving 10k-20k miles a year, I would have considered several other possibilities.

My 2001 5-speed has 58K miles at 51.6 MPG. Only failure was the temp sensor, black housing. Replaced with green housing per the forum and cleared CEL.

Still on original Michelin MXV4s. Timing belt coming up

Wife wants an auto tranny...we'll be looking at the Passat TDI when the time comes - I'm negotiating for a new motorcycle if she gets a new car

John C

143K on my 2000 Jetta, oil changes fuel filters, two tire changes, one MAF, two timing belt changes. I am so looking forward to 500k

’02 Jetta GLS, Silver Arrow Metallic, Automatic, Cold Weather Package, TDIHeater, Tinted Windows, Perfect Fit Bra, Turbo Diesel Badges, Audi TT Lift Pads, Hella E-code Headlights with fogs, Euro Switch, 5 Brake Light Mod, XM Radio, OEM Steel Skid Plate, OEM Fuel Line Shield, Intercooler Screen, Modified Screenectomy, Ventectomy, CCV Filter, Engine Cover Kit, CAT 2 Micron Fuel Filter, Mobil Delvac 1.

Problems
Window regulators week 2 of owning, but was expecting the problem and the fix.

Coolant Temp Sensor at about 3000 miles.

Nothing since and car just rolled over 40,000 miles and purrs like a cat. Top speed achieved is 127 mph by GPS, 130 by speedo running AMOCO PowerBlend 50+ cetane fuel. Top speed on '83 MB was 92 mph with same fuel, man was the little 2.4L, 67 hp, NA 4 cyl automatic humming in that 3500 lb tank.