Mitch K
Member
Hello all,
I just purchased my first diesel approx two weeks ago. I picked up a 2001 Jetta GLS TDI with 7600 miles on it. I love the car!!! However it has not been without its share of problems already. To start, the MIL came on about one hour after I drove off the lot. I did not purchase it from a VW dealer. It came from one of the rental car dealers. It was supposed to be a trade in. Anyway. I called the place where I purchased it and told them the MIL light was on. they contacted the local VW dealer and arranged for it to be repaired. I had already contacted VWoA and registered as the new owner. This was to verify that there was still a factory warranty on it and what it covered, among other things. I took it to the dealer who worked on it for a couple of hours, stating that they had to re-pin the turbo??? the car ran great for approx 1 week. I had to make my first long trip in it to Northern California (about 600 miles). About one hour from my destination, the MIL came on again and I lost power. The car still ran, but it didn't have much power. Since it was Sunday, there wasn't much choice but to drive it back home. I had already checked the engine so there wasn't any obvious mechanical problems. After I arrived home, I contacted the VW dealer, and told them that the MIL light had come on again and that I needed to get it serviced as I have another trip scheduled for this weekend. They got me in the next day 12-31-02. Later that day they called me to tell me that they had indeed found some trouble codes, but they didn't know what they meant, and that they had a call into VW tech support. At this time I'm getting a little anxious as wether or not these guys were competent to work on a diesel. They said they should have the car ready by today 1-02-02. Late this morning, they called and informed me that they had discovered that the turbo was failing and had to be replaced. I asked when that would be. they told me that if UPS delivered it in the morning,( it was expressed out today) they would have it back to me the afternoon 1-03-02. At this point, I must say that my experience with this dealer has been quite good. It has not cost me a cent, and the turbo was being replaced under warranty( without any reluctance). When I originally purchased the car, it was at night and I missed a 50 cent size spot on the front passenger quarter panel where the clearcoat had seperated from the base coat. I showed this to the service manager who promptly gave me the number of the shop that they have their body work done at and sent me to get a bid, which was promptly approved. As soon as I get the car back, I am supposed to make an appointment to get the front quarter repainted. So other than the car being in the shop twice in as many weeks, I am impressed with the dealership. I guess the only question I now have, is this car going to be constantly in the garage? Did I make a mistake buying this car? I guess only time will tell. I've read so many horror stories on the and other forums that I now question wether buying this car was the right decision. I made the decision to purchase the diesel based on the fuel economy and life span, but if it turns into a maintenance nightmare, then its not worht it. I am a fairly good mechanic and have good eletronics knowledge. I already plan on getting the VAG-COM interface to do my own future diagnostics/repairs. I guess the question I am asking, is should I keep the car or start looking for something else. Any and all comments are welcome.
Thanks
Mitch
I just purchased my first diesel approx two weeks ago. I picked up a 2001 Jetta GLS TDI with 7600 miles on it. I love the car!!! However it has not been without its share of problems already. To start, the MIL came on about one hour after I drove off the lot. I did not purchase it from a VW dealer. It came from one of the rental car dealers. It was supposed to be a trade in. Anyway. I called the place where I purchased it and told them the MIL light was on. they contacted the local VW dealer and arranged for it to be repaired. I had already contacted VWoA and registered as the new owner. This was to verify that there was still a factory warranty on it and what it covered, among other things. I took it to the dealer who worked on it for a couple of hours, stating that they had to re-pin the turbo??? the car ran great for approx 1 week. I had to make my first long trip in it to Northern California (about 600 miles). About one hour from my destination, the MIL came on again and I lost power. The car still ran, but it didn't have much power. Since it was Sunday, there wasn't much choice but to drive it back home. I had already checked the engine so there wasn't any obvious mechanical problems. After I arrived home, I contacted the VW dealer, and told them that the MIL light had come on again and that I needed to get it serviced as I have another trip scheduled for this weekend. They got me in the next day 12-31-02. Later that day they called me to tell me that they had indeed found some trouble codes, but they didn't know what they meant, and that they had a call into VW tech support. At this time I'm getting a little anxious as wether or not these guys were competent to work on a diesel. They said they should have the car ready by today 1-02-02. Late this morning, they called and informed me that they had discovered that the turbo was failing and had to be replaced. I asked when that would be. they told me that if UPS delivered it in the morning,( it was expressed out today) they would have it back to me the afternoon 1-03-02. At this point, I must say that my experience with this dealer has been quite good. It has not cost me a cent, and the turbo was being replaced under warranty( without any reluctance). When I originally purchased the car, it was at night and I missed a 50 cent size spot on the front passenger quarter panel where the clearcoat had seperated from the base coat. I showed this to the service manager who promptly gave me the number of the shop that they have their body work done at and sent me to get a bid, which was promptly approved. As soon as I get the car back, I am supposed to make an appointment to get the front quarter repainted. So other than the car being in the shop twice in as many weeks, I am impressed with the dealership. I guess the only question I now have, is this car going to be constantly in the garage? Did I make a mistake buying this car? I guess only time will tell. I've read so many horror stories on the and other forums that I now question wether buying this car was the right decision. I made the decision to purchase the diesel based on the fuel economy and life span, but if it turns into a maintenance nightmare, then its not worht it. I am a fairly good mechanic and have good eletronics knowledge. I already plan on getting the VAG-COM interface to do my own future diagnostics/repairs. I guess the question I am asking, is should I keep the car or start looking for something else. Any and all comments are welcome.
Thanks
Mitch
