How is VW reliability?

1heavyfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Location
Monterey, CA
TDI
2016 GTI Autobahn DSG
I am on the verge of buying an 04 Golf GLS TDI but have some concerns over the general reliability of VW's. JD Powers ranks VW very low for reliability (see graph below) and also found some threads on www.carspace.com that bash reliability pretty good.

I'm a big fan of how they drive, interior materials, TDI engine, etc but just don't want to have a nightmare with service issues.

Looking at a low mileage car and am considering getting and extended bumper to bumber VW warranty to cover any issues that may arise. Appreciate your experience!



 

Bob_Fout

Oil Wanker
Joined
Sep 5, 2004
Location
Indiana
TDI
2003 Jetta - Alaska Green (sold) / 2015 GTI 2.0T
IIRC that chart does not take into account how serious a problem is. An engine failure has the same weight as a knob coming loose. Not in real life!

What I found out is...pick any well-known auto maker, and overall they'll each be as reliable as the next. I don't think my Jetta has any better or worse reliability than any other "name brand" foriegn or domestic car.

It's all chance really.
 

bigEZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2005
Location
out there
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen; 2006 New Beetle
what bob said. i think the foreign and luxury car makers also get better ratings b/c of better customer service (ie, you're willing to forgive that little rattle if your dealer is nice to you and appears to know what they're doing). vw suffers in this area b/c their customer service pretty much sucks across the board.
 

vwrobert51

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
Maui Hawaii
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon
i find that if you take care of your car with all the recomended dealer services,and you use the factory spec fluids and fuels, and have a quality tech perform service ,and READ THE OWNERS MANUAL! you should be ok. BUT!. if you drive it into the ground and use the cheap stuff,and never read the owners manual, and have billybobs backyard we do it all for cheap, repair shop service your car, then its going to be a P.O.S. real soon! this rule goes for any mfg. car on the market. and yes some things break but that way they have waranty, but again if you use it properly it will last longer. my advise? buy the tdi and enjoy it.but just follow the advise, its all up to you.
 

wjdell

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 17, 2006
Location
Central Florida
TDI
06 Jetta TDI DSG PKG 1 17" VV Campy White/Beige
The VW diesel is the most reliable diesel car under 25,000, its hands down. You show one other that is as reliable. None can compare.

:):)
 

wjdell

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 17, 2006
Location
Central Florida
TDI
06 Jetta TDI DSG PKG 1 17" VV Campy White/Beige
justpaddlek1 said:
Funny guy....its also the ONLY Diesel under 25K <LOL>
I have posted that twice and you are the first to see its a trick answer.
:)
and I double dog dared them.
 

DrewD

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2004
I thought he meant, "the most reliable car with under 25,000 miles on odometer."
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
In '91 when I bought my Jetta they were DEAD LAST on that list. Still waiting for my 15 year old Volkswagen to break down...:rolleyes:

FWIW I have purchased 5 Volkswagens brand new, never had a peep of trouble out of any of them under warranty. In fact, the Passat's tandem pump recall is the only time ANY of my Volkswagens have been back to a dealer for anything, ever.

In 200k miles, I can count on one hand how many things needed attention on our '98 Jetta we had, and none of that was serious nor required a tow truck. And NOTHING on my '91 broke in the first 200k miles. :D Unless you consider a few light bulbs, everything else was normal PM. It still has the original clutch! :eek:

But even if some minor things do pop up on the newer cars, which they do often enough, it is still a nice car to drive that just happens to get really good fuel economy. But they do require, as stated above, the routine PM done by the book, with the correct parts and fluids. A Volkswagen is not an applicance.
 

wjdell

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 17, 2006
Location
Central Florida
TDI
06 Jetta TDI DSG PKG 1 17" VV Campy White/Beige
I would be more afraid of Crysler and they are way up from VW. I was in the auto industry for 17 years. After 1982 most problems were caused by a loose nut behind the wheel.
 

Matthew_S

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Location
Renton/Redmond, WA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS galactic blue
I think reliability has a lot to do with the driver/owner. My last car was a 91 Wolfsburg jetta and was the best car I ever owned ('till now). I bought it with 80k mile and when I sold it with 202k on it and it ran a drove almost as well as the day I bought it. My other cars included two Fiat 124s (spider and wagon), Fiat 128, Fiat X1/9 (still have it) and even a Yugo! All of those supposedly unreliable cars worked just fine for me. The worst car I ever owned was a 1976 Honda Civic CVCC. I bought it when I was 16 and beat the livin' crap out of it. I was just learning to work on cars back then and probably screwed up more stuff than I fixed. That car broke down constantly.
 

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
1heavyfoot said:
I am on the verge of buying an 04 Golf GLS TDI but have some concerns over the general reliability of VW's.
Since you are shopping for a used car, instead of look at the general reliability of a VW, or any make of automobile, you should be focusing 95% on the specific reliability of this specific vehicle.

Have you examined the maintenance history, or does it have so few miles that you believe it could not have been improperly maintained? Newer TDIs, starting with the 2004 model year, require a motor oil meeting the VW 505.01 specification. A few thousand miles with some other synthetic motor oil won't cause any damage -- but without a maintenance history, how can you be sure the previous owner didn't use a cheap gasoline-engine-only conventional oil?

Is this car being offered by a dealership? Since they bought it at auction from out-of-state (no Golf TDIs were sold in California in 2004), they don't know anything about it.

If you are serious about buying a TDI, contact Harvieux (Leonard Harview) at Wild Rose Motors in Fullerton. He sells only VW TDIs. He does not buy and does not sell poor-quality TDIs.

If he does not have what you want right now, he can find it for you.
 

NFSTDI

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Sunny California :)
TDI
'98 Jetta
It's all relative....to your driving, mechanical skill, willingness to pay for maint. and repairs, etc. Both of my vehicles have been extremely reliable although I don't hesitate to spend the money to do things the right way. My Ford van has had the lions share of it's maint. performed by two top notch dealers since birth. My VW gets most of it's work done by me or my trusted independant shop down the the street.

I'd say my VW has been one of the most reliable cars I've owned even though I bought it with 193K. I've owned lots of a American trucks, a few American cars, a Bavarian car, A Toyota and a Nissan. I would not trade my VW for any of them!
 

MelsBlueTDI

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Location
Muskego, Wisconsin
TDI
Jetta
I will be getting my new Jetta TDI in October and my father keeps telling me that VW's are not reliable cars. He just doesn't want me to get it. He wants me to get a Toyota. But he thinks that getting a Scion for himself is the greatest decision. My opinion of reliability of any car is taking care of it. If you treat your car like crap, that's what it will end up to be. And besides, every car from every company has a problem, no car is perfect. I'm getting my Jetta TDI and I'm not letting anyone change my mind!
 

bogeyboy99

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2006
Location
Louisville, KY
TDI
2006 TDI
Its Your Money

MelsBlueTDI said:
I will be getting my new Jetta TDI in October and my father keeps telling me that VW's are not reliable cars. He just doesn't want me to get it. He wants me to get a Toyota. But he thinks that getting a Scion for himself is the greatest decision. My opinion of reliability of any car is taking care of it. If you treat your car like crap, that's what it will end up to be. And besides, every car from every company has a problem, no car is perfect. I'm getting my Jetta TDI and I'm not letting anyone change my mind!
Why not buy what you want? There is no end of people willing to tell you what to do. I checked into VW reliability and found that it was less than stellar...but that their reliability was on the increase. Also, I discovered it was vehicle specific. The TDI's didn't seem to have the issues some of the other models had. Lots of people told me my Ford Ranger was junk but I never had a problem and it was a great truck. I had lots of people tell me what I should buy but not one of them was willing to help with the payments.
Even reliable Toyota is recalling thousands of cars. If I wanted an appliance, I would have bought a Honda. I got the Jetta 'cause it's a fun car to drive.
Good luck with yours...I know you'll love it. ;)
 

NFSTDI

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Sunny California :)
TDI
'98 Jetta
VW definitely has some issues with electrical problems, especially the electric windows. If you want your VW to be more reliable consider manual windows...that said I'd get the electric ones if I were making a new or nearly new purchase!

Consider for a moment how far you can drive between oil changes with a TDI. Now go ask your dad how often he will have to change the oil on his Scion.

When I owned my BMW I quickly learned that the "tune ups" were quite pricey! I also discovered that they don't have to be done as often. It's a trade off for sure but fuel economy and smiles per mile are worth it!
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Just thought I'd point out, with regards to the oil changes... it is NOT just the TDI that enjoys a 10k mile interval. Most every modern car has that. A Toyota will be perfectly happy going 10k miles between oil changes. Honda has 10k right in the maintenance schedule, and does not require any special synthetic oil, either.

The 3000 mile oil change interval is a myth propogated by Quickie-lubes and DIY parts stores. It is wasteful, unnecessary, and a complete load of BS. I've got a 19 year old Mazda pickup in the driveway that got Castrol GTX (non-synthetic) oil changes every 7500 miles, by the book. And it is still running, 100% original engine, at 404k miles.

The key is to check and replenish oil.
 

Ian F

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2002
Location
Croydon, PA
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2003, Indigo Blue
My '03 TDI wagon has been rock-reliable for nearly 97K miles. I've replaced one glow plug so far. Original clutch, brakes, etc... Everything else has been standard maintenance.

FWIW, I had a '91 Acura Integra that really liked oil changes at 3-4K miles. I always knew when it was time for a change as gas mileage would drop from the low-mid 30's to the mid-high 20's. Change the oil: right back to normal... Never made sense to anybody who knows oil, but the car was like that for the 150K miles I owned it. :confused:
 

FL2AK-tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 19, 2006
Location
Tampa, FL
TDI
'01 Jetta GLS Sedan
1heavyfoot said:
I am on the verge of buying an 04 Golf GLS TDI but have some concerns over the general reliability of VW's. JD Powers ranks VW very low for reliability (see graph below) and also found some threads on www.carspace.com that bash reliability pretty good.

I'm a big fan of how they drive, interior materials, TDI engine, etc but just don't want to have a nightmare with service issues.

Looking at a low mileage car and am considering getting and extended bumper to bumber VW warranty to cover any issues that may arise. Appreciate your experience!QUOTE]

I'm not going to give my opinion on VW relaibility. Some people here have noted that opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one. However, I think you owe it to your self to peruse the untold thousands of seemingly endless threads in this very forum relating to maintenace. Almost no one here is going to bash their car. We like our cars, we love our cars, or we wouldn't have bought them. Asking for an honet opinion about TDI's here, at least in some respect, might be like asking a VW dealership salesman if it's a good car or not. So instead of asking about our experiences, read about them; you'll get a different picture, I think.
 

jayp111

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2005
Location
Undisclosed location
TDI
n/a
FL2AK-tdi said:
I'm not going to give my opinion on VW relaibility. Some people here have noted that opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one. However, I think you owe it to your self to peruse the untold thousands of seemingly endless threads in this very forum relating to maintenace. Almost no one here is going to bash their car. We like our cars, we love our cars, or we wouldn't have bought them. Asking for an honet opinion about TDI's here, at least in some respect, might be like asking a VW dealership salesman if it's a good car or not. So instead of asking about our experiences, read about them; you'll get a different picture, I think.
I'm inclined to say that the quality and reliability of <most> modern autos is pretty good. In the end its a complex machine and there are bound to be repairs......people expect this.....the problem is not as much the occasional repair as much as HOW that repair is handled.

What gives the end user the perception of reliability/unreliability is the ability/willingness of the dealer/manufacturer to address issues in a timely way and to properly diagnose and repair issues in a timely fashion without having to resort to legal action to get it fixed.

VWoA has clearly demonstrated an unwillingness to take care of the issues that arise. Their Customer Service is far and above the worst that I have EVER experienced....the good news is that they won't have to do much to show improvement :cool:.

Many/Most dealerships lack competant service advisors/tech's to provide good cust service and accurate diagnosis and repair of modern auto's. Poorly repaired vehicles quickly become unreliable vehicles.

When you combine these 2 you end up with a whole lot of problems and angry customers and the perception that the car is unreliable.
 

1heavyfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Location
Monterey, CA
TDI
2016 GTI Autobahn DSG
Thanks for all of the feedback! I am moving ahead with my TDI purchase and look forward to getting my new rig and tweaking it with the help of the members/input here.
 

MelsBlueTDI

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Location
Muskego, Wisconsin
TDI
Jetta
bogeyboy99 said:
Why not buy what you want? There is no end of people willing to tell you what to do. I checked into VW reliability and found that it was less than stellar...but that their reliability was on the increase. Also, I discovered it was vehicle specific. The TDI's didn't seem to have the issues some of the other models had. Lots of people told me my Ford Ranger was junk but I never had a problem and it was a great truck. I had lots of people tell me what I should buy but not one of them was willing to help with the payments.
Even reliable Toyota is recalling thousands of cars. If I wanted an appliance, I would have bought a Honda. I got the Jetta 'cause it's a fun car to drive.
Good luck with yours...I know you'll love it. ;)
Thanks! I'll remember that line about people telling you what to buy but they aren't willing to help with the payments. Next time my dad gets on my case about the Jetta, I'll drop that line and see what he comes back with. :) :D
 

Txst

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Location
San Antonio, Texas
TDI
Shadow Blue 06 Jetta TDI
dieseldorf said:
Personally, I think this graph is just a load of Bologna. Anyone can put together a graph and slant it to their own liking or way of viewing things. My toyota was the worst vehicle I ever owned as far as reliability. So far, I have seen VW's do much better. I'd buy a VW over a toyota any time.
 
Last edited:

jayp111

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2005
Location
Undisclosed location
TDI
n/a
Txst said:
Personally, I think this graph is just a load of Bologna. Anyone can put together a graph and slant it to their own liking or way of viewing things. My toyota was the worst vehicle I ever owned as far as reliability. So far, I have seen VW's do much better. I'd buy a VW over a toyota any time.
Out of curiousity what year, model, engine, tranny was the toyota that you had trouble with and what were the issues?
 

Txst

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Location
San Antonio, Texas
TDI
Shadow Blue 06 Jetta TDI
It was a brand new 1989 Toyota 4x4, 4cyl. It had a knocking in the engine shortly after about 10k miles. The mechanics said it wouldn't hurt anything and that it wasn't loud enough to cause a change of engine but I sure didn't like it. I was young and didn't know much about 4x4's so I took alot of their word for it at the time. I don't even remember what they told me was causing it and I'm not a mechanic. Also, the bench seat was very cheap and uncomfortable. It lacked any real power at all. It wasn't good on gas for as small and light as it was. To make it 4 wheel drive, I had to get out of the truck and turn the little wheel inside the front rims. You couldn't just change it on the fly (boy was that fun during bad weather!). The interior was cheap all around and was cramped. The radio and speakers were junk. On top of all that, the dealer pulled the old bait and switch on me which I didn't realize until later that day when I was already half-way to New York because I was moving from Arizona after getting out of the Air Force so I ended up with a different truck than the dealer was working on with me (they knew I was on a time schedule). The truck looked nice on the outside but was very cheaply made. It had no extras but cost plenty. I will never buy another Toyota period. If I knew then, what I know now...I would have been able to save myself a bunch of grief. But atleast it's in the past and I won't have to deal with them again. Replacement parts were very expensive also. I bought into the hype about Toyota products and gave them a chance once...but never again.
 
Last edited:

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
The 22RE engine in your truck had a piston slap problem, very common, that is probably what the noise was. It was annoying, had to do with improper head/block/piston tolerances, IIRC.

Despite that, and not being especially powerful, the 22RE was a pretty good engine overall. It was far better than the head gasket blowing 3.0L V6 they had at the time :rolleyes:
 

jayp111

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2005
Location
Undisclosed location
TDI
n/a
Txst said:
It was a brand new 1989 Toyota 4x4, 4cyl. It had a knocking in the engine shortly after about 10k miles. The mechanics said it wouldn't hurt anything and that it wasn't loud enough to cause a change of engine but I sure didn't like it. I was young and didn't know much about 4x4's so I took alot of their word for it at the time. I don't even remember what they told me was causing it and I'm not a mechanic. Also, the bench seat was very cheap and uncomfortable. It lacked any real power at all. It wasn't good on gas for as small and light as it was. To make it 4 wheel drive, I had to get out of the truck and turn the little wheel inside the front rims. You couldn't just change it on the fly (boy was that fun during bad weather!). The interior was cheap all around and was cramped. The radio and speakers were junk. On top of all that, the dealer pulled the old bait and switch on me which I didn't realize until later that day when I was already half-way to New York because I was moving from Arizona after getting out of the Air Force so I ended up with a different truck than the dealer was working on with me (they knew I was on a time schedule). The truck looked nice on the outside but was very cheaply made. It had no extras but cost plenty. I will never buy another Toyota period. If I knew then, what I know now...I would have been able to save myself a bunch of grief. But atleast it's in the past and I won't have to deal with them again. Replacement parts were very expensive also. I bought into the hype about Toyota products and gave them a chance once...but never again.
I had an 83 Toy LB 4x4 Pickup...put 190,000 on it....original clutch. 1 Timing Chain/etc. Otherwise ZERO repairs except for Belts, Plugs, Cap, Plugs, Hoses.....normal maint. NEVER broke down on me. Interior was wicked basic....it was fantastic reasonably priced 4x4 transport that got me 26mpg on avg.....a bit underpowered but fantastic. Yup I had the solid front axle and locking hubs.....super reliable and easy to work on.

93 Toy 4x4 Pickup.....much the same as the 83 but I drove it to 225,000 with a timing chain and head gasket. Not as good MPG due to increased power but still great. Sold it for almost half what I originally paid for it.

Txst, it sounds like you bought the vehicle without knowing what they are really about. Same as VW's they have some strengths, weaknesses and quirks.
 

Txst

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Location
San Antonio, Texas
TDI
Shadow Blue 06 Jetta TDI
justpaddlek1 said:
Txst, it sounds like you bought the vehicle without knowing what they are really about. Same as VW's they have some strengths, weaknesses and quirks.
I didn't know what I should have about the Toyota when I bought it, but I owned it long enough to know that it was a cheaply made piece of junk that looked nice on the outside. It did have a beautiful lookin' paint job. It was a burgundy-reddish color. Anyway...I'm much happier with my VW TDI.
 
Last edited:

tjl

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Location
California, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Txst said:
Personally, I think this graph is just a load of Bologna. Anyone can put together a graph and slant it to their own liking or way of viewing things. My toyota was the worst vehicle I ever owned as far as reliability. So far, I have seen VW's do much better. I'd buy a VW over a toyota any time.
Well, my experience seems to be more "normal" in terms of the CR averages. My 2001 VW has had as many problems in 5 years as my 1988 Honda had in 13 years. If I were not able to DIY much of the work on the car, with help from forums like TDIClub, it would have been a rather expensive ownership experience (around here, VW service costs much more than Honda service, because of much greater competition from Honda specialist shops).

Other people I know with VWs frequently complain about problems and expensive bills from the dealer.

I would only recommend a VW to someone who can DIY much of the maintenance and repairs and can follow service manual instructions, or has convenient access to one of the few good VW specialist shops and is willing to pay the price.
 
Top