Another nonsense Consumer Report

[euromade]

http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/autos/reliable/index.html

This report must be published by a Toyota Marketing Dpt...Not that they don't make good rice burners, but I can't believe that not even Mercedes is not considered a reliable auto any more...One has to seriously question Consumer Report's research and testing methods...VW was mentioned 2 and both times at the very bottom...nonsense...

 

[tjl]

http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/autos/reliable/index.html

This report must be published by a Toyota Marketing Dpt...Not that they don't make good rice burners, but I can't believe that not even Mercedes is not considered a reliable auto any more...One has to seriously question Consumer Report's research and testing methods...VW was mentioned 2 and both times at the very bottom...nonsense...

Other surveys that have something to do with reliability (e.g. JD Power) show similar results for MB and VW.

CR likes MB and VW cars when they are driving them themselves, but reliability is something else entirely.

 

[redmondjp]

Ask any Mercedes technician and they will confirm CR's findings.

As to VW, can you separate yourself from your own preferences & beliefs long enough to see all of the problems that they have had which owners of Hondas, Toyotas, and others have not (which is not to say that those other brands are perfect either)?

I wouldn't own my '96 Passat if it didn't have the TDI engine in it. I'm sick and tired of the door handle problems (inside and out), window regulator failures, misc. intermittent electrical problems, etc that plague VWs. It's a great running and driving car, but a Toyota or Honda it is not, as far as reliability is concerned.

I certainly don't agree with everything that CR has to say, but their reliability #s come from actual customers, so I tend to give those a bit more credence.

 

[Tin Man]

Ask any Mercedes technician and they will confirm CR's findings.

As to VW, can you separate yourself from your own preferences & beliefs long enough to see all of the problems that they have had which owners of Hondas, Toyotas, and others have not (which is not to say that those other brands are perfect either)?

I wouldn't own my '96 Passat if it didn't have the TDI engine in it. I'm sick and tired of the door handle problems (inside and out), window regulator failures, misc. intermittent electrical problems, etc that plague VWs. It's a great running and driving car, but a Toyota or Honda it is not, as far as reliability is concerned.

I certainly don't agree with everything that CR has to say, but their reliability #s come from actual customers, so I tend to give those a bit more credence.

Oh, rubbish.

Even the latest CR car summary press release is joked about as a "moving target" - ALL cars are getting better. Maybe not 1996's (too many gadgets and the Windows 98 era) but since 2004, I would bet even Mercedes would fulfill what one could reasonably call "reliable."

The CR and JDP surveys are RELATIVE and do not tell the whole story. If you look at actual numbers, every year brings about a 5-10% IMPROVEMENT in reliability among all cars on average. If you notice, brand names come and go from the top. Yes, Toyota still leads, but not by such a large margin and not very significantly any more. They are trying to sell magazines and data.

TM

 

[donniemac]

I wouldn't own my '96 Passat if it didn't have the TDI engine in it. I'm sick and tired of the door handle problems (inside and out), window regulator failures, misc. intermittent electrical problems, etc that plague VWs. It's a great running and driving car, but a Toyota or Honda it is not, as far as reliability is concerned.

I've often described VW ownership as a self-inflicted wound...

 

[AutoDiesel]

Oh, rubbish.

Even the latest CR car summary press release is joked about as a "moving target" - ALL cars are getting better. Maybe not 1996's (too many gadgets and the Windows 98 era) but since 2004, I would bet even Mercedes would fulfill what one could reasonably call "reliable."

The CR and JDP surveys are RELATIVE and do not tell the whole story. If you look at actual numbers, every year brings about a 5-10% IMPROVEMENT in reliability among all cars on average. If you notice, brand names come and go from the top. Yes, Toyota still leads, but not by such a large margin and not very significantly any more. They are trying to sell magazines and data.

TM

This I know.
I tested a new Mercedes ML350 and found that the quality
of it wasn't much up to par. The transmission would develop
a mind of its' own and do such a severe downshift slowing to
a stop it would actually make the tires squeal. And then the
rear hatch twice flew open on its' own during the test drive.
For $45K I would expect not to have any of those problems.
I found out later that the new ML series has a bad designed
tranny might need a complete new design to fix the problems.
As for the hatch, could have just been a problem with that
individual vehicle.
But so far they haven't fixed the problems like they say.
A friend who bought a new GL450 is already having problems
with his transmission.

I came close to dropping $50K on a used Audi A8L.
found out the air suspension was going to need almost
$8K in repairs. That depressed me to no end as I really
like that car.

I will say this.
Everyone I know that has bought a new VW in the last couple
of years has had pretty good luck with their cars. The '04 Touareg's
were terrible but thereafter they have improved tremendously.

I've gone from Lexus to Toyota to Audi to Mercedes and now I've come
back to VW in a search for a newer rig. I'll be checking out a couple of
'06 Touaregs in the next few days. One a V6 and one a V8.
The TDi prices are way to high.

P.S. I turned downed a good deal on a Toyota Avalon because
they are having transmission problems also.
So even the great Toyota isn't perfect.

 

[AutoDiesel]

I've often described VW ownership as a self-inflicted wound...

My '74 SunBug fell off a jack stand once and bit me!
Good thing I was only partially under the car at the time.

 

[brewer13210]

There are, of course, very serious problems with the methodology that CS uses to gather data for their ratings, in that it is totally subjective data, and not objective data.

If for whatever reason, a person happens to like the car they're driving, they will tend to under-report problems with it, and vice versa, if someone doesn't like their vehicle, then they tend to over-report probelms.

Way back when, I used to work in the service department of a dealer that sold both domestic and foreign models, where in some cases it was the exact same vehicle with different badges on it. I was always amazed at how forgiving people were of the version with the japanese nameplate, and denegrating of the same model with the domestic nameplate.

Todd

 

[n171cd]

Ask any Mercedes technician and they will confirm CR's findings.

As to VW, can you separate yourself from your own preferences & beliefs long enough to see all of the problems that they have had which owners of Hondas, Toyotas, and others have not (which is not to say that those other brands are perfect either)?

I wouldn't own my '96 Passat if it didn't have the TDI engine in it. I'm sick and tired of the door handle problems (inside and out), window regulator failures, misc. intermittent electrical problems, etc that plague VWs. It's a great running and driving car, but a Toyota or Honda it is not, as far as reliability is concerned.

I certainly don't agree with everything that CR has to say, but their reliability #s come from actual customers, so I tend to give those a bit more credence.

I completely agree. My current 2002 Avalon and 2006 Solara have never been back to the shop for warranty work or any other work for that matter (except of course for normal maintenance). My old 1990 Camry with 120,000 miles never had any warranty work on it either and it only cost me about $100.00 a year outside of normal maintenance over the 12 years I had it. My wifes 1990 Celica never had anything wrong with it when we traded it in at 70,000 miles.

My 2003 Jetta TDI, well that is another story. Passenger front window clips went twice, fixed under warranty. Drivers side window clips went once. Fixed under warranty. Rear passenger side window stopped working. Fixed under warranty. At 55,000 miles car would not always start. Clogged intake and EGR, out of warranty and it wasn’t cheap. There was something else but I don’t remember what it was right now.

Now, with all that said, I would definitely buy another one. I do like driving a diesel and I love the handling characteristics of the Jetta. It is fun to drive, not to mention the great mileage. It is great taking long trips and going over 600 miles using less than 14 gallons of fuel.

However, if Toyota ever gets it act together and offers their vehicles with a diesel, I wouldn’t have to think twice about buying a Toyota over a VW. Toyotas quality and workmanship is just better than VW.

 

[greengeeker]

Nonsense indeed

Did you make it to page 10? Best "pickup" was the Subaru Baja.

 

[vwestlife]

I wouldn't own my '96 Passat if it didn't have the TDI engine in it. I'm sick and tired of the door handle problems (inside and out), window regulator failures, misc. intermittent electrical problems, etc that plague VWs. It's a great running and driving car, but a Toyota or Honda it is not, as far as reliability is concerned.

Try owning a Japanese car with 197,000 miles on it like your Passat, and then compare notes.

At least around here, such a thing doesn't even exist, because of terminal rust. Just look at the corrosion warranties: the Japanese automakers give you 5 years, while VW gives you 12 years.

 

[redmondjp]

Try owning a Japanese car with 197,000 miles on it like your Passat, and then compare notes.

At least around here, such a thing doesn't even exist, because of terminal rust. Just look at the corrosion warranties: the Japanese automakers give you 5 years, while VW gives you 12 years.

I'm lucky in that respect--we don't have a significant rust problem out here in western WA (excepting coastal areas where salty ocean mist does its work). I just worked on a 1985 Honda Accord the other night with 238K miles on it and zero rust. Earlier this year I bought a '91 Civic wagon with well over 300K miles on it for a friend's daughter--minor body damage, but no rust. And it still runs and drives like a new car (I sat in it and marvelled at how well it drove, on the 60-mile trip home, in an 'ATM' car--one which you can purchase by an ATM withdrawal--$400).

I've got four '86-87 Civics in the family fleet now, all acquired for less than $300 each, with one at 230K miles and still ticking. The more I become familiar with these (Japanese, Honda) cars, the more I am amazed by them. Growing up in the 1970s, I used to hate them and was a buy-American cheerleader, but as I went through engineering school in the 1980s and became acquainted with good design principles, I started seeing things in a new light.

On my '96 Passat, I've already had to replace the driver's door window regulator (and rebuilt and relubed all of the door latches while I was in there)--this doesn't bother me too much, as this window by far gets the most use and the car is 10 years old. Now the passenger rear window has dropped 1" and is currently being held up by clear packing tape. To me, this is inexcusable, as this window never gets used--it's probably only been up and down a couple dozen times in the entire life of the car. So now it's into the rainy season (I have to work outdoors on my cars), and I've still got to fix this stupid thing.

And the passenger-side front window sometimes gets electrically-stuck in the down position. Haven't figured this one out yet. This really sucks when you drive to the store and you can't get the window to go up.

OK, end of rant, I know that Japanese cars aren't perfect either, but there's a good reason why they sell more Accords than Passats, and the Accords stay on the road longer . . .

 

[vwestlife]

OK, end of rant, I know that Japanese cars aren't perfect either, but there's a good reason why they sell more Accords than Passats, and the Accords stay on the road longer . . .

I hate my Passat so much, I'll gladly trade it for any Japanese car which can seat five in comfort and travel 850 miles on a single tank of fuel.

Guess I'll be stuck with it for a while, then.

 

[DareDiesel]

After reading about some of the flaws in CR auto reporting that I found http://www.truedelta.com I know only see CR auto data as entertaining/advertising. I've signed up at truedelta (it's free). It should be interesting to see how their data matches up. It looks like the more of us who sign up the better the data.

 

[DieselDriver2003]

Wuut, now they are integrating Windows98 into the cars. I hope not, I heard that WindowsME is much more reliable... jokes aside.

CR is best to stick with them Budweiser cans and we keep our Volks, yeah man, for the People!

Oh, rubbish.

Even the latest CR car summary press release is joked about as a "moving target" - ALL cars are getting better. Maybe not 1996's (too many gadgets and the Windows 98 era) but since 2004, I would bet even Mercedes would fulfill what one could reasonably call "reliable."

The CR and JDP surveys are RELATIVE and do not tell the whole story. If you look at actual numbers, every year brings about a 5-10% IMPROVEMENT in reliability among all cars on average. If you notice, brand names come and go from the top. Yes, Toyota still leads, but not by such a large margin and not very significantly any more. They are trying to sell magazines and data.

TM

 

[redmondjp]

I hate my Passat so much, I'll gladly trade it for any Japanese car which can seat five in comfort and travel 850 miles on a single tank of fuel.

Guess I'll be stuck with it for a while, then.

If I had to pay a VW dealer do all of the work on my '96 that I have done on it since I got it, I would have easily racked up over $2K in labor costs (I've already spent more than $1K just on parts alone).

That $2K pays for a lot of gasoline, when I could be driving around a comparably-sized gas-engined car which averages 30mpg and wouldn't have required messing around with window regulators, broken center consoles, sticky/broken door handles, etc. I am averaging 42mpg in the Passat, so 12 mpg difference, let's do some math--driving 12K miles per year, difference between 42mpg diesel ($3/gal) and 30mpg gas ($2.5/gal) works out to $1000/yr for gasoline and $857 for diesel, making for a net savings of $143/yr driving the diesel Passat over the gasser equivalent.

So If I have one window-regulator or other stupid reliability issue per year, I'm going to be spending a lot more than $143 at the dealer to repair this, thus wiping out any net savings of the TDI over a more reliable but lower-mpg vehicle.

Don't get me wrong--I think it's great that my Passat gets the mileage it does, and we did take 5 adults from Seattle to Northern CA on one tank of fuel in air-conditioned comfort. But I just don't have the time anymore in my life to be dealing with repairing things on my car that should have never broken in the first place. And if I had to pay somebody else to do the repairs, it certainly wouldn't be worth it at all.

 

[DieselDriver2003]

I'd have to say that the '96/97 is not the same as '98 on. Meaning it's totally different in terms of components used mostly outside the engine. I have a '01 and never had issues other than self-inflicted wounds, which of course are slowly being repaired. I just drove 580 miles on a 12.83 (estimated) tank of diesel the other day. Can't say anything nice about Nissan Altima or Honda Accord, yuck!

If I had to pay a VW dealer do all of the work on my '96 that I have done on it since I got it, I would have easily racked up over $2K in labor costs (I've already spent more than $1K just on parts alone).

That $2K pays for a lot of gasoline, when I could be driving around a comparably-sized gas-engined car which averages 30mpg and wouldn't have required messing around with window regulators, broken center consoles, sticky/broken door handles, etc. I am averaging 42mpg in the Passat, so 12 mpg difference, let's do some math--driving 12K miles per year, difference between 42mpg diesel ($3/gal) and 30mpg gas ($2.5/gal) works out to $1000/yr for gasoline and $857 for diesel, making for a net savings of $143/yr driving the diesel Passat over the gasser equivalent.

So If I have one window-regulator or other stupid reliability issue per year, I'm going to be spending a lot more than $143 at the dealer to repair this, thus wiping out any net savings of the TDI over a more reliable but lower-mpg vehicle.

Don't get me wrong--I think it's great that my Passat gets the mileage it does, and we did take 5 adults from Seattle to Northern CA on one tank of fuel in air-conditioned comfort. But I just don't have the time anymore in my life to be dealing with repairing things on my car that should have never broken in the first place. And if I had to pay somebody else to do the repairs, it certainly wouldn't be worth it at all.

 

[vwestlife]

I guess I'm lucky because my '97 Passat TDI is the most reliable car I've ever owned. I bought it at a relatively young 79k miles in June 2005, and in the nearly 30k miles since then, the only major expense was to replace its original, worn-out struts. Aside from that it's just been basic fluid and filter changes. It may need new brakes and a new set of glow plugs soon, but again that's just routine maintenance, all of which I can easily do myself.

And now that I've gotten a chance to drive it for a while, if my Passat suddenly got wrecked and I had to look for another car, I'd want another B4 Passat, even if I could only find a lowly 2.slow gasser automatic. Its power steering actually has better road feel than my '89 Golf's manual steering, and it has better roadholding on sharp curves -- no small feat for a car of its size and weight riding on relatively tiny 14-inch tires. Plus it has very low wind and road noise inside, and the HVAC system is excellent -- compared to any other car I've tried, even my dad's Mk4 Golf, it puts out a lot more air through the vents with a lot less noise from the blower motor.

So, maybe some can be troublesome as they age, but I just think the B4 Passat is one of the most under-appreciated models VW has ever sold here. Aside from TDI fanatics, nobody seems to really care about it -- indeed, VW sold more B5 Passats in 1998 alone than they did during the entire B4 series (1995-1997, including all engines).

 

[Jetta SS]

To me Japanese cars just don't have any character. maybe its because "everyone has one", i don't know. It's just something about owning a German car. My VW may not be as reliable, but nothing I can't handle... so far.

Reliability ranks behind other factors for me.

 

[mavapa]

Everyone who likes a car hates CR when their survey results show that car to be unreliable. If the survey results showed their car to be more reliable, they would be touting that to everyone. My 2001 Golf used to be unreliable, but I fixed the problem, so now it's reliable. Until the next problem.

 

[Tin Man]

CR's data is adequate and representative if INTERPRETED properly.

Current proper interpretation, at least from JD Powers data, is that ALL cars are quite reliable, but some more than others.

You cannot get a good idea how much this is true from the way CR presents the data, which is how they demonize less reliable cars as cars to be avoided, which may or may not be good advice. We would not really know, since the raw data is not presented, nor properly interpreted.

TM

 

[hevster1]

I believe CR is a nonsense publication. That said I worked for one of the premier MB dealers in NNJ. I saw so many failures of so many things it was incredible. When the new convertible came out about 4 years ago BOTH of the ones which came off the truck had issues with the removable roof. Both required immediate replacement of major (expensive) parts before they even made it to the showroom floor. What I saw was a far cry from the late 70's early 80's when MB was considered the best.
My mom was an MB employee during the 70's-early 90's and she hated Toyota's. She loved her 190e 2.3 even though she had so many problems it wasn't funny. Her 3 diesels were great cars(300 sd,300 Dt, 300d). For 3 years she drove an 85 Camry which I talked her into(I was a toyota dealer employee at the time) and she despised it simply because it didn't have a star on the hood. She put 130k on that Camry with no repairs other than maintenance, and I had to hear it every minute when she had something done even though she got the parts for cost and the labor free.
Point is that most users of this board can't stand to hear another car is more reliable than theirs or better than theirs. My mom was the same way with her MB's and that is and was fine. Whats right is right though and Japanese cars in general are of higher quality than european cars. They simply dont break as long as you change the oil etc. 325k on my 86 4x4, 280k on my Geo/Corolla, 185k on my 82 4x4, 250k on my brothers 89 4x4. 135k on my Sil's Sienna etc. with no major issues on any of them.
Someone posted about Avalon's having bad transmissions. Nope. If you dont change the fluid you will have problems. That applies to ANY car.
Moral is buy what you want and dont bother with the publications. They are meant for average people who are looking for transportation, nothing more.

 

[DieselDriver2003]

Up +1.

Most of the cars I owned the past 15 years or so were German. Had problems here and there, but kept coming back to them, mainly because they just feel and look better, and are high quality. Save my neck a few times, and just the other day, got rear ended, and nothing broken. So ramble on all day about how reliable the Asian cars are, at the end of the day, I'll take a VW or Bimmer anyday, oh and Mercedes.

I believe CR is a nonsense publication. That said I worked for one of the premier MB dealers in NNJ. I saw so many failures of so many things it was incredible. When the new convertible came out about 4 years ago BOTH of the ones which came off the truck had issues with the removable roof. Both required immediate replacement of major (expensive) parts before they even made it to the showroom floor. What I saw was a far cry from the late 70's early 80's when MB was considered the best.
My mom was an MB employee during the 70's-early 90's and she hated Toyota's. She loved her 190e 2.3 even though she had so many problems it wasn't funny. Her 3 diesels were great cars(300 sd,300 Dt, 300d). For 3 years she drove an 85 Camry which I talked her into(I was a toyota dealer employee at the time) and she despised it simply because it didn't have a star on the hood. She put 130k on that Camry with no repairs other than maintenance, and I had to hear it every minute when she had something done even though she got the parts for cost and the labor free.
Point is that most users of this board can't stand to hear another car is more reliable than theirs or better than theirs. My mom was the same way with her MB's and that is and was fine. Whats right is right though and Japanese cars in general are of higher quality than european cars. They simply dont break as long as you change the oil etc. 325k on my 86 4x4, 280k on my Geo/Corolla, 185k on my 82 4x4, 250k on my brothers 89 4x4. 135k on my Sil's Sienna etc. with no major issues on any of them.
Someone posted about Avalon's having bad transmissions. Nope. If you dont change the fluid you will have problems. That applies to ANY car.
Moral is buy what you want and dont bother with the publications. They are meant for average people who are looking for transportation, nothing more.

 

[rotarykid]

I've owned 3 97 Passat TDIs

I've believe that this car is one of the best cars I've ever owned , and I've owned many .

And the A4 TDIs have been bullet proof compared to anything else VW has ever sold here . VW TDIs in really high numbers have been sold here in the US .

Of those 10 years of diesel sales here most of those were TDI A4 Golfs , Beetles , & Jettas . There have sold more diesel models in the US in the last 7 years than all the other VW diesel models in all the years they've sold diesels here . And don't forget how well VW diesels sold during the early 80s . I think that really speaks to the fact that nothing else exists for sale in the US/Canada . Nothing even comes close .

I think the few quirks that we must deal with are little cost to have these marvels of technoligy .

That being said broken door handles have always been a VW/Audi issue going back to the 70s . And window regulaters are also a issue with VW/Audi going back to the 70s .

The Asian car company produsts also have specific issues as well .

I dought many know or experienced the Toyota diesels of the early 80s . They had the same problems in the mid 80s that VW/Audi suffered in the late 70s . That was many head gasket & turbocharger failures .

The current Asian models also have issues related them having higher tech engine & transmissions .

No cars are perfect VW/Audi cars are no exception . I don't mind the few issues that have arrision and will continue to dirve VW diesels , as I have for 25 + years . But if Toyota once again sold a high mpg diesel here I would buy one . I'm not a big Honda fan , but would also consider a high mpg diesel if they sell it here .

I don't believe that the reliability rating system magazines mean much when it comes to the very low numbers of lite duty diesels . If every car company sold them it might be a different story . But we all know that this not the case .

 

[Tin Man]

Er, not quite, since 4 years ago Mercedes' model cycle reliability hit bottom and has been publicly announced to be actively improving. Also, old Benzes had the luxury of being conservatively engineered which in todays high tech/innovative market would not compete well.

I believe CR is a nonsense publication. That said I worked for one of the premier MB dealers in NNJ. I saw so many failures of so many things it was incredible. When the new convertible came out about 4 years ago BOTH of the ones which came off the truck had issues with the removable roof. Both required immediate replacement of major (expensive) parts before they even made it to the showroom floor. What I saw was a far cry from the late 70's early 80's when MB was considered the best.
My mom was an MB employee during the 70's-early 90's and she hated Toyota's. She loved her 190e 2.3 even though she had so many problems it wasn't funny. Her 3 diesels were great cars(300 sd,300 Dt, 300d). For 3 years she drove an 85 Camry which I talked her into(I was a toyota dealer employee at the time) and she despised it simply because it didn't have a star on the hood. She put 130k on that Camry with no repairs other than maintenance, and I had to hear it every minute when she had something done even though she got the parts for cost and the labor free.
Point is that most users of this board can't stand to hear another car is more reliable than theirs or better than theirs. My mom was the same way with her MB's and that is and was fine. Whats right is right though and Japanese cars in general are of higher quality than european cars. They simply dont break as long as you change the oil etc. 325k on my 86 4x4, 280k on my Geo/Corolla, 185k on my 82 4x4, 250k on my brothers 89 4x4. 135k on my Sil's Sienna etc. with no major issues on any of them.
Someone posted about Avalon's having bad transmissions. Nope. If you dont change the fluid you will have problems. That applies to ANY car.
Moral is buy what you want and dont bother with the publications. They are meant for average people who are looking for transportation, nothing more.

 

[DieselDriver2003]

Mercedes Benz are incredible cars. I acutally think the 92, 93 model years were the best. Amazing body design!. I wish I can pick one up in Diesel Engine. It was amazing in that when you close the door, it feels like a bank vault, not that I ever closed one, but sure looks like it. For Japanese car, well, it feels like a carboard if you know what I mean.

BTW, anyone know what the Mercedes mark stands for, eh, hem?

Daimler make engines for ground, sea, and air. They sold all over the world. Hence the triangle star, and the circle which represent the world.. ahhhhh.

Er, not quite, since 4 years ago Mercedes' model cycle reliability hit bottom and has been publicly announced to be actively improving. Also, old Benzes had the luxury of being conservatively engineered which in todays high tech/innovative market would not compete well.

 

[DieselDriver2003]

You know how they got the name Mercedes? Well, one of the top salesman travelled to Spain a lot, and he stayed over one of their coworker's house. Their daughter was so beautiful, and her name was Mercedes... so was told.

Mercedes Benz are incredible cars. I acutally think the 92, 93 model years were the best. Amazing body design!. I wish I can pick one up in Diesel Engine. It was amazing in that when you close the door, it feels like a bank vault, not that I ever closed one, but sure looks like it. For Japanese car, well, it feels like a carboard if you know what I mean.

BTW, anyone know what the Mercedes mark stands for, eh, hem?

Daimler make engines for ground, sea, and air. They sold all over the world. Hence the triangle star, and the circle which represent the world.. ahhhhh.

 

[alloztome]

I love, Love, LOVE my '98 Jetta tdi-I love the diesel, I love the speed and handling I love to drive it. I drive about 70 miles daily to and from my 2 jobs and I look forward to it.

That said I have spent more money on this car that I like to think about. I just had a new clutch and flywheel put in because each clutch wore out at about 34,000 miles- -I have 150,000 miles on the car-do the math, yes, it's 5- both VW and the dealer I bought 3 new cars from and who did all my work were clearly not CS oriented.

my 60 month battery lasted 9, my windshield leaks, my roof has a line of rust right above said leaky windshield, my radio blew up, my door molding fell off, the metal strips on the rear windows have rusted, my door handles went from flat black to grainy white metal-even the rear ones that get little or no use, my windshield wipers have a mind of their own, my ecu went spastic for a month or two, then recovered on it's own, my seat cushion fell down and couldn't get up-twice-, my trunk leaks....

IMO that list indicates that my car is not reliable and if I knew about those problems before I bought it-I might not have.

I drove the new Jetta and Passat (06 and 07) I like mine better. I've been considering a Golf/bunny tdi for the past couple years but since I just put new shocks, TB, brakes and hopefully a final clutch in I'll prolly wait a year or two for that. BTW-i '98 when I bought it CR said that VW quality was improving.

 

[Txst]

I love, Love, LOVE my '98 Jetta tdi-I love the diesel, I love the speed and handling I love to drive it. I drive about 70 miles daily to and from my 2 jobs and I look forward to it.

That said I have spent more money on this car that I like to think about. I just had a new clutch and flywheel put in because each clutch wore out at about 34,000 miles- -I have 150,000 miles on the car-do the math, yes, it's 5- both VW and the dealer I bought 3 new cars from and who did all my work were clearly not CS oriented.

my 60 month battery lasted 9, my windshield leaks, my roof has a line of rust right above said leaky windshield, my radio blew up, my door molding fell off, the metal strips on the rear windows have rusted, my door handles went from flat black to grainy white metal-even the rear ones that get little or no use, my windshield wipers have a mind of their own, my ecu went spastic for a month or two, then recovered on it's own, my seat cushion fell down and couldn't get up-twice-, my trunk leaks....

IMO that list indicates that my car is not reliable and if I knew about those problems before I bought it-I might not have.

I drove the new Jetta and Passat (06 and 07) I like mine better. I've been considering a Golf/bunny tdi for the past couple years but since I just put new shocks, TB, brakes and hopefully a final clutch in I'll prolly wait a year or two for that. BTW-i '98 when I bought it CR said that VW quality was improving.

Well, being that yours seems to be the exception rather than the rule in this forum it really doesn't set a standard. I'd say every car company has exceptions that stand out. So CR doesn't have anything to do with it. Many people on this forum have stated many times that they have put many many miles through the years w/out nearly as many problems as you list. CR is nothing more than propaganda for sale. My toyota was a piece of junk...does that mean CR is totally wrong? Nope. I take CR with the same grain of salt as a horoscope. They'll be right in general at times just like a horoscope because of the averages. Nothing more valid about CR than any other auto promoting magazine. It has created a faithful following like a horoscope.

Trust CR if it makes you feel like an "informed" consumer. But there is actually no proof at all that what they publicize is factual (red vs black dots). I go by real-world experiences and people I actually know and trust rather than some surveys where I have no clue who is filling them out. Chances are just as good that your horoscope will be just as right as CR. It may be true that those who don't like CR are the one's who have seen bad marks for their cars. But it may be just as true that those who swear by them now would trash them in a second if CR turned around and wrote a bad report for their new car. It's all about perspective. Do you not think that tons of CR subscribers would stop their subscriptions if CR wrote horrible reviews for the next toyota and honda lines? Many would. Do you not also think CR doesn't know that and are therefore cautious in upsetting their subscribers? C'mon, it's just another big money-making business. They will do what it takes to keep their main subscribers happy. Non-profit? Yeah right!!
TDI.... always the smart choice!! (regardless what CR says)
Cheers

 

[Rickstah]

"my 60 month battery lasted 9, my windshield leaks, my roof has a line of rust right above said leaky windshield, my radio blew up, my door molding fell off, the metal strips on the rear windows have rusted, my door handles went from flat black to grainy white metal-even the rear ones that get little or no use, my windshield wipers have a mind of their own, my ecu went spastic for a month or two, then recovered on it's own, my seat cushion fell down and couldn't get up-twice-, my trunk leaks...."

holy moly, you scared the crap out of Christine!!! He didn't mean it, Christine....(pats her on the hood)

Aside from the windows, I really have no complaints about my VW...oh, I'm putting a new turbo on her, and a new clutch, and new nozzles, and new regulators, and a new glow plug harness, and a driver wiper arm because it skips no matter what I do and drives my wife insane, and I had to replace both lights because they were too dark, and a couple of other things, but still...panache...she has panache, especially when I dump the clutch and head off to Glory in front of that friggin ricer in the Civic that is ALWAYS tailgaiting me!! .