1997 Volkswagen Vento VR6 2.8 V6

Summary:

Great Drive! But I got a lemon

Faults:

Rear shocks lost all the oil.

Gel filled engine mounts collapsed.

Front strut mounts failed.

Front suspension bushes torn to bits.

Bad transmission oil leak x 2

Front electric window failed.

Heater system would deposit all the engine cooling water on the floor on the passengers side.

ABS light fault.

General Comments:

Excellent performance and driving characteristics, usual large boot. Smart looking vehicle and attractive trim. However heavy on fuel use and let down by the constant significant problems that were expensive to fix. The cooling system one was fixed by no longer having a heater. Bad idea not to have a transmission dipstick if your transmission leaks! Wished I never decided to change from the Mk2 Jetta to the Vento.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th November, 2005

12th Jan 2006, 16:15

Hi all, I'm an owner of a vento vr6. oh! what a wonderful car, the performance is wonderful, the air-con is also very effective.

But so far I've experienced the same heater problem, the floor of the driver side always got soaked, I went to to my mechanics and he bypassed the heater, so I don't use it anymore.

I'm also having problems with my ABS and AIRBAG indicators, they are constantly on, at first, it was the ABS indicator, but after a while the Airbag light came on too. Does anyone have any idea of how I can resolve this? I would really appreciate this.

2nd Aug 2006, 04:25

Hi, the airbag light was on in the above vehicle as well. Service agent said it was either a faulty plug, which they usually cut out and hard solder, or the rotary connector in the steering wheel, which was more expensive to fix.

12th Sep 2006, 12:51

Hi,

On my Vento VR6 "safety" which have now 134000 miles (Switzerland) I had the same ABS light problem. After many tests my mechanic finally replaced the ABS calculator (more than 1000 CHF). My case is quite extreme and normally only sensors have to be replaced.

VR6 - What an engine!

1996 Volkswagen Vento GL CLASSIC 2.0

Summary:

An excellent buy, cheaper than an equivalent Golf, but with more equipment and more room

Faults:

The rear passenger's side electric window regulator had to be replaced; at a cost of over A$300. Not cheap if all four windows fail.

General Comments:

Excellent dynamics, feels solid to drive, plenty of power, gearbox not the smoothest, especially in 1st gear.

However a pleasure to drive and will definately consider a new Bora in 1-2 years' time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th July, 2002

22nd Mar 2003, 15:30

I think electric windows are a VW weak spot.

Have owned a Golf TDI, Jetta CLi and a Passatt GT. All have had all their electric windows fail one at a time from one cause or another.

7th May 2003, 19:54

I have just bought a second hand VW Vento. Yes, you guessed it. The rear passenger side electric window does not work. Neither does the air conditioning. The airbag warning light is on, obviously something wrong there. I have also discovered that I have to use premium petrol to get the engine to run smoothly, Despite all this, I love the quality of the car and the roominess, especially in the boot. When I get the faults fixed, I will be very happy with the car.

14th Feb 2004, 03:26

Having compiled the original review above, my Vento has just completed 130,000kms and I have only had 1 service in that time- to replace oil and the timing belt. Unfortunately it was also involved in a serious collision where another car T-boned the car at 60km/h- not nice!

The other car struck the left hand passenger wheel at 90 degrees- surprisingly the car was not a write off and I had all the suspension components replaced (by insurance cover). Now it handles even better than before!

The other car was a brand new Daewoo Kalos- it was written off and a total wreck.

No one was injured in my car, and it was back on the road in 5 weeks. Parts expensive I think.