Faults:
The alternator needed to be replaced just before the warranty expired. Unfortunately, the dealer said it was the air-mass sensor and wanted $900 to replace it.
I knew better, but they refused to fix the problem under warranty. They said the K&N air filter was the cause of the problem (water ingested and causing a short circuit). Since it was a non-factory item, I voided my warranty and they would not honor it.
Aside from the regular maintenance that ALL cars must receive, that was it.
General Comments:
This car is my first new car. I expected that over time, the car would become less reliable, less impressive to look at, less interesting to drive, or the performance would diminish. No such thing.
I am very satisfied with its performance and looks. My next car will have to perform and look substantially better - I'm talking about a Corvette or BMW to pull that off.
Fuel economy is great when you take into consideration its performance.
Barring any serious problems, I will keep indefinitely.
13th Jun 2002, 13:41
Did you get Crank walk? I have a 1995 Talon Tsi, I'll tell you what went wrong.
Alternator gone ($450)
Oil seal next to the oil filter broke cause all my oil to leak out and oil pressure to drop $155 (including towing)
Transmission: 2nd gear want, due to a bad clutch I say, but I got ripped off $3600 (they said 1st and 3rd and reverse were bad too) but I didn't notice.
Air idle sensor ($375)
Ignition system (poor wiring) $250 to fix the problem car wouldn't start ($70 for another tow)
I got in an accident, well that wasn't my fault ($2200)
Fixed all ball joints, rear left arm, new rims ($400)
All that was in a matter of 9 months, that sucked, I hope I just don't get crank walk, my cars got 97,000 km 58700 miles, so far I don't have any signs:
Like poor shifting.
Ticking noise under timing belt cover (only ticking is on the top of my engine, I believes its the injectors)
Or difficulty to get in 3rd gear when taking hard left turns clutch feel is consistent, odd times gets a little softer that's all.