Faults:

Front driver's side turn signal out x7, with 4 of these in first 3 months of owning

Front window fell out of track

Turbo vacuum connection broke

Glove box hinge broken x2

Water leaks into driver's side (? from where) x2 leaving >3 cm of standing water

Rear window washer fluid no longer works.

General Comments:

Good pickup / acceleration

Good handling

Relatively quiet

Able to carry lots of stuff

Nice stereo (CD/radio)

Feels "solid"

Visibility to rear on R and L sides seems not to be very good (larger blind spots than accustomed to)

Faults:

The "check engine" light came on at 3000 miles. The oxygen sensor was replaced.

The "check engine" light came on at 3100 miles. The other oxygen sensor was replaced.

At 27000 miles, just out of warranty, both oxygen sensors and the Mass Airflow Sensor went bad.

The heated mirrors and heated washer jets have never worked to my satisfaction, if, at all. The dealer can find nothing wrong.

The Monsoon stereo was replaced with a Sony unit because the CD changer quit.

The right hinge broke on the glove box door (I think the manual storage bin is too small and it puts stress on the door).

The headlight bulbs keep burning out.

There is a Horrible mildew smell when the a/c is off that will not go away until the fall.

General Comments:

Overall I have been happy with VW of America, the dealers and the car. I would buy another, but this time I'll take the extended warranty when offered.

The most offensive thing to me is that dang mildew smell. I had it with an Audi and I have it with this car.

Buy the one's made in Germany before they moved production to South America should you ever be looking for a used one.

Faults:

We have been rear-ended in 2001 at slow speeds and the bumper and hatch door had to be replaced. From there on the trouble started.

First, the new hatch door didn't fit right and scratched over the new bumper. The door locks wouldn't work and the alarm was dead. After lots of complaining, the door was fitted in better by the VW dealership (still not perfect) and door locks and alarm was repaired, but during the process the car battery got totally discharged and caused the oxygen sensor to fail, so that the car did not pass the emissions test. That sensor was not covered by the warranty and we had to pay for it.

That sensor has failed once more now as did a heat sensor in the engine that kept the engine light coming on sporadically at the weirdest moments. None of that was covered in the warranty either.

Now, the glove box hinge broke - I found out that it is a common problem - as did the latch to close the armrest storage.

It is the little things that keep breaking that annoy me, and the hassle with a warranty that seems to cover only parts that never break - all that does not represent good German quality to me. Also the after-sell service is unfriendly and uninformed.

General Comments:

However, I am generally happy with the car, it has personality, looks good, and is fun to drive, and compared to the quality of American cars I'd rather put up with a broken glove box hinge every once in a while. So far it has never really let me down and I still enjoy every ride in this car today.

If Volkswagen trains its personnel and representatives to better experts of their own cars they are selling, and to respond in a friendlier fashion, it may be all less of a pain to have to deal with those problems.