2002 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T

Summary:

Badly manufactured car

Faults:

Burning wire smells from engine 2 visits, and then resolved by self.

Blown two ignition coils, towed twice to dealer.

One recall for bad brake wires, another notice of bad power window motors.

Coils are now upgraded, I still have 2 bad ones, the window motors have to malfunction before they are replaced.

General Comments:

Nice to drive, too many defective manufacturing parts by VW. All covered in warranty, but if you don't like going back to the dealer every few months, AVOID THIS CAR!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd December, 2002

15th Feb 2003, 17:45

I have a 2002 VW GTI with 1.8T, and have had similar problems. Most problems happened within first 5-10K miles. Aside from malfunctioning temperature gauge, it is fine now at 18K miles. I never needed a tow.

Wheels (17") are mondo expensive to replace if you run over something in the road.

Engine is really nice and powerful.

My roommate has a 2002 Jetta 1.8T, and no end of problems. Her warranty is about to expire, and I suggested she sell it. She has to get towed every couple weeks.

My friend has a 2001 Golf TDI, and has had absolutely no problems with it.

2002 Volkswagen GTI GLS 1.8 turbo

Summary:

VW makes me happy

Faults:

The MIL light (meaning a problem in the emissions system) has gone on a couple times, but has always gone off in a couple days.

One time the stereo stopped working and the mechanic told me over the phone to take out the stereo's fuse, wait a few seconds, then plug it back in to reset the bios. Worked fine.

If low-end torque is your thing, you'll want the V6, not the turbo, as the turbo's superior torque only kicks in at about 2000 RPM and is especially slow off the line with the a/c on.

It is a little low on space within the car, but VW sells GREAT roof racks and we got a huge cargo carrier to put up there. Mileage on the highway went down 1/7th. You can still fit more stuff into it than a Jetta, though (Why do people buy Jettas? They're more expensive and less fun!).

General Comments:

We're so happy we bought this car. We looked at a Ford Focus (which was bad) the Mazda Protege 5 (which was pretty nice) and the Subaru Forester (OK) before settling on this.

It's beautifully built. Everything is perfectly thought out (well, almost perfect) from it's structural rigidity to the clean lines on the body. Inside people always say "Wow, this is a really nice car!" The inside literally FEELS great. Try it.

Winter driving was no problem. Good start-up and traction. Perfect weighting for slippery conditions.

Windy roads are what this car is made for, not drag racing. Keep the throttle revving and the steering wheel turning and you'll appreciate the seats, suspension, and "squatness."

Oh, yeah. Great gas mileage. Helps meet those Kyoto targets.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th November, 2002

17th Sep 2003, 17:13

Same author as main text. I just had the ignition coils replaced at 25,000 km. This isn't exactly a recall as it's not safety-related, but VW has been telling GTI owners to get them replaced as the cars come in. I didn't and had to take it in when at least one of the cylinders stopped firing. Free under warranty. No other problems so far.

24th Jan 2005, 12:00

Same guy as above. Windows falling into the door is a problem for this year/model, as VW apparently got a plastic, not metal, clip to hold windows in place. Get this fixed (metal!) or the window will fall into the door at the worst possible time. Since having this done one speaker is quiet sometimes. Weird.

4th Jan 2006, 22:57

Dude, get to know your VW dealer good, you will spend a lot of time there!

24th Sep 2020, 04:40

Original owner here. Still have the car. I've kept it stock and I go racing auto-cross every month in it! I've done all the service VW recommends. Replaced water pump when a solenoid failed. Had timing belt done. Had to replace head gasket. Rear brakes done, probably unnecessarily. Only big issue was hill-climbing with the A/C on burnt out the clutch. Don't do that! That's not a lot of repairs for two decades! Keep the spark plugs good and use factory ignition coils and it runs great. Seriously, I'm racing it and everything in the front end is all original! Oh, the little bunch of wires that lead to the hatch bent to death and caused weird electrical glitches, but I fixed it!

2002 Volkswagen GTI GLS 1.8 Trubo

Summary:

A great car overall

Faults:

The air conditioning broke twice! O-ring had to be replaced.

Now the ignition coil went bad. Still at dealer because part is on back order.

General Comments:

Great car when its working properly. It has great acceleration and handling.

Dealers seem clueless, but nice.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th October, 2002