Faults:

Day 3 of ownership: The car stalled a few feet from an intersection, the doors locked, and the original-equipment theft alarm sounded.

60500 miles: The passenger-side body molding fell off. Not covered by warranty.

70000 miles: The instrument cluster lights fail. Not covered by warranty. Very annoying, but not worth the cost of repairing.

*The dealership in Ft. Lauderdale is not know for its exceptional customer service. Each time the car was brought to them for service something else would be wrong. If the car was in for an oil change & AC checkup, it would come out with missing door lock-knobs or missing stereo knobs. Or their would be grease on the body panels.

Maybe this is typical... I don't know. An air filter change would be charged for the:

A: AIR FILTER

B: INSTALLATION

As you know, labor rates are roughly $65/hour. At the rate of 20 minutes to install a stinking air filter, I was charged over $20 for a 2-3- minute job.

General Comments:

My Wife and I have always enjoyed the handling of the car, and are amazed at the spaciousness of the trunk despite the overall size. This is our 3rd VW over the years. After having 300,000 miles or so to experience VW, we have decided their has got to be better overall engineering out there for a slightly higher price (lower overall maintenance cost), given the competitiveness of the automakers.

Faults:

Dash lights have burnt out twice now. In order to replace them, my mechanic said he has to disconnect the airbag and remove the steering wheel to get to them.

Timing belt broke at 50,000 miles.

Heater/AC blower switch broke.

Muffler has had to be replaced twice in 90,000 miles.

Battery blew up.

Cruise control stopped working in first year of ownership.

Lock cylinders failed and had to be replaced.

Tail lamp bulbs burn out too quickly.

Trunk hydraulic torsion support bar freezes up, not allowing you to shut the trunk quickly.

Arcing under the hood during wet or damp weather led to replacing the ignition coil.

Radio LED display failing.

Plastic windshield cowl seal falling apart.

Plastic door handle gaskets disintigrating.

Black metal rear vent window trim rusted.

General Comments:

This car has been very dependable, but I'm constantly paying for repairs that other cars typically don't need.

Faults:

The car has been very solid for the eight years I have owned it. Most of the money I have put into it has been for general maintenance repairs. (i.e. belts, plugs, tires, brakes, oil)

Timing belt went at 160,000 miles. $500.

Shocks and struts were replaced at 200,000 miles. $1000.

Transmission problem at 120,000 miles after I let a mechanic lube it... poorly. Replaced the whole thing on his nickel. :)

AC needed a recharge at 240,000.

General Comments:

This is neither the fastest nor the slowest car I've ever driven, but it's really worthwhile. Handles and accelerates nicely. Feels like a little race car.

Love the interior. It has held up wonderfully and still looks fresh. I have had to replace all the dash light bulbs.

Shines up beautifully, I've always found that VWs have very good paint on them.

Faults:

At about 80,000 miles the ignition coil went bad, this cost nearly $600 to be replaced by the dealer.

At the same time the battery needed replacement.

At about 85,000 miles the entire gauge cluster stopped working, the dealer wants almost $400.00 solely for the part.

The door panels have a little side strip in them that constantly falls off and has to be re-glued.

At about 100,000 miles all hell broke loose. The water pump, serpentine belt, air hose, wheel bearings, brake pads, rotors, stub axles, and seals had to be replaced. This was also due to an improper brake repair and lubrication at another facility, but the dealer bill totaled $1,800 dollars by the time I was done.

The resonater also blew a large hole in itself. $247.00 just for the part, which I installed myself.

For some reason this car rips through tires...

At 123,000 miles the left side half shaft had to be replaced due to a hole in the boot. The part was $89.00 which I replaced myself.

Also at the same time the boot on the left side tie rod end ripped and had to be replaced which I am currently working on. The part was $72.00.

An oil leak has occured recently, and the drivers side door lock fell out. Also the rear defroster went.

General Comments:

I would highly recommend purchasing Hayne's or Chilton's repair manual for this car and making your best effort to get under there and get dirty when something goes wrong. It will save you a lot of money and head-aches in the long run. This car is beautiful, fast, and fairly reliable, but when something breaks it can be outrageous to have the dealer repair it. They charged me $28.00 for an air filter, which retails for $6.00 at VIP or Walmart.

I have found keeping the ignition system well tuned, and participating in regular maintenence and check ups of all the crucial systems is well worth my time. The repair manual goes into elaborate detail on how to repair almost anything besides overhauling your transmission which should be left to a specialist.

Because of all my problems with boots being torn I would reccomend raising the vehicle and checking the 4 CV joint boots thoroughly at each oil change, and the tie rod end boots as well. I didn't even know the joint/s were being exposed and ruined until I looked underneath. VW's will typically run for a while until the part breaks right off and leaves you stranded or in a dangerous situation.

I would reccomend using a high viscosity, thick, synthetic oil in the engine. My engine is amazingly strong and runs like a charm due to this cheap insurance. This car runs hot.