Faults:

I had a minor problem at delivery with the windshield which had to be replaced. The delivering dealership may have caused the problem. I had a transmission gear oil leak out of a flange when the car was new. Apart from those warrantied items, this Jetta TDI has really been nothing short of a complete pleasure to own.

The dealership experience can be a bit scary and is an area VWoA is woeful inadequate at. They must address this and will continue to have a horrible struggle as they attempt to move "upscale" with far more costly products.

General Comments:

Great car with a beautiful interior that reminds me of much more expensive German cars. Only the best in this VW!

The performance of the TDI engine is nothing short of brilliant. It's fast, it offers amazing performance around town and in busy traffic on the highway. I have to pinch myself every time I get out of the car and say it's real. Lifetime fuel economy is close to 47MPG and that's primarily city use.

It is a great experience and many Americans are short-changing themselves by turning up their noses at contemporary diesel-powered sedans like this one. It has no peer and I really look forward to the day when VWoA imports the hi-tech diesels to America that we currently don't have.

Faults:

The right hinge on the glove box broke but it still opens and closes properly.

I had to replace the brakes at about 50,000 miles- which is pretty normal.

I took it in each time there was a recall, and so far so good.

I haven't had any other major problems.

General Comments:

I was sorry to hear about all of the problems from the other consumers because so far I've had minor problems with my car. It's been with me for 3 years, through many road trips and variable weather conditions. I've had to replace tires and brakes at normal intervals, but nothing major.

My glove box is broken, but I don't care enough to pay $300 to fix it. It still opens and closes properly.

I really like the way the car rides on my new tires (BF Goodrich) and would recommend the car to anyone.

However, my dad and sister both have Volkswagons that have had big problems. My sister has had to take her Beetle in 8 times so far within a year and it still has problems. My dad's Jetta VR6 has been somewhat of a lemon. The interior light no longer turns on, the glove box is busted, the leather is wearing badly, and so on, and so on.

I guess with Volkswagon, it's kind of hit or miss. I, however, love mine and plan to keep it after the lease is up.

Faults:

The right front passenger window broke and would not raise and lower. The cost of the repairs was about $300. After about 6 weeks the same window broke again, but this time the dealership fixed it at no cost and also replaced the same parts on the driver side window even though I did not have any problems with it. They would not refund my original cost for repairing the window, but gave me a VW 800 # to call. VW in turn sent me a check for the cost of the initial repair. Apparently, they knew this was an issue, but were not going to issue a recall.

The mass air flow sensor went out on the car and had to be replaced at a cost of only $450.

General Comments:

I have read the numerous comments regarding the Jetta and am quite surprised. So far (knock on wood), this has been one of the most reliable cars I have owned. Despite my 6'7" 250lb frame, I fit quite comfortably in the car. It's definitely not the family car, but serves my daily commute quite well. In 2002 I drove it to San Diego and it performed like a champ with absolutely no problems.