Faults:

The only thing wrong with the car is that the engine light came on a lot after the first 2,000 miles. I had it assessed and it was found that the car had a bad O2 sensor. So that was a $210 job. I hear this is a common fault in the cars design. Other than that, the car runs great and the engine light hasn't come back on since.

The leather seats feel very nice, but the stitching in them is starting to fall apart.

General Comments:

I love the car.

Handles OK in bad weather. Not like my Jeep with its 4 wheel drive, but it is a very fun ride.

I sometimes hear a rattling noise when driving fast, but it hasn't affected anything.

The heated seats are a very nice feature in the car.

Faults:

2005: Cheap aluminum molding on back door peeled back from opening front door.

March 2006: Couldn't get the car out of park. Dealership had to walk me through a "trick" to get it to work so I could drive it in. Ended up being caused by a faulty brake light switch problem that they didn't recall until almost 2 years later.

Car was jerking between 2nd and 3rd gear. Had to clean and adjust the throttle body.

The perspiration from my water bottle has stained the cheap seats. What are they made of anyways?

You have to pull the door handle 2 times from the inside in the back seats to get out, and they haven't been able to fix that after 2 attempts. It was also a recall.

I finally stopped taking it to the dealership, because I'd been getting the regularly scheduled maintenance every 5,000 miles. I'm not even complaining about the lifetime oil change service they got me to sign up.

I just passed my 50,000 mile warranty mark in July, and it overheated. Had to replace the timing belt, water pump, serpentine belt, thermostat with seal, coolant temp sensor, and coolant reservoir. I took it to a repair shop outside of the dealer, and they showed me this critical piece having to do with the coolant systems (can't remember exactly what), but it was broken into 5 pieces and made from PLASTIC.

It's not even 2 months later, and my car won't start and I've tried jumping it. I think it's an electrical problem; maybe a shortage or something loose.

General Comments:

I've been keeping up on all the other maintenance (changed tires, brakes, oil changes, engine flushes, etc.) and I am utterly exhausted by how unreliable this car has been.

I wish I had done more research, because it's obvious that they don't make VW's like they used to.