1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0 Gasoline from North America

Summary:

I love my Jetta, but wish there weren't so many problems

Faults:

Well, the passenger side window will not go up or down unless the defrost light is blinking.

The coolant continuously leaks and I am looking at a two hundred fifty dollar repair for that.

The ignition has issues: it locked my key in the ignition and would not come out. That was a two hundred dollar bill for simply removing the key. I haven't even had the problem really fixed yet.

The paint on the door handles is worn off.

The miles per gallon ratio is not that great, it ends up being about 18 mpg.

The RPM's jump all over the place when driving. When accelerating, the car will go from 3000 rpm's to 5000 rpm's and fluctuate around that area.

General Comments:

The air conditioning still works great.

The heat works great and I love the sun roof.

The window problems won't bother me until one falls through or something.

It's a very comfortable car with nice interior features.

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

Review Date: 13th September, 2005

1998 Volkswagen Jetta GT 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Good car, but at the price for parts you may as well drive a BMW

Faults:

In the past seven weeks I have replaced:

Rear struts.

Clutch Kit.

Flywheel.

Clutch cable.

Headlight assembly.

Brake rotors.

Brake calipers.

Alternator.

General Comments:

The car is very quick for a 2.0.

Handles well.

There is not a lot of space in the back seats.

The two-toned vinyl looks tacky.

Parts for this car are extremely expensive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 2005

27th Jul 2005, 11:07

I couldn't agree with you more! I had an 84 Rabbit that consumed as much in parts as my much higher-mileaged 86 325es. IMHO, If I'm gonna be spending that much in repairs and parts, I may as well have something a bit nicer to drive (i.e. a BMW)

20th Sep 2005, 00:22

Yeah I agree with the comment about the expensive parts, I am rebuilding a '87 Jetta GLI... very expensive!

However about the previous parts that had to be replaced within 7 weeks or so... each and everyone of the parts mentioned are normal things that are needed to be done to keep a car on the road. How many miles are on the car? How well do you keep it maintained? How are your driving habits? Did you make sure to get all the factory recalls fixed? All these questions play a role in how quick the parts need to be replace! Good Luck with your Jetta in the future.

1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLX from North America

Summary:

I got lucky!

Faults:

I have had relatively good luck with this car. A lot of people I know who bought jettas, it was an electrical nightmare for them. At 60,000 miles my rear window motor went out. I rolled it down and couldn't get it to go back up. At 50,000 miles it over heated, cost $1000 to fix. But other than that everything has been great. It handles great and is very reliable for me! Very zippy!

General Comments:

Its a pain to get the oil changed because of the special filter which no one carries. I have to go to the dealership

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th July, 2005

5th Mar 2006, 22:03

What special filter?

I'm curious seeing as I just did my oil change and filter change. Went to advance auto parts and grabbed the oil filter for like $7 or something and then got like 5 qts of oil.

Very easy job.

14th Mar 2008, 13:58

Me too. The oil filter cost about $15 at Advance Auto.

1998 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg 2.0L from North America

Summary:

Nice to drive, but EXPENSIVE and undue repairs required to keep up

Faults:

Spent about $1000 / year on repairs each year after warranty.

Muffler rusted out early; replaced by dealer under warranty after much haggling (generic part)

Replaced chipped front glass headlamp (stone) ; lamp enclosure not stone chip proof; then discarded plastic protective cover after it too cracked.

Alternator replaced early.

Solenoid replaced early.

Speed control doesn't work anymore.

Radio volume control doesn't work anymore.

CD disc changer cover in trunk defective.

Replaced window regulator rear left passenger window.

Second set of recommended tires lasted half as long as original (same) ; driving habits unchanged.

Window separator trim rear windows rusted early.

Wheel bearings replaced twice.

Sensor (gas) at front wheel hub space replaced.

Body side moldings along / under doors always loose; would fall off if not held on with goop glue.

Cloth seat edge worn through to foam at driver side.

Radiator leak early; now forced to replace.

Brakes OK wearing.

Drive-ability OK; generally solid.

Have had chance to comp (are with Honda Civic (son 1996 & daughter 2001 models). They have had no such problems.

General Comments:

Generally like drive-ability of VW's ie. solid & tough. But parts / assembly quality, workmanship & design leave much to be desired.

A lot of dealer 'show & bs' when selling & lots more when returning for repairs after warranties.

Will look elsewhere at different manufacturers for reliability.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th May, 2005

28th Oct 2005, 12:25

I have the radio volume control problem too! I also have spent about $4000 in the last year trying to maintain it!!! Most recently the ECU - basically the electrical system which controls the entire car went out. The part is $850. I am so sick of throwing money down the drain to fix this hunk of junk. It was a great car for about 4 years, now I've replaced pretty much everything on it and more stuff continues to break. I also have some sort of muffler problem where it rattles around while I'm driving. I've taken it in numerous times and no one can figure out what it is. The antenna fell off while I was driving a few months ago as well.

13th Nov 2005, 16:29

I posted the previous comment and since the ECU was replaced, I've gotten the car back from the dealership twice. It's been towed back once, and I'm waiting for them to tow it back again. Now it has a headlight problem where the headlights just go off while I'm driving and won't turn back on. Additionally, now I'm loosing power steering, instruments, gas, and power brakes, but the engine is still running. This car is totally unreliable and very unsafe. I'm hoping to cute a deal with the dealership who "fixed" it and get a refund on the repairs and have them wholesale it for me. I can't sell it to anyone for anything, but parts since it is so unsafe and unreliable. I bought this car because I thought it would last for 200k miles and that it would be reliable. It's been really expensive to maintain and it's just not worth it. The only part of the car that will go 200k miles is the engine. Everything else falls apart after about 50-60k miles. Don't be tempted to buy this car with it's good looks and fun drive. It's not worth the hit to your pocketbook.