Faults:
The rear brake pads and rotors had to be replaced at 65,000 km ($400 repair).
The check engine light came on at 50,000 km, and the dealer diagnosed the problem as a short circuit of the glow plug wiring harness.
Various light bulbs have blown, as early as 30,000 km, and certain ones are difficult to replace.
General Comments:
This car gets great fuel economy and looks nice, which is why I bought it. However, the total cost of ownership is turning out to be horrendous.
I also understand there is a ridiculously expensive (around $1000) timing belt replacement that needs to happen at the lease end or 96,000 km.
The dealer charged me $100 to determine why the "check engine" light came on, and Volkswagen Canada would not cover the cost of the glow plug harness repair ($300), despite covering similar mechanical failures for at least one other Jetta owner I know of, as a "goodwill gesture".
Dealership customer service is atrocious, and it takes days to get an appointment (lots of Volkswagen owners with problems I guess). The staff must be sick of having so many people complain about the quality of their cars.
The space in the back seat is pathetic.
The fit and finish inside is good, but it's almost impossible to keep the interior clean because of some of the materials used.
There are assorted rattles when driving.
29th Nov 2003, 15:32
Myself and my cousin both have Jettas - mine is a 1999 and his is a 2000. In both of our vehicles, when the temperature outside drops into freezing, the mechanism for the glove box is too stiff causing the glove box to break when you open it. Is there a recall on this that anyone knows of? There HAS to be as there are too many glove boxes breaking for this to be a coincidence.