2001 Volkswagen Jetta SLE 4.0 from North America

Summary:

Not made well enough, and wouldn't buy again

Faults:

I've replaced the water pump, temperature gauge, thermostat, catalytic converter, and timing belt.

The interior paint is peeling, and the CD player malfunctions.

The lights on the dash, which indicate speed and rpms, also blink and often go out, so I have no idea how fast I'm going.

The antenna is beginning to peel away from the seal on the roof, and the door is beginning to rust.

Check engine light has been on twice in the past month. After I had the thermostat replaced, the coolant light started blinking that same day.

General Comments:

I really love my car in spite all of the problems, although it's getting to the point where I can't afford to continue dumping hundreds of dollars into it every month.

My car in particular seems to have a lot of electrical issues, and after reading Jetta blogs, that seems to be a common area of problems for other owners.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th March, 2008

2001 Volkswagen Jetta GLX VR6 from North America

Summary:

Amazing car for a younger person!

Faults:

I bought it used at a local auto outlet lot. I used Car-Fax before I bought it and saw that it was in great condition. It was in one accident - nothing major. I've only owned it for a little while but so far nothing has gone wrong. The wood grain on the doors is a little cracked but it is 7 years old after all. But other than that, nothing has gone wrong or malfunctioned. It's a great car.

General Comments:

It's a great car for a young person. It was my first car and I absolutely love it! The trunk is huge for a small sedan and the back seats fold down to make it even bigger. The heated seats heat up really quick and they're so nice in the winter. It's easy to operate and performs great. I definitely recommend it as someones first car (like for a teenager) or a young person. Handles and responds great. I definitely recommend it. But all cars are different. If you're buying used make sure to use Car-Fax and check it out; but with my experience with this Jetta GLX it's a great car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th March, 2008

2001 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8T from North America

Summary:

Poor workmanship -VW should accept responsibIlity

Faults:

Glass window fell off. Driver and passanger side seat frames had crackling noise while driving. Brake lites failed. Trunk lock broke twice. VW emblems fell off from wheels. Brakes had to be replaced at 27K.Turbo injector needed service at 27K.Oil pan leaked at 55K. Brake Lite failed. Arm rest latch broke at 10K. Leather from doors peeling. Material used on dash board has worn out. Fabric from car roof is becoming loose.

Some of the work was done with no charge but we had to pay for quite a few things. Some problems we have to live with. Moreover so much time was wasted at the dealership in explaining, waiting or dropping and picking up the car. As usual, once the car is given to the dealer, even for no charge work, more problems are pointed out for correction for which had to pay.

I don't know if the problems are only with this particular year model. VW should know better. They should offer extended warranties (including interior) for the models that came out defective from their plants.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th March, 2008

2001 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg 1.8T from North America

Summary:

German engineering = Mexican Lemon

Faults:

Huge amount of recalls; more recall notices than phone bills in my mail.

Window fell into the door frame.

Both heated seats died. Passenger side died a second time. Still dead.

Interior lights failed many times.

Transmission completely failed @ 35000km total replacement.

Car jerks and shudders violently when trying to accelerate for the first time on a cold start up.

Replaced fuel injectors.

Replaced mass air flow sensor, twice.

Multiple other parts replaced regarding the check engine light and shuddering problem. Dealer assumed it was fuel related.

Most recently they re-flashed onboard computer claiming it was the cause of the shuddering / engine light. But, 2 weeks after that the issue resumed.

Goes through a lot of oil.

Side mirrors have burn marks from the defroster.

The interior finish (rubbery black stuff) around the CD player, Shifter, and on door handles is peeling. Dealer claims that "This is normal, it always happens." Sounds like such a line to me. I'm sorry, our cars always explode at 20,000 km. you'll just have to deal with it, it's normal.

Cruise Control failed completely at some point. Fixed now.

The alloy on the rims that came with the car have peeled and chipped away on all rims and look like garbage, This started as early as 20,000km.

General Comments:

The car handles well and used to have decent getup and go. Not anymore due to the millions of issues.

Very comfortable ride for driver / passenger. Pretty cramped for the unfortunate people in the back seat.

The stock monsoon stereo is nice.

Quiet ride.

Over all an amazing car when something isn't broken... thus far, the first 8 days I owned it and another 5-10 days over the past 6 years.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th March, 2008