General Comments:
The good: the car handles well.
It is reasonably fast for a turbo diesel.
The blue lighting is cool.
The bad: everything else.
Really, the car is a piece of junk. The list of what went wrong is just what was confirmed. However, the number of trips I had to the dealer was outrageous.
I got a choice of a company car and for some stupid reason, I picked this Jetta (I had never had a Volkswagen before, an itch I no longer feel the need to scratch). The other choice was either a Chrysler Intrepid or a Honda Accord. What the hell was I thinking, especially coming off a Honda Accord that had given me zero problems beyond regular maintenance. Zero.
The turbo was a good example. It worked on and off when it wanted to. When it finally died, it was at 42,000 km. I was initially told by Volkswagen that it was out of warranty (40,000 kms). I was told their vehicles are reliable. So, I asked them why their warranty was so low compared to others if they believed their cars were reliable. I was told that it was because their cars were so reliable that they had that lower warranty (no word of a lie, that's what the rep tried to tell me). I told them if they wanted a lawsuit, they could deny the coverage. That seemed to convince them to cover the turbo under warranty.
The rest I covered until I was able to buy the car out which I did (as it was less than the current market value) and then sold it ASAP.
I will never get a Volkswagen again.
10th Feb 2010, 06:34
Keep it as a lover! Maintenance is a headache once it becomes your spouse.