Faults:
Today the transmission died. This car only has 37,700 miles and has had all scheduled maintenance. In fact, I just paid $600 to have a "thorough" 40K checkup a week before it died. Luckily, the auto technician was driving it when it quit, so the dealer was inclined to believe there was a problem.
The car would jolt at around 27RPMs, and I complained about this problem 4 times to the dealer--each time they said they "reset the codes" and it would be fine. Yesterday, the car wouldn't go in reverse, and we noticed it was making grinding sounds.
We also have electrical issues:
-They fixed the brake switch (recall)
-Radio has been replaced 3 times
-The left turn signal turns on the reverse lights
-The trunk release button doesn't work
-Cruise control quits when I signal to change lanes
-Brake light bulbs burn out with great frequency
-Car died after sitting in the summertime for 5 days without having been driven (dealer said the car alarm drained the battery)
And
-The armrest broke
-The knob to adjust the rear view mirrors broke
Both were made of cheap plastic. The dealer fixed the armrest, but said it would be $200 to replace the mirror knob.
19th Mar 2009, 11:25
I had a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle that I traded in 2001.
I guess you won't see many of the newer Volkswagens still going strong at 31 years old.