Faults:

One ignition coil went out at 3000 miles. The car was towed to the dealer the next day, and I picked it up the day after. The customer service was excellent.

Also, I have been having boost problems, after a long hard run the car only allows the turbo to run 3-4 pounds of boost. The problem is fixed as soon as the car is shut off.

General Comments:

The car has been great. Very good throttle response, excellent brakes that never fade after being hit hard. The sport suspension with new springs handles very nice.

The body styling is beautiful. All of the bumpers and moldings fit very tight and clean.

The interior was designed almost perfect. all the gages are easily visible, climate controls are right within reach and the cup holders are, too.

The Tiptronic transmission should not be underestimated. Its performance is just as good as a manual, if not better.

Faults:

I tell ya if I could look back when choosing a car I would have run the other way. I have owned this 2002 Jetta 1.8L Turbo since Nov/01 since that time it has been in the shop for four major repairs. First one Apr/02 was a head gasket... secondly the monsoon stereo gave up in July/03...Dec/02 the engine light comes on and gets towed in I'm told a 2 - 4 week wait for an igniton harness (coil I guess)...amazing enough the car is ready in 2 days... they replaced it with another defective coil of a 2003 model...Jan/03 my car is on the back of a tow truck once more... the other coil is gone... VW warranty only allows for one coil at a time to be replaced from what I am told... they replaced two... if there is in fact 4 coils that just means I will be back in four weeks... something has to be done for the consumer... after several complaints to VW I might get some results... I feel for those people that are getting stuck with a $500 + repair bill because their warranties have run out and no knowledge of the problem.

Faults:

2 spark coils died. The dealer replaced the broken 2 spark coils at no charge. I asked why they didn't replace all 4. His response was that they know that the spark coils on the 1.8 turbo to be problematic and that there was a shortage of replacement coils due to demand that the failures have created. They were not allowed to change all four. It's 2 degrees F outside. Now I have a 4 month old unreliable car. When do the other 2 coils die? He said that V.W. will probably have a recall on this car for this problem. I hope so!

General Comments:

Pluses.

Great performance. (when it's running.)

Nice interior.

Good interior design. In-dash cup holder location could be a problem. Might spill liquids into console.

Minuses.

Worry about reliability. Spark coils

Fuel economy

Seats four comfortably. Five is tight!

Faults:

When the fan is on and the recirculation button is on, there is a high-pitched noise that comes from the passenger side vents. This has been a problem since the car was purchased.

Water leaks into the car, especially when snow melts onto the roof. This problem began to appear at 2,500 miles.

An ignition coil blew at approximately 6,700 miles.

The steering wheel has never been properly centered, even following dealer servicing.

The doors freeze shut in cold temperatures.

The car radio system is intermittent when the weather is cold and damp.

General Comments:

The station wagon is not designed for use by tall people. In order to lower the rear seats, the front seats have to be moved forward to make room. I am unable to sit comfortably in the front seat when the rear seats are lowered.

Initially, I liked the marketing of this car and especially the fact that the car is new and rarely seen on the road. Following the repeated problems that I have had, I think this car will become rarer still. This car suffers from design flaws, poor engineering and repeated servicing. I would not recommend this car to anyone and am likely to seek retribution under the lemon laws.