2003 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 from North America

Summary:

I will never buy another VW product!

Faults:

Could not move transmission shifter to reverse. Had this fixed by dealer twice.

Key/light reminder chime stopped working. Dealer had to replace entire instrument panel.

Drivers side seat spring came off under seat.

Automatic gas cap latch quit working.

Many interior rattles & noises.

Low coolant level error code P2181 trips the "MIL" check engine light (get used to this code!) ECT Coolant sensor bad.

Trunk latch periodically will not open.

General Comments:

I thought Volkswagon stood for quality & basically a good car, but I can see that many others have had many of the same problems I've had. Very expensive to maintain/repair & is in the shop more than any other car I've ever owned.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th October, 2007

2003 Volkswagen Jetta TDI from North America

Faults:

Clutch went out at 50,000K.

Malfunction Sensor light came on twice; took it to the dealer both times.

Replaced glow plugs, coils etc.

Front bumper came off.

Interior paint (cup holder paint peeling).

The car left me stranded 3 times, took to the dealer.

Then at 70 k miles, the car will not start, turns over, but nothing happens. Taking it to the dealer again, 2 time in 3 weeks.

Extended warranty = RIP OFF. This is my second Jetta and my last

NEVER AGAIN, BUYER BEWARE

General Comments:

I was a VW enthusiast, but after buying a 2003 TDI Jetta, I would have to say, it has been a huge disappointment, not to mention expensive to repair! Buyer beware.

Sorry VW, you just lost a long time customer!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th September, 2007

2003 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg 1.8t from North America

Faults:

Nothing is wrong other than the manufacturer's recalls such as sunroof and door light switch. Other than that, it's fast cheap and fun...

For all those Volkswagen owners who bought the 2000 model... for future reference do not buy the first model of any new model from Volkswagen... or from any company from that matter; they simply cannot for see what is good or not good until the car has been tested on the road...

For example, in the 1990 VW Corrado the g60 was a great idea for the engineers at Volkswagen to bolt on power to a normally aspirated 1.8L 8v, engine, but that supercharger was not reliable and usually lasted 20,000 kms. They never perfected the idea because of the VR6 transplant in 1993... But eventually if they would have continued research, the problem would have been perfected... (Such as the mass air flow sensor on the Vr6 engine) And 500hrs of shop time ain't enough... It takes at least a one or two year trial for research and development to perfect that model.

General Comments:

My car runs well, and that's all I have to say.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th August, 2007

2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS turbo diesel from North America

Summary:

I expect to drive it 300,000 miles plus

Faults:

So far nothing has gone wrong if you don't count 3 bulbs replaced and all four tires replaced at 55,000 miles. Oh, I forgot, the windshield washer fluid idiot light was dysfunctional... I just had the dealer disconnect it.

General Comments:

This is a marvelous little car. It's sold as a five seater which is presumptuous... the back seat will hold two adults provided they have no legs. Just not a lot of room back there, but my dog loves it. The front buckets are great and the mechanical adjustments work very well. After 90,000 plus miles I am still getting an average highway/city mileage of over 45 miles per gallon. The car has good pickup and passing power and easily goes 700 miles on a tank full highway driving. With diesel fuel these days a little cheaper than gas, you can't beat this. Since you pay more for a diesel than a gasser, you have to drive it a lot of miles to make it pay. I figured that after 50,000 miles, I started paying half in running costs over a gasser. The newer ones are not quite as economical since they're a bit bigger and have cylinders.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th August, 2007