Faults:

The only thing in this car that is reliable, is the check engine light! Bought this car from a private dealer, had it checked by a few mechanics before I did, put it on an engine machine to make sure all was well... Everything was fine. Until about a month later when my engine light went on. I brought it in, and I was told it was the catalytic converter, so I put an aftermarket catalytic converter in, which works great with most cars, but not Volkswagen...

The aftermarket converter did not fix the problem, so I had to get it replaced at the dealer, which cost me $1,200. Apparently, Volkswagen is very specific as to the parts you can use for repairs, meaning when something goes wrong... there is NO cheap fix.

And with this car, things ARE always going wrong.

Anyway, replaced the converter with a factory part. And 2 weeks later, the engine light is back on... this time C02 sensors, and a leak in one of the pipes underneath. This repair trip cost $780.

2 months after that?

The electrical system starts acting weird, the car locks and unlocks by itself, the trunk opens by itself, even when car is off, and the A/C stopped working...

Keep in mind, I bought the car for $4500, and have already put $2000 into this car not even 5 months into owning it...

So the electrical issues ran me another $580.

4 months later, driving in the snow, the engine seized and I replaced that for $1500 (which is very cheap). It's normally about 2500 to fix.

Month or two later, the engine light came back on, and I decided enough was enough, didn't even check what it was, sold it to a dealer for cash. Should have done so much sooner.

The car is very comfortable, and very nice looking, which is what sold me, but NOT worth the money. Absolutely HORRIBLE on reliability.

General Comments:

Fun to drive, smooth ride, looks nice.

But the only thing that works is the check engine light... Don't let the good looks fool you; run, and run fast!

Faults:

I LOVE my Jetta! It has been my dream car for the longest time. I just recently replaced the water pump and timing belt, which is normal. But, recently the car has been acting up after a running a long time. Like the car would sound like the driver's side front wheel would fall off. If you let the car sit for an hour, the car is fine, until you start driving on the highway for long periods of time.

The mechanic noticed that my CV joint boots were torn open, and that nothing was really wrong with it. But I'm starting to think otherwise. I certainly don't want it to be the transmission. Because once you get a different transmission, it's never the same.

General Comments:

This car is fast and sexy, I'm for sure going to buy another MK4 Jetta, even if it costs an arm and a leg, because it will be worth it in the end.

Faults:

My 2003 Volkswagen Jetta has a design defect where water ingresses into the Volkswagen Jetta interior cabin when it rains; which in turn causes mold to grew throughout the interior, making this car unhealthy to drive.

Made numerous attempts to get this defect remedied by dealer, but they always made it sound like someone had left the sunroof open.

A recall was finally directed by District Court in New Jersey for this issue, and I took my vehicle to the dealer to get it fixed. The company, however, will not take responsibility for damage caused by water, fog and moisture in the interior. The vehicle runs good, but I need a U.S. Marine Corps Nuclear Biological and Chemical suits to drive this vehicle without getting mold contamination.

Beware of this faulty drain valve systems in Volkswagen vehicles. Personally, my opinion of German engineering has been completely degraded with this experience.

General Comments:

Vehicle runs good. Interior is a total loss due to design defect that was never fixed when the vehicle was brought in to the dealer for a maintenance remedy.