22nd Jan 2005, 20:36
I bought the Jetta with best intentions myself, also a 2000 VR6. On the way home the check engine light came on, we ignored it because of the excitement that rushed through our bones. After months of visiting our "friendly" dealership down the road and THREE catalytic converters, the dealership agreed that there was a problem and replaced $6000 of stuff under the warranty. (stuff= engine modulator, catalytic converter (again), coil pack, all keys were reprogrammed, the mass air flow sensor, and oxygen sensor. We were only responsible for around $700. ONLY. Now our car makes a grinding sound whenever we start it. The car whines everytime we run out of washer fluid, every five minutes, until we can fill it up as soon as possible. It is a love-hate relationship that is now being won by the fact that we just can't afford to love it any more!
6th Mar 2005, 20:22
The volkswagen dealership in Carlsbad, California cannot figure out why a 2000 Jetta stalls and has electrical problems. Over $600 in diagnostics, and the car has the same problems. Appartently even the dealership can't fix the 2000 lemon Jettas. It has been in # times - I finally gave up on them - too expensive..
24th Jul 2006, 23:42
2000 VR6 owner here. I've gone through 2 oil pans due to them being too close to the ground. I'd say it's a good long distant car for gas mileage, but when you get into city driving and speed bumps, be careful.
31st Jul 2006, 00:00
WOW! Obviously, the salesman disputing the claims of yet another dissatisfied customer has not read enough of these forums. It only takes 5 minutes to go down the lists and see that for every satisfied customer, there are 10 HORROR stories!! And when you read them it's like a broken record... or shall I say Jetta. I am the unfortunate owner of a 2000 VR6...I never thought I would be so miserable to have paid off and own a car. I have had all the same problems as everyone else. Interior integrity sucks, electrical nightmare, mechanical joke!!! If you are filthy rich and looking for a car that looks cute... go ahead and buy one. You may as well buy two so that you have something to drive when the other is in the shop. After all the expense though, you may as well buy a beamer.
7th Aug 2006, 21:55
I own a 2000 Jetta GLS, which I purchased new. I have never owned a car that spent more time at the dealership in my life. The best part is, they never seem to be able to fix the problem.
The O2 sensors have been replaced 4 times.
The windows (both driver and passenger) have fallen into the door.
The center console latch broke.
The overhead light switch broke.
I could go on and on about how the check engine light has never really turned off, or how every time I go to the dealership it costs me $500, but something else always needs fixed.
29th Jul 2004, 20:53
Wrong, wrong, wrong. You're obviously a salesperson for VOLKSWAGEN. Let me reiterate on this car that I now finally got rid of.
1. Faulty Speaker - Discovered this on the first drive home from the dealership. They should have caught this in their pre-delivery inspection.
2. Squeaks - We're not just talking about once and a while. It was a constant rattle, pop, etc. even on smooth roads. It was enough to drive me crazy.
3. Leaking Lens - Also defective on day 1 of ownership. $5 fix, but was leaky from day 1. They should have caught it on the pre-delivery inspection (as should have I).
4. Cup holders - Since when is a 12oz can of soda "super size"? I've taken the cup holder apart and fixed it myself, it's made of cheap plastic. Why couldn't it have been made of something a little more durable?
5. Fine, pilot error... Ever driven on a New England dirt road in the winter with frost heaves? The rock was tiny and the car wasn't moving more than 5mph.
6. Timing tensioners prone to leaks - Well, this first started making noise when the car had only 4k miles on it. The dealership couldn't fix it, I brought the car in several times.
7. Transmission Grinding - Well, I learned to drive on standard and owned 3 prior to this Jetta. Last I knew, you should be able to release off the accelerator, fully depress the clutch, and then move the shifter from 1st to 2nd without having a grinding noise. Pilot error? I think not.
8. Windshield defective - After less than 12 months. No signs of chips, etc. It simply fractured under standard winter temperatures.
9. Rear brakes - Sure, the front ones probably will last to 80k, but the rear brakes went out at 24k. There are numerous records of this on VOLKSWAGEN forums.
10. Coil pack - No, not uncommon for VOLKSWAGEN; they could have at least included the 2000 VR6s as part of the recalls, but no, they didn't.. why? because it is a single coil pack rather than one per cylinder and it costs more.
11. Air mass meters - All bad? hmm.. why didn't VOLKSWAGEN issue a recall on this pricey part?
12. Converter - Agreed, this was due to the faulty coil pack and VOLKSWAGEN had to pay the $1600 for a new one.
13. Tie rods - Umm, the car has absolutely no modifications. The car was never driven roughly; the dealer admitted that they've seen the seals "dry up" and start to make squeaking noises, as mine were.
14. Coatings peel off - Well, all I can say is there are numerous reports of this in the VOLKSWAGEN forums also.
15. Center latch is junk - Yes, it is. Obviously made of the same cheap plastic as the cup holder. VOLKSWAGEN should have made this more durable or at least offered to fix it free of charge.
16. Power window - The regulator is on recall, another "fine quality" part in the car.
17. Dead battery - Nope, the car was less than 1 year old. The keyless entry system was sporadically locking and unlocking all on it's own while sitting in the driveway.
18. Shifter was picked away - Nope, I'm the only one that ever was in the car, and it was only touched to shift gears.
19. Brake dust - Check the VOLKSWAGEN forums, the pads they use simply generate a lot of dust lead foot on the brakes? nope.. wouldn't the front brake pads have worn out too?
20. Crappy tires - Agreed, the original tires were junk. All of the replacement tires were over $100 / tire and had warranties of 50k, they all wore out in less than 1/2 that time.
21. Seat lint - It was annoying that there was no way to ever get the seats clean; they were embedded with lint.
Well, you can thank your lucky stars, because I never will be one of your customers. This car was absolute crap and I'd expect nothing less from you, a VOLKSWAGEN dealer, than to try to blame all the problems on me. That is exactly what VOLKSWAGEN does, they blame everything on the customer and find every possible way out of covering things under warranty. The quality of the cars is pathetic. I drove this car conservatilvely and it literally fell apart before my eyes. If the car is so wonderfully built, then why are there so many negative reviews on it?