12th Apr 2006, 08:24
VW's SUCK! And their service center sucks even more! I've had a Tune up there and brake pads put on. All of a sudden a day later my whole dash is trembling when I brake, then a few days later my car wouldn't start! I brought it back to VW cause I'm positive they screwed it up. They tell me my alternator is dead and to replace it's 850! Then I asked about the trembling, first the guy says, it's because you have 3 different types of tires on the car, I was like NO I've had those for 3 years! then he says well it could be the because of electrical problem. Then after having the manager have them look into it further, he comes back and tells me yes your alternator is dead... and the trembling on the dash is not that bad it could be dealt with! I was like I'm not dealing with that! Then he says it's the rotors! I was like didn't you see this when the brakes were done a week ago!!! so it was like one excuse to another... ANYWAY I took my car right out of there and took it to a REAL mechanic, ended up paying 500 for the alternator instead of 800 and didn't need rotors after all. The car is just falling apart after 5 years... and VW service screws it up even more after fixing one thing, they screw up another.
Never buy a VW again!
15th Aug 2008, 15:35
I have had many of the same problems. I have replaced the transmission, then was told 2 years later, oops it was something else and that needs to be replaced, I have spent a great deal of money on this car and indeed it is a lemon. I bought mine new and will never buy a VW again. I thought it was just my car that was so troublesome, because my cousin has a VW and has had none of the problems that I have had. She has a 4cylinder though (not the V6). I am very disappointed in german engineering as a result of this car.
15th Jan 2009, 15:09
I have had almost all the same problems with my 2000 Jetta. I got it brand new in '99 with 3 miles on it.
It ran good for the first year or so, and then things started to... break. I am still driving this piece of crap around and it's quite embarrassing. Almost everything inside of the car is broken (cup holders, glove box, window rollers, etc.)
It takes two people to pop the hood, which used to be a beautiful shiny black.. and is now a chalky gray.
We had to bust the gas door because the electrical system completely crapped out.
My grille flew off driving down the road, along with probably half a dozen hubcaps through the years.
My check engine light has been on for as long as I can remember, and no one can make it stay off.
Everything under the hood has been replaced AT LEAST once.
I used to get 34 mpg... these days it's more like 15.
My A/C went about 2 years ago, but hey, thank god the heat still works fine being that I live in Florida.
And the most recent problem... the locks are all screwed up and when they automatically lock at 5 mph... the alarm goes off and I either have to pull over and turn the car off, or I can drive for 5 minutes or so until it will go off by itself.
Oh and I can't forget about the black "goo" that leaks from the bottoms of the doors.
You can't take this car to be fixed anywhere but the dealership, because everything is made so that you need a "special" tool or part to fix the simplest of problems. And the VW dealerships I've experienced have just been freakin scam artists.
DON'T BUY A VW!
27th Jun 2010, 21:25
I found my car on a Toyota lot, it was a trade in car; that should have been my warning. I have talked to some people, and they said that anything below or above the 2000 series runs fine.
I have driven my car for about 8 years.
I have had to replace two windows (because the window fell straight down due to the gear wires).
My driver side floor floods when it rains hard (I live in Washington).
My heater can only go from low to high.
The A/C doesn't work (I got heat stroke in my own car, sitting in traffic).
The plastic holder for my dip stick snapped in half.
My engine light has been on for about a year.
Car alarm won't deactivate when I unlock my car.
The automatic locks on my door don't work.
The cup holder broke for the second time.
I have had to fix so many lights on my car.
Etc, etc, and going...
It's hard to take into any dealership to get something fixed.
Very frustrating car!
10th Feb 2006, 07:10
I have had almost all the problems you have had except the fuel system. I can tell you though that the transmission is next! Mine just died on me and Volkswagen is only offering to pay for 50% off parts cost and the dealer is offering 20% off labour. That still leaves me with a $3100CAD bill! I had problems with the transmission in my first year and they had to replace the valve body and it didn't change a thing. It would still jump into first gear. My next car will be a Japanese one. I am currently taking a Quality Management course and all the Japanese car makers are in my text over and over and over again as examples of exceptional, award-winning quality. Good luck!