# VW's Garbage after 3 years???



## shinyk309 (Apr 29, 2005)

Ive been reading a ton of user reviews because I was planning on buying a used 2001 1.8t GLS but most of them state that they would never buy a vw again. 
"This car has been a nightmare from day one. Car frequently bogged down and stalled. Car was in for a mass air flow sensor 3 times, turbo valve once, catalytic converter twice. Car never ran right. Come to find out two years later that none of the above was the problem, it was a throttle body the whole time. This was conveniently after the warranty had expired. The service and management at Hudson Valley VW is HORRIBLE. They would not help me out at all. VW of America was just as bad. They would not warranty the part even though their own people admitted that the problem occurred while the vehicle was still under warranty. I finally traded the vehicle in and took a beating on what I originally paid. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE TO BUY A VW, EVER!!!!!!"
"Volkswagen Jetta sucks. I bought mine new and the transmission had to be replaced twice. The first time, I had owned the car for only 7 months and had under 8k miles. I've had a host of other problems and VW always tries to rake the customer on servicing fees b/c there is ALWAYS something wrong with the car. The check engine light is always on. You take the car in, they give you 2 reasons, a few hundred dollars out of your pocket to fix it, a few days later, the light comes on again and it's for different reasons and a few more hundred dollars. The vicious cycle never ends"
The list goes on. The one im considering iss a 2001 jetta 1.8t with 70k miles on it for 8k. Worth the money??


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## IFiONLY (Mar 1, 2004)

thats alot of miles for an 01, i'd try and talk them down.


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## water&air (Aug 1, 2002)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (shinyk309)*

just remember that it's alot easier to find people who hate their cars.
my 01 1.8t beetle has been problem free for 60k, and still going strong.
you must take all the bad "rep" with a grain of salt.
8k is right around book value for that car, you could prolly get them down a little.


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## hi_racing (Jul 6, 2004)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (water&air)*

I forgot who commissioned and paid for the study, but several years ago I remember reading that people usually report a bad service experience to 9 other people while the good reports go unmentioned...
Just food for thought. 
I've driven over 500,000 miles in VW since 1979. The only car to ever strand me due to mechanical failure was my Corrado before I finally convinced it to quit spitting coolant once a month...








Don


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## wrh3 (Mar 18, 2004)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (shinyk309)*

You'll always here more about the bad than the good.....I think with VW it really boils down to your local dealership, I have a great service dept at mine and couldn't ask for better sales/service.....the problem is that this is not everywhere and VW dealers are inconsistent in service and quality from one town to the next.


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## jettasin00 (May 7, 2003)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (wrh3)*

50,000 miles on my 03 GTI 1.8t, ive had no problems. I blew my turbo at 18000 miles do to my fault. I was beating on the car and not giving it proper time to cool down. Since i replaced it ive had no other issues. I allow the turbo to cool down now.


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## gtiboy66 (Jan 1, 2000)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (jettasin00)*

I have been a long time dubber. And always liked VW's over other cars. My Fiance bought a 2000 Golf GLS a few years ago used with 40k. I am always working on it. Her car I replaced the wiper switch, brake light switch, ignition switch and now the cruise control switch, it also needs a new Cat Converter since all the honeycomb inside is broken. All the plastic parts on the inside scratch with a fingernail. The quality of parts has declined over the years. The car has 90K on it now. It runs great but the little things will kill you. I probably will never buy another newer VW again.


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## BillLeBob (Aug 10, 2004)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (shinyk309)*

How bout this.... I put 114K on my '00 Golf in 2 years driving hard as hell. I changed the oil every 3.5-4K and NEVER did any of the recomended maninence. Nothing broke. Car is now pushing 200K with its new owner, also with nothing broken. Only struts and brakes and t belt replaced.


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## Sixtysomething (Aug 7, 2003)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (water&air)*


_Quote, originally posted by *water&air* »_just remember that it's alot easier to find people who hate their cars.
my 01 1.8t beetle has been problem free for 60k, and still going strong.
you must take all the bad "rep" with a grain of salt.
8k is right around book value for that car, you could prolly get them down a little.

This is very true. The number of people who have complaints will always outnumber those who don't, which makes it appear that they are "garbage." My 1996 Golf GL has 120,200 miles and runs and looks as good as it did at 43K, when I bought it. I have had some normal wear & tear stuff, struts, rear brakes, tires, exhaust, O2 sensor, and a worn coil, but ANY car will need things like that replaced from time to time. VW's, despite what you may read, are very reliable, durable cars. Only one warning: they are very expensive to fix. If you don't do work yourself, (like me; I have no mechanical skills at all), be prepared to put about $1000 a year into upkeep. On a Passat, maybe even more...........This is the price for German engineering.


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## Dr. Bob (May 26, 1999)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (fortysomething)*

As with any brand you will always hear the horror stories. However, there are many like us who have owned VW's for years and had great success with their cars. I currently have a new Passat, which we took delivery on last May 2004, it has 10K and from day one has been very good. We have also had other VW's going back many years. In general they have been very durable cars and have all been running for many years without major repair problems unlike other brands we have owned. We still have our 89 Jetta which is proving to be a warhorse in standing up to around the town stop and go driving. All of our watercooled VW's starting with a 78 Rabbit, 79 Scirocco, 89 Jetta, 95 Jetta and 96 Passat ran without any major engine overhaul or repair. All ran 100K plus without using any oil! Matter of fact the Rabbit and Scirocco both ran over 150K and still ran like a swiss clock the day they were sold. The only reason they were sold was because the bodies had finally started rusting away after 18 years of operation. All of these cars were bought new and never saw a garage as they were parked outside. I have other memories of cars we have owned which were not as durable and had to rebuild an engine on one of them (a Ford product) with less than 80K. 


_Modified by Dr. Bob at 11:15 AM 4-29-2005_


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## shadowblue (Dec 22, 2004)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (Dr. Bob)*

Dr. Bob is right on the money. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## GoFaster (Jun 18, 1999)

For the 1.8T or any turbo engine, you really should be using synthetic oil. Stuff like this has to do with how the previous owner treated the car. The reliability of ANY car (or any other machine!) is a function of how the user uses and maintains it ...
My '96 TDI has 431,000 km on it. Runs fine. Rust is starting to pop up - welcome to the rust belt.


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## Sixtysomething (Aug 7, 2003)

*Re: (GoFaster)*


_Quote, originally posted by *GoFaster* »_For the 1.8T or any turbo engine, you really should be using synthetic oil. Stuff like this has to do with how the previous owner treated the car. The reliability of ANY car (or any other machine!) is a function of how the user uses and maintains it ...
My '96 TDI has 431,000 km on it. Runs fine. Rust is starting to pop up - welcome to the rust belt.

431,000 kilometers.......These are stories I like to hear..If I'm translating right, that's about 266,000 miles! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## LaTuFu (Feb 24, 2005)

Just purchased VW #6. 20 years and 500,000 miles later, I am a very happy VW customer. I am another person who is fortunate to have a good VW dealer in my area. They are extremely friendly, and never give me problems when I take the car in. 
I agree with one of the earlier posts, too. The problems you have with a used car have as much, if not more, to do with how the previous owner(s) did or did not take care of the car.
I have had some of the little nickel and dime things happen in the interior, too, but nothing that ever impacted the car's reliability, and nothing unusual for ANY car that was 4-5 years old.
My cars always get serviced as required by VW. Take care of your car, it will take care of you!


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## VWFreake (Mar 16, 2005)

i own 3 vw jettas a 83 a 90 and a 92 and my wife and i love all 3


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## okanagan45 (Feb 19, 2003)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (shinyk309)*

Had my Jetta 3 years, and it still makes me smile every time I drive it.
Zero problems, except those darn speeding tickets because these cars are fun to drive. Pure glory, never regretted it for a minute.


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## tjl (Mar 24, 2001)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (shinyk309)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shinyk309* »_
The list goes on. The one im considering iss a 2001 jetta 1.8t with 70k miles on it for 8k. Worth the money??

You didn't say what the car's condition is, and whether there are full service records for it.


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## smittyATL (Feb 25, 2004)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (shinyk309)*

Don't let these people kid you. We love our Dubs, but they aren't a Honda or Toyota when it comes to reliability. LOTS of little things are going to pop up. My check engine light has been off and on since I got the car. I actually complain to my technician that he broke the light when it's actually off. No worries, because it always comes back within a week or two. I think the turbos are even worse for maintenance than the VR6.


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## Dr. Bob (May 26, 1999)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (smittyATL)*

smittyATL:
I noticed you mentioned you have troubles with your CEL coming on. I take it you have checked and cleared all the codes? I am asking because when I had my B4 Passat it had a tendency to light the CEL also until I figured out what it was is bad gas. Up until then I was buying all my gas from my local neighborhood Exxon station. Well one day I borrowed my wife's Jetta going to work and noticed how well the car ran. I asked her what she put in the tank and found out it was Shell V Power (Hi Test). I immediately switched over to the Shell V Power and guess what the CEL light went off for good. The engine ran so much better and the milage went up a few MPG's also. After this experience I made a point to try out other gasoline brands in the area. What I noticed was that all Exxon and Mobile gas would light my CEL light in addition to other less know brands. The B4 always ran better on the Shell gas. I also found out that Sunoco Premium and BP (AMOCO) Premium also ran fine without lighting the CEL light.
So in summary, have you switched your gas to a high quality brand?
If you have not try it and let us know what happens.

_Modified by Dr. Bob at 9:44 AM 5-4-2005_


_Modified by Dr. Bob at 9:44 AM 5-4-2005_


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## farfrompukin (Oct 3, 2003)

1- all the turbos require at least 91 octane. run lower octane @ your own risk.
2- the CEL *will* come on if you don't have a good seal on the gas cap- make it click.
3- i've worked in the customer service (IT/computer) area for the last 12+ yrs and you will find that for every positive response you get, there will be 15 bad ones (it is a fact)
4- if VWs were so bad, why would there be SO MANY OF US FREAKS ON VORTEX!!?!?!
i've got 44K on my '03 GTI (i use only synth oil and 93 oct.) and the *only* problem i've had with it (and it's current) is the bulb burned out behind the heater switches (and you can't belive what a pain that is up here in the north







). that'll be fixed under warrenty. the Passat is another story (new turbo, new head) but it had a 100K Mi. powertrain warrenty and everything was covered. my truck is on it's second engine and has over 500K chasis mi. on it (it was the Boulder, CO dealer's parts truck). the vert's got a new crank but i expect that was because of the first owner's choice of oil.


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## Dr. Bob (May 26, 1999)

*Re: (farfrompukin)*

farfrompukin:
With regard to your comments regarding Octane level and CEL light please keep in mind I was talking about a VR6 normally aspirated engine on my B4 and smittyATL's car. Also in all cases I was referring to using nothing but premium grade fuel from all the brands sampled. The fact is we have bad gas and I believe many a gas station is "doctoring" their gasoline with a load of lower octane fuel and selling it as premium blend. Furthermore, I also believe based upon my experience using the Exxon and Mobil premium blends that they may be adding an additive which perhaps may promote the lighting of the CEL light.
It was interesting to note that while using Shell V Power Premium that there was such a noticable improvement in performance. The problem is we are paying for premium fuels and getting subpremium type fuels, which affect the performance of our engines. I have never used any fuel less than premium in any of my engines. That said, needless to say, the 1.8T must run on premium blend if you are to realize it's true potential performance.
Now that I have a 1.8T engine I continue to use the Shell V Power when ever possible and have never been disappointed in it's performance.

_Modified by Dr. Bob at 7:57 AM 5-5-2005_


_Modified by Dr. Bob at 7:58 AM 5-5-2005_


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## bobsjett (Aug 10, 2004)

*Re: VW's Garbage after 3 years??? (shinyk309)*

All I know is I had a 97 Trek and sold it to a friend after 300k. Then I bought the 04 GLI 1.8t. Just got it chipped and now could care less about getting a vr6.
The friggin Trek is still on its original clutch. I see the car about once ev'ry two weeks at my friends house and he is loving it. The only thing I ever did to that car was keep up the maitenance, replace the starter and clean the throttle body.
The chipped GLI now runs super smooth after 30K.
Now I did have an 87 wolf 2 door that turned lemon the day I drove it offa the lot. So I'm right w/ Dr. Bob.


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## LaTuFu (Feb 24, 2005)

Smitty, I gotta chime in with DrBob on that one. I have never had an issue with the CEL. I run premium only, and always have, going back to my first Jetta. You gotta make sure you turn the gas cap til it clicks, too. I have never had any issue with the CEL constantly on following this procedure.


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## DPGsince85 (Feb 24, 2004)

*Re: (7Hills_Jetta)*

Oh I'm sure there were people in 1991 who were complaining about their 16v Sciroccos sputtering and bogging too. Thats just my 1/50th


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## T3Bunny (Mar 30, 2005)

*Re: (DPGsince85)*

Well my dub not quiet so "maintenance free" and always has something needing poking... BUT it could be I got too much power out of my little rocket. Last "street dyno" run said we had 243hp coming out of my 1.8L 8v! So you can ignore my complaints (it EATS transmissions, axles, engine mounts, stut mounts...)
The engine? Well its insides came from my old 1984 Rabbit GTI. When we retired her it was because the fusebox compleatlt melted and the wiring fried. This car had 350,000 miles and I had NEVER taken the head off!!! I had the car from 100k on. The engine was in PERFECT shape. A leakdown test had all the cylinders with LESS than 6% leakage! Compression test had all them within like 5psi!!!
This engine has been rebuilt, but nothing polished or taken into the machine shop other than a performance valve grind and head resurface. And we are now putting 200hp to the ground....


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## Fantomasz (Aug 15, 2001)

*Re: (T3Bunny)*

VWoA buy out my 99 mk4 jetta because bad auto tranny at 3k miles.I own car for 3 months.they give me new 00 jetta which had auto tranny replaced 3 times in 60k miles.no big deal.at least I don't have to replace tranny fluid.









it's just a car
peoples have more importand problems than just broken car.when You get older You will understand.


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## T3Bunny (Mar 30, 2005)

*Re: (Fantomasz)*

TRUE, but unfortunatly for some of us "older folk" (30, married with 3yr old and another on the way) having that car be good enough that your not afraid it wont get you to the next gig, or work...en a Rabbit
My old Dubs rarely let me down. I HATE my newer VR6. I would trade it for a corrado or even a nice old GTI. Even an old rabbit GTI.



_Modified by T3Bunny at 7:19 PM 5-10-2005_


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## TheMadChigga (Feb 24, 2002)

*Re: (T3Bunny)*

its hard to find a dub that was treated nice, I've always been an euro-car guy, and a Volvo man, I liked my Volvos but thought I wanted a change for a bit, bought a 94 GTI from local shop, great preppy car, I loved the car and hated it, I loved the way it looks, the way it drives, the way it has "soul" (very vague term here), I hated all the small problem it had, I really really like VWs, but I can't deal with all the small problems that me and my friends encounter, we all blame that most drivers VW found (hahaha, boredom at work has gotten to me) are not very good at taking care of cars.
Good luck on your car hunting, at least you know a mk4 isn't a rust-monster like most mk3 out there.


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## jackilus (Jan 16, 2005)

Take care of her and she will take care of you.
Love your Dub and be happy!


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