https://www.ecstuning.com/b-be...mEAQYASABEgLwbvD_BwE
Get this book to save you some headaches on how things come apart.

Find a VW forum to find fixes to common issues. Your door lock could be as simple as resoldering some points on the circuit board.

Go to the VW parts site and check the clearance section.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: petr,

I have a 2013 Jetta SE 2.5 and absolutely love it! Hoping for a Passat fairly soon...

To each their own; sometimes they suck the big one, and other times like mine they are awesome... your mileage may vary (pun intended).

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Yeah, VWs are a poor man's BMW which only expands on the problems of MX'ing them yourself.

Fun as hell when brand new and under warranty with loaner car service - but used, older, forget about it.

It does ride nice. I don't know about BMW nice but it's nice and the interior quality is pretty good. Seats don't show any wear for a 13 year old car which is impressive. Headliner is jacked up - another common VW problem apparently. Once that's fixed the interior will look brand new.

I don't want to tell you guys how much the exhaust shop quoted me for the flex pipe. Apparently it sits right over the front subframe and a total pain to get to, so the guy was like "if I am doing it, it's going to cost you." Great. Looks like I have a busy weekend in store for me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: AirmanJeff,

quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:
To each their own; sometimes they suck the big one.

That’s not a glowing review when we’re talking about a product that costs thousands of dollars.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:
To each their own; sometimes they suck the big one.

That’s not a glowing review when we’re talking about a product that costs thousands of dollars.

You’re taking my comment out of context. I love my Jetta and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another! Even better would be a Passat... but I’m good with my Jetta for now!

I've owned three VWs. Two older air-cooled ones when I was a yute, and more recently a 2004 New Beetle. At least when I was young, they were cheap and simple enough to do my own maintenance. The New Beetle we called our "marvel of German engineering". Like the above-described whack-a-mole, there was always something. And it was never easy. Even swapping out a burned-out headlight was a major project.

Never again.

And every Nissan I've owned has been great.

The old air cooled & simple ones were great in their time. Easy to work on and cheap to fix.
The newer ones were cool, zippy little cars when they were new but after the warranty ran out, trouble began.
Most cars nowadays can be kept running and reliable well over 100k but not VW's.

A $400 car is a piece of shit???? I’m shocked!

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
A $400 car is a piece of shit???? I’m shocked!

Wasn't the point of the story at all.

Every single thing is funky on them. Daughter has a 2017 that I got for a pretty good deal. I go to change out her windshield wipers. Mind you I am a Toyota, Subaru, used to have Ford kind of guy. They all use the basic hook type assembly. Not VW. Nope. I had to find one with all those goofy alternate attachments and build a wiper. What a pain in the ass for something so simple.

First car I ever bought was a Jetta GLI. I traded in for a Wolfsburg edition Jetta GLI. I got a passat TDI. then went to a Honda Accord... zzzzz. Back to VW! On to a CC, then another Passat TDI and then to another CC. I love my VWs. The CC is quick, fast, handles great, comfortable and great on mpg. Bitch all you want, I love my VW's !!

I'm tempted to buy one of the TDI that are coming to the used car markets. A 2013-2015 Jetta wagon TDI for $10-13K with less than 30K miles?

Stories like this scare me.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Every single thing is funky on them. Daughter has a 2017 that I got for a pretty good deal. I go to change out her windshield wipers. Mind you I am a Toyota, Subaru, used to have Ford kind of guy. They all use the basic hook type assembly. Not VW. Nope. I had to find one with all those goofy alternate attachments and build a wiper. What a pain in the ass for something so simple.

I agree. Before I sold back to VW my TDI hatchback, I replaced all three wiper blades as they only lasted two years.

$75+tax from the VW dealer for all three.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
Sounds like a Jetta an old roommate had. There was never a month in the nearly 2 years we roomed together that I didn’t have to pick him up from the dealer. It was only a couple years old so nearly everything was warranty work. He said it was a great car the first year then it just started falling apart.

That sounds like the first and last VW that I owned back in the 80s .

Now whenever I see someone driving by in a VW , I'm thinking man ......what a curse.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
I'm tempted to buy one of the TDI that are coming to the used car markets. A 2013-2015 Jetta wagon TDI for $10-13K with less than 30K miles?

Stories like this scare me.

If you care for yourself at all, don't bother with it. Even if it's free.

Otherwise, expect to learn curse words in multiple languages that you never knew even existed.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGGUY (THE 1ST):
First car I ever bought was a Jetta GLI. I traded in for a Wolfsburg edition Jetta GLI. I got a passat TDI. then went to a Honda Accord... zzzzz. Back to VW! On to a CC, then another Passat TDI and then to another CC. I love my VWs. The CC is quick, fast, handles great, comfortable and great on mpg. Bitch all you want, I love my VW's !!

Same here! I'm on my second Jetta now, a 2013 SE that I recently picked up for a serious bargain... about half of retail with 80,000 on the odometer. Runs and drives like a dream, all leather interior, awesome sound system, and the 5-cylinder 2.5L engine provides excellent power while still getting over 30 MPG on the highway! I have also owned two Scirocco's in the past that were great. They both ran to over 200,000 miles.

We picked up a 2012 Jetta for my oldest son (he paid for it), and it has the five cylinder 2.5 liter engine.

So far other than the rewiring of the aftermarket stereo which needed to be done as whomever made the initial install goobered the job, and scheduled maintenance this car has been a good driver for him.

I drive a 2012 TDI (diesel) Golf and love it.

I have had several older VW GTIs and Jetta over the years. Never any issues with them. Wife bought a 2013 Jetta GLI in 2014 with about 7K on the ODO. It is a nice car, but I have had to replace more than I thought needed on that car since then. I work on older German cars for a living, so I have access to wholesale parts, tools, etc. Had to do the front and rear brakes, rotors and pads before 50K. Not because of wear, but corrosion and squealing brakes. I installed quality parts and has much been better than when she bought it. The heat stopped working last winter. Blowing cold air on a 25 degree day. Turns out the heater cores have tiny passages for the engine coolant to pass thru. They clog up. A month after the heat was fixed, Wife called me in a panic and said the door wouldn't stay closed. She drove home holding the door shut with the window open on a winter day. Turns out the electronic door latches have issues and tend to stop working with no warning. Can't close or lock the door. Door panel and a bunch of crap removed and replaced to fix that one. Changing the DSG transmission fluid is also a pain in the balls. I won't bother you with the details.

I still like my German cars and own an 09 Porsche Cayenne S that gives me no issues other than regular maintenance. Have 125K on the Cayenne so far, still drives and looks very much like a new car.

If I were to get another VW, it would be brand new and I'd sell before the warranty was up. Think they are 6 years/72K now....I usually keep cars for 8-10 years, but I'd probably bail after 4-5 on a Vdub....

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:
To each their own; sometimes they suck the big one.

That’s not a glowing review when we’re talking about a product that costs thousands of dollars.

The point of my post is that EVERY brand of automobile has some lemons out there; it's not just a Volkswagen thing!!!

quote:

Originally posted by IntrepidTraveler:
<<snip>>
And every Nissan I've owned has been great.

And every Nissan I've owned has been a POS... and that's 3 of them now, all Altimas! To each their own... my VW's (4 of them) have been great!