Have waited now to reach 8100 miles hoping this will get better. I have actual mileage since delivey of 12.5 mpg.
The brochure the salesman gave me shows 18 mpg. What a lie to sell gass thirsty SUVs

PASSAT 2001..BURNING SMELL..HAD TO REPLACE CV BOOOOT…F*****G VW !

Passat 2002:
Changes:
OIL CAM SEAL, BRAKE PADS, OXYGEN SENSORS around 200 per week…NO KIDDIN !
VW Customer care says they cannot do anytihg about it. HAS ONLY 62K Miles. Am selling this piece of shit!

Last December, I smelled burning oil everytime I drove my 1999 Passat. I took it Mike Haggerty for service. They found nothing wrong. I continued to smell the burning aroma, and took it back to Haggerty 7-10 days later. Again, they found nothing. Finally, the smell was so bad I took it back in the early days of January, 2004. This time Haggerty told me that there was a gasket loose at the transmission connection. They
“”replaced”" the gasket and I drove away.

Ten days later my car began to jump and lurch. I parked it until I could get a service appointment. While driving to get service, the darn thing quite on me less than a mile from my home.

I had it towed to Haggerty and they claimed to have no idea of what the problem could be. However, six days later they told me it would cost me $6700 to have my transmission repaired.

VofA offers a 10yr/100,000 mi.
warranty on the transmission
so I called to see how to get this problem resolved under the warranty. They tole me “”NO WAY”" I had abused my car by driving it.

I had it towed from Haggerty to an independent VW certified
repair shop and the refuse to
sell him the necessary parts
because they say the ar is under warranty.

I’ve been without my car since January 28. I wouldn’t drive a
VW if they gave me a showroom full of them. It’s a lousy product and the service is even
worse. My goal in life is to discourage anyone from buying or driving a VW.

Great website name. VW does suck, at least mine does. I have had nothing but problems. Starting with the transmission needing replaced at 10k miles, to multiple recalls and emissions problems.
My latest problem and the one I wanted to see if anyone else experienced, is this…
The car makes a very loud roaring type noise at speeds over 20mph in any gear. It gets so loud that you cant here the rpms to shift. The dealer said the noise was tire cupping and it does seem to come from there, but I just put brand new Michelins on and still have the same noise. Anyone else have any experience with this problem?
BTW the car has 38K miles.
Thanks for any help

THIS IS A LETTER I WROTE TO GUILFORD VOLKSWAGEN, BC CANADA IN LIGHT OF A MAJOR MALFUNCTION OF THE TRANSMISSION 8 WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE!!!!

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing you this letter to express my extreme disappointment by the lack of professionalism displayed to me by your dealership (Guilford Volkswagen).

On April 10th 2004 I purchased a 1994 Volkswagen Golf 2.0L GL Automatic from your dealership (Purchase price $7879.43 Deal#10446). Being aware of the Pre-Owned car market and many hours researching the internet, I chose Guilford Volkswagen as my preferred choice, based on your 112 Point Check on all pre-owned vehicles prior to sale (see attached 112 Point Check List). This being said, after only 8 weeks of driving I was shocked to discover that my car was no longer shifting gears from 3rd range to 4th upon regular acceleration. The next day June 10th 2004, I paid a visit to your dealership for a professional analysis on the car to pin point the source of the problem, which included a road test with one of you mechanics. The results of this road test showed that my car was stuck in Safety Mode (one gear), which the car will do automatically if the main computer senses there is a problem with the transmission. After initial testing on the car (Stage 1 Diagnostic) I was told that the bill could be as much as $1800 + taxes + labor, this even before a more in depth diagnostic test could be preformed. Shortly after this I was handed a bill for $120 for the costs of the initial diagnostic test, which was waived by your Sale Manager and was greatly appreciated at this time. However, to counteract this Good Will gesture by your Sales Manager, I was completely insulted by the offer of a good deal on a RENTAL CAR! by your Service Advisor, with no mention of a courtesy car should I wish to leave my car over night for more testing, at which point I grabbed my keys and left in disgust for a second opinion.
The next morning on my way to work, in Langley, I left my car in to Langley Auto Clinic for a second opinion (see attached bill). After only a very short period of time I was contacted by the head mechanic/owner at Langley Auto Clinic, Hooman, who was able to tell me that the Circuit Plate (or Ribbon) was broken and needed to be replaced, at a cost of $389.65 + taxes + labor. This part was strangely enough purchased from Guilford Volkswagen. Finding this problem so quickly, he found it hard to believe that Volkswagen dealership mechanics had preformed a so called 112 Point Check, which includes Automatic Transmission, on my car prior to purchase (see attached 112 Point Check List). Furthermore, a simple Dip-Stick test on the transmission fluid showed the fluid to be JET BLACK in color and SMELLING BURNT which should only happen after years of driving if at all. Not being a mechanic my self, even I know that transmission fluid should be a pink/red coloration and should most definitely NOT be smelling burnt..How was this MISSED???????
My mechanic then proceeded to perform further diagnostic tests on the car, which resulted in him having to remove the transmission to check the internal workings of it. The findings upon removal was Extreme Internal Failure of the transmission, consisting of : Valve Body, Pump, Carrier, Solenoids, Torque Converter, all Bushings, Clutches & Steel, Seals, Gaskets and all Soft Parts, which could only be fixed by replacing the whole transmission at a cost of $2850 + taxes + labor (we chose an RB Transmission simply for cost reasons, though does come with a 20,000kms / 12 month warranty). Again, if this 112 Point Check was preformed on my car, including an Automatic Transmission Test prior to purchase, how was this all MISSED??????
If you require any further information on the mechanical details of the damage to my car please do not hesitate to contact Hooman at Langley Auto Clinic (604-514-0187).

I feel that having spent almost $8000 cash in your dealership and with the added costs and stresses I have had to endure since buying the car, I feel that I am completely within my rights to be compensated for the entire bill amount of $4541.79 (see attached bill) within 10 working days or I will be taking this matter further and will not rest until it is resolved to my satisfaction.

Please note parties already contacted:
1) Motor Dealer Council.
2) Canadian Car Association.
3) The Better Business Bureau.
4) Automotive Retailer Association.

To name a few..

Section 18(c) of the Sale of Goods Act Sates:
- there is an implied condition that the goods will be durable for reasonable period of time having regard to the use to which they would normally be put and to all the surrounding circumstances of the sale or lease;

Yours Sincerely,

Peter Neill

I recently had my car (2000 Jetta VR6 86,000 miles) serviced at Flemington Volkswagen, Flemington, New Jersey to perform a diagnostic for a check engine light, which has been on and off repeatedly for the past several months. The results of the diagnostic indicated the following; 1) Code P0420 ?Catalyst System Bank 1 Efficiency Below Threshold; and 2) Code P1432 ?Secondary Air Injection System Switching Valve (A) Circuit Open. Based on these results, Flemington Volkswagen recommended replacing the catalytic converter and the secondary air solenoid. The estimated repair cost, including parts and labor, was quoted to be $1,968.00. I was quite surprised to learn that a 4 ?year old car with only 86,000 miles requires a new catalytic converter, which exhibits no visible signs of significant degradation.

Shortly after my June 21, 2004 appointment, I found a technical reference from the Vermont Center for Emissions Repair, dated Fall 2003, that forecast early catalytic converter failure in a Volkswagen/Audi, which previously experienced failure of the coil pack. The technical reference stated, ?isfiring caused by a faulty coil can definitely degrade a converter.?
Between December 2002 and March 2003, my vehicle was serviced on three separate occasions at Flemington Volkswagen for an ongoing drivability issue causing consistent engine misfires during acceleration. The problem, originally diagnosed as a faulty fuel pump relay, was eventually diagnosed as a faulty coil pack. The faulty coil pack, a known problem for certain model Volkswagen? and Audi?, was then replaced under an ongoing recall campaign. A fourth visit to the dealer shortly thereafter was necessary to replace the spark plugs, whose early replacement was attributed to the faulty coil pack.

Based on the above, I sent a letter to VoA requesting reimbursment of the catalytic converter due to the coil pack issue. VoA responded saying there was nothing they could do. Their responce was, “”If the coil pack did indeed cause the Cat to fail, it would have happened right away. Not a year down the road.”"

Question (after all that), it VoA responce accurate? Several people have said that a coil pack problem could definatley deragde a converter. I feel VOA should take a more proactive approach to this issue. I’m taking the car for second opinion next week at a private mechanic. Any thoughts you have would be appreciated. Thanks.

Brian Budney

Paul, after all the back and forth about whether or not VW’s are pieces of crap, I did decide to buy an 04 GLI (the limited production one). I got it for a song and I figured that even if it is a piece of crap, it has a warranty, and I can always sell it in three years for only a 7 or $8K loss, rather than pay $15k over three years for a BMW lease. Anywho, what mods did you do, and how has it affected your reliability and warranty. Is it possible that some of the engine/reliability data with the 1.8T has to do with the fact that so many people mod them?

‘97 golf cabrio highline… I’ll keep fixing it and driving it until the body rusts…

If I could just keep the leather interior from delaminating, the side molding from delaminating, the mirrors from delaminating and figure out the wierd electrical problem that causes the speakers, cruise control and horn to come on and off in no particular pattern, I’d be sittin’ pretty.

Can’t anyone design a car to last more than 4 years? If VW were as concerned about the environment as their marketing suggests, they’d want us to drive our cars as long as possible rather than having to fill up the junkyards and scavenge them for parts every 4-5 years.

QUESTION: Does anyone know how I can get my radio code from the radio serial number for free. I bought the car “”certified used”" and the card in the owner’s manual is cut out. As I just started working on the thing myself (instead of taking it to the dealer who’s had a success rate of 30% fixing problems over the last 2 years), I need the code. As a matter of principle I don’t see that I should have to pay VW dealer for something that should’ve been included in the purchase price of the car. (Yeah, that’s right, the dealer wants money to do this and claims he has to remove the radio to get the serial number. Bold faced lie. It’s right on the sticker in my owner’s manual.)

I know it’s a 4 digit code for the blaupunkt/clarion 6 cd changer/player and i know how to enter the code. I just need the code! (I know about the services online that charge you, but once again it’s the principle of the thing. I shouldn’t have to pay for this.)

Thanks for any help. BTW, anyone else have these wierd electrical problems?

It cost’s 60 usd to change my oil on my 04 jetta TDI. VW thought they were geniouses by patenting their own oil for this car. This is the only allowable oil in the car. Because it is patented, it is not available at any aftermarket stores. The oil costs nearly 9 bucks a Liter. What a scam.