Volkswagen Sucks

True Stories of the Upset Consumer

2008: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2007: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2006: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2005: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2004: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Received December 2003

I have a 2000 jetta and have owned it for 1 1/2 years. In the past 12 months I have had it in the shop for 5 different repairs. I have replaced the oil pan, a turbo, and now the injector pump went out, broke the timing belt and ruined the engine.

I am dumping it for about a $10,000.00 loss. I am totally disappointed in the cars. I will never buy volkswagen again.

Received January 2004

Received February 2004

Well . . . where to begin. I have a 2001 VW Jetta TDI. When I picked the car up, brand new, the windshield was smashed??? No explanation, but they replaced it. Moving onto the ongoing alignment problem with the car that not one dealership can figure out to this day, and finally the most recent problem . . . the paint is falling off of my car. Apparently this is an issue they acknowledged in 99/00 but now it's fixed, I beg to differ. The dealership and VW Canada is willing to do absolutely nothing about this. So needless to say I am in the process of trying to sell my car, I had it assessed and was told that there has been body work done . . . Did I mention that I'm the original owner and the car has never had body work, paint work or any work except service done!!! Perhaps the smashed windshield that was there in the beginning was a result of the car falling off the truck, and at the same something happened to the front where they say there's been body work done. I will NEVER buy another VW and would not recommend them to anyone!!!

Received March 2004

I also drive a '99 Jetta, and hate everything about it. When people tell me that they are going to buy a VW I do everything in my power to convince them not to purchase that car. This is a list of just a FEW problems my Jetta has had:

• both windows fell in
• heated seats broken NUMEROUS times
• sunroof broke
• check engine light on
• won't switch into 2nd gear
• check engine light starts blinking
• radio randomly doesn't work
• always needs oil

Keep in mind its not just the VW's that are a few years old. Looky here - Touareg Death. Joe Heidt Motors strikes again: "Now one week later, they still can't figure it out...except to tell me that it's not the battery" . . . read a little further in those postings another user writes, "In addition, I had them [Joe Heidt Motors] do my 5000 mile service and, with tax, this came to $197.00 (for an oil change). Needless to say, Joe Heidt won't be getting any of my return business." An oil change at a Lexus dealership, which usually includes a car wash and the inside cleaned/vacuumed, is less than half that!

    Hey, Joe Heidt Motors, you suck!

I am sad to say that VW does SUCK!!! With all the love and pride customers have for VW you'd think they'd return some of the love and give us the quality we deserve. This is not just crappy designed cup holders . . . No . . . This is safety we are talking about, faulty brake lines, hood latches, jacks, ABS brake systems, coils, windows, PCV valve, MAF sensors, the list goes on and on yet VW turns the other cheek. I can't wait to see the day a few years from now when people get together and sue the sh*t out of VW. I have already convinced 3 people friends/relatives NOT I repeat NOT to buy VW. I have told them about the recalls and showed them the MILLIONS of complaints on-line via tech. forums. In 10 years when VW sales are through the floor, I am going to laugh as they feel the wrath of their own greed. Corners cut today are salary cuts tomorrow. BTW My Jetta SUCKS!!!!! but I think it runs well enough to advertise with letter decals how much VW sucks. Something like "VW's catch fire" or "We love VW but VW hates us" "RECALLS, RECALLS, RECALLS" "Friends never let friends drive VW's" - I like that one. Think I'll' get it put on a bumper sticker for all my friends. That's what needs to be done to get VW to listen: A Class Action lawsuit. Any way I am done ranting and raving. I am praying to the VW Gods that my car problems will be solved . . DOUBT IT . . . I really loved Jetta's before - Now THEY SUCK

Cars-That-Suck> Big Class Action - let's get a class action lawsuit suit going!

I just returned from my scheduled maintenance at Minuteman VW in Bedford, MA and I'm not happy. Recently my glove box broke, for a second time, and I brought my beloved VW Golf into the dealership to make the necessary repairs. The service representative quoted $192.00 for the repairs and noted that my car, a 1999 VW Golf, has ~96, 000 miles and repairs would need to be made due to "wear and tear". I then explained that I don't mind replacing "worn" parts on my vehicle; however, due to the fact that I may have used the glove box a total of 10 times; I felt that this was an issue of faulty design or cheap parts, rather than a "wear and tear" issue. Needless to say, I declined to have the repairs completed to the glovebox and pay the "blood money" that VW is presently accumulating to posssibly fund their annual office parties, employee bonuses, or however they are using the millions they amass from these "wear and tear" issues.

The question remains, what can I do? The answer may be to start a petition to VW of America regarding this issue. Basically, I feel VW is pocketing the hard earned money of many loyal VW owners over a design flaw that is present in many of their vehicles. It's time to take a stand against this "Crooked Machine"....are you with me?

Unfortunatly, as I read through the complaints posted on this website I recognized other issues that are consistent with VW. It appears that the automotive designers in Germany feel that people who use air conditioning in their cars are weak, so they have developed a sort of, Pavlov's dog approach as a deterrent. Instead of a blast of cool refreshing air from your dashboard vents on a hot summers day, you are greeted by a nausiating, foot-like odor. Whats the deal with this??

Disgruntled VW owners unite!!!

Cars-That-Suck> My glove box door broke also, and it was under 20,000 miles when it did - and I used it only a few times and only had the owners manual in it. "wear and tear" - what a load of crap - more like cheaply made.

My story: My brand new right from the dealer 2000 VW Jetta had electronic problems before I had it 3 days. I should have just returned the car right then and there. The entire dashboard went black while I was driving to work at 5:00 in the morning. I was way out in the middle of Ohio farmland and had no choice but to continue onward with no clue as to how fast I was going. Shortly after the repair the lights went out on the lower part of the dash and to this day I cannot see the heat controls at night. The transmission linkage dropped out of the car while I was going 60 mph down a major interstate highway in close traffic. I had to hold the stick shift with one hand and drive with the other to get it to the curb. It was 2 months in the repair shop while I drove around in a rented Ford Escort.
The car alarm suddenly started going off with no discernable cause. Took it back to the dealer until the warrantee ran out with no relief. Shortly after the warrantee ran out, the dealer suddenly told me about this common problem that "all VWs have". [They] said it was a loose wire in the trunk. Cost over 300 dollars to repair. The alarm still kicks in from time to time without warning. The dealer I bought the car from went bankrupt. No surprise. One by one the brake lights and the turn signals are all going out - apparently another short in the wiring. The new dealer I go to says it will cost 300 dollars just to find the problem. Meanwhile my local mechanic says that it is a recall. So far I can find no information on any recall from any VW dealer. Recently the check engine light came on the new dealer says it will be at least 200 dollars to check it. My local mechanic says its an O2 sensor which is also due for recall but I also have received no information on it.

Cars-That-Suck> Ahh, you have been exposed to Volkswagen's method of letting the consumer know there is a recall - they don't, or they do a few years after the recall is issued. This is probably grounds for some sort of class action lawsuit against VW; not to mention their crappy products and what VW owners have to put up with. Class action lawsuits do better when there are more people behind it. Big Class Action - let's get a class action lawsuit suit going!

Received April 2004

I just turned my 5 year old '99 VW Jetta in for its second rack and pinion. Who in Gods name would have thought that the rack and pinion would ever go out on any car. As long as I have been alive I have never crossed anyone in need of a new rack and pinion. $1,400.00 for the first time and now they want to do it again thinking that I will fold and say "O.K." This is NUTS! The middle seat belt in the back seat has locked up for the second time as well. $75.00 for the first time but who the hell can fit back there anyway...so screw the second time. Bad cup holders, consoles that fall apart, CD changer that does nothing but they will accept my $350.00 without question. NOWAY man. What can we do? Who do I contact? I need Help!

Cars-That-Suck> Damn! I can only give one suggestion - get rid of it, but don't sell it to a friend or family. Find someone you don't like, or just trade the P.O.S. in - just don't tell them what is wrong with it, of course unless they ask. Its not worth complaining to VW or the dealers because they don't care - they just want your money.

I've got a 98 Jetta GL with 88K miles that's been nothing short of a nightmare. My sister gave me the car for free a year ago, since then I've had to replace a head gasket ($800), water pump ($800), exhaust system ($600), fuel injector ($570), two brake light switches (2 @ $110 each). Right now the car fails to start and has had problems (unrelated to this non-starting episode) with the alarm system. I've had trim fall off numerous times which after getting tired of going to the dealer, I decided to stick 'em on with epoxy (this worked!!!).

I won't take may car to the dealer, Shrewsbury Motors in Shrewsbury, NJ since every time either my sister or I took the car there it came out in worse shape than when it went in. The dealer worked on the driver's side door since it wouldn't close properly. When I got home I could not get out of the driver's side door since they failed to properly attach the latch for the lock! The dealer also tried to charge me almost $600 to replace a throttle cover. I went for a second opinion at a local mechanic. He reported that the part only needed to be cleaned; he only charged me $125 for this. That's a hell of a lot cheaper than what VW wanted to charge.

Now this car has been maintained according to schedule yet has been nothing but unreliable. The free car has cost me over $3000 in the last year. Needless to say, as soon as the car gets out of the shop I'm trading it in for a Hyundai!!!

Received May 2004

Your web site has really hit home. After touting the virtues of Volkswagen for years (I'm on my third Jetta, my first being a 1984 diesel), I am slowly becoming disillusioned. I had the same problem with the plastic clips in my windows. Mine, however, did not simply stop going down. While my boyfriend was driving on the highway, I reached over to roll down my passenger side window. The clip snapped, and the window went tumbling into the frame. Did I mention that I live in Toronto, and this happened in the middle of a very frigid winter day? Oh, yeah...did I also mention that it was Christmas Eve? I had to wait 2 WEEKS before Volkswagen was able to service my car. I had a piece of plastic over my window for the coldest two weeks of the year. When I finally did get it in to be services, I was informed that the problem was so common they were replacing all clips for free, regardless of warranty. My question - WHY DIDN'T THEY NOTIFY ME? For all the glossy brochures I receive in the mail from this company, you'd think that they'd have the decency to send out a small notice about this problem.

I have a few other, more costly examples, but I'm all typed out. I'm starting to think that Volkswagen really does suck.

I am trying to figure out what to do with my 2000 VW Passat GLX which has had a chronic check engine light problem since I bought it, just over a year ago.

Currently the check engine codes are showing that the catalytic converters are bad. These can only be purchased through Volkswagen and are $1770.00 EACH-there are two.

Apparently they were under warranty up to 80,000 miles but I was not aware of this problem until approximately 82,000 miles. Everything from the timing belt, the radiator, leaking, cracked gaskets, the trunk arms, windows, brakes, etc (this is just off the top of my head and please keep in mind I have only owned this car for a year) have had problems.

I don't know how I will sell this disaster of a car!

Cars-That-Suck> The modern day VWs just aren't made to last because their quality sucks from the beginning. Don't sell it - just trade it in and get a non-VW.

Hi, I'm writing you this because of the numerous problems with my '01 Jetta. I agree VW sucks and I would tell anybody before they bought one. I have had a repair on about everything including: window regulator, the car is stuck in park, faulty lights come on and off, and transmission acting funny just to name a few. When brought to the shop they check it on their computer and they come back and tell me nothing coming up on the computer, but I know something is wrong with it. It's funny because when I purchased the car I was happy and now just a couple of years down the road and now I'm @#*!!& fed up with the car. The moral of this story is to never invest your money on a Volkswagen car period!

P.S. My car is currently in the shop again to see why I can't get out of park when the car is running.

Cars-That-Suck> When it gets out of park - get rid of it. Drive it somewhere to trade in or abandon it :) Things will get worse with the car. It always does with a VW. Get what you can out of it before it drives you crazy. The time and effort to fight with corporate Volkswagen will get you no where.

I received a call late last night from a close friend, he said "You were totally right". When I asked what he was talking he said "well, I'm waiting for a tow truck right now, I hit a pothole and the car completely broke down in the middle of traffic, Volkswagens do indeed suck!" I bought a brand new Volkswagen Beetle in 1998 and brought it into the shop at least once a month for something falling apart and breaking. The dealership, Tulley Volkswagen in Nashua NH, tried to explain time and time again why every problem was not covered in the warranty. On one occasion, the passenger rear window fell off; it was not hit (which was evidenced by the fact that there was not a scratch on it). It was dangling on the side held on by a few wires. The manager at the dealership said it was impossible for it to fall off and therefore someone must have tried to snap it off and therefore not covered. Right, like there's a bunch of people out there snapping rear view mirrors! On another occasion the window switches broke off on the driver's side and were partially broken off on the passenger side. I called to set up another appointment; I was assured over the phone that BOTH sides would be fixed after they received the parts. The parts took over a month to arrive which was great because it's always fun in the middle of winter to open the door to try to throw tokens out twice a day. When I went to pick the car, they fixed only the drivers side. The manager explained that until the passenger side completely fell off then it was possible to fix the windows under the warranty. Another great time, was when the day after the car was serviced, it completely died in the middle of mall Christmas traffic. Apparently the "certified Volkswagen" mechanics made a mistake while servicing the car. Oophs. These are only three examples of an extremely long list. I traded the car in less than a year for a Honda Accord. I never had a problem with the Accord or the Honda Dealership. Lesson - never, ever buy a Volkswagen!

Received June 2004

I too bought a 2000 Jetta and the car is a piece of shit. Since the day I bought the car, I have had nothing but problems with it. Every time something goes wrong with it, Volkswagen REFUSES to cover it (even though I pay for the extended warranty) they always tell me that this particular problem is NOT covered under warranty. They REFUSE to give you a loaner car and they never work to your convenience. I just paid my car off in November and there is so much wrong with it now that I can't even start to list the problems. I have had my car recalled at least 5 times and it was always for problems that I already had fixed AND paid for. Whenever I used to have my car serviced there I always got a follow up call from Volkswagen asking how the service was. I finally told them that they are horrible and I don't recommend them to ANYONE and that was the last time they called me after my car was serviced. I loved my car for about the first two months and then I realized I got stuck with a lemon and there was nothing I could do about it. If anyone is on here thinking about buying a Volkswagen, DON'T DO IT. THEY'RE HORRIBLE AND WILL ONLY COST YOU MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY

Wow...and I thought that I was the only one with a piece of shit VW. I began leasing a 2001 VW New Beetle in July of 2001. Within two weeks, my three year battle with VW began. First, the entire electrical system went down. I had just finished shopping at the grocery store and I was about to take off to head home when I found my car dead. I called the VW Customer Service, and they had me re-set the security system. Thankfully, that worked and I was able to drive home. The next morning, I headed out to my car to take off to the office when I found my car dead once again. I tried the magical re-set thing, but had no luck. So, VW had to take my car for 5 days and I was in a rental. Later that month, something else went wrong and I was in a rental for three days.

As time went on, I noticed less obvious signs of the vehicles' poor quality. My cream colored cloth interior stained when a few drops of rain hit it! I called VW Customer Service to complain and they said that they had never heard of the problem before. BUT, the auto detailer that I took the car to said that he saw that happen with VW's all of the time. The interior paint peeled like mad. I had the arm rest replaced within the first year and a half, and by the time I turned the leased vehicle in a few days ago, the paint was almost completely peeled again (and they'll probably charge me to replace it). The door handles also peeled like mad. The speakers drove me nuts. No matter how low the bass was set, the speaker rattled and sounded as if it was blown-the folks at the dealership said that there was nothing wrong. Have I mentioned that you can't even replace a head light by yourself? You can't even get to the damn thing-so I had to pay the folks at the dealership $60 dollars just to replace a stupid bulb.

I am so glad that I was finally able to turn the thing in to the dealership. When I turned it in, I still had six weeks left according to the lease...but I just couldn't deal with it anymore. I wince when someone says VW now. What a shitty vehicle.

My girlfriend and I own a 1998 New Beetle which we purchased pre-owned w/ 37k miles in Dec 2001. To date we haven't had any major repairs to report about, but we did have a minor repair that, in the end cost us several $$$ dollars to repair.

Over the years we've been told by our local VW dealership (on RT9 in Wappinger Falls, NY) that many quirky things regarding the Beetle are "normal" for a VW car and are within "factory" requirements.

#1 After one month of owning the car we noticed the oil pan level was dangerously low. So we had a complete oil change. Less than two months later it was low again and fearing a leak, we contacted our local VW dealership/service center and were told "Not to worry, the 1998 Beetle consumes alot of oil before the engine is properly broken in. The 'Break In' point is usually around 60,000 miles. If we wanted to, VW would perform our oil changes using and imported Oil blend from Italy that would prevent the quick breakdown and last much longer. But that would require an appointment a week ahead of time and for us to leave the car for the day...during each oil change. We passed. To date, w/104k miles on the car... we add between 2-3 qts of fresh oil between changes.

#2 Our check engine light has come on shortly after owning the car. After calling the dealership, again we were told that it was a normal occurrence, and was not eligible for recall or factory repair

#3 The Repair: Sometime last summer our battery was being drained to point that we would have to jump it once a month. Since the Dealership's service center had been pretty much useless up until this point, I decided to try and self diagnose what was going on.

I was, for the most part, successful. I noticed that after the car was off for several minutes, a device in the engine (it sounded like a blow fan) would turn on sporadically. I also noticed that this fan would turn on when the car was first started. It would also happen frequently while it was raining. After asking some friends (who have worked on cars) they advised me that it was probably a bad relay or a short in the electrical system that was causing the cooling system to go off long after the car was parked. This was draining the battery.

To avoid the dealership I brought the car to a local service guy who said he would look at it. For two days, he had the car and determined that there was a 1 amp draw on the battery after the ignition was off, although he had neither the equipment nor the experience to take the repair further. He wanted $50 for the trouble... I gave him $70.

So I contacted the dealership. The best they could do was fit me in two weeks later with a scheduled appointment. Unfortunately, it didn't make it that long. The next weekend, the battery was again dead, and required my fourth and final jump using my AAA membership. I called the dealership and asked if I had the car towed to the dealership what would be the quickest they could look at it. They replied 'first thing on Monday morning'. So I paid an extra $50 for the tow.

Monday morning I called the service desk and asked to talk with the technician who was working on my car. He, of course, wasn't available. So I left a detailed message as to the nature of the problem.... all he needed to do was find the cause and fix it. Monday... came and went. Since my girlfriend and I both share that car, I had rented a car thru Enterprise. On Tuesday I called at noon... they hadn't even looked at the car. When I told them that I was renting a car they said they would "try to get to it" that afternoon. The evening came and went. On Wednesday morning I finally received a call from the service guy who told me that my battery was dead... (um, yeah, dummy!) and that it was close to 60 months, maybe that could be the problem. At that point, I was a little peeved. I explained that I had tried to speak with him days earlier, and I knew exactly what the problem was. I then re-explained in detail what was going on and asked him to follow up. I expected a call by 2pm with a status.

He called at 5pm to confirm that he replaced the battery (for $118...ouch) but that he could not re-create the problem and if I could leave the car a fourth day. I was already out $150 with the car rental, so I told him I would have to pass and we would schedule the car to come in another day.

Here's where it gets fun....

I show up to pick up the car, expecting to pay $150-$200 for the battery and a little bit of labor. Instead I receive a bill for $378!!! The battery and 2 1/2 hours of labor. Furious I ask to speak to the manager. He of course had left for the day... so I paid the bill and returned the next day.

He explained that they did spend close to 2 1/2 hours looking thru wiring diagrams and unfortunately could find the problem. I replied that it was incorrect... it took them 3 days to diagnose and replace a battery. I had done most of the troubleshooting, they just needed to find the relay and fix it. After adding the repair bill to my rental car I had spent over $550 to replace a battery and my initial problem wasn't solved. I wanted a refund. Well, of course he could give me that but offered to look at the car for free... he would even provide a loaner.

Well two weeks later the new battery died. Frustrated beyond belief, I took the Beetle to a local guy who was recommended for VW repairs. I explained my situation, what I went through at VW and what I was experiencing. He said that he would keep the car over night and call me the next day with an update.

The next morning at 10am he called me. It was fixed. I was in disbelief. The problem was a broken relay was causing the secondary air pump to engage when the car was off. cost of the part $21, cost of labor $100. A bargain! To date, the problem is gone.

The whole experience shows how horrible VW's service is. The technicians are under trained and the managers are worried more about profit than about service. I love our Beetle, but based on the service records, consumer reports and various complaints on the net, this will likely be our last.

Cars-That-Suck> I think VW repair departments hire those that can't pass the postal worker exam. Not only do they lack people skills, but they also lack common sense to troubleshoot. Its always "the computer says there isn't a problem". They don't listen and just repeat the other monkeys as they were trained. The service department management is just as bad. This appears to be a common trend at VW dealerships. VW as a company - customer service isn't their priority. This will be their downfall.

Thanks so much for this site!! I have a 1999 VW Jetta - (old body style). I purchased it used w/14000 miles. Within the first year of owner ship, I had many, (power) window issues, Windows falling or being stuck etc. Of course being used they where not covered, The first time I was charged $200!!!! to fix the window. Currently one window is not working - But it stays up so it will remain this way until I unload the car - At a loss of course. Also my cruise control works only if the planets are properly aligned! $800 - for that repair - so It will remain as is. I also have big issues with the price of replacement parts. I just priced 4 plug wires at $80 - this is highway robbery!! I hate to admit, but this is my second Jetta - The first was a 1989 - I purchased w/very high miles. I figured all the problems were due to age and the miles BUT Guess what?!! It's all the same things as the 1999! Best of luck to all of you out there with VWs and Thanks again for the site - at least I know I'm not alone!!!

Cars-That-Suck> The only bad thing with parting with a VW is the guilt of knowing some innocent person not knowing what they are doing will buy it. The parts are expensive since they don't last and you end up replacing the same damn thing not too far down the road! (again, and again)

I bought a 2001 Jetta GLX new and cannot even begin to describe the anger and frustration this piece of crap has brought into my life. The problems? Oh, too many to write down...but to name a few....5 new break light switches, 2 new cd players (of course, the second one now doesn't work), 2 Mass Airflow sensors, A/C doesn't work, new oxygen sensor, $400.00 bill for getting the brakes fixed, new sunroof, etc. etc. etc. And the dealership? THE WORST customer service I have EVER received. Bill Britt VW in Fredericksburg, VA is filled will scum. Along with Farrish VW in Manassass, VA (where the manager actually told me after one of my numerous trips to the service dept., that "It wasn't his fault I had a lemon. And there is nothing he can do about it".) VW America - JOKE! Do they even exist??? I would love to speak with someone other than the morons that answer the phones. Ummm...how much longer can VW continue with this charade? NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY A VW.

Cars-That-Suck> Most VWs are lemons and the service people know it ... that's how they stay so busy! Its about repeat customers - even if VW is paying for it ... they still get paid.

I was writing in response to the Car Care Warranty letter that you received. A number of states sell information on vehicle registrations through the DMV. I am currently working for Hyundai and they have received a number of complaints about this business as well. Florida is a state that sells information on vehicle registrations. I am gathering information on Car Care because they are scamming a number of elderly customers. I understand that you wish to remain anonymous, but I was hoping you could tell me what state you live in so we can determine where this company is getting your registration information. Car Care sends out this form letter for a number of manufacturers such as Ford, GM, Hyundai, etc. You can visit the DMV website for whatever state you are in and request that they keep your information confidential. Please understand that I am not soliciting anything and would just like to know the State in which you received this letter. Thank you for your help and good luck with your new car.

Cars-That-Suck> Its bad enough that VW rips their customers off - then scams like that try to do it more. The VW I had was only licensed in Arkansas. Most states do sell the consumer information on registered vehicles. I spent about an hour trying to find on my states website where it is to opt-out and was unsuccessful and gave up.
I received two letters within days of one another from the Car Care "Vehicle Owner Warranty Notification Center" people. I could tell it was a scam, just like VW sales and services.

Ya know I got one of the letters about the extended warrenty also.. I have a prob with how they got the information as my letter is for a 2001 Toyota (which is parked in the driveway)BUT it is a co vehicle and not regitered to myself or my roomate.. kinda makes ya go hmmm....

I finally was able to sell my 99 Jetta for next to nothing. I was just happy to get rid of it. The check engine light started at 60,000 miles. It was the O2 sensor which I had to pay for $350. The sensors continued to set off the check engine light every 5 to 10,000 miles. The service people at VW are awful to deal with because they know VW sucks. When VW finally sent notice of a recall they did reimburse me. However the sensors continued to fail and the dealership was not going to continue to fix the sensors after the prize 100,000 mile warranty was up. I am very happy in my 01 Subaru Forester.

Received July 2004

The reason that these cars are not German quality anymore is because they are assembled in MEXICO...and if you have ever had a third world country person from Mexico work on anything, they do not last, so in conclusion if you go to buy a car, make sure it is not assembled in Mexico, or you are just asking for problems...p.s. I am not racist I am a realist that sees their quality of work and knows how bad it really is. So do your homework before you buy, the same with dodge trucks, Mexico...

Cars-That-Suck> Indeed much of it is due to the quality of the product. The other part is the company itself not standing by the quality they are delivering and the dealerships not warning the consumer.

Where the hell do you people buy your VWs anyway? I've had three so far, 2000 Jetta, 2001 Beetle, and 2004 Passat and have been extremely pleased with all three. Also, I don't understand why people are saying that they don't receive recall notices. I can show you at least half-a-dozen recall notices that I've received from VW because I keep them all on file for each car. I've dealt with one dealer in all of my VW purchases and have had no problems when service is required. They have been very courteous during scheduled, warranty, and recall repairs. It sounds to me like most of you have been the victim of lousy car dealerships. Cars are damaged in transit and once in a while a bad car does make it out of the factory. The dealer that I've been using refuses to take delivery of a car if it appears damaged. I know this for a fact because one of my best friends is the sales manager. Hope you get your problems fixed. Don't let the dealers jerk you around either. Usually if you tell them that you're going to call VWOA about a problem it will light a fire under their asses.

Cars-That-Suck> Calling VWOA never did me any good. It never helped any of my friends that owned newer VWs either. Even complaining to upper management at the dealership was a waste of time. I didn't say I never received a recall notice ... I did receive it - a YEAR after the official recall date. They should recall the cars for more than what they have due to the common re-occurring problems people have with these cars and VW not actually FIXING the problem - just replacing the part with another crappy part.

Although this website has reached many people, I wonder if it would be more effective to create and place bumper stickers on our actual Volkswagen vehicles that indicate our unhappiness with the cars.

Perhaps a bumper sticker on a VW Jetta (what I own) that says something to the degree of, "Volkswagen sucks" or "Dont buy Volkswagen...ask me why" would be an interesting movement for the VW owners. Who better to tell the public than the owners of the cars!

Thanks for listening!

Cars-That-Suck> I've thought about this, but I realized once most VW owners get so frustrated as I have with the VW piece-of-shit we have a tendency to get rid of it and buy a car that isn't a VW. Maybe t-shirts with an anti-VW slogan on it would be better :) Anytime someone tells me they are considering buying a VW I ask them why (after I chuckle and shake my head to let them know it's a bad idea). I then give them a few links to websites why they should look at other cars that will give them alot less trouble for the amount of money they plan to spend. If they go on the word of someone who has owned a VW for less than two years or on a test drive I recommend they really do their homework first. The hard-core VW fans have been that type of fan for years - as in since the 70's or own one of those old models - when quality was important to VW. Over the last few months the emails have been directed more toward the quality of the product - which is a majority of VWOA's problems. The other is the poor service and most dealerships handling this because of the unsatisfactory quality of the product. There is nothing the dealership service departments can do about it other than replace faulty parts with a part that will probably fail within a year or two. That's the reality of Volkswagen of America products today.

Received August 2004

6 years ago my wife and I made a mistake and bought a used '91 VW Passat through a private sale. Since then, anything and everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The car had 110,000Km on it so we thought is good for her to drive around in since she does not do much driving. Up to this day I had already spent almost $5000, and the car is NFG. Now the transmission is going, and I refuse to deal with the dealers, I took it to a transmission specialist who basically told me the long and short of it is that those cars are nothing but GARBAGE. What I would like to do since this car is not worth anything now with 135,000Km on it is to take to the dealer leave it on the side of the road for everyone to see with a big sign that says" VWs are Shit" Anyone who says American cars are trash is an idiot, I have a '97 Chevy Lumina with 235,000Km on it and still drives like new. So much for German engineering.

I am considering purchasing a used jetta....... looks to be in excellent running order, however cannot seem to find any reviews on line. Please help.

Cars-That-Suck> Looks can be deceiving. I would advise you keep shopping.

Problems I've had with my 2000 Jetta:

• The Oil burning - checked it once and absolutely NO OIL on the dipstick. Had the rings replaced to "fix" this problem. Still have the problem - can't go 3000 miles between oil changes without having to add at least a quart of oil.
• Needed rear brakes around 25,000 miles
• Window fell into driver's side door twice - had to wait 3 months for the part on the first occasion.
• Check engine light always on
• Interior lights work when they want to
• Tail lights constantly going out
• Replaced headlight
• Replaced spark plugs b/c of misfires in a cylinder
• Was told by the dealership that I would need to replace the oil pan.
• Remote key entry doesn't work right. Driver's side door doesn't lock, but the horn beeps as if everything has locked.
• That cool little trick of turning the key and having the windows go down - doesn't work anymore.
• Makes an awful CREAKING noise when i go over bumps- or when I take off driving
• Oxygen Sensor replaced - and this eventually was a recall, and then we had to FIGHT VW to reimburse us the $300.
• Both front seats had some spring break off from underneath. VW told me it would be $400 b/c they would have to replace the entire seat. No thanks.
• And now my car makes some TERRIBLE noise - maybe something with the exhaust...??? And I dread taking it to the dealership b/c I'm sure its going to be a huge problem and a huge bill as well.
• And, as if all these problems were not enough, the people at VW are the absolute worst people to deal with. They treat their customers like crap! I don't know how they stay in business. I feel sorry for anyone who buys a VW. I never will again. EVER.

To start with, I would like to say I currently work at a VW dealer. I have worked in service, warranty administration, and now as a parts manager. I would openly like to admit there are a lot of common problems with VW's.. windows, o2s, maf's, switches, recalls, and expensive maintenance. However I can't understand all the complaining? Most every complaint on this particular site, is A - either first year common problems that have since been resolved .. or at least have major cost reductions..or extended warranties assigned, B - high maintenance costs complaints, which is dumfounding me, because you bought a German car, not a Chevy or Ford, people need to do a little research, and lastly C - I agree a lot of service departments do suck, and do not meet a customer's particular needs, but they find someone who can, or if that option is limited than buy or trade for a new car, that you can afford, or is more convenient. Over all they are not bad cars, but you may own a problem car which in this business is referred to as made on Friday cars. Do some research on any manufacturer; there will be web hate sites just like this one. So do your homework and quit whining.

Cars-That-Suck> Yes, there are lots of common problems with VWs because they suck. Most of the complaints are NOT first year complaints. The high maintenance costs with VWs are not worth the trouble. Spending extra money for a VW thinking it to be of better quality is misleading. With VW you do not get what you pay for. VWs are not "German" cars - they are "Made in Mexico" cars. This website is intended to help other with their homework so they can learn how terrible VW cars and service departments are. You may work at VW dealer, but I bet you don't drive a VW.

I have a '99 VW Jetta. Has 97,000 and I have had not a bit of problems. Only time it was ever, ever on a wrecker is was due to a smashed windshield. But it is a GL model....meaning no power windows. I was a tech at a VW dealership close to where I live for 3 years before realizing I worked for and with complete fools. But I must say that many of the complaints I see here are due to owner neglect...most likely. Though some have some genuine complaints about the brand....you should have educated yourself a little more. Or take care of your car. Many complained about transmissions...but realize you have a Adaptive Learning transmission in your New Jetta...it learns your driving habits and goes from there...helps with gas mileage and whatnot. But if you are not the only person driving the car....or your spouse drives it more than you do...it will feel as though it is not shifting properly. Also...the oil pans are made of a softer metal than the norm...I would suggest buying the steel plate that is offered for extra protection. If you experienced problems with your power windows...I feel for ya.

Cars-That-Suck> Okay kids, what can we learn from this: 1. Buy a VW with no features (for example, manual windows) then it is less likely to have things break (less moving parts = less things can break). 2. VW service people are complete fools (nothing new there). 3. If you neglect your car (which I am yet to know of a VW owner that does) it will of course have problems. Its funny he mentions neglect because I always drove my VW the same and I was the only drive. I never "dogged" it - because I knew the little 4-banger in it didn't have much to give. 5. Don't share your VW with other drivers or it will get moody. A VW is made for a single DRIVER … not DRIVERS as they advertise. 6. Get extra protection for that oil pan because the VW quality sucks. And yes, to address the point of genuine complaints about the brand - that is the point of this website. Several years ago when I purchased a VW such information as this was not available - I'm just doing my part with informing the consumers.

I've sent in my comments about my 2000 Jetta before, but I just thought I would let everyone know, that my 4 year old car, with 83,000 miles, now needs a NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER.

West Broad Volkswagen in Richmond quoted me $1500 installed.

Brown's Volkswagen in Richmond quoted me $1700 for the part alone!!! and when I told them about West Broad's quote, they said "ok, we'll give you a discount - $1300 installed." Are they stupid, or were they just lying?

My experience with Volkswagen has been nothing but terrible. A nightmare.

I just got a used VW Beetle (99), the second day as I was driving the check engine light blinked. Third day: water pump quit. Forth day: main belt went out. Was it a mistake? I had driven a Toyota Camry for 5 years. It's a 94. It never complained about anything. I never installed a new part, but can we say that VW sucks?? My message may not be posted but what about other cars?? All new cars are designed in a special way. It's simple to have more service, hello everybody; do you people remember the old Mercedes 190?? If car companies kept doing the same quality they would have just gone out of business. I'm just an unhappy VW owner.

Received September 2004

Where should I start? ... Oh yeah I got married and have been for 13 yrs. Well she had a bug in school and really wanted a 2000 Beetle - so I got one. High maintenance and the stupidest things break. How bout the gas door, driver side window switches, heat a/c control lights sometimes come on and other times no. And let's talk about $750 for a stinking timing belt at 60,000 miles - bend me over and call me Shirley. I like to drive 2 hours with the window down cause you know it won't go up. What about a wiring harness and relays going bad for the glow plugs cause the check the stupid car light is on. Take the bulb out and no more problems. You would think as often that its on it would burn out. That's why VW wants drivers and not people that know a damn thing about cars.

Check out mycarsucks.com. I have bumper stickers that read DANGER - MyCarSucks.com

PENNSYLVANIA, NEW JERSEY, DELAWARE & MARYLAND LEMON LAW HELP
LemonLaw.Com is the website of Kimmel & Silverman, the nation's oldest and largest lemon law firm. Kimmel & Silverman provides cost-free lemon law help to consumers across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, helping over 25,000 consumers recover more than $125 million. The site also includes information on lemon laws across the nation and links to various consumer advocacy firms. Honored by the American Bar Association and seen on Good Morning America and Extra.

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Director, Communications
Kimmel and Silverman
800-LEMON-LAW EXT. 131

Cars-That-Suck> I am not paid or affiliated with the above company. It is intended to assist consumers when they think they have a lemon. Of course with Volkswagens the lemon law often expires before the VW nightmare becomes a reality.

My 1999 VW Golf is in the shop again. For the 4th time I am getting the O2 sensor replaced, and neither the dealer nor VWoA will pay for the parts or the service. Also my glove box is broken, and the locks haven't worked properly since the second time they replaced the windows. Like pretty much everyone else has stated, the door handles themselves look like some sort of very dirty animal has been chewing on them [I assure you the car has been treated very kindly by human hands alone]. I hate hate hate VW and I regret this purchase with every fiber of my being. Biggest disappointment in my entire career as a consumer. Suck it vw!

p.s. if everyone has a broken glove box, isn't there a way we can get a petition of some sort going to get it recalled?

Cars-That-Suck> I share the hatred. VW knows they have re-occurring problems with their cars. That is why they won't do a recall on something like the glove box. Poor design, poor manufacturing, and poor customer service cost too much to fix. Even with treating the car well, as I did with mine, VWs are prone to falling apart and simple things breaking. When my glove box broke I just left it broke - over 5 years I had probably opened the glove box less than 20 times - so it wasn't a problem with "over-use" or "abuse". As far as a petition, if there are any lawyers that would like to go after VW and need a place to get consumer complaints just let me know. Big Class Action - let's get a class action lawsuit suit going!

I HAVE A GOOD ONE! It may be the last good one produced. Never had any problems. 95 Jetta GL. NO power windows. 130,000 miles and it is the best of the 6 VWs I owned. 4 weeks ago I begin to research a New or newer Jetta. OMG! If I bought one I might need to keep this one so that I have reliable transportation! I loved these cars. My diesel rabbit had 332,000 miles on it when the wheels fell off! I'm horrified and disappointed at the things I'm reading. With that, I regretfully will heed good advice and search out another vehicle. I've never owned anything else, with the exception of Ford F150s for my company. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be interested. My thanks and condolences to VW owners.

Cars-That-Suck> I would recommend doing some research. A good start is this J.D. Power and Associates Report. Another is NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Don't buy a car just one looks. Even cars such as Porsche and Hummer are known to have just as many problems as Volkswagens. With some of these brands money doesn't always buy the quality and service you would expect.

Well let me tell you my wonderful story - me and my wife thought we were buying the ultimate little cruising car, but two weeks after we got it, we took it back to the dealer. It was a 2000 Jetta vr6. The thing smelled like rotten eggs and was unbearable!!! The dealer replaced the converter and a whole heap of emission parts and a month later it was doing the same thing. This is all at 200 miles on the car. By the time it got to 1,000 it was back at the dealer for the smell again and a new water pump. Great car!! (yeah right) at 3,000 miles it went in for servicing and of course it had a bunch of problems, the power window would not go up, the CD player did not work, and of course it was still smelling. By that time we were fed up, and they finally said they could not fix the smell. I was glad we leased it and was ready to give it back. But not before it needed an oil pan, another window got stuck, the armrest fell apart, the wipers came on by its self, this car was really a problem! Needless to say, by the time we got rid of if and the dealer asked if we wanted to get another car - I don't think we could have said heck no fast enough!! I was totally disappointed with their product and there service. They claim that the Jetta is a trouble-free car and it is more of a troubled car.

I just got off the phone with Volkswagen Customer Relations. They told me there is no recall for the window regulators and they will not assist with this problem. They fixed 3 of my windows when they fell into the tracks back a couple years ago after I refused to give up fighting them for payment, and now that the last regulator has failed they will not fix it. This time the window will not even return to an up position. Clearly these regulators need to be replaced and put into a recall. I have to lock my door from the passenger side because the driver side electronic locks no longer work. My car also arms itself periodically, even when driving. I haven't had the time or money to deal with this. I cannot afford to buy another car. What do we do and how do we do it? They need a wake up call! Who is with me? I am willing to fight this, it's just not right! We need an attorney! Any attorney's out there?

Cars-That-Suck> As much as I would like to go after VW in the courts I decided a better approach was to let consumers know the truth and why they should not buy a Volkswagen. Other VW owners/ex-owners have helped in this as well and I thank them for their stories. I have turned many people away from even considering a VW and that has given me satisfaction knowing I have done some good in this world to make it a better place. Big Class Action - let's get a class action lawsuit suit going!

Received October 2004

I bought a brand new 2001 GTI 1.8T. It was Mojave beige with black leather, 5 speed, etc. I absolutely loved the car and couldn't believe all the features and comfort I got for the price... $23k IIRC.

THE DAY I WAS PICKING IT UP FROM THE DEALER, there was a problem with the A/C compressor. It would build up too much pressure and Freon would shoot out of the compressor. Anyways, they supposedly fixed it and I took ownership of the car that day... I was having dinner with my ENTIRE family a week later and they all wanted to see my VW that I was so proud of... Well, we're out in the parking lot and everyone is ooo'ing and ahhh'ing and all the sudden there is a pssshhht sound and a white cloud come bellowing out from under the hood... LOL!!! Not funny. =(

Anyways, after owning it a year and having to put it in the shop 8 times for repairs I traded it.

Volkswagens do suck. I have purchased two, a 2000 Jetta, and a 2003 Golf in the last 5 months. Both had to be towed to the nearest dealer, 90 miles away, with-in 2 months. The Jetta was a certified (what a joke) used car, and the dealer of course greatly exaggerated what the warranty covered. Several items that were to be repaired, of course have not. They even blamed the hurricanes in Florida for not being able to get parts. Come on, this all started in June of 2004, several months before the first hurricane. I was a damn stupid fool, and bought my son a Golf with 18,000 miles, thinking at least it has a warranty. Obviously, if you have owned a VW, you know what a joke their warranty is. Now I have two pieces of crap to contend with. 9 days after taking ownership of the 2003 Golf, (5 speed by the way) it completely froze up. It would not shift, go, or do anything but make terrible noises. I did not buy this car from a VW dealer by the way, so they tell me that since Clutch plates, and the whole ball of wax to fix it is $1,400.00, they would not cover any of it under warranty. That probably the original owner mistreated it! Maybe so. Maybe not. Maybe just a piece of crap. I've owned other standard transmission cars, and have never had to replace any parts period. Just think, 9 days of ownership, and already out $1,400.00. Not a pleasant outlook is it? To think I traded a Honda CRV for the Jetta, and a Ford F-150 for the Golf, God, I must really be an idiot. I believed the VW spin. Or at least I did. No more VWs for me. 5 months is enough. Both dealers I have dealt with, and of course VW customer relations, offer no assistance what so ever. Too bad. I will tell every single person I know, NEVER BUY A VW! If we all continue to do that, they will hurt. It may take time, but they will hurt, and I hope they know it was the people who trusted them, and bought their products that hurt them. Even crappy products can be acceptable, if the maker owns up to their mistakes, and faithfully attempts to correct the problems. Not so with VW.

I have 2001.5 Volkswagen Passat V6 GLX and I've been noticing for the past year and a half that this car consumes lots of oil. The first time I noticed it, was when the oil pressure light came on and I checked the oil and it was missing 2 quarts of oil. This occurred around 25,000 miles (current mileage is ~46,000). I first checked to see if there were any leaks and there were no signs of a leak. So I began to check my oil every week and I had to add about 1 quart or more every 1000 miles, which I don't think is normal, since I never have to add oil until the next oil change on my Toyota. So I started doing some investigation on the internet and it seems to be that I'm not the only one with this problem. Recently, I noticed some smoke coming out of the engine and I'm not sure what is causing it, since there were no alarms that went off and the engine temperature looked fine. I opened the hood and it is hard to see exactly where it's coming from. I seem to think it's a fluid leak and it's just dripping on the engine causing it to steam. I checked the oil and it was low once again and the coolant level was a bit low, but still in within the lower limit. My concern is that because of this oil consumption problem, the engine runs low on oil causing it to get hot and create other problems and when I bring it into the shop I'm sure they're gonna give me the runaround and say it my fault and that it won't be covered under warranty. Any ideas on how I should approach this. I'm not sure if there is any class action lawsuit against Volkswagen regarding the oil consumption problem, but I know there was something regarding oil sludge in the engine, which I'm not sure are related. Any advice will be much appreciated.

I bought a used 1999 Beetle Gl in 2001. It sure looked cute on the dealer's lot - not a VW dealer's lot, but the VW dealer had became my home away from home. First of all, I think this car came from an auction as the title said it was from Mass. and I live in Wis. So not trusting my better judgment, I bought this cutie pie of a car and also bought the platinum (the best), extended warranty on it,...just in case. First of all it wasn't prepped right - the bud vase was missing, something I never used, but to look at that empty holder hole all the time was not for me - the extra key had to have a new battery, and to have a new key cut, because it is a security kind of key would have cost me $85 at the locksmith, but loved the switchblade way it folded and unfolded, I also had to have the keys reprogrammed at the dealer, because something was wrong when I got the car, and the trunk opener, on the key fob, never did click open the trunk as it was suppose to, so I gave up and always used the key to open the trunk - the head rest on the passengers side had to have a new plastic piece, located on the top of the seat, installed as it was cracked. This is used to adjust the up and down on the head rest. The dealer installed a new one, but it didn't match the other three, as it was sunk down in the seat more. I took it back and the dealer said that is the way it will have to be, as it was installed right...ya right... Except for the free bud vase, I paid for it all. It ran well, but was nickel and dimeing me to death. Two head light bulbs, at $41 to have installed, over a two year period, both the same bulb on the drivers side - VW does a nice job in making this car one that the dealer has to work on, because it is so cramped under the hood. A new battery - the front left fender has to be removed first, probably not for the do it yourselfer. New windshield wipers, the drivers side window (power of course), was stuck down, and had to be lubed on the sides - the VW dealer said this happens and is no problem - the fuel door lever wouldn't push open the fuel door, had to have it adjusted- the outside thermometer went to centigrade instead of Fahrenheit after the batter was replaced, and didn't tell how to reset it in the owners manual, the dealer chuckled and said they must have over looked this..ha ha, it was reset for free - I never heard of other cars needing to do this. The AM radio was useless because of static all the time, I found out that when they created this car, the antenna wire in the back was located too close to a wiring harness, in '98 and '99 models. I didn't want to go there so I gave up. Also it had a cassette player but no CD player, as it was an option then with a CD deck located in the trunk, I didn't want to mess with the security system so I was limited to using cassettes which are few and far between, no store really carries them anymore. Then the check engine light came on. The dealer put in a new O2 sensor, located before the catalytic converter at $186. Then it came on again, this time the warranty picked it up....then it came on again--this is three times in the past month. The dealer said is was a problem with the throttle control linkage, but, they had to order a new total throttle component and it was $526, plus $84 dollars to have a technician diagnose this for me. Also the dealer said I should have the 40,000 mile tune up done, this is when I had over 50,000 miles on it. They said it is best for long life of the car, at $550. I said no. Well, I was at the end of my rope, and said so long to this cute car of mine, before something else went wrong. I finally realized that...1 - VW's are expensive to repair and to maintain. And not all repair shops can or will work on them either, I found out. 2 - The workmanship wasn't what I thought it should be...fit and finish were lacking, of course it was used, but there were things that didn't look right...3 - This was what I consider an odd ball car, or one that isn't common, hence, higher insurance premiums that I paid, 4 - the owners manual which I kept in my glove box, took up half the room in it. It was so big and bulky, I couldn't store a lot of things in it, also the glove box door didn't always seem to latch properly, I had to bang it to close it, and not because it was over stuffed either...5 when you want to fold the back seats down, you have to remove the head rests on it and store them some place,otherwise it won't fold flat...this really sucks if you want to haul something that is larger... and 6 - under the hood there isn't a lot of room to work on it, of course they want you to take it back to the VW dealer for every thing, and have their techinicians work on it themselves. The air filter was a bear to replace, again, when you open the hood, things are nice and contained and wrapped in plastic covers, etc...thank goodness I never needed a jump start...I won't go there..lol... Thank you for your web site and giving me a chance to vent my anger and frustrations with this car. Oh yes, I bought tires too, but that is normal wear and tear, or was it? They said the alignment was not where it is suppose to be, so what are you to do?... Now when I see a cute little VW Bug on the street, I say to myself, good luck with it...I sure didn't have any!

1998 Jetta Blows! I only have 45,000 miles on it and the check engine light came on. I call the dealers they tell me about a secondary Air Pump part....Yeah Thanks! That Damn Part is $649.89....Can't get the car past smog without the check engine light off. I don't understand why this is going on. I thought we spend the extra thousands for quality...Wow, was I wrong, I'll never buy VW again....

I see all these postings and have to think how did we all get suckered in? I wanted to make a video of an elephant crushing my Jetta. I never went through with it. I did have a few high energy yelling matches with the owner and the repair manager at Owasco VW. The car died on me twice while driving along the highway. I had to cut off traffic just to get to the soft shoulder in rush-hour traffic. It wasn't hair raising, it was hair losing scary. All the manager (Ralph at Owasco in Whitby Ontario Canada) said was; "You just can't drive." I nearly made his face kiss the desk. Americans should make diesel cars not just trucks. I want a car with horse power and fuel economy. We have to beable to do it better than Volkswagen...all you have to do is make it start move and turn off everyday and it would instantly be better. P.S. I sold the car back to Owasco for a big loss because I didn't think it was right to sell it to ANYONE at all....Owasco of course sold it again at the market price only days later.

Received November 2004

I suspect that certain VW problems have been around for years, like the power windows, yet VW does not admit to the customer that the problem is chronic. I have had the front windows on my 97 Passat repaired two times each and now they are both broken again. I have been to the dealer many times and seen other cars in service with duct tape on the windows so I guess I am not alone. I don't understand how they can continue to repair the cars with the same crappy parts. In my mind it verges on a cover-up for something that should have been a recall.

If I had a couple of hours I could tell you about the check engine light that took 2-1/2 months in the shop (and 2 dealers) to fix. It turned out to be a fault in the fuse box, but that was after a whole series of repairs was repeated 3 times (glow plugs, glow plug relays, wiring harnesses etc). Each time I had to wait on the pathetically slow parts network. Have you ever heard the saying that the definition of insanity is asking the same question over and over and expecting a different answer?

These are not the only repairs that I have had more than once. I hope the company goes bankrupt. They deserve it.

I bought a 2003 volkswagon Golf in Michigan but since I live in Indiana I took it to the nearest dealership to have it serviced, that turned out to be Forest and Grown in Muncie Indiana. The first thing they did was put a dent in the rocker panel but I was not aware of that until I got home. The next thing that happened was the driver side window fell into the door frame so I took it back to Forest and Brown and they put it back but they over tightened the clips to the point that the next day the window shattered, I had a glass company fix that. Then I took the car back to the dealer for an oil change and a new headlight bulb and they put that in wrong so I had to fix that when I got home. Now I just took it back for another oil change and another headlight bulb and this time they broke the cover for the bulbs. All these occurrences were never mentioned by anyone at the dealership. So now after all that and reading the complaints on the internet I'm wondering how much trouble I'm in for in the years to come. I wish someone made a car that was economical and reliable and didn't cost an arm and a leg.

Cars-That-Suck> You don't get what you paid for with VW. Their product is junk and most of their mechanics are monkeys. The VW brand simply tries to cover-up the fact that they crap on you and you know it and they say and do nothing about it. There are cars out that cost the same, and even cheaper, as a VW and are more reliable and don't have the persistant problems that VWs have. When I had both front windows stop working within a week of one another (which both had motors and regulators replaced before by VW and where VW parts) I knew it was time to get rid of the money pit.

I have 2001 Passat. The car is a hoot to drive but very costly to repair. When you wear out the brake pads you have to replace the whole rotor assemble as well. This will cost you 450.00. My Passat has 50,000 miles on it and going down the freeway the window just fell down. The dealer quoted me 90.00 labor plus 350.00 for the regulator. I showed him the recall notice that other Volkswagons had with the same part and same problem. Volkswagon said it still did not do a recall or anything they wanted to help me with. So I told the dealer to lock the window in the up position and I would just sell the car. Besides the Germans offered no assistance in Iraq so f them.

Cars-That-Suck> I did the same thing when my windows broke ... traded the car in ... for a non-VW of course. Indeed, F*** VW. As one of the pioneer cartoon characters (Eric Cartman) of our times would say, "they can suck my balls!"

I can definitely relate. I'm so sad b/c this is my SECOND Jetta TDI and the only reason I bought it the first time was b/c of the great fuel economy. Mostly my problems have been with idiot VW repair people, piss poor VW customer service (VW Deutschland should SERIOUSLY rethink loaning their name out to American dealerships. They're SO giving them a bad rep *grr*), and double dealing car salesmen. I am currently in litigation with Brown's VW of Richmond VW (note to all: DO NOT BUY FROM BROWN'S OF RICHMOND nor from GENE MESSER VOLKSWAGEN of LUBBOCK, TX) for some double dealing they did in suckering me into buying another Jetta just as my lease was ending on the one I had (traded a 2000 for a 2001). Can I just tell you that between the dealerships and VW Credit, the whole bloody lot of them should be put behind bars?? *growl* My story is so long and convoluted, I won't put you all through that hell. Suffice it to say, I'm looking to trade this VW and take a HUGE loss (I've already taken a loss buying it for $3K more than it was worth! Long story, bloody freakin' salesman) just to be rid of it. *sigh* Oh well, lesson learned and it's painful. I reiterate the call for any lawyers here. I could use one!

Cars-That-Suck> Today's lesson is "don't drink the Volkwagon Kool-aid". Who cares that "Drivers" are "Wanted". They can take their negative recruiting and marketing strategy somewhere else. Now, if you must talk to a VW salesman or mechanic put your fingers in your ears and repeat after me "LA LA LA LA LA" - because what they say and do will only piss you off more. Give them a difficult time in return for wasting your time and money.

Bought a new VW Golf TDI on 10/22/04. Drove back 7 miles to where I live. After I drove 3 miles the next day engine malfunction showed up. Took it back rightaway (10/23/04). We waited 2 hrs while they fixed it. Went home (7 miles). The very next day (10/24/04) after another 3 miles same problem. They are closed on Sunday so called on Monday and scheduled an appointment for Tuesday (10/26/04). Dropped the car off they tested and replaced some engine components and delivered it on Friday (10/28/04). This time was problem free for exactly 2 days. Same problem again on (10/30/04). Scheduled an appointment and dropped the car off on 11/01/04 they called me on 11/3/04 and reported that they have to replace the complete turbo component. By this time I had run out of patience and my excitement of getting a new car. Went to the dealer and droped the keys off and asked them for a replacement as they very clearly havent sold me a working car. This was a faulty and defective car. I requested a replacement as I havent used the car. I was mostly shuttling from the dealer and back. So far VW USA and the dealer havent bothered to contact me about the replacement or refund for the car. I have faxed mailed and called multiple times both Volkswagen USA and the dealer. - no response as of 11/19/04. This is since 11/3/04. Oh by the way the dealership that sold me this peice of junk is VW of Springfield, Springfield, VA.

VW quality and service is terrible - I will never buy another VW product. Was totally screwed by Farifield VW in Fairfield, OH on the purchase of a 2003 VW Passat - from the dealer, the tech service, to the District Rep - no one would stand behind the product - and no one could fix it.

2003 Passat GL Problems:
1. Car was delivered with damaged paint (dealer said it was from ‘acid rain’) on hood, roof & rear hatch – which both the salesman and I did not notice on delivery of the vehicle – had to look closely in direct sun to see it.
a. I took the car back to the dealer on a Saturday, they said they could ‘bio wash’ the blems out. Stu Williams (their lying snake of a Sales Manager) said this happened a lot and would be no issue. He was unwilling to even discuss what would happen if the ‘bio wash’ didn’t work – asked him twice.
b. The ‘bio wash’ did not work and the dealer got with the District Rep and decided to repaint the entire roof, hood and rear hatch without asking us first. By the time we found out about it – the car was in the body shop and being painted.
c. At the time we learned it was being repainted, I was in Europe on business and via phone asked the dealer to replace the car with a better equipped model or give me $5000 back to reflect reconditioned nature of the car. Stu was unwilling to do either of these, said in that since we took the car off the lot with the damage - it was ours – nothing he could do. Further, he was reluctant to give the phone number of the VW District Rep – he finally did. Was assured by dealer and Arnie that paint job would be good as new and fully warranted.
d. During this repainting, my wife was given a Mercury Sable not VW loaner. Loaner had almost no gas in it – gas light came on within blocks of dealer’s lot.
3. Following paint job & my return from Europe, car was returned for several issues relating to the repainting:
a. Masking/paint line on sides of sun roof opening – dealer buffed them out
b. Orange peel & drips on driver side tail gate above brake light.
c. Several streaks on hood in clear coat.
d. Covers for roof rack corner posts were loose.
e. Overspray not rubbed out on body frame where rear hatch hinges attach.
4. Car was also delivered with rear hatch trim panel not attached correctly – was not seated flush against window and the wiper arm mechanism was plainly exposed.
a. Dealer installed new one improperly – was missing clips in lower corners and other clips were mis-aligned and bent/broken – loose clips rattling around inside trim panel.
b. Dealer ordered a third one and 2 weeks later car was returned to dealer for installation, still not installed properly – wiper arm mechanism still plainly visible from outside of vehicle. Seated it myself – needed to be pushed hard in numerous areas to fully seat attachment clips.
5. Had dealer put on mud flaps when 3rd rear hatch trim panel was installed. Mechanic chipped paint in right front wheel well during installation of mud flaps.

At 1800 mi: On trip home from mud flap installation, car surged hard on one acceleration from stop and has had gas smell in cabin since then – very noticeable immediately after start up when engine is hot – goes away after vehicle is driven a little.
12/7/03: Noticed while waxing car that:
a. Rear mud flaps not installed correctly – inner most screw not installed on either side and passenger side lowest screw on fender stripped and almost falling out.
b. Trim strip that runs along roof edge on passenger side was loose and bowing up. Strip was not reinstalled properly after repainting. Removed strip myself – also saw that it was bent near bow – straightened and reinstalled strip myself – better but not like driver side. Mentioned to dealer (Matt) – no apology or comment.
c. After first cold rain, found where clear coat blemishes that were polished out on rear hatch now discolored white.
d. Found 3 areas on passenger rear door & fender where it appears a drip of clear coat from roof painting is stuck on finish. Tried polishing compound – no effect.
e. Found two blems in paint under license plate on rear hatch – one where paint appeared to be too thin (primer showing thru) and some dirt/dust embedded in finish.

12/8/03: Took car to dealer for gas smell, clear coat moisture blems above rear taillight, and clear coat blems on passenger side rear door and fender.
a. They gave my wife a Mercury Sable loaner car- despite promises that this wouldn’t happen after first loaner. Did have gas in it this time.
b. Dealer couldn’t find evidence/issue/cause of gas smell.
c. Buffed out blemishes again on tailgate.
d. Clear coat drips from roof painting on rear passenger door (2) & fender (1): dealer said that District Rep would need to OK fixing these – and they were not around so wanted us to bring car back for them to look at it. Told us they thought door and rear fender had to repainted but needed District Service Rep approval – they would set up appointment with him. Dealer never called us to schedule meeting with service rep.
e. Touched up damage from installing front mud flap and gave us bottle of touch up paint.

12/21/03: Gas smell still present using Shell Premium. Garage now smells like gas with car inside.

12/24/03:
a. Cold rain again – white blems on rear hatch came back. Moisture getting or is trapped under clear coat.
b. Interior trim piece on rear hatch beginning to come loose on lower left rear corner again – pushed it back in.
c. Car cabin smells like gas after hot start unless heater is in recirc mode.
d. Garage still smells like gas when car is left inside with garage door closed. Keeping car in driveway until we get rid of it.

12/26/03: Drove car to Chicago and back. Gas smell now in cabin at highway speed unless heater is in recirc mode.

12/29/03: Traded in the Passat on Saab 9-5 - very happy for over a year now - no issues - dealer service people don't know us by first name on sight. $8000 loss but had to view it as buying a bad stock - cut your losses and move on. Never, never buy VW again.

Thinking about buying a new or used VW? Think that comments on a site like this are just abnormal occurences out of the 100,000's of VW's sold? Take a moment to read and think about how the VW Chairman views quality. From USA Today, Jan 15, 2004:

"... Morgan Stanley compared the brands' scores in the Power measured quality study against the CNW scores for perceived quality to determine a percentage gap between the two. Four of the top five under-appreciated brands -- those whose actual quality is better than perceived -- are from Detroit. But surprisingly, eight Japanese brands also are on the under-appreciated list, including quality leader Lexus. Europeans crowded the list of over-appreciated brands -- those whose perceived quality is better than actual. That included Volkswagen, whose well-crafted interiors and engines have attracted consumers despite several years of falling quality scores and difficulties in getting timely repairs. VW Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder says he prefers to be where he is -- on the over-appreciated list. "I'd rather have an actual quality problem than a perceptual one, because we can fix the actual problem faster than the perceptual one...."

Think how good you will feel as you repeatedly visit VW service departments knowing that the VW Chairman prefers that you deal with real car problems rather than he deals with a marketing problem. Now if he agreed to suspend sales until they truly fixed their very real quality issues that would demonstrate commitment to quality... until this jerk steps down - VW is a lost cause to car consumers - shop elsewhere.

there are millions of happy people who own Vws are proud of them quit your whining and crying about your pieces of shit cars no one cares!!!! get a life losers

Cars-That-Suck> I've received a couple of these such comments. They make me laugh because they had to have found this website by searching for something like "Volkswagen sucks". We are not crying about our VW POS cars - this website is to inform consumers to avoid these products. I got rid of my POS VW over a year ago. There is no whining and crying here - and definitely no regret that its gone. Knowing I have helped others in their research of "should I buy a VW?" has repaid me more than VW could have with the time, money, and stress that VW product I previously owned caused me.

I agree. NEVER ever take your VW (of which I have 2 x 2002 Jetta 1.8T) to McKenna VW in Norwalk, CA. Unsatisfactory repairs for 2 POS cars.

2001 Jetta GLS VR6 - got it when it was brand new. Same deal, check engine light on regularly, passenger window fell, shotty transmission (started at around 55K), premature wear of break pads, arm rest fell apart (27K), repeat fixes of break lights, interior light burning out, cracked windshield fluid pipe (52K).

*Knock on wood. Haven't had a major engine problem just yet. I had originally thought about handing this down to my younger brother in college but now thinking twice about it. After scrolling through posts after posts of similar stories. My bro definitely cannot support the maintenance costs. I'm going to sell it and it's NOT going to my brother. Suggesting that he gets a dependable Honda... Thanks Cars-That-Suck.

Cars-That-Suck> Many of my co-workers have Hondas. I've never heard anyone complain much about their Honda or Honda dealer and service. Of course there are websites that discuss problems with Hondas. All cars are prone to have problems - many have more than others (such as VW). Honda has sold many more cars than VW and seems to have a much better product, and better service.

VW has denied coverage on $8000 in engine work (car still under original warranty) due to what is apparently sludge damage. It appears, based on my hour and half conversations with VW of North American that they would deny warranty coverage for any damage in which the consumer cannot produce maintenance records. Apparently it makes no difference if the lack of maintenance caused the damage or not -- no records = no coverage. Many of you know VW has acknowledged they have a sludge problem with Passats. Those of you with issues: DO NOT GIVE UP

Received December 2004

What can I say VW's suck! I have a 99 Jetta and 2001 Passat. I have 2 cars to unload on some poor soul. The Jetta I banged up in a snow storm and it has 4k worth of damage. Not only is the car smashed but it's a POS looks like I'll have to keep that one with it's pretty little check light on. The windows fell into the door, brake light switch broke, alternator went - you get the idea. The Passat another POS has rough idle, turn signal switch broke, CD player broke, arm rest finish is peeling and god knows what else. At the rate of repairs I'd be better off leasing a car. The dealers worthless and today spoke to VW of America. They are pretty much worthless also. I tried to get them to fix the CD player which broke almost on day one. They basically told me see what the dealer can do.

My question to everyone is if we are all having these problems why can't we get someone to listen? Can't the government get involved? They're involved in everything else. Don't buy and VW's and hopefully in our lifetime they will go out of business. I don't agree that the problem is because they are made in Mexico. The parts are junk - no matter where you assemble them they are still junk. Trade in values on these clunkers is very low and one dealer didn't even want to talk about a trade. Local repair shops can't fix the car. You pay for troubleshooting and then they can't make the repair, need special tools, or can't get things apart. My 95 Chevy Tahoe runs like a champ with 135k on it. Maybe a suburban is next.

I bought an '03 VW Jetta in Feb of 2004. It was used of course w/13,000 miles. They wanted 17 for it and I talked 'em down to 13600!! I was so happy with the car....well it is December now and this is the second time my car will be in the shop......little things have been broken, like the ash tray cover - but that's not the problem!!! Every time my cars shifts my whole car jolts....and I swear the transmission is about to fall out. Of course I called to get it in the shop -- hooked it up the little computer tester thingy and "nothing is wrong" don't know what the hell that tester checks but most cars (especially 03's) don't shift like that!! Well they reset the computer (unplugged the battery!!!) and said it should be ok... picked the car up and drove it home and the next morning it started all over again...well I am bringing it back and don't want it back 'til it drives like an 03 should!!

Do you think I could try to return that car as a LEMON?? I haven't even had the freakin' thing a year!! All I need is to be stranded on the highway with my year old daughter in San Antonio, TX with no phone --can you say murdered!!! (I wonder if my hubby could sue VW afterwards for the cause of my death??)

DON'T BUY A VW

My recent problems with bad service turned to NO service after calling VWoA.
Stadium VW, Boardman Ohio.

After some major repair work under warranty I had to return my car twice to the dealer to correct the mistakes I found (loose clamps/bolts, no brake fluid). This is not the first sub-par job they have done for me and their casual attitude and unwillingness to double check the rest of this job (they sited no need since the work has a 1 yr warranty, "just bring it back we'll fix it") resulted in me calling VWoA. They talked to the dealer and I heard nothing.

About two weeks later, while changing my oil, I noticed some missing parts and a broken bracket directly related to the last service.

I called my dealer who informed me that they could not possible make me happy ("You called VW, did you not?") and they feel no need to work on my car again or even correct their mistakes. I didn't want them touching my car, I do want my missing/broken parts returned/replaced.

Another call to VWoA, where girl was just reading from a list of four sentences from which she could pick the one she thought applied best. These sentences are:
"We are sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at your local dealer."
"We do not get involved in workmanship issues, that is between you and your dealer."
"We cannot force a dealer to do anything but this complaint will go on their summary"
"Thank you for calling Volkswagen and feel free to call again with any issues you may have."

Why would VW have a number to call with complaints without having the ability/desire to address these complaints? Why wouldn't they want their dealers to improve? They paid for this sub-par service and are satisfied with it. This makes no sense to me.

Maybe they only want customers that don't know or don't care about their cars. Maybe this is the reason, because these customers are easy to please, would they even notice the loose clamps and missing parts?

I don't believe I expected too much, I just wanted my car fixed correctly and all the parts put back on. It also wouldn't be a bad thing for my local to improve so I wouldn't have to take my chances on the next closest dealer 20 some extra miles away. Who says they'll be any better?

The lesson I learned? Do not call VwoA expecting to get better service, you may very well just get a "Thank-You for giving their dealer an excuse to do nothing."

OK so I have always been a VW fan (old school). I purchased a 2001 beetle turbo glx at an auction. The car is excellent. However I need several small parts to make it like new. I got the prices (and since I own a garage- I got the discounted prices as well)

I was amazed that Rusty Wallace of Dallas had their parts marked up 3X the other dealerships I called. 3X - I asked why...Was told that VW allows them to set there own prices... I am still floored.

I wonder how many out of warranty people are being screwed out of their money by Rusty Wallace?

I'm the VERY dissatisfied owner of a 2001 VW Jetta with 70,000 miles. Since January of 01, when I bought the car the follow has occured:
-6 Oxygen sensors replaced
-3 Mass Flow sensors replaced
-Rollover valve replaced
-2 window regulators replaced
-Starter replaced
-Trunk latch replaced
-Plastic Coating is peeling of interior
-Interior Lighting issues
-Engine has burned oil since 10000 miles
-Replaced rear brakes
-CD Player works when it feels like it
-Thermostat replaced
-Digital Display for trip, mileage, etc. stopped working
-What's the deal with the black goop dripping from the doors? If it's soundproofing, I was told it would stop after a month. 4 years later.....
-Cup holder in back are broken...no one has ever used them!?!
-Blinkers stopped working last week (have you ever heard of such a thing? Blinkers? Seriously?)

I swear to God if that f'ing check engine light comes on again (comes on every 2 months, think the dealership just resets the timer on it) I'm going postal. Why do they have a beeping alarm on low windshield wiper fluid anyway? Heaven forbid you run out of that, but your engine could explode.

I'm tired of this car. My other vehicle is a Toyota, I put gas in it and change the oil. That's it. Why is this so hard for VW? One of these days I will be free of this POS. Does anyone have a number for a VW of America District Manager I can talk to? Customer service at VW sucks...they are programmed to say: "I'm sorry you are having issues with you vehicle" over and over. They are powerless and/or they just don't care.

Has anyone talked to someone with a little more power. I would sure appreciate the number. In addition: does anyone know where things go once they are lost under the seats? Parallel universe somewhere I guess.

I was reading all of the VW comments and have to really agree - Volkswagen sucks big time!

I have a 2001 VW Beetle with less than 21,000 miles and only 3.5 years old. I've replaced the battery, had the windows fixed twice and the inside paint is peeling. The dealership tells me the paint is my fault. I don't think so. Looks like a manufacturing problem to me. I pick it up from the dealership today after they replaced the fuel pump to the tune of $590+. I'm so furious I could do serious bodily damage to the VW executives. A car, with fewer than 21,000 miles and only 3.5 years old, has a faulty fuel pump?

Give me a break. I've also had numerous problems with the annoying check engine light. On one day, off the next. Now everything is out of warranty and I have to pay, pay, pay.

I highly recommend we all join together and sue the pants off of Volkswagon.

Disgruntled in Houston, TX

I am SO glad I found this web site!!! I HATE my 2002 Jetta. I won't go into detail because everyone else has for me. I have had so many recalls and let me tell you I know how it is to drive off the lot and have something already wrong with it. (the cruise control was broken) I will never own a VW again and the proof is in my burnt butt! Yeah thats right, my seat heater almost burned my bottom! And the Lewisville VW in Texas told me that they can't fix it for free because their is no recall on it yet! Can you believe that? They don't even care enough about a customer who could have been injured!!!! Oh I really don't like them.

3 times in the past 2 winters I've had blue smoke coming out of the bottom and back of my 2001 Passat. My VW repair specialist tells me I have condensation in the oil and when it's really cold this condensation freezes the breather valve. He then cleans up all the oil that has been forced out of something, cleans the valve cover etc and says try that. The dealer says sorry we're really busy these days-bring it in and we'll try to look at it over the next several days and by the way you can rent a car for $30 /day. Anyone have any ideas about this problem. Thanks.

Purchased 2001 Passat in February 01. At 71,000 miles the oil pressure light comes on. The oil pump is replaced (February 2004). I am not told about a "sludge problem" or to use synthetic oil, and I do not get an documentation from VW America in the mail about this sludge problem.

December 13, 2004, oil pressure light comes on, take to dealer, told sorry, engine seized up due to sludge, that will be $9000 sir. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Told to produce maintenance receipts. Have 14 recorded oil changes in 46 months. All between 5500 and 6700 miles. I produced 10 of the 14 receipts for changes. I am awaiting VW's America's response but from reading all websites, forums and threads, news will be bad.

I have contacted two people via email, I have contacted two engine specialists in the Washington Metro area, also Joan Claybrook with Public Citizen.com. I have sent correspondence to The Center for Auto Safety and have contacted an attorney and two public advocate groups. I urge everyone who is having the same problem to not only vent their frustration, but to TAKE ACTION. I will not pay for this. VW will pay. I will pay more in legal fees then hand money to VW.

I own a '99 Jetta Wolfsburg. I am the second owner of the car. If I had known that VW's were pieces of crap, I NEVER would have bought the car! I had to have a rear window motor and regulator replaced, and my driver's window is now giving me problems - I have to manually put the window up and down, using my hands! The pathetic part of the whole problem is that I waited for 3 months to have the other window repaired, and it wound up being such a problem with VW owners, that it was repaired at no cost. Fabulous, right? Nope. This time around, the VW dealer that I dread going to told me that it is not covered- even when I stated that I had another window repaired b/c of the same problem! The dealership is another issue that I hate to talk about- what horrible service!

Moving on, I also lost a side molding strip b/c VW is too cheap to use clips instead of glue to hold them in place. My front passenger door handle also broke, so the door can now only be opened from the inside. The rear lock on the back door won't lock-and it is a power lock, which means that I will have to pay too much money to have the stupid thing fixed. My CE light is also on ALL of the time, and it can't simply just be turned off. Something is also wrong with the wiring to the wipers, and I can only use certain settings or smoke starts to come out of the steering wheel. Oh, and I didn't mention that the previous owner went to the dealer b/c the alarm would go off out of nowhere, and the radio stopped working more than once.

If anyone ever thinks of buying a VW, DON'T!

Shame on me,
I wish I would have found this site before I bought my Passat! I too apparently have a sludge problem with my car. Oil pump gets clogged, lack of oil to the upper engine, engine binds up. I can't believe it's not covered under warranty. I am told unless I have ALL my maintenance receipts that I will have to pay up -$4,300 worth! Shoot, I could buy a new motor for that!

I didn't have my oil changed every 5,000 miles, as recommended, because I could never get a scheduled appointment with my dealer. I need Saturday since I can't get a loaner car from the VW dealer and I can't be without my car. So I would have to plan several weeks in advance just to get my oil changed and/or my scheduled maintenence. Since I travel about 800 miles a week to work, having to wait a couple of weeks could put me right up to the next oil change. I have 84,000 miles on a 2 and 1/2 year old Passat and have had 9 oil changes - I should not have a oil pump clog! I can't wait to get rid of my VW!

I also had a radio knob fall off after 6 months.

I have had a terrible time with changing my headlights - its practically impossible to change them yourself - I have replaced four bulbs in 2 years (and every time I have ripped up my knuckles and the last time dislodged the bulb clamp so now my light shines towards the ground!). A stinking $12.00 bulb practically requires you to take it to your dealer just to install it. c'mon, I don't want to be a mechanic, but I think I should be able to replace a stinking headlight!!

I have taken my car back three times for recalls and have been stranded twice with Ignition coil failures.

I own a 2001.5 VW Passat GLX 4 motion- Nice car to Drive but the repairs are costly$$$

I had the worst customer experience with Millennium VW, NJ. Took my car in for service & oil leak and left the lot with a Faulty Air bag light. Contacted them to fix the air bag light problem which I never had when I brought the car in for service. They said they will not honor this issue and I have to pay for their mistake. I have lost all confidence in VW/Audi and VWOA product of so called "German Engineering"....more like "German

Junk". All creditability has just been flush down the toilet. I will definitely echo my experience with VW to friends, family, colleagues, and internet sources. "Buy Japanese you won't regret it!!!"

I leased a 2002 Jetta 1.8 Turbo for my daughter to use while going to college in NC. We got a new one because I didn't want her to have the hassle of fixing our 91 Navajo. The Jetta sun roof was broken at 5K, window at 9K. No real problem all was fixed by dealers in SC and NC. At about 12000 miles VW tells us to bring it in for coil replacement and that's when the fun starts. This car has a new trans put in, all 4 coils replaced 3x's, ECU(?) and other computer crap replaced at least 4 times, throttle body cleaned 3x's and other stuff I am not technically understanding of (reset codes) Most of the work was done in response to our complaint of no power, stalling, and sputtering. The NC dealer began to think we were nuts and told my kid they couldn't duplicate it. We brought the car back to NJ and a dealer here thought he fixed it (replaced the coils and plugs again) finally (and we don't know how long this will last) they cleaned the throttle body which was supposed to have been cleaned in Oct 2004 and they said was heavily carbonized. That was a couple of days ago and its working ok for now with 25K miles on the odometer.

My beef is with Dealer's incompetence, and the Michigan VW crew who didn't really listen to my complaints. Finally I got a hold of a very dedicated woman who coordinated the NJ and NC repair people via the tech reps for both areas. I HOPE it's fixed'. It has been a nightmare and because I listened to these people, I let the time and mileage for both New Jersey's Lemon Law and the VW Better Business Bureau Arbitration program expire because they always jerked my chain about getting it fixed.

As a final note I checked why a throttle body would carbonize in the first place at 18k miles...the general answer, and the easiest thing to replace, is a bad PCV valve. Poor gas can contribute to the buildup which makes the gas /air mix on a fuel injected car too lean and will cause sputtering and lack of power. If I found this out why didn't the VW mechanics figure it out a PCV valve is a lot cheaper than a new trans!

I could go on in detail about the 23 trips to dealers, my flying down to NC to speak with the Service Manager - twice! But, I'd only have another MI and who needs that. The old saying is Never say never, except if it relates to buying another Volkswagen product. I had a Ghia and a Bug and loved em. No More VW's for me. When the lease is up this goes back and my kid can buy a different car. I will NEVER buy or lease another VW.

I own a 2001 Volkswagen Passat. My family and I leased this car new in 8/2001 and have had the same problem with the vehicle: The rear passenger side door power window and lock do not function. Twice while the car was covered under warranty this problem was addressed.

However, now for the third time the same problem has re-occurred. This is the side of the car where my 2 year old child sits and to lock or unlock the door you must do this by reaching over a car seat. My problem is that each time I have had to have this repaired I must take time off work, pay for a rental car and VW has not, nor will they offer any assistance with a rental car or other accommodations. This is the 3rd time this has occurred in 3 years with the same problem each time. VW is attempting to say this is the same as if a part malfunctioned and is beyond the warranty. I did not purchase extended coverage for this vehicle and understand if a part broke it is my problem if I did not get the proper coverage. This is a safety issue whereby I cannot unlock the door that a small child is seated and I explained this to VW and they have repeated with the same "canned" response. I am a career Paramedic/RN and have seen many times what can happen when passengers of a car cannot be reached in time. This is no Joke. I will never buy another VW again. Thank you

2005

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