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 January 2007

I know this is my long story, but I want to share it with people so they are aware of the problem. This is the story of my first and last VW.

I purchased a 2001 Passat last Sept. 2005 and an extended warranty. A couple things had to be replaced up until now. Twice when I had driven in the heavy rain over the year I have owned the car, the back right floor has flooded. Two VW dealers said that it was a clogged sunroof drain (apparently there is one in each front door and two in the trunk that are not accessible). No one said to worry or that this could result in any damage.

Last week, it now being Jan. 2007, I was on way way downtown and the transmission had a slight slip when I was on a toll road, but I thought it was the road. I got downtown with all of the closely spaced red lights and realized when I tried to accelerate from being stopped, the acceleration was slow. I restarted it and it did the same thing but I made it to a park and left it thinking it was nothing. I was about 30 minutes from home and I walked to the car in a parking lot and it was the only car with condensation in all the windows, on the inside of the car. I guess I didn't think anything of it. The car had a slight odor but I didn't give it any thought. It had rained two days prior but I had not driven that car anywhere.

I got the windows cleared enough to start home, and pick up some dinner on the way. The acceleration was still slow to pick up but was okay once I was driving and not stopping. I was about 2/3 the way to my destination when an engine malfunction light came on, but was not blinking. This light had come on before but the dealers said it had something to do with pressure in the gas tank and it had gone off before.

I get to my destination and go to turn off the car and that check engine! light came on as I turned the car off and the airbag light began to blink. I turned the car back on a few times and the malfunction and airbag lights were still on. At that point I knew that I would be calling for a to trunk and that my food would get cold.

I had to towed but the dealer the next day said the earliest it would be to check the car out was in a week. There was pouring the rest of the week, so I am lucky that I had it checked sooner. So, I had it towed across town because they would see it the next day. I get a phone call the next day that there was a water leak under the driver's seat and parts would be $2,900 total (for a control module and some sort of sensor) and that it would be over $3,000 after that. They would have to tear out all the carpet and everything. I had them check the CD player I paid for a yea before and they just said it needed to be replaced. They said the warranty would only cover the CD player. Luckily, the warranty (I now love Major Guard!) is paying for the parts and their labor. However, now it's going to be up to $2,000 to find and repair the leak. They said to talk to the insurance company, which we did, and they'll cover the rest. Next we find out that the CD player just has a $450 defective part. They CD player didn't cost $450, so how could the part? The warranty luckily should still cover it.

Currently, I am driving a rental and still waiting for my car to be fixed. My car insurance company is going after VW to get the money back because their research found that this was an issue with these cars. My research has also found the same issues with 2001 and 2002 models so far. Consumer information sites even list "water leakage" as a con of getting a VW for 2001 and 2002. I have no idea if the problem has since been corrected, but they need to pay people for this poor design. I have never had another make of car that had a sunroof draining system that would leak. VW needs to fix this. Some of the complaints I have found had damage, one complain even mentioned a car had to be totaled because of this. I just want to warn people not to get a VW with a sunroof unless they know it won't be a problem. If they can't make a decent sunroof after all of these years in business, who knows what else they can't do correctly.

Suburban VW Service Troy Michigan

I just took my car to VW Suburban for engine problem on November 06. My car was making a big sound something like a belt was turning and ran very ruff. It was very obvious the engine had a problem. Even the VW service person said "Wow your engine sounds really bad that is why you brought it ?" They fixed a couple of things. When I pick up the car it still had the same sound coming out from the car. So I asked them "Did you fix the problem? Is engine good now then why does it still make a noise? " Then they said "Engine is good as new. Don't worry." so I left.

We went to Minnesota for Christmas, on the way home timing belt broke and engine needs to be fix. Because of the engine design the timing belt breaking caused a lot of damage. It cost me a lot of money ($3000) and time because it was middle of no where. We were driving an unsafe vehicle!!!

We are not a mechanic so I can only tell something sounds bad = something wrong needs to be fixed.

Mechanic especially VW dealer should recognize the noise and take the time to look for what the problem is but they didn't.

I called VW but they don't take care of customer. Andy who is a Suburban VW service manager said "We don't look into it because it is a warranty issue, unless customer asked to look for the Timing belt" It was a second hand car and therefore they do not do anything with warranty issues unless the customer specifically asks that it be looked at. We did not know that it was the timing belt - therefore we did not say "Check the timing belt". This was their excuse for not looking into it, or mentioning that it should be looked at.

How do I know that??? I AM NOT A MECHANIC!! Only I can tell is around engine making a sound. Isn't that service's responsibility to look into it or suggest me to look into it???

So I looked up internet and find out VW service department and VW itself has a lot of problem.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/vw_passat.html

The Company tends to ignore or hide issues and customer complains especially if it is a warranty issue.

If the dealer service ignores a problem, who can fix a car? How do I know my car is safe? We could been killed by driving unsafe vehicle.

Is that OK?? Is it my fault?? Because I didn't mention to check it??? More time to look and didn't even suggest to look. I reported this to channel 7 Detroit at wxyz.com for consumer report.

Did you ever think for one minute that other cars like ford or gm have the same problems? Did you ever stop to think people dont know how to treat there cars (like add oil antifreeze ext) Its all in how you treat you your car man dont sit there and say oh they suck you now what name other cars that you get averge of 140000 miles on other than vw so you now hitler had the greatest machenics in the world who started the vw. You probbly are some dumb ass jew who has no idea how to work on a car or what a spark plug is and probly are mad couse you you found out hitler desighned the first one. So all i have to say is if you have nothen better to do then bad mouth vw go fuck your self.

Thanks so very much for taking your time to create this very useful and informative site. I have learned a lot from your site. Thanks!!

In Oct. of 2001 I purchased an 02 Jetta 1.8T fully loaded. This car had everything from leather/heated seats to the 17 inch wheels. I never had a problem with this car until Jan.7th 2007 it caught fire and burned to the ground. When I was driving home from work on that Sunday I was coming down my street when all of a sudden all my gauges started going crazy..everything from the cruise control and turn signals going on and off, then the horrible smell of burning plastic, when I pulled in my driveway a thick gray smoke started pouring out of my steering colum and behind the gauges. When I finally stopped the car an orange flame shot out of the speedometer/odometer gauge. I unbuckled my seatbelt and jumped out of the car, called 911 and waited and watched as my VW burned to the ground...it took the fire dept no time to get there but the car already had 10 foot flames shooting up in the air. (want to see pics? go to myspace.com/jpzacs ) I am sooo pissed at VW right now...my house damage was at over 10,000 dollars..YES the car damaged the house!! Our bedroom window melted, the smoke entered thru the vents to the attic and the concrete buckled where the fire was. (due to the moisture in the concrete, water rises to the top under the extreme heat and pops it like a bubble) The funny part is I called VW and asked if all my recalls were up to date, they said "OH, Yeah...can we help you?" YEAH MY CARS MELTED TO THE DRIVEWAY ASS.. Needless to say they don't care...I keep calling insurance and VW to find out the investigation and they are just keeping me out in the dark. VW customer service Gotta love it.

I have a 2001 VW TDI Jetta. The alarm system goes haywire all the time. Fix it? $800. The plastic around the bottom of the engine and in the wheel wells is falling off. The engine check light came on at 40,000 miles and cost over $100 to just check it out. I think it means I should take the vehicle to the dealer at 40,000 miles tp do an over $500 check up. I can't turn the light off. I now have 80,000 miles on the car. The only good thing about this built in mexico car is the engine, a TDI. I will never buy another VW.

This page is probably old but I need to vent about the pos vw jetta that I have. Since I bought it, I've had to pay out of pocket close to 10k on repairs. And still that little fucker still gives me problems. My windows don't work, every time it rains there is a leak, my a/c was leaking into the front of my car, my handbrake broke. (wtf), my airbags don't deploy, I replaced the fucking transmission, had to replace the brakes, and other miscellaneous stuff. FRICK, 99 jettas, hell all jettas suck. Now, i'm still left with a small loan on a car that I HATE. Anyway, just wanted to vent to someone who knows how i feel.

Received February 2007

My opinion, it's OFFICIAL, VW dealerships must have a job requirement for their servicemen to be smart-ass pricks! Every time I've gone in for an oil change, it's inconvenient for you to try to schedule service, they don't call you back, if you're a warranty customer you're blown off most of your day, prepare that you have an alternative to get around to your job or any errands you may have while you wait all day, their prices are freakin' insane. They told me at my 25,000 mile "service" which was $240, that my 40,000 would be over $400. Forget that!!! But their reply or "hook" is- to uphold your warranty you must. I believe I'll go with my common sense, do most of it your self but KEEP ALL OF your receipts and proof of work done.-- Now as far as my experience, I own a 2003 Jetta, I too had the driver side window fall off the track, this is common and most dealerships will replace it for free, depending on your mileage/age of your V W. I notice that most or all of the Jetta problems are before '03, maybe they worked on and corrected most of the problems for the 2003/2004 Jettas or maybe I'm one of the fortunate statistics. After reading all of these complaints, I am skeptical about keeping my 03 Jetta after I pay it off. If I run into costly problems I'll trade for something new. But for a little bit of optimism VW is aware of their "Owner Loyalty" problem, so we'll see How or When or If they'll change and better their customer service and products. For what you're having to pay on, whether it's to own or lease, as well as the general maintenance, they should have alot MORE to offer. And should treat their customers right, AFTER the sell of the vehicle, that's another aggravation, is how over friendly they are during the purchasing process, boasting how great and friendly their service department is, how convenient, they have loaner cars, if not that, they have a shuttle for when you may have a more time consuming (bank account draining) repair, good luck with that. My main beef is with their service. Overall, I believe my 03 Jetta is a pretty good car, as far as electrical(GL model), there has not been anything wrong, at the 35,000 mile range, which should be the prime of your engine, I get 330 miles per tank of gas or 23MPG_driving roughly 50% city 50% HWY. My brakes have been great so far, everything still seems in-tack, no noises inside. So I guess I can say, I'm expecting the worst, I'll try to prevent or prepare for it, but I'm hoping for the best. It's very enjoyable to drive, it handles curves well, road noise level is pretty low in the cabin. Everyone who has bad luck, sorry to hear all of it, it doesn't make me feel to good about my latter part of my loan (2yrs). But I plan to keep the mileage down and hopefully I have enough money saved, and maybe some considerable value left in my 03 'Dub, I'll pay for my next vehicle in full and won't have to worry about the bullshit cycle of getting screwed by the automotive industry.

WHAT A PIECE OF OVER-RATED GERMAN-ENGINEER MY A** - WHO'S THE ENGINEER? A 5 YR OLD... WHAT A JOKE.... THEY DO NOT DESERVE TO BE IN BUSINESS...WHAT A SCAM...THEY MUST GO OUT OF BUSINESS SOON, AS NOBODY HAS ANYTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT THAT 'JOKE' OF A CAR, INCLUDING ME... WATCH OUT ANY OWNERS/BUYERS OF 2000 JETTA VR6. WINDOW FELL INSIDE DOOR PANEL, TWICE IGNITION COIL ($600 A POP), BATTERY, WIPERS, NOW ABS LIGHT ON, SO IS A 'CAUTION' YELLOW LIGHT, NOW THIS MORNING 'BATTERY' LIGHT AGAIN, SOUND LIKE FAN BELT/ALTERNATOR NEED REPLACING.

WHAT A JOKE... BUT WE'LL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH, AS THEY CANNOT AND WILL NOT BE IN BUSINESS FOR LONG, WITH SO SO SO MANY BAD PUBLICITY... JUST LOOK AT ANY CAR/RATING CHARTS - THANK GOD NUMBERS "DO" SPEAK!

I own a repair shop. I had a customer with a 2003 beatle 1.8L turbo with 78000 miles on the clock. Timing belt broke, bent all the valves. mitchell on demand says replace belt at 105000 miles, inspect at earlier miles. Someone at vw should pay. Nothing like my old 71 super beatle. WHAT HAPPEND TO VW????

I am in the process of looking for a new car and I try to be an informed buyer, especially on a major purchase. I was looking at a Honda or a Volkswagen, after reading all the horror stories I will NEVER BUY A VOLKSWAGEN! I realize that that will be at least one lemon in, but this many lemons tells me I definitely do not need or want a Volkswagen! Thanks so much for this informative web site.

I have a 2000 Jetta. Bought it used in 2003 with 13K. This vehicle is ridiculous. One problem afer another from windows falling into the door (both sides a few months apart) to not able to shift out of park to now the engine blowing a rod and needing replacement. VW tells you nothing. If not for the internet i wouldn't have gotten the window problems and gear shift payed for. ANY CHANCE THE ENGINE IS COVERED??? Its now goy 70K and has been well taken care of on my watch. Never buy another.

I would like to buy a 2007 Jetta but a client of a friend quit selling VWs in disgust over VWs unwillingness to honor it's warranties. According to him VW instructed the dealers to not do warranty work but to instruct the customer to call the VW customer service 800 number. Now before I buy a turkey I want to know if anyone else has heard of this policy or has experienced problems getting dealers to touch their cars. This guy is a reputable fellow so it was worth looking into. I can buy something else!

I just picked up a 2003 Beetle(GLS)51000 miles. I bought it last night and found your site this morning...(I am now terrified to get in it..: )) please pray for me..

Talk about Volkswagons that suck. My wife bought a 2002 cabrio glx with 26,000 miles on it. Now it has 42,000 miles on it. Its went threw two water pumps, two air compressors, two fuel problems (have no idea what they fixed) and now at night it drops all the power for a moment and puts the radio in safe mode. It has cost me $1400 from the shop and its still messed up. We are trading this car in for a Nissan and will never never buy a VW ever again.

My family has always owned Audis and VWs and yes, they have a lot of problems but a lot of those can be prevented with what is called "preventative maintenance.” With, let’s say, a Honda like my room mate had, she can (and does) only perform repairs, etc. when it is absolutely necessary. With a VW you have to plan ahead and perform the suggested maintenance in order to prevent larger problems in the future – but I will say that Honda or the like doesn’t necessarily need the same schedule as a VW. My first car was our hand-me-down 1981 Audi and in the 30 years we owned it, it never left us on the side of the road. Yes, it was in the shop a lot but I didn’t mind because I loved everything about it. I’ve had some problems with my Passat but thankfully all were covered by the warranty. They aren’t cheap cars to own but if you love them, you love them – as sappy as it sounds, it’s kind of unconditional. I understand that people think they suck but I love ‘em anyway!

I tripped over this site by accident. I find it pretty familiar because I used to be a VW service manager circa 1999/2000. I moved on to a KIA/Isuzu/Subaru dealer in the same chain, and man was I happy to leave.

I dealt first hand with many of the problems noted here: window regulators, erratic idle problems, weird electrical stuff, et cetera. I'll not bore you with war stories.

Most of the problems came from the VW plant in Puebla, Mexico; it was originally built with an annual production of 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles in mind. When the New Beetle took off, the production jumped to around 250,000 a year. No wonder the quality sucked so bad. I have experience with other Mexican produced vehicle with other brands of vehicles, and their quality compared pretty favorably to US and Japanese production, so I tend to think it's VW's problem pretty exclusively. This does not let the Fatherland (Wolfsburg production) vehicles off the hook, they were just about as bad.

On top of that, the VW people in Michigan are a bunch of 1960's love children who do not take the business of running a modern car company seriously. The tech line had 2 PEOPLE! FOR THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES! Oh man I can feel the bile rising again, so I'll cut this short.

I agree, do NOT buy a VW product if you value your sanity and your families' lives.

First car was a 52 Split window Bug, and owned many bugs and loved each one. Thats where the liked VW began and ended.

Worked for VW dealership as a Sevice Manager for 1 year, and in that short time saw 3 people loose there jobs because there VW was in the shop for repairs. VW would not pay for rentals for anyone and the cheap dealer I was employed by wouldnt stand behind any of there product.

A customer bought a new Beetle and before they drove it 40 miles it broke down, and the dealer would not give them a loaner or give them back there own car to drive. They had to get a rental on there own.

I have driven Hondas and Acuras since 84 and never had one break down or give me any major repair problem.

I think the reason you have so many problems with your Volkswagen is that you bought one that was not assembled in Germany. We just bought a Passat which is one of the few ones being assembled in Germany. You can't expect the same quality from a car that is assembled in Mexico compared to one that is assembled in Germany (thank goodness).

With gas over $3 a gallon, I was very excited to take delivery of my brand new 2006 VW Beetle TDI. I hadn't even gotten it home from the dealership (10 miles), when I noticed that the trip odometer had kept resetting to 000.0 every mile or two.

I did a minimal amount of research on line and discovered that this is a common problem among newer VWs, and that the fix is known to the dealers. The next day, I dutifully took back my $19,000 toy and told them what I had found out. They told me to leave it and they would "...get back to me". I left it for one day, and called back to get a progress report - they hadn't even MOVED it from where I had left it. I went back to the dealership in my 15 MPG GMC truck and started to raise hell. My aggressive demeanor put the whole staff on edge, so I wheeled the name of the Factory Rep out of someone who appeared to be afraid of me (Why, I don't know - I wasn't yelling, or using profanity ... but I was barging into offices and making a general pain in the ass of myself). I sat there, and called the rep from my cell phone in a very loud voice so that all potential customers in the dealership could hear that I had a one-day old Beetle in their shop for a problem that has been identified and resolved by VWoA. The factory rep was not thrilled to talk to me, and put me in touch with the Vice President of VWoA back in Michigan. That person was of little help ... but it didn't matter in the end ... the General Manager of the dealership said that TONY GROUP no longer wished to deal with me, and that they were voiding my contract. They would return my trade-in to me, and ban me from their lot. I was flabbergasted. How do you like that? I bought a $19,000 car from them, with a known defect ... was treated like shit by their service department, given the runaround, and then they don't want to deal with ME?

I wrote to the BBB, Costco (since I had found the car through their auto purchase program), AAA, and the local papers. The only ones who responded were Costco and AAA, although there wasn't really much they could do.

VW sucks, Tony Auto Group in Waipio, HI sucks even more. If I had had time, I would have sued them for breaking the contract (unfortunately, I didn't).

My PT Cruiser convertible gets crappy mileage - but is a good car ... and the dealership is interested in keeping it's customers happy. Makes all the difference in the world.

Volkswagen recalls nearly 800,000 cars

This recall has been well-known for years, it's just been expanded to include newer models, as (apparently) they haven't stopped using the faulty part!

Received March 2007

My 2003 VW GTI 1.8T sucks and I hope it burns to the ground. It is constantly in the shop for a vareity of electrical issues, engine problems, breaking latches, and general suckiness.

I recommended my ex-husband to a family friend for purchasing a vehicle - since his old clunker was constantly being repaired and he had a new job of position - he agreed it was time. His new position would require travelling significantly and therefore need a "RELIABLE VEHICLE". His plan was to trade in at 2-3 years or purchase the vehicle outright regardless of mileage. He compared VW Passat to Toyota Camry (both top of the line)- and boy did he make the wrong choice. Having owned 2 volkswagen previous he chose that again.

2005 December purchase - picked it up Dec 30 drove around town that day and on the 31th morning left to go home and did not get 10 miles out of town when the "CHECK ENGINE" light came on.

Turned around and brought it back to the dealer - the service department called in their mechanic to start to figure it out.....

They kept the car for two weeks - to try and figure it out with the assistance of the head office mechanical dept. They gave him a rental vehicle - (gas guzzler), and he was paying on a lease vehicle - with no car to show for it. Later that winter he drove his trek north and hit some slush on the highway. The engine shut off and there were no control of the steering because it was locked out.....he had the 1 inch play in the steering to attempt to steer the car while coasting to the shoulder. Sat for a few minutes - popped the hood to see if he could do anything - NO! nothing to be done on those engines becasue everything is covered up - beside would not know where to look. The vehicle started again - however lucky that there was no accident. The deal where he bought it was informed of the problem but since it was a Saturday there was no service department to assist in looking at the problem. Therefore it was documented that contact was made for the problem. On his return to his home he had the problem happen again. Took it to his local vw shop and thye had it for another 2 weeks - apparently fixed it.

He picked it up and the check engine light was back on. This "Check Engine" light was been coming on since then every week - the local dealer to him instructed him to keep driving the car as long as nothing else came on for warnings...and the car was still running - meanwhile they would look into the problem. Finally there was no driving it anymore - back into the dealer 2 months waiting a part - Paying for lease on a top of the line Passat that he was not driving and was given a rental car of lower caliber to drive. This 2 month duration was on the 1st year anniversary of ownership.

Received the vehicle back drove it to visit his children for the weekend - all was well on the weekend trip.....he had to take the car back to the shop upon returning home for an oil change that the servicing dealership had not done before giving him the supposedly fixed vehicle back which they had for 2 months....Upon getting the vehicle back from the oil change before even exiting the parking lot the "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" was on once again. He parked it walked back into the servicing dealership and handed them the keys asked for a new vehicle - that is when the laughter started....He is trying to figure out what the best path is for getting a new vehicle that is not a "LEMON"......however head office says that 30000 km is too many for a vehicle of this age...he is an abusive driver and that is the reason for all the problems..... Looks like he is up for a fight - which sounds like the norm according to the posts on this site.

All I have to say is I won't be recommending anyone anymore to the dealership of my childhood friend, as they are not taking any responsibility for the vehicle nor my ex-husbands problems encountered. I'm totally embarrassed, as we are better friends now that when we were married.

i have a 2005 volkswagen jetta 2.5 and i got to tell you it sucks in the snow even with 3 inches of snow on the ground i have no traction i almost spun out in my car only going 25mph like a valentines day i got stuck 5 times in my damn jetta trying to get out of my neighborhood i finally got out of the snow but is not worth getting a volkswagen where you live with a snow storm dont ever get a volkswagen if you live up north

1999 New VW Beetle---Piece of shit! I believe the damn thing is possessed and is trying to ruin my marriage! I have had this used vehicle 8 months...in the first 16 hours of ownership I busted the oil pan (which had already been repaired once from the previous owner), not quite two months later the bitch started puking green shit from under the hood...water pump went bad left me stranded at Sheetz with not a dollar in my pocket! Limped the Beetle to the local VW dealership that charged me $90 just to look at the car and they told me I needed to buy a new one! Huh! Found some stink pot in my local town to put the water pump in for $120 (volkswagon dealer was going to charge $800)! By the way, the check engine light was on when I bought the car at 47,000 miles (that should have been a sign right there not to buy it!)I'm not finished yet, approximately 4 months later the damn linkage in the transmission went bad...got another local to fix it for a little bit of nothing then the day I got it out of the shop I was driving home feeling all cute in my little bug when I smelled a electrical type smell...I thought what in the hell now? The whole damn main wiring harness short circuited causing the lights, horn, heat, wipers, radio---every damn thing that you need to drive was no longer working---took it to the local yahoo and he said "GET RID OF THIS PIECE OF SHIT!" This time around is going to cost me thousands!!! I'm shopping for a Mazda Miata and some other stupid victim can have the Bug from Hell! As far as my marriage...it may be salvagable if I get rid of the BUG!

What can I even say about VW that someone else hasn't? They suck. I mean you pay a lot of money for a car that you think will last and you end up with a money pit. I've spent over $2,000 on a car that I bought a year ago. And it's in the shop as we speak. Who knows how much that will cost!!! UGH!

I bought brand new a 2001 New Beetle with a custom paint job..Isotype Green. Rather cool and quite noticiable..i used to think it "glowed in the dark". My car runs like a champ..on the inside. The outside i have been experiencing my "glow-bugs light is FADING"!!! I have contacted the dealership,VW of America, estimates from 4 auto paint shops confirming my horror..The fade is more on the left side..starts around 1/2 mark on the front wheel bumper,the door,and 1/2 mark on the rear wheel bumper..the door handles are still retaining their"glow". Its wear and tear,the year and the amount of miles, 51K to proof. Now i worked for the dealership where i bought my car. The whole line of beetles came out with these pastel colors..we referred to them as the "Easter-Egg line", there was a blue,pink,yellow,lavender and mine,isotype green..Im told its a defect from the factory. Claim follows that the factory didnt allow enough baking time for these colors..along with too few clear coats=paint chips the size of marbles and (drum roll please..)Faded paint that is impossible to match without repainting the whole car. So i have been instructed by VWof America to contact the BBB Auto line and see if they will back me up. Sounds like a good plan??? Appreciate any information or reference other pastel color fade stories. Thank god for websites like this one to help us consumers vent alittle instead of bombing the VW dealerships.

Never ever, EVER buy a VW unless you want to overpay for the car initially and all the maintenance. It became a game for me to wait and see when the Check engine light would 'decide' to turn on (every 2 months)and when things would need replacing in half the time as any normal car's should (belts, tires, breaks, etc). Not to mention, everything about VWs is backwards. So, trying to fix anything yourself, having work done on it, is almost impossible, and yes, you WILL have to fix things constantly. I got rid of my 2001 Jetta and got a Scion. Felt like finally dumping a psycho girlfriend after 5 years of abuse.

Received April 2007

oh, my God!! I can't believe that every complaint seems to be me and my Passat 2003. Can you believe that at 27,500 miles, my car was tuned up and oil changed and six days later was in the shop for almost 7 days!! It seems that the car went "nuckinfutz!!" They had to replace the control panel and left me with a rental for 6 days since the part "hadn't come in yet" Then, the day I pick it up,,,, no radio!! They forgot to code it! One week later, the water pressure reached over 260 degrees and I thought that the car would blow up. Another two days in the shop! This all happened within 4 weeks of taking it in for service!! BUT THE MOST INSULTING AND VOLKSWAGON SUCKING THING IS THIS....I GOT STUCK WITH A $438.00 RENTAL CAR FEE WHILE MY CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY AND I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT THEY WOULD RENT A CAR FOR ME!! BULL$% at !!!!! THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY THE BILL AND HAVE YET TO WORK OUT WHY I SHOULDN'T CALL A LAWYER OR THE NEWS AND TELL THEM THAT VOLKSWAGON SUCKS BIG TIME!! I agree with one of the VOLKSWAGON VICTIMS :"LET'S START A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST VOLKSWAGON." LET'S SAY" NEVER BUY VOLKSWAGON AGAIN!!

July 2006 -- Purchased a pre-owned 2006 TDI Jetta with a manual transmission. Need the fuel economy.
August 2006 -- Clutch broke. Repairs covered by warranty.
August 2006 -- Back in the shop, oil leak.
September 2006 through December 2006 -- in and out of shop. Broken piston, discovered after multiple trips to the service department and being without a vehicle for at least two months. Repairs covered by warranty.
April 2007 -- Clutch broke. No longer covered by warranty, and the "6 month" warranty on the clutch repair is gone also. This one cost us over $2,000. We will not save that much money on fuel for a very long time.

My plan was to fix the clutch, then trade it in on something more reliable. Until I found your sight, I was waffling (you know, maybe it will be okay now....). I am no longer waffling.

Obviously, I cannot recommend VW to anyone. And since statistics show that 70% of car sales are from word of mouth recommendations, I would say VW is in trouble.

Well, I wish I would have checked for info on the 2000 cabrio that was purchased for my daughter and after reading all of these postings Im ready to cry. We purchased the car for my daughter for christmas 06. This is the car she has always wanted and we were told this car had always been serviced on time and was a garage baby. The car had only 59,000 miles on it when we took possession of it. The 1st problem was with a leak at the driver side window the first time my daughter drove it in the rain. We took it to the dealer and they stated that the seal was damaged and needed to be replaced. That was $580.00 in Jan. Mind you the car has sat in the garage for most of the time we have owned it. Just before it went to school with her she had issues with the drivers side window make noise and not wanting to go up. Then the battery died. This was in march. Over spring break it was taken in for its 60,000 servicing and we were told that the following was needed:

1) new window regulator for the driver side window
2)new front/rear breaks and rotors
3)2 new belts
total was roughly $1850.00

Just a week ago the passenger side window fell... all she did was close the door and the window fell. Per the dealership the window regulator would need to be replaced because when the window feel the cables get wrapped in the regulator... they also adjusting the top for her because of the wind issue and leaks.

This time it was $755.00 at the last minute they stated the driver side window needed to be adjusted for the top to set correctly and it would be an add.$110.00. When she p/u the car she got in and wanted to know what had happened to the top... its all shreded in the inside around the windows like someone cut it. When she showed the Dealer manager he refused to do anything about it stating he wasnt the one who saw the car when it came in and more then likely it was like that when she brought it in and dismissed her. She is totally ready to junk the car and after reading all of this im thinking the sooner the better. I will never purchase a VW again... and I hope to rid my daughter of this one asap.

I have a 2006 VW Passat 2.0T. I bought it new. After driving it for about two months the A/C went out. It was still under full factory warranty, so they replaced it free of charge. The problem I now have is that it does not cool to my satisfaction. When I take it back to the dealer, they tell me there is nothing wrong with it. What can I do? I was told to put a thermometer in one of the vents and the temp sould read 40 degrees to cool properly. The best reading I can get is between 46=50 degrees. I own GMC and Nissan autos and they all gave a reading of 40 degrees.

Received May 2007

I have had an awful experience with VW. I bought a new beetle from my local dealer. It came with 3000 miles left on the original factory warranty + 24000 mile Certified Used warranty. I installed a sub-woofer the day I purchased the car. This car was my 5th new beetle since 1999 and I had done the exact same installation (adding a sub-woofer) to all 4 previous vehicles.

This car; however, needed a warranted repair 6 months later as the heater ran continuously on high. First (7:45 am) I was told by the service manager, Jason that the part was not in stock, but it was ordered and they would have my car ready in 3 days.

The next day (12:00pm) Jason called and said that since I had made "modifications to the electrical system" by adding the sub-woofer the warranty was VOID and it had shorted-out my heater blower motor switch.

Later that same day (4:00pm) after I called the 800# VW complaint site I was called once again by Jason. This time he said that the modifications I made would be photographed to show "how" my modifications had shorted-out the heater fan blower.

The following morning (8:00am) I called the Dealer and asked to speak with anyone who understood electronics as my "modifications" were done by a recognized expert that had done 100's of these same "mods" with no ill effect. It was only then I got a new story:

The wires from the sub-woofer install had mechanically dislodged a connecting rod that operated the heater switch causing it to run continuously on high. I immediately asked to see the dislocated "connecting rod" and the wires that dislodged it as that modification had been done 6 months earlier. They said the mechanic working on my car was not in yet and they would have him call me as soon as he showed up to work.

Next (5:15pm) I was called and told my car had already been put back together and was ready so I was not able to view the damage caused by the "modification". When I went to pick-up the car I was not allowed to speak with anyone who actually "worked" on my car. I was given line after line of excuses. Finally the General Manager, Lou appeared and said he had personally seen the damage caused by the "modification" and that the repair was not covered under the warranty. When I asked him to be specific about the "damage" he could not say anything except "The Modification you made to the vehicle is what caused the problem and it has been repaired. You are responsible for the repair. It will not be covered under the warranty"

They did charge me for the 4 hours labor, but on the receipt they did charge VW for the new install on the new heater blower motor.

So after 5 days and 4 different stories I had to pay for the labor. The 800VW consumer complaints just referred me back to the dealer. NO ONE from VW ever investigated the issue. They simply called the dealer and spewed the same non-sense the dealer was spewing on me. I told the dealer and the 1-800 complaint department that I would never own another VW, and I will not!

The next week I sold my VW and bought a 2005 BMW 330i . I had owned over 10 VW's since my first car in high-school, but I will never own another one!

i currently own two passats. one is 2001.5 and the other an 06. i love both of these car and have had no problems. i think that maybe people on this website need to stop beating the piss out of their cars. if you do all the correct maintanence you will have no problems too. this includes putting premium gas in the cars, no using armor all on the inside (because it causes peeling in any car), and doing synthtic oil changes. the car should be treated as an audi because it is basically the same thing. so if you cannot afford to upkeep the car then dont buy one. you know your buying a german car so the parts are obviously going to be exspensive. STOP BAD MOUTHING VW...THEY ARE GREAT CARS!!!

I own a 2001 VW New Beetle. So far,it has cost me over $5k in repair bills. I've put it in the shop for weeks at a time, yet it is never completely fixed. Also, the check engine light never goes off. I really regret buying this car. I am a single mom, and the time spent taking off work to go to the delaership and other repair shops, as well as the financial impact, have taken a toll on me. I wish we could all get together to sue. This car is ruining people's finances and interfering in their work and personal lives. No mechanic will tell the truth about this car. Also, if you live in North Texas, NEVER take your car to be serviced at HILEY VOLKSWAGEN...They are CROOKS!!!!

I bought my daugther's car 2004 Volkswagon Jetta started out being a great little car until my daughter start smelling gas. The problem we found out was that "seal on tank leaks and hose to the tank leaks". She took it to a dealer in SC where they didn't at first want to even look at the car, then with a little pressure they keep the car for a week when she received it back they also, cliam it was fixed. Well, guess what it wasn't what they did was a fake fix, the gas started pouring out from the tank so we took it back to the dealer where I bought the car from Manager say it was wear and tear of the vehicle, what vehicle has that kind of wear and tear on the fuel tank! Then just because you are a female they think you are a fool and know nothing about a car. This was a very very dangeous problem that started when the car was built. Service is the worst and the car should have never been built. Volkwagon Jettas are dangerous and I would like for the whole world to know about. Please don't but your life in the hands of a VOLKWAGON!

Hi, we "Used" to own a 1999 Beetle because we thought it was cool looking. Well, the problems started when the driver side door would not lock with the remote or switch,, unless you slammed the door. It would arm, but would not lock. Half of the dash lights went out, in the radio, the heater controles, etc. we also had the problem with the fuel door, except we would just leave it open, and rested shut. ares did have an "emergency" release on the inside behind a panel. the cd changer never worked, we kept gettin told to just unplug it and plug it back in, and that never worked.

After we traded it in because we got sick of it, the people that bought it after use had the water pump go and seize the engine. the car had around 50K on it when we got it, and we traded it in with probley 65k. the car did seem very solid, and handled great, the faster you went the more it hugged the road, and we did have it up to 110, and stil had enough peddle left to go faster!!

All in all, It was a cool looking car, but I think that Vw has gone down hill more and more since they got rid of the real VW's, the air suckers.

I purchased a 2000 New Beetle Glx with 32,000 miles on it in April 2006. Window failed 2 months later. Replaced window regulator $350.00. July 2006 my water pump goes at around 38,000 miles, replace that at a cost of around $800.00. Three and half monts later at around 49,000 my water pump goes again (luckily I had only put around 11,000 on the new pump - still under warranty) replaced under warranty - free. Nothing is ever free - slowly losing coolant from Dec. 2006 til May 2007 had to purchase additional coolant to keep refilling the overflow tank - 2 gallons at $20 a gallon = $40.00 for coolant. The best is yet to come. Going home after work on 5/20/07 my car dies. Now it loses power going downhill the EPC and battery indicator comes on. I am thinking get what now. Possibly my alternator? Towed it to a service station $300 (included diagnostic fee and further towing). Service station recommends I take it to a VW dealership because my "timing belt had snapped, possbily cause internal engine damage". Now at this point I am curious as to why my timing belt would snap with only 75,000 miles on the car. VW dealership looks at the car and saids "my short block and head cyclinders are destroyed - wait for it.... $7,200.00 estimated repair costs. I laughed so hard I nearly drove off the road when I got this information. The best part is still yet to come. I contacted VW after finding about about timing belts prematurely breaking in the Audi A4 cars (which by the way has the exact same engine model as my bug). Audi had lost a class action lawsuit against them back in July 2005. Now if this is the case - why has VW not recommended to owners of the same type of engine that they should change their timing belts before their "scheduled maintainence interval of 105,000 miles before the timing belt has to be changed". I called VW the next day 5/21/07 and asked their customer service center what the interval was for a timing belt change on my car and their response was "105,000" miles. I am reporting this unfortunate problem to every state and federal agency to try to get VW to pay for the repairs on my trashed engine. VW response to my claim is that the car is too old and my warranty has expired - in other words - we don't care if you die in that car. VW has reviewed my complaints and concerns about the safety of the vehicle and their only reponse is (tell me if you have heard this before) -cue card- "I apoligize". VW apologizing will not fix my car and of course neither will VW. It is not their problem that timing belts prematurely fail 30,000 miles ahead of schedule. Eventhough their mechanics have seen my timing belt condition at 38 + 49 thousand miles when they switched out my water pumps they failed to mention any problems with the timing belt. Good way to make money - let the customer come back after 10,000 miles to have a new belt put on instead of replacing now and losing $800.00 for a return service call. Which means now I am out about $13,000 and I just want to make sure everyone gets to hear my story. Not only does the car suck - VW of America sucks.

I just wanted to post my story. I heard about this website and thought it was just a website where people posted what cars not to buy...when I realized it was a site devoted soley to ranting about the CRAP vehicle that is the Volkwagen...I felt I just had to share.

I have a 2000 VW Beetle. It was my very first car and has been the thorn in my side since the first few months I've had it.

Over the 6 years we've had this car AC has broken not once but THREE times, the switch to adjust my mirrors broke completely off, my driver's side window fell off track and into my door cracking the glass right up the middle, the handle to my glove box broke off, the front end has been cracked and broken several times, the cover over the mirror in the visor on the drivers side broke off --leaving the light on 24-7 (it eventually burned out), my car has several instances where it would NOT come out of park when I had the car cranked and my foot on the brake...we later found out the brake switch had a re-call on it...only to have the same thing happen AGAIN 6 months later, and most recently of all the end of the spark plug in my car FELL OFF into the motor, was ground up by the piston and distributed through all parts of the engine...leaving me to re-place almost the entire motor.

I am stuck with the world's worst car. Wow.

when I was in college in 1995 I bought an 8 yr old VW. It only lasted for less than a year. During that time I was ripped off by the dealership several times. I WILL NEVER buy a VW in my life. I advice all of my friends NOT to buy a VW.

I had a wreck last week hitting a wall. Have been trying to find out any info. about why or what happened. Looked on web and some of the problems on bugs. My car lunged tried to hit brake but too late. I was parking on a small slope. My car has major damage and so does the wall. Luckly I am OK. Dr. wants to do some tests to be sure. By web could have been emission control, MAF, 02, or temp sensor vacum hose or drive-by-wire. My car is/was 2000 VW Turbo, only had since Dec. If I get the car back will be really scared to drive it. What do you think? (I did make 2 newspapers.)

Received June 2007

VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE SUCKS!!!!

I have been waiting for a replacement key for over a week. After two people int he Parts Dept. told me the key still had not arrived I finally got a call that they had the key all along. They scheduled the programming at 11AM but told me that it may not be done for several hours! How's that for "emergency" key service?

A VW is supposed to be a sophisticated vehicle, but the service is anything but and is run by bungling idiots who screw up vehicles more than they fix them.

Several years ago my rear passenger door lock didn't work. I took the car in for service and when I got my car back the door speaker buzzed, the front passenger seat belt was damaged and the seat could not be used because of the continually sounding alarm, and the the back passenger window was broken. I took my car back to VW service so many times to have each and evey problem fixed and still the window doesn's work and the speaker buzzes.

When my CV joints and boot covers deteriorated VW would not cover it as warranted service even though I have 100,000, 10 year warranty. This repair required the replacement of the axle which is definitely part of the drive train.

VW DOES NOT HONOR IT'S OWN WARRANTY.

And to think these people keep bugging me to buy a new VW, not in a million years!

Interview with an VW Technician..

I spoke to a VW Tech, this is how it went.

I asked, "do you own a computer"?

Vw Tech, "no"

I said, "I bought a VW Eos, am I in Trouble?"

VW Tech, Um, "no, nice car".

I said it has a DSG transmission,

VW tech said, Yes, it has two clutches with 3 gears on each side. I had to replace one. A guy drove one off the rode and tore up the the car breaking the engine mounts.

I asked what tools do you need to change the DSG tranny fluid?

VW Tech showed me a Hex socket, "this is all you need, he said."

Just for the record the parts and tools needed are..

VAS6262 tool and a Vag-Com a lap top conputer, a transmission oil filter and 5.5 liters of dsg fluid, a 14mm hex socket and an 8mm hex socket head.

Conclusion..

Now you know why VW has a problemm, their Mechanics do not have the tools or the proper schooling to work on VW cars. I advise anyone who wants to purchase a VW should never take it to the dealer for service or repair or you will be sorry.

The follow link shows the proper procedure on changing the DSG fluid. Not VW Eos specific.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=169356

I am the previous owner of a transmission shop in California. I don't know a whole lot about the other problems associated with Volkswagens, but their automatic transmissions are a nightmare.

I can't say that I saw a lot of them come through, but when they did, it was a guaranteed $3500+ bill. Most people decided to take their cars to the junkyard after I told them that.

The problem is the cost of parts. VW seems to change their automatic transmission designs annually, so there is never a good supply of used parts. There are a lot of parts on the transmission that are simply not available new. VW expects you to buy a complete new transmission from them for $3500, which does not include removal and installation. Used junkyard transmissions which are KNOWN TO BE BAD and only good for PARTS are commonly $700-$1100, because they are so hard to find.

Solenoids can be purchased for pretty much any transmission in existence for about $60 each, but not on many VWs. They won't sell you the five solenoids, they expect you to buy the entire valve assembly the solenoids are mounted on instead, for $750.

Take in comparison a solenoid assembly for a late-90's Chrysler that includes four solenoids in one unit for about $130.

Volkswagens are cute and they have great marketing. They're even fun to drive, but they are hell when they have problems.

My only recommendation is this: If you absolutely MUST have a Volkswagen, do yourself a favor and get one with a manual transmission.

Wish I had known about this site 4 years ago when I leased a new 2003 convertible beetle!!

Reading the comments of others it seems we are all having similar problems. Mine started the first time I had the top down, the top cover blew off as I was driving along. The next problem was that it was impossible to insert the back draught shelf, which could not be done without stratching the paintwork. VW fixed paintwork without charge but would not admit design fault (the 2004 models had this insert re-designed). The car was returned to me in a filthy condition.

Other problems include:-
check engine light staying on,3 times
check airbag light staying on
EPC light staying on, twice
THREE new batteries in 31,000 miles
window motor and various window problems in shop at least seven times for this alone.
Brake light bulbs blowing at regular intervals.
On and on and on ....

When a guy at VW asked me what I thought of the beetle. I told him it was not the quality I would expect of VW - he asked me which model I possessed- when I told him 2003 convertible his comment was 'Oh that one'!!!

Thankfully, this lease is almost up and although my intention at the start was to buy out the lease now I cannot wait to hand this car back.

I have a 1999 Jetta. I have major problems with it. The last few years there have not been any major problems.There was a time when I said I would never buy another vw but I have since changed my mine. The interior is cheaply made. The glove compartment breaks, the arm rest falls apart, the vanity mirror flaps break easily, the cup holder flap breaks, the rubber covering peels and the change holder flap in the rear seating area breaks. My daughter had a Honda Accord and every week it was in the shop. She ended using the Jetta everytime her car was in the shop. The Jetta always gave her good service and always took her where she needed to go as long as she needed to go. She complained about the cheap interior falling apart but had no other complaints because it did serve her well. This car has been to Texas, South Carolina, Georgia and north Florida numerous times and the only problem I have had on the road was the transmitter. I found my door lock does not work because of the transmitter problem. I was able to deal with it until I got home but it's been solved and if it ever happens again, I'll know what to do. With the fuel prices the way they are now, I am thankful I made the choice to buy this car. The milage I get is excellent. Can never complain about that. I may down the road get another one and it will be a diesel. This Jetta is the 4th vw diesel I have owned. Right now I have over 210,000 miles on it and It's still running good. The biggest complaint I've had was about the mechanics. They aren't the best trained. Because of their incompetance, my driver door does not lock, my head lights does not come on when the car is started and my radio stays on when the car is shut off.

After reading many, many complaints about VW's I think I can draw the following conclusions.

1. Dealer service is inadequite, and downright poor in most cases. I know from personal experience that when I had a small part fail (thermal fuse) the dealer wanted to replace an assembly, rather than a fuse. I bought the fuse for $1.39 ar radio shack, soldered it in myself and it worked perfectly and never failed for the life of the car, until it met an untimely end at 200k miles. The dealer needs to hire and TRAIN mechanics to diagnose and reair cars, not just read the computer and replace what the computer tells them.

2. The Mexican and Brazillian built cars have significantly more problems than the german built ones. I had a 1985 Jetta and a 1999 Passat. Both cars were built in Germany (not a coincidence, I planned it that way) and both were great cars. I'm approaching 200k miles on the passat and have not had it to the dealer to fix anything but a timing belt at 80k and a recall that replaced a wheel well liner at 150k. Everything else was wear and tear, 1 clutch, 2 brakes, lots of tires, etc. I have had friends that have had trim just fall off jettas built in mexico, and others that just picked the wrong dealer or didn't know enough about cars to question a diagnosis.

3. No car manufacturer can build a problem proof car, especially when they have no control over maintenance or use of the vehicle. I have worked in warranty for a large manufacturer and the company honestly tries to make a product that works well and retains customers. Some customers have unrealistic expectations. Buying a 13 year old car with 110k miles and then complaining that it need repairs in the first year is unrealistic. (earlier post) Expecting a car to run fine when you don't do the maintenance (friend "forgot" to change his oil for over 10,000 miles) is also unrealistic. I've owned Honda, Toyota, Dodge, Ford, VW and seen family members with subaru's, GM, Nissan, and others. They all seem the same to me. All cars break, most dealers suck, I'm glad I have lots of bikes. I'm only owning cars under warranty from now on.

I bought a 2007 Jetta 2.0T two months ago, the whole car fell apart on highway and it now beyond repair...

I can't believe the horrible dialog I overheard while trying to shop for a new car. There is this black? man in the Service Department who is obviously prejudice working there. A spanish salesman was stating how warm it was in the showroom, which was correct, so this black man had the nerve to say, "well, you're Puerto Rican, you should be able to handle the heat." If I worked there I would have been on the phone with the Labor Board. No one, including customers, should be subjected to talk of that nature. I will NOT buy a car there until that man is GONE. AND I will tell all my friends and neighbors in Upper Saddle River and the people in my church in Alpine to go elsewhere. I have purchased vehicles from Heidt in the past and even though I think the world of the "old" service department staff I will not deal with someone with no integrity.

Received July 2007

I have a 99 VW Passat GLX, bought it new in 1998 and maintained the regularly...oil changes, Trans flush, tune ups, timing belt/water pump, etc... She currently has 125000 miles. Once the car hit 70K it went to crap as I havespent $8000 in repairs.

The dealers that service these cars suck as they miss diagnosis the problems. My car was at the dealer 6 times for the same AC problem for over 4 months. VW North American customer service would not even back me up when I filed complaints. AAMCO transmission (avoid the ass in Aurora, IL. I currently have an open complaint with the state attorney generals office) is another rip off / scam shack... those f**kers got me for $2000 and rebuilt my transmission when the problem was a miss-firing wire harness. The check engine light is a real pisser as it seems go on every 3 month and cost $300 to repair. The freckin controller arm recalls are a joke... I have had my right front lower controller arm replace 4 times now. I was on-line in search of a new repair shop because my ABS / oil light flashes and beeps every time I start driving. What a load of crap. Now that I am recalling all the problems I have had I think it is I who suck or at least I am the chump for attempting to keep the faith. F VW and all the rip off auto repair centers. Thanks for the vent!

Over the years I have owned a 69 VW van, a 73 VW van, an 83 VW rabbit, a 97 VW Golf, and now a 2001 1.8 T Golf. The sum total of the problems encountered with my first 4 VWs (the (97 Golf with 200,000 kms) were lower than the problems I have encountered in the 22,000 Kms I have owned my 2001 Golf.

I am not a mechanic, but I love cars and I know how to work on cars. I have restored a 73 MGB and I now own a 77 Triumph; both cars infamous for looking good but having numerous mechanical issues. My 2001 Golf with 77,000 Kms on the clock is, by far, the most unreliable and costly car I have ever owned.

My mother was not able to drive a standard, and as I was about to begin a doctoral program in the UK, I decided to get rid of my 97 Golf and buy her a reliable VW with an automatic transmission. She was quite ill and only drove from her home to the grocery store to the library – I would use the car to drive to the family farm when I returned for the summers. It seemed like a good idea at the time – and, had I bought a Subaru, or Honda it might have been.

I bought the 2001 Golf from Northland VW in Calgary AB Canada. I bought the car for 19,500 dollars with 56,000 Kms on the clock. The car was VW certified (certified to have been thoroughly inspected and under warranty for 40,000Kms or 2 Years). Unfortunately, the car got a flat the day I picked it up (an omen of things to come but nobody’s fault), yet more unfortunately the car lacked the factory tools to change the wheel and had to be towed back to the dealer. There was no owner’s manual and the car was filled with pet hair - symbolic of the certification inspection perhaps – it took 3 months to resolve these minor issues.

I need not go through the play-by-play of what has been mentioned above enough times by others. The windows collapsing into the door channels, electrical faults, numerous recalls, oxygen sensors constantly failing (costing over 50 dollars for the dealer to say it’s nothing), battery failure, and the wiper motor burned out. When I brought the car into the dealer, still under warranty both in terms of kilometres and years, for a creaking sound in the front end and whining and slipping of the transmission (IE the RPMs would climb but there was a similar sensation to riding a clutch), I was told that my complaint about the creaking was ‘confirmed’ and the car got new struts but that the non-serviceable transmission was ‘operating to spec’. According to the work order the car was ‘road tested’ however the odometer reading going in and out was 70,683 kms. At 72,123 when the wiper motor died, I again complained that the transmission was not working properly. The service person looked at the cars pervious work order and said ‘we already looked at that, its fine.’ I returned to the UK. My mother drove very little and when she passed away I returned from the UK. At 77,000 kms. the transmission died. The estimate to have it repaired was 5200 dollars (on a car now worth 10,000 bucks, if I am lucky I am told, due to the introduction of the City Golf).

Despite these low kms. and despite my complaints during warranty period both VW North America and the VW dealership have washed their hands of the issue and will extend no ‘good will’ (their lingo) on the car’s repairs. I will place a complaint to the BBB, but the owner proudly proclaimed that the dealership hasn’t belonged for 12 years. The car is parked on a trailer behind my truck (a running GMC with 300,000 kms) and intend to advertise my truck as the ‘lemon hauler’ and paste my work orders on the car as I drive around town. I even thought of going to farmer’s markets and giving away lemonade – unlike VW my lemons are free.

I have met a few people like the mechanic on this site that once worked for VW; one as a service manager, and two as mechanics. All quit because they didn’t want to continuously rip people off.

I once loved VW. But never, ever, again will I buy one. Do yourself a favour, don’t by a VW, but if you must, buy an MG, a Triumph, or a bus pass as you’ll need something more reliable to actually get around.

Audi...never again......had a 1998 A-6 Quattro wagon that ran great until it hit 80K on the odometer...tranny fell out at 95K....six month's later my wife's tranny fell apart on her 1996 Carbiolet with less than 90K on the odometer....both cars serviced religiously at every required service.....trannny replaced less than 10K miles ago on the Cabriolet and tranny service light on again today and has never been right since rebuilt tranny installed less than 10K miles ago....recent melt down on A/C wire on Cabriolet .....$600 labor to find wire short under dash.......never again will one grace my garage!!!

HERE I WAS...THINKING I WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH A HORROR STORY. I HAVE A 98 VW PASSAT...THE GLOVEBOX BROKE, ALL OF A SUDDEN I'M FINDING LOOSE PIECES FROM GOD-KNOWS-WHERE ON THE FLOOR...IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE AUTOMATIC WITH AN OPTIONAL MANUAL TRANSMISSION (WHICH I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO USE FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS). THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW WILL NOT GO DOWN, THE SUNROOF WORKS WHEN IT WANTS TO...I WILL NEVER BUY A VW AGAIN!!!

2001.5 vw passat cv joints gone at 50,000 electrical problems and now a new one at 65,000 I fill it up one day and the check engine light comes on NO big deal normal for a VW then about 3 weeks later the car wont idle very good and the repair place tell me it has somthing to do with the timing tensioner and oil sludge and god knows what else 1450.00 just to start could hit 4000.00 by the end of this problem. my question is it runs great just want idle and after a it sits the check engine light flashes then goes away. Anybody got the same problem what should i do besides blow the freaking thing up.

i currently own a 1999 VW beetle. I bought it 2 years ago. Literally 5 minutes after i drove it off the lot my check engine light came on...and has been on ever since. From the dealer ship that first day i drove straight to the gas station to fill it up... i went to opent the gas tank and the automatic open for the door of the gas tank would not open. i literally had to take a screw driver and pop it open to be able to put gas in my car. about 6 months after purchasing the vehicle my cadilac converter began messing up. a few months after that, my fuel injector went completely out. I am currently dealing with my transmission having problems. Periodically i crank my car up and attempt to put it into gear and the gear shifter is locked in park and will not change gears. I have to beat the crap out of the consol to get it to change. my cadilac converter rattles so loud while going down the road you can hear it with the windows up. when you turn the a.c. on it begins to make an even louder rattle somewhere else. it sounds absolutley horrible. when i bought this car it only had 66,000 miles on it, but you would have thought it had been driven for about 30 years. this is the worst car ever, and what makes it even worse is when i purchased it i was in school and could not afford the extended warranty. DO NOT BUY VW.

I have a 2003 VW passat. I have had problems after problems after problems. Engine light keeps coming on, and anytime I take it to the Dealership, it is something else and I end up paying at least $500 to get it first. This is a money eating car and I will never advise anybody to buy it. I was driving it yesterday and the engine shut down. I try to start it and will not start. I am been told that somehow water is leaking into the TCM and it will cost $2300 to fix it along with wiring issues. This car sucks. I am going get rid of it after this and will never never a VW again.

I will never buy a VW EVER again. 2000 Passat, 4cyl. Spent $3500 in 3 months on this POS. First, oil in my coolant-apparently a common problem, according to VW. Oil cooler had busted and needed to be replaced, $600 (at a huge discount). Two days later, my window fell in the door. All VW's are covered for this, except the Passat. Then the oil sludging that they wouldn't cover because I did the oil changes myself. $2100. The DAY i got it back from the dealer, my passenger window fell in the door. $150. Just for the part-I do the work myself. Fuck VW. I'm gonna come back from Iraq with $60K and i'm spending it all on anything but a VW.

Took my 2001 Beetle to Camelback VW in Phoenix Az. in 2006 for an FREE oil change. They said they changed the oil but didn't. Had a T.V station get involed before they would pay to have the oil changed by another service station. 2007 had recall work done and asked them to change the oil, this time the beetle came back with the stripped threads. Now I know why they are offering FREE oil change. If you have had the same experience please contact me. Also if the threads get stripped will the pan leak immediately? Thanks

I have had a 65, 68 beetle, 2 Jettas, a Touraeg, Passat and now an 07 Eos. With less than 2500 miles, I am experiencing complete loss of power and the car just dies. Left turns, in traffic.... you name it, she's not picky, like a stubborn mule, just lies down. The dealer has told me this is common here in Las Vegas and in San Diego due to "high alcohol content in the gasoline" and VW is working on adapting their parts to deal with the condition. Has anyone experienced the same situation?? I feel this is so unsafe and VW should have issued some sort of warning, if not a recall. Unlike all of the other postings, I have really been a happy VW owner until now. The dealer experience has been the icing on the cake. I love everyone in sales but the 2 men I've dealt with in service are MORONS.... I haven't had a loaner car for the first 5 days either. I work for a high line dealership and assume they think I can just take one of our cars home since i work here. Anyhow, any feedback would be appreciated and beware of Vegas and San Diego gas in the meantime, or the b.s. stories told by Desert VW service dept.

I own a 2001 Jetta TDI purchased from a VW Dealer as a demo model with very low km. I drive only on the highway and have always taken care of my car. Every maintenance service was done at the same Dealer, sometimes more frequently than recommended in the service manual. I expected to keep the car for many years hoping to clock 300000 km to 400000 km on the diesel engine.

At 150000 km, I encountered problems with the transmission which gradually became more severe. I took it back to the Dealer who diagnosed the problem and said I needed a new transmission. I took the matter up with VW Canada and explained the problem to them and requested to consider replacing the transmission at their cost which I felt had deteriorated prematurely. VW Canada was unsympathetic and said that I was outside of the warranty. They offered a meagre $1000 towards a trade in.

Although I am having the transmission replaced at my own cost, it is the last time I will buy a VW and urge others considering a VW not to buy one. This along with all the other notes posted on this site attest to the fact that VW is not a reliable car inspite of the image that VW portrays.

THANK YOU for your comments and information about your Jetta. WOW! One never knows unless someone gives them the real scoop. You did good! I hope your wife had all of the right words when she was swearing in the back- ground!!! Volkswagon is on my tacky list, and I will cetainly pass it on. Thanks again!

Purchased a 2001 New Beetle GTI in fall of 01 - used. Dealer told me that original buyer had bought it for his daughter and she wasn't able to master a stick shift. I bought the car with 365 miles on it. No problems at all (one recall - no biggie). In summer of 2006, I heard a tapping (with only 19k miles - yes a 5 yr old car with 19,000 miles). Took it to my local mechanic and it was 2 1/2 qts low on oil. Last oil change had been at a place that used the 55 gal drums with guns to pump the oil into the car. We thought that perhaps the barrels were low and they didn't check it after pumping the specified amount in. Filled it up and all was fine. Had oil changed in fall of 06 and again in Jan of of 07. In March of 07 again heard the tap, tap, tapping. Checked the oil and it was low by 2 1/2 qts. I took it to my local VW dealership who, through testing, determined that the piston rings were installed upside down. But since I had purchased the car "used", I wasn't entitled to the extended warranty. When I purchased the car I lived in OH and have since moved back to MS. It appears from all the bbs that I have visited that a majority of the cars purchased (or perhaps that just reside) above the Mason-Dixon line have this same problem. I did get one reply that if I switched from the factory recommended 5w30 or 5w40 and went with 15w40 that the consumption problem would stop. VW of America did offer to pay for 1/2 of the repairs, but why should I pay $1100 for 1/2 of their screw-up. I have a 1971 VW Beetle that LEAKS oil (the 01 doesn't leave oil on the driveway, it just all goes into the combustion chamber and then into the environment) and it doesn't use 1/2 a qt of oil between oil changes.

It was poor QC on VW's part not to catch this defect (upside down rings?????)(which spans several years - at least 00 to 02). And when they did detect it the only repairs went to the "squeaky" wheels - that is until the warranty ran out. I'm not sure I ever heard of a "manufacturers defect" "time limit". Lets all remember exploding gas tanks and blown out tires.

Received August 2007

I just financed a 2001 Volkswagon Cabrio. Seemed like a great car, especially since it's a convertible, and only has 42,000 miles on it. The check engine light is already coming on, the brakes are squeaky, and makes a noise sometimes for a while. Thank you all for posting this stuff, so I know for future reference what to do; or try getting rid of this car ASAP somehow.

I bought a 99 Passat in 2003. The car was only four years old. In the last 3 years I have spent
1)$5,000 on a new enging including labor caused a radiator leak.
2)$750 on CV joints in the same year.
3)$200.00 on oil leaks
4) the timing belt which is regular maintenace but cost $900.00 to be replaces b/c of the amount of labor it involves.
5)$600.00 on tie rods
And currently my sunroof is leaking BIG Time. I haven't even had that estimated yet. And I need another $1,000 to fix my idle air control module. Well actually I won't be getting either fixed b/c I am NEVER spending another dime on a VW AGAIN. I have spent more on keeping it "running" than I have in paying for it.

I had problems with the window regulator in a 2005 New Beetle and had it fixed under warranty in 2006. Last week the window shattered after my wife merely closed the door. I did not have a pleasant experience with the Memphis area VW dealer while trying to investigate the cause of the problem or trying to get it replaced properly. After reading all of the horror stories on this site, I am thinking I've gotten off easy thus far. I sure hope I don't have as many problems as some of the other previous VW owners on this site have had.

Thank you for this website. I've had it with my VW, and need to vent. In the past I've owned and dearly loved VW's, but my current ride, a 2000 Passat V6 wagon, is an unqualified lemon!

I purchased the Passat in October 2003, with 32,000 miles. Within the first year I replace a tie-rod arm. So far, not too bad.

In November 2005 a cam seal leak at 56,000 miles resulted in 4 weeks at the dealer, and a bill for $1800 (fixed under extended warranty).

In January 2006 the retaining bolt for the timing belt tensioner broke off, resulting in the engine losing timing, and valves hitting pistons. The car spent another three weeks at the dealer, and cost $3300 to fix (again under extended warranty). The dealer denied responsibility for the incident, despite the required removal of the timing belt and tensioner bolt during the prior fix.

In September 2006 a clunking in the front suspension resulted in a trip to the dealer to tighten a suspension component. Cost was $80.

In February 2007 another clunking in the front suspension resulted in yet another trip to the dealer to replace a failed steering rack, and another tie-rod arm. Total cost $2200. The dealer noted an improper prior repair to the front suspension (that they failed to note on three other extended repair visits?).

All four brakes were replaced in March 2007, at an independent shop for just over $800. I hate to think what the dealer would have charged!

Another clunking in the front suspension, this time the right side, caused another trip to the independent shop in July 2007 for another $450 for a broken suspension component (common on Passats, I was told).

About the same time as the latest clunking noise I started suffering the infamous ABS failure message from the instrument cluster. The independent shop of course couldn't diagnose VW's proprietary diagnostic codes, so I will have to have an evaluation by the dealer. Based on information I'm finding on the web, I'm looking at another $1400 repair, unless I can find a rebuilt unit and have an independent shop install it. Total cost on that will run around $500, for a repair that should not have to be made.

I have a car with just under 65,000 miles with almost $10,000 in repair bills. Will I buy another VW? Poking myself in the eye with a sharp stick is a more likely prospect...

I can't beleive we didn't research volkswagon before we bought ours. Word of mouth says its a decent reliable car, bull shit. We thought it was okay, its a diesel , jetta wagon, kinda noisy and smelly but not too bad. We've only had it a year and just the tail lights keep burning out. Until my four year old climbed in the front seat 2 weeks ago. I had just stepped inside and he climbed in the car and the safety mechanism that stops your automatic car from shifting into gear broke. So my son was able to gently touch the gear shifter and it slipped out of gear with no keys and no brake engaged. It drug him down our driveway and crashed over a bank. Long story short, a couple of days in hospital, he is okay, but our car, which is still under warranty, volkswagon is not going to cover the repairs needed to the car. $7500.00 in damage after the car hit a tree because it slipped out of gear. Volkswagon says they'll fix the shifter but the car moved because the emergency brake wasn't on. Hello - the car would n't have moved if it was not in gear.
anyhow, volkswagon warranty and corporation, are full of shit and do not stand by their product. Not a smart decision. stay away from these cars unless you have alot of time to yell at people on the phone.

VW sucks. I have a 2003 Jetta with less than 40,000 miles on it. I bought it new. What a piece! I had the whole stuck-in-park-won't-budge problem. I also had the faulty break lights problem. My battery has died a few times for no apparent reason. Then one time it was really cold and icy out and my ABS light came on. I didn't know if I had breaks or not. Scary situation. Then I had the generator light come on. I needed a new alternator and belts. This was literally two days before my 4 year warranty ran out. I got this problem fixed in the nick of time. Two weeks later the MIL light came on. Don't get me started on the MIL light. It turned out to be a hose with a hole in it that was right by the alternator. Hmmmm, did the techs do that when they were "fixing" my car two weeks earlier?? Or is it just another VW issue that should be recalled?? My husband went off on the service manager at North Point VW in North Little Rock. They wouldn't even suggest it could've been something they caused. They wouldn't listen. They just wanted him to go away. Now my warranty is out and I'm scared of what is to come. My car is paid for and I'm miserable. I want to trade it in, but I don't want to start over... I also briefly owned a 2002 Beetle Turbo Sport. I still have nightmares from the coil issues in that car. I have nightmares about the windows falling at any moment too. The MIL light came on so many times I lost count. I thought it was that specific car that was cursed. Now I realize all new VW's are cursed. I live in fear thanks to VW. What freaky light will pop on next week?
These cars are worthless.

Just had the gearbox go on my 2000 Golf 1.6 - turns out there is some sort of manufacturing fault with the gearbox (affects us in the UK more I suppose) - look at this lot http://www.reviewcentre.com/review32519_d_Volkswagen_Golf_16_SE.html

I have a 2003 VW Passet with 34,000 miles. The car was purchased new At the VW Dealership in Brookline MA, for $28000 plus. This car, both service and mechanically been a big disapointment. I have replaced a purge valve, vapor canister, and three (get it three) fuel pumps. The original failed at 19,000 miles, 15,000 miles later the second one failed and a new one is being replaced today at a cost of $600+ , VW made me an offer to take 10% of the bill. I have tried and failed to receive any real reasons for these failures except that the warrenty on a fuel pump is 12 mos. At this rate I could put a new fuel pump in every year. I will dump this car and never purchase a volkswagon product again. There slogan is that they need drivers-Well they also need mechanics, a better serviced department, and a better consumer product. Stay away from this car. I intend to go further with this problem, so if anyone out there can help, please let me in on it. Thanks.

I have had numerious problems with my 2003 VW Passet with 34,000 miles. Vapor cannister, purge valve, and three faulty fuel pumps, All this and lousy service to. If I didn't mention the dealerships, let me do it now. So. Shore VW in Hanover Ma and VW/Audi Dealership in Brookline MA. I have tried several avenues for complaints but they have landed on deaf ears. So again I pay. There is only a 12 month warrenty on fuel pumps. At this rate I will have to put one in every year.

About a year ago I bought a '99 VW beetle from a large and what I thought was a reputable dealership. I bought it because a) it was cute and b) I was dumb.

Two weeks after the contracts were signed, the brake light switch goes out and the air compressor clutch rolls off in the middle of the street. I took it back to the dealership, hoping they would be able to tell me how much it would cost to fix. Here's how the conversation between me and the repair guy went.

ME: I bought this car two weeks ago. This fell off. (Hand him a ziplock baggie with the part inside.)

VW REPAIR GUY: Woa! What's that?

ME: Um...that's the air compressor clutch.

VW REPAIR GUY: Oh, right. Right. Well, we'll take a look at it.

Two days later, the VW place tells me they have the info I need. I go to get my car.

VW REPAIR GUY: We've found out what's wrong. Your air compressor clutch came off.

ME: Wow, really? Um...I think I'm going to take my car to someplace else, thanks. Can I have my keys?

VW REPAIR GUY: Okay, but you've got to pay the diagnosis fee. It's eighty dollars.

ME: What? But I already knew what was wrong with the car!

VW REPAIR GUY: Sorry, Heather, but you signed this contract. (Shows me the paper with my signature.) It's sixty dollars for a diagnosis fee.

ME: You didn't say anything about the dia--wait, didn't you just say it was eighty dollars?

VW REPAIR GUY: You have to pay before we can give you your car back, Heather.

And then I got upset and after a nice little fight, he kindly waived the fee,gave me my keys, and fled back into the repair shop. After a few words and several unhappy letters with the dealership and my salesman, they agreed to split the bill.

Now, get this: the dealership had me repair it at a foreign auto repair shop outside of their dealership and send them the bill. If that shows you how wonderful VW certified repair places are. The dealership won't even stand behind them.

I've had my bug for but a year, and have had to deal with numerous repairs, adding up to more than I've paid for it so far. Several weeks ago the "Check Engine Light" flitted on, so hi ho hi ho, off to the repair shop I go. Throttle body replacement, plugs and wires, basic settings reset, all that good stuff that costs so much. Eight blocks out of the shop--lo and behold--there's the cute little light again. I think this time I'll just drive it until it explodes. Not worth the trouble.

The moral of this story is: VW bugs, for all their cuteness, are a big pain in the neck

and,

Stay away from the VW certified repair places and go to a foreign auto repair shop. You'll add five years to your life.

I was going to buy an 07 Passat...now I am not so sure.

I own a 2000 Passat GLX. Overall been a dependable car, however...the dealerships are infuriating! I've been told a number of insulting lines, such as, "there's a doulbe oil filter system on your car and we have to replace both. That's why we charge over $80." Also, "if you can afford to buy this car, you can afford to fix it." Front end suspension parts wear out. The dealer gave me an estimate of 2,800 and expected me to just whip out the cash. I went to Midas and got every thing repaird for a total of 850 dollars, parts and labor. The worst was (and will still always be) the check engine idiot light. This is a money maker for the dealerships out there. 90 dollars for a diagnostic check that gives generic codes. I got a 5,000 dollar estimate to replace two cats, all 02 sensors, and labor after getting the dealer to check out the problem. Yeah, right. No smell, no change in gas mileage. I found a reputable independent repair shop that kept my car for a few days and had the exhaust system thoroughly checked. Zero problems. The manager finally found a tech order published nearly 10 months prior that said my car, my engine has problems with the computer generating faulty emissions codes. Got my car back (no charge to me) and got a copy of the tech order. Went to the same bozo at the dealership that quoted me a 5,000 estimate and told him that his business obviously "overlooked this important tid bit of info." He could have cared less. 80 dollars for labor and a fast software patch to my car's computer...problem solved. Never again!

Great web page. I bought a Golf 3 years ago (in Germany, everything was assembled in Germany). This vehicle is broken all the time (about every 4 months it stops going; VW servive only tells me odd stories and charges high bills). It is hell to drive a VW. Thank you for creating this web page. Best regards from Germany (VW sucks worldwide)

Received September 2007

I have a 2004 VW beetle convertible Turbo. The flaps that rise when the top comes up are breaking of and tearing up the paint inside. This has happened 4 times and the dealer refuses to fix the paint.

VW BEETLE CONVERTABLE 2005 (22,000miles): Rear windows won't go back up after being let down, told by the Dealer the window regulators are on back order, could be two weeks or two months, they are renting me a car, at least they said they are going to, I hope this will be fixed and it will stay fixed. Up til now, no other problems, my daughter loves her car.

Burn bug - burn!

My 2002 jetta check engine light came on. NOW it wont shift out of 4th gear. I drove it to the dealship today. I am terrified to know what its gonna cost!!!!!

I hate my CAR!!!!!! It is a 99 VW Beetle, no frills package. It only had 31,000 miles when purchased. I bought 3 yr extended warranty from dealership for it and I have used it and also shelled out $$$ too. Within the first 2 months, the air conditioner quit working which was covered under warranty after initial $100 payment. After running wonderful for about 5 months or so, then it starts flashing the red coolant light and antifreeze is pouring out of it. I have it towed to the dealership. They can't find out what is wrong. They replace something. Don't really remember now what. It was the water pump. Anyway a week later, same problem-have it towed AGAIN!!! They keep it, drive it can't find anything. Yes, you guessed it-it happened again. Towed again. This time it was the water pump. First one was faulty. This was all warranty but I am without car this entire time-bummed my mom's from her. Then it doesn't want to start when raining and when it does-it is hopping and jerking all over the place. Replaced plugs and wires-$550-oh yeah!!! Still doesn't fix problem. Take it to other mechanic and he replaces coil pack-very reasonable only $250. Now the headlight goes out-had him replace all the headlights-two months later-same exact light goes out. replaces it again. Now car doesn't want to start half the time. When is does, the engine revs for no apparent reason and check engine light will stay on for few days then go off. Now today no CEL on, but the red coolant light is flashing. I hate this car so much I want to take a sledgehammer to it!!!

I bought a 2001 2.o beetle 3 and a half yrs ago with 23,000 miles. The 1st problem was the car turning over a lot b4 starting,this was getting worse until it started running bad,turned out it was the temp senser telling the ecu it was still cold and overfueling,now the starter motor makes a noise when turned over due to the long spells of use b4 starting,The gear linkage cable pulled itself out of the crimped end,petrol flap was,nt opening, all elec window switches broke,passenger side window regulater broke,really only a small plastic part holding the cable nippled ends broke but vw only sell u the full regulater,both oxygen sensers chgd,failed mot test on emissions,cat replaced,all discs/pads chgd ,anti-roll bar bushes wore out,car has now covered 55,000 miles and is on its 3rd set of (f) tyres 2nd set on (r),airbag dash light is on,management light is also on,both been reset twice and came back on in 5-6 days ,enamel on bonnet/tailgate badges is all coming off,rubberised coating on some interior parts all coming off,making interior look prematurly worn,silver parts on steering wheel wearing through to black plastic,leads/plugs chgd today to cure a mifire,I repair/maintain my own car and this car has cost me a fortune without ridiculous labour charges,looking at other peoples storys on this site many faults are common and vw should be putting most of these problems right for free,i am getting rid of this car in the next few months and will not ever consider anything from vw/audi/seat/skoda also the paintwork is of poor qaulity and the seam on roof has started to rust

I own a 2002 Jetta, 5-speed, crank windows (thank goodness after reading numerous complaints about windows) that overheated two months ago. I have had the following work done:
thermostat replaced (3x),
new water pump,
head gasket was warped, removed and milled
new thermal sensor (2x)
radiator removed, flushed and then replaced

My car has been out of commission now for over two months and is sitting at the dealer (who I finally took it to, thinking they were the experts). I've spent over $600 at the dealer and prior to that $1500 at the independent shop. NOW they are asking about what type of antifreeze was used when I had the radiator flushed by an independent repair shop about one year ago...leading to the engine may need to be replaced all because the repair shop used a universal antifreeze instead of VW antifreeze - the universal antifreeze states it can be used on all new vehicles.

My car has over 87,000 miles - had the same issues about headlights, rear lights, high oil consumption (changed at regular intervals and always checked every other fill up) and at least three recalls. Should I cut my losses, trust them that the engine needs to be replaced, go somewhere else...?

I feel like the "experts" are at a loss and are now trying to point the finger at me. Is the antifreeze issue really an issue? I'm out of warranty and the vehicle is paid for.

Ok so what can us people that have all these problems do . I have only had my car for just about three years I got used and with on 17 tho miles on it I know Have 59200 on it, Lets see I have had the piant peeling problem to the day after I got three of my radio nobs fall off and broke I have had to replace the Thermastat,A break vacume hose two of them The massive air flow sensor has to be replaced,the PCV vaule, Battery twice my check engine light has been on for about a year now and I have the the air bag light on and I was told that had some thing to do with me seat belt. The piece that lays flat with the shifter that keeps things from falling down in there broke to pieces and now ha ha I can not get the car to keep a charge, Had the battery replaced the alternator checked and I had a local mechanic take a look and do all the meter test to find a draw and he couldnt find any thing that has a draw. I will never take it to the dealer ship I think they do things to do it to make me have to come back. I would go trade it in but I owe 11000 on it and I know they will not give that to me for it . This is my only car .

I have to give it a jump every moring to go to work and to get home then I just do not go any where because I hate having to jump it all the time.

I to have become very frustrated with my 2005 New Volkswagon Convertible Bug. Since purchasing it I've had to take it in now six times for the air bags lights coming on not to mention the laundry list of other items including; the transmission, power windows which caused a rip in the top, radio and speakers, ashtrays not staying shut, wind guard broke during the first use, convertible mechanisms breaking, and these are only the items that I can remember off of the top of my head. Frustrated . . . yes!

During my last visit a service supervisor spoke to me "off the record" and suggested I call VW's Customer Care line. I did that two days ago and this afternoon I heard back from them that they had no intentions of replacing my car because they felt that all of my issues had been addressed. The representative on the phone told me that I needed to take the ongoing air bag and transmission problems up with the dealership, and the dealership is telling me to call their Customer Care line if I am not happy with the results of my service. Sound like the run around to anyone? I wonder how the CEO would feel about having his car in so frequently in the shop and not feeling safe in his own vehilce? Maybe he would like to borrow my car for awhile, I'm sure the air bag lights will cast a beautiful red glow during his evening drives and the smooth drive will quickly be worthy of competing with any ride at Disneyland (new ride idea - Love Bug Transmission Failing Bumper Cars).

Following my conversation with the very uncooperative Customer Care line this afternoon and I have contacted a highly recommend Lemon Law attorney and plan on pursuing this to the full extent of the law. It's now about principal and the stress that it has caused me and my family.

What is even more disappointing about this story is that I actually love my new little bug, WHEN IT'S WORKING CORRECTLY! I was willing to accept a replacement car to see if the problems had been fixed in the new models. Now . . . no way, why would I invest in another VW car when the company is not willing to back up their product? If you are considering a VW, run fast and far and learn from all of us.

I bought a used 1997 Vw Jetta 2.0 liter automatic. At first i was obssesed with vws. ive always wanted one since i was 17. my friends had vws and thats basically all i wanted to own. but a price was to be payed for me being so ignorant and stupid. when i bought my first vw 5 months ago, i was so freaking mad and disappointed. i will never buy one again! not only are they so damn expensive to fix, THEY JUST PLAIN SUCK! You might of heard that Vw claims that their transmissions rarely need to be serviced for the lifetime of the car. thats not true, i bought my jetta with the tranny completely gone and didnt even know it. plus its a ton of money to replace it. i couldent even fix the tranny, the vw dealership told me its not even worth to rebuild a vw tranny because it will fall apart, and a new one will cost you about $2000. and thats for a 97 jetta!! can you imagine how much it would be for a 2006-2007?! if you go to any major car mechanic shop like meineke, they will all tell you the same thing, "we dont take vws here" or "no, we cant service that here". thats only because vw parts are expensive like hell. its more difficult to service a vw than any other car i know. besides the tranny on my car going bad, i had an incident where i tried to jump start my friends car, and ever since that day, things never went right. Vws are KNOWN for having the most electrical problems out of all cars ever made. they are packed with sensors inside and out. they also have many computer problems.

after jump starting my friends car, my jetta had starting problems. ive spent about $700 at pep boys trying to fix that damn thing, and its still not fixed! the tech at pep boys couldent even find the problem. after many weeks of frustration, i find out what the problem is, A SENSOR! oh my, how could i have not know?! figures. the engine speed sensor went bad all because i tried to jump start my friends car? at this point all you can think is, why the hell did i buy this car. well to make a long story short. my car has many more problems. my front axle is bent in a certain way that both front wheels are bent inwards, and its eating the outside of my tires completely. the odometer and fuel gauge are broken after replacing them both! my fuel pump relay went bad soon after the speed sensor incident, and i had to replace that as well.

PLEASE TAKE MY WORD FOR IT BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON CARS FOR A FEW YEARS, VWS ARENT THE MONEY, THE PAIN AND ANGUISH AND HEADACHE. DOESNT MATTER WHAT YEAR YOUR PLANNING TO BUY, ITS GOING TO GIVE YOU PROBLEMS AND I GURANTEE YOUR GOING TO REGRET IT.

hi i got a vw golf (1999) - had it for the last year & a half. About 3 weeks ago it just went up in smoke. I had left the car parked at 12 o'clock and at about 3:30am it started on fire.

Received October 2007

I feel pretty lucky compared to many of the horror stories that I have read here and on other websites. I had a '03 Passat for 4 years, and while I truly hated the car and VW customer service (or lack of it), it never sludged, flooded from the sunroof, burned my butt from the heated seats, or any of the other quirky little things they are prone to do. I did go through brakes (rear) every 7500 miles (VW customer service says its normal) and front brakes every 15000 miles. And when I got rid of it at 33000 miles, was told the front axle was going. Had lost of other annoying issues that VW either couldn't find, or said was operating within specifications. I had finally had enough of the dealer's BS and traded it for what I hope is a nice reliable Mercury. I have have owned 2 other Volkswagens, but obviously VW has little regard for customer loyalty. They are obviously cultivating a young group of people who have had no prior experience with their way of doing business to inflict their latest crop of Bugs on. I don't understand how a company like this can stay in business. If you buy one after visiting this or any of the other truth revealing websites about Volkswagen, then you can't say you weren't warned. While I still have a 95 Cabrio, I will never take it to a Volkswagen dealership or purchase a new VW again in this lifetime.

My sad VW story is here: http://www.reesphotos.com/VW/

I bought a 2000 Passat 1.8t as a lease return with 56,000 miles. Going in, I knew about the sludge issues and so have used synthetic oil and the larger oil filter that is now recommended; I also performed a treatment with AutoRX to get rid of any sludge already in there.

I really feel for those owner that lack the know-how, tools, or facility to do some basic work themselves. I think VW builds what is basically a good car, but the dealers seem to delight in jacking owners around and then sticking them with outrageous repair bills; seems especially true for women owners – I don’t know how some of those dealers sleep at night, based on some owner accounts I’ve read.

I do all my own work, so for example, when it needed new rear brakes, total materials cost me about $100, including higher-performance ceramic pads (this is actually a very straight forward job and a number of owners have done it as their first mechanical act). I regularly check fluids and look out for maintenance items. Just don’t be in a big hurry and don’t try to save money by using third party parts or “Kwikie” lube places. Try to find an internet forum for owners of your car – you’ll learn lots and save lots.

I don’t buy into the “Well, if you wanted a car that is cheap to maintain, you shouldn’t have bought German” B.S. German cars are precision machines that require diligent maintenance and don’t suffer abuse. Miss the maintenance and, yeah, then you’re in for some bucks. But the trade-off is that they reward the driver like nothing else; anyone who can’t tell the difference from a Toyota or Honda should probably be driving those instead. This is not a put down, just a fact. Sometimes “Unreliability” translates into “owner neglect”. But don’t get pissed off at me yet, read the rest below and save your beat down for the dealers & area reps.

I performed a total timing belt service, transmission service, coolant flush, replaced all vacuum/PCV components, etc. Even so, about 4,000 miles later, I did get the dreaded STOP ENGINE LOW OIL PRESSURE warning on a cross country trip and ended up having the oil pump replaced due to sludge – not cheap, but a lot less than a new engine, and it’s the only repair bill I’ve had in 4 years of ownership. I called to see if the VW extended sludge warranty covers second owners and was told that it “follows the car, not the owner”, but if I could not provide proof of every oil change since new, I was basically SOL. Very clever.

I don't know what the previous owner did, maintenance-wise, but back in 2000, VW was still recommending 10,000 mile oil changes (!) with dino oil and the smaller filter. If you combine these with U.S. drivers’ habit of short trips to the store, flooring it at every stop light, and then shutting the engine off abruptly with no cool-down, you're asking for trouble from a small displacement turbo engine.

Many VW DEALERS SUCK (I know at least 2 of my local 4 do). Yeah, a few individual cars _will_ suck, but if the dealers gave a rat’s a$$, most of those customers would still be happy, dealers would have repeat customers, and VW would be a strong brand in the U.S., but then we can’t have that happening now, can we??

I have a 2004 VW Jetta 1.8T that I purchased brand new three years ago, that has 40k miles. My friend's entire family drove VW's and never had a problem. I have lovingly maintained my car, and have had all the preventative maintenance done. However, I have had nothing but problems. They started out small but have gotten worse. My driver's side rear passenger door would stick so you had to try opening it twice before it would completely open, and I had to pay the dealership to replace the lock. Even though it was under warranty. My car has died on me twice and left me stranded. Both times the dealership had to replace a fuel injector. And yes, I use the correct gas for my car. FYI, my dad has worked for GM for 30 years and passed along some knowledge. Both injectors had to be replaced within the last year. Also, a clamp on my exhaust system is loose, and the dealership told me they couldn't fix it, that I needed to take it to an exhaust repair shop and pay to have it fixed. On top of that I have been having electrical problems, where I've lost all power to my door locks and power windows, while driving down the road. Now I've been having problems getting my car to start. I love my car, but am looking to get a new non VW car soon, because I shouldn't be having all these problems and can't afford to constantly be having it fixed. I really sympathize with everyone else on this site. I planned on keeping this car for a long time. Thankfully it at least hasn't caught fire - yet. >:0)

2001 Passat Wagon - yes, I believe when they named the car, "Passat" was a derivative of "Piece of Sh**!" (pardon my French!). The car has been plagued with problems from Radiator, water pump, tie rod ends, upper ball joints (there are 4, on a wagon??!!), the tranny leaks and can't be re-filled (unless by a qualified tech which = $$), it eats tires, the brakes suck and warp rotors if you blink (despite torquing the wheels to spec), the sunroof leaked, and the brake lights go out for no reason, even the bulbs are fine.

I'm sure these people are in tight with BMW because it's the same story - overengineered and build like crap! No more German for me, just Japanese and American from now on. Cost of ownership is a fraction of what VW is. I'm affraid to trade this thing because I hate the thought of some other unsuspecting soul getting it! (wonder if I can ship it to Iraq?? Does Hesbollah by Passats?? Maybe if I label it "Terrotist Friendly" or "Extremist Ride" - hmmmm...)

My Girlfriend has a 2001 Golf that was bought used in 2004. I am thus semi-responsible for making sure that the car works. What a nightmare. I thinks it's been to the shop probably six times in the last year. Luckily I have AAA. As far as I can tell it seems most of the problems were not due to poor assembly in Mexico but rather poor design. I was working on fixing a leaking recirculation hose and the connection to the intake manifold was so poorly designed that I could never get the thing to fit snug. Took it to a mechanic and he was able to get the hose to fit a bit better but it still leaks. You can hear the hissing noise coming from the connection with the intake. I examined the recirculation system on my Honda Accord and could you imagine. The connection on the accord was a solid metal pipe to the hose, rather than the crummy little plastic piece on the VW. I guess Honda acutally cares how well their cars are designed.

Not to mention the other problems metioned in all the other comments on this board. Electical, O2 censors, water leaking into the interior, tailights, etc.

So just a year ago, I bought a volkswagen rabbit. I junked it within 6 months because of this list of things:
A. Distributor cap was ALWAYS loose
B. Within 2 weeks, the coolant began to leak.
C. Needed an oil change every 3 weeks.
D. Piston got jammed because the fuel pump pumped far too much gas in.
E. Entire engine had to be replaced at 35,000 miles.
Thats why I junked it rather than selling, so I wouldn't have to spread the blunder which is Volkswagen. I'm having a field day writing this.

Received November 2007

I was surprised to find a website dedicated to the common hatred among the masses of VW's. My wife while we were dating had a little brown Jetta that was truly a piece of *$#%. It had so many problems that I won't give you a run down, but the problems were minor compared to the cost to repair them. I finally talked her into selling the piece o crap and she fool heartedly bought another immediately. It is a 98 VW cabrio....Now I hate VW's as much as the next person out there, but I have to admit my Jeep had more problems that it has had. The car obviously is A-typical because it has had a problem for over 120K but it did start sputtering as of late with misfire problems. It sounds like its all down hill from here! Just thought I'd give props to one little VW that has really done well!

VW'S SUCK!

I bought my daughter a 2000 Beetle in 2004 and have replaced the fuel system ($1600), battery harness ($954), numerous batteries (3 at $60 ea.) and now.....we need to replace the a/c compressor w/labor at the tune of $1900.00 Oh, and there is a intermittent glinch, when you put the car in reverse it stalls! To date my total of expenses on the car, including this compressor would come to over $4,500! When I called the home office customer advocate all they would say was, I apologize,you are out of warranty, is there anything else I can do for you? Has anybody else had these kind of problems? I have been told the cars from 2000 to 2002 were manufactured in Mexico and they did not have proper training until 2002 so if you bought one of these cars at this time you bought a lemon!
Any class action law suits on any of these items mentioned?

Where do I begin?I too fell in love with the look, the ride, the feel of the 2001.5 New Passat GLX.What a nightmare!I have stacks and stacks of repair receipts, most of which were paid for by me!Let's see...after owing it for about 1.5 years, the engine blew out on the New York State Thruway without warning.After being towed to the nearest VW dealership, the car was given a completely new engine to the tune of $10000.Luckily VW paid for it, but I didn't get off that easy.I coughed up and additional $2000 for 4 control arms,brakes and calipers.I think I have needed new brakes and tires every year since owning the car.I have had engine coolant leaks, oil leaks,head gasket leaks, head and tailight problems,catalytic converter problem, a leak in the moonroof...you name it my car has had it fixed or replaced.I could have had a BMW, Infiniti or Mercedes for the amount of money I have put into this car!I will NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER VW! And furthermore, anyone who asks me, I tell them to run..run..run away from VW.

I don't know where to begin...

(for the purposes of this rant, i will lump VW and audi together bc IMO its the same thing)

My first VW experience was in 1986, I was 6in my bet friends audi 100 or whaterver those ugly things were called. It was the summer and I was putting the window down when smoke started pouring from the door. At age 6 i learned that germans can't make window regulators.

fast forward to 1997, my mother is the proud owner of a new passat VR6 wagon. Beautiful car, except for the clutch that burned out in 10,000 miles. For some reason that wasnt covered under warranty.

None of this was enough to deter me from purchasing a VW of my own in 2003. It was a 2001 Jetta VR6. It was beautiful. Drove great on the test drive. Handled so smoothly. Then a week later i notice a whining noise that varied with speed. I take the car in for service at the dealer i puchased it from and they diagnose the problem as a faulty CV and give me a new half shaft (took one week).

I have owned the car 10 days and it was being serviced for 7 of them.

I get the car back and for whatever reason, it is still making the noise. Apparently test driveing wasnt in their skill set. I bring it back and two weeks later, I finally have a new transmission. Basically, I have owned a car almost a month and driven it for a week of that month. I get in the car with my brandy new transmission and i notice the gas tank is empty. So the tested it out, used up all of my gas and then didnt refill it. Irritated, I go to lower my seat that they had adjusted all out of whack and the adjustment handle comes off in my hand. Last straw!

To their credit, they gave me a full refund on the car, but its ridiculous that it even came to that. I went and bought a nissan maxima. It gave me nothing but 5 years of reliability an perfection. The thought of that car instantly lowers my blood pressure.

So now it is 2007 and I live with my girlfriend who owns a 2004 jetta. I hate this car with a passion. Two years ago, I was trying to open an iced over window, which was stuck. No biggie, ice freezes up windows all the time. The nixt day I am driving along when, SLAM!, the window falls down inside the door. Apparently the window regulators dont quit before they snap off theclips that attach them to the window. I go to the local VW dealer, but they claim they cant help. It is 5 degrees out and I am driving with no Fing window, but they cant do anything. I take it home and dissassembe the door, and push the window up and hold it in place with some packing tape.

I hate that car.

Then the break pads are worn light comes on.

Dealer says breaks have plenty of life, learn to deal with the light.

Learn to deal with it???

Now last week, dirving along after a rain storm, water starts pouring in through the dome light. THis car is only 3 gd yrs old, wtf?

Not sure what to think of ut until the next day when she drops something on the floor and it is soaked.

wtf?

We get to her fathers house who happens to be a long time audi driver and he instantly knows what the probelm is. He pulls out a rubber tube, opens the sunroof and jams it in a hole. He blows out it and water starts pouring out of the car near the kick panel. He says he had the same problem on an audi of his years ago. THe sunroof drain was clogged. Years of engineering and they cant solve a sunroof drain problem?

I hate VWs.

My 15 year love affair with Volkswagen has officially come to an end. I would like to scream from the roof tops that this company doesn't back their product and does not care if they lose loyal customers. And I will never buy another car from them again.

I leased a 2007 VW New Beetle in October of 2006. It is a 5 speed manual transmission. It has 10,000 miles on it to date. Thursday while attempting to drive up North to visit my family for Thanksgiving the clutch started skipping and a horrible smelling white smoke started blowing out of the car. We pulled over to see what was wrong, it finally stopped smoking and the clutch was barely working.

I called the local dealership Saturday morning (McKenna Volkswagen, Huntington Beach, CA) and they say "bring the car right in". We bring it in and then they tell us "well, we don't actually have anybody who can look at it today but we'll see what we can do and call you". They call me at 5:00 p.m. and say "nope, didn't have anybody to look at it, it'll have to wait until Monday". So Monday in the middle of the afternoon they call us and say "we need your authorization for the $900 fee to take the car apart and look at it, it may be a wear and tear item and not covered under warranty". ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? 10,000 miles???? I have been driving a stick shift since I was 16 years old. I have leased two other New Beetles from Volkswagen and have never ONCE had an issue with the clutch. I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I'm sorry but if their product is so badly made that the clutch will burn out after 10,000 miles I have no interest in putting my life in the hands of Volkswagen.

We called the corporate office to complain. The corporate office didn't call back until the next day and told us we're out of luck, that's policy. Their policy is 12 months or 12,000 miles for wear and tear items. We've had the car for 13 months. They don't care that we've leased 2 other Volkswagens from them and have been a loyal, on-time paying, perfect lease returning customer since 2000. They have never had one single issue with us. And they would not even look at the car to see if it was a possible failure opposed to "wear and tear" unless we first fronted $900.

I am DONE with Volkswagen. Their product is NOT well made, they don't back their product and they care more about profit than keeping loyal GOOD customers. I am sad to see them go... I look back on my '68 and '69 Bugs, I look back on my 1990 GTI and I look back on my 3 New Beetles with fondness. But I WILL NOT deal with a company who isn't willing to work with GOOD customers.

Received December 2007

I am a 40yr. V.W. owner, and never thought I would have to shop for a different car. Now have a 2003 Anniversary Edition GTI. To date: Hum in Gas tank.Electrical malfunction on driver's door lock, had to replace the whole thing. Driver's seat cushion collapsed.Temperature gauge reading flat. CD player won't work, error 1...I have NEVER used it...it has been used about 20 times in all. Six speed transmission: syncronizers 2nd and 3rd shift failed. Was in the shop for 5 weeks waiting for engineer from extended warranty to make sure it was wear and tear, waiting for transmission to be shipped. Sent wrong one, but insisted it would work (has one return spring, instead of two), so now it's not an original.

The service we did not receive sucked. VWoA called every Friday to tell us one of the four line speal that they have rehearsed. What annoys me is the dishonesty. I asked both the dealer, (who we know really well), and VWoA if these were common problems. Nobody would admit that they were. We didn't know they were until reading such sites as this (VWVortex being one of them). At one of our services they (Rod East, San Antonio, TX)forgot to put the oil cap back back on. On my way home I had a job to get it in gear. This was because the cap had slipped down into the gear mechanism. (The tow truck guy found it lodged in there when he came to tow it back to Rod East). You can imagine the mess the oil made. We read these sites, and know we don't want another VW (what's a RELIABLE car to go with. Is there one?). I would like somehow to prevent others from going through what we have all had to put up with. Don't buy VW. Their good name has gone, and it will take years to get it back again. Sad.

2001 Jetta Wolfsburg

Coils Replaced after card ran so bad the engine sounded like it would tear itself apart. Windows wouldnt go up in the middle of the winter, - regulator was broken. No brake lights for I dont know how long... Switch was replaced about 3 times, seems to go bad every 20k miles. Car started overheating, seems the impeller on the water pump was shattered? Wolfburg rims started to corrode under the clearcoat paint. Finally got VW to warranty them around 40k miles. Guess what? It is happening again and the new set looks like crap and I'm sure I have no chance of getting them replaced. One of the times I went to Trend Motors for repairs my Vw came back without the engine cover. I asked for it back to which they said they will look, but I never did get it back. The Rubber Antenna on the car "went limp" I bought a new one myself. Clutch went at about 80k miles, they replaced it, then replaced it again because of the horrible chatter it had. Check engine light came on. Was told it was the Catalytic convertor. Dealer replaced it.

Temperature light flashing on and off rapidly.. found out to be the temperature sensor.

Check engine light again intermittently. Dealer says I needed a new Mass Air flow sensor and a Brake booster vaccuum hose?

And the real problems now.. Grinding when switching into second gear and a clunk that comes from the front of the car when going over bumps. Taken to the dealer every oil change for the past 30k miles and they "cant find the problem"

Warranty is almost up. I even called customer service, who seems to only be able to say "we can follow up with the dealer for you" even after the car was just there for 3 weeks! (by the way , dealer didnt even realize they still had the car...)

I went on to replace all the parts that were not in warranty to try to fix it. Shocks, Wheel Hubs, CV Joints, Ball Joints, Wheel Bearings, and Even both front Axles.

I will probably never own a vw again. I loved the car when it drove, but those days were few. It's just not worth the money involved. It kills me to see my wife's corolla only needing MINOR repairs at 90,000 miles, and it was bought the same time as the VW

VW if you are listening--, There will come a time when you can no longer ignore your customers, and you'll probably only realize it when it's too late

I bought a 2003 Vw Beetle convettible which I love - the problem I'm having is I can no longer put the top down because the back window is pulled away from the canvas.Because I bought it used from Carmax it's no longer under warranty. I had the car for only 6 months and 32,000 miles when this problem came up.One person told me it was the glue another told me that the canvas shrunk.One person told me it would cost $3000 to fix. I went to Carmax they told me they would pay half to have it fixed because it's cosmetic.VW said they would cover a percentage of the cost to fix it .Bottom line it's going to cost me about $900 plus tax out of my pocket to fix it. What's your suggestion.And if anyone else is having this problem I would like to hear from them. Thank You.

fire! fire! fire! - brought to you by VW

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