Nachoman

Some folks have mentioned that they've owned Jettas and replaced them with TSX's. Who else here is a member of that esteemed and elite club? I, for one, am a potential member! I will soon replace my 01 VR6 with a brand spanking new TSX! This was confirmed after my whole ECU had to be replaced! if you can't trust the computer in your car, what can you trust right?

TinkySD

what year was your jetta? Some people claim VW quality is on the rise but of the 4 people i know with 2000+ jettas all have been into the shop for major problesm repeatedly.

Nachoman

2001, yeah I've heard that quality is on the rise too but I guess it didn't rise quick enough for me. Definitely the 3-4 yr after purchase timeframe is when a lot of these VW's start deteriating. AC's starting breaking, all the sensors seem to like to fail at this time too. My most recent sensor failure took out the ECU for some reason. Ask Spudd too, he's another Jetta owner who feels my pain.

rb1

I had my Jetta ECU replaced under warranty, too (2001 Jetta 1.8T WE). I understand they are mainly tweaking emissions and OBD II issues when they do this (mine was a cold-start misfire problem that had no practical impact except to cause the #$@#$%@# indicator light to come on).

Short of rattles, I haven't had any problems since this was done.

Anyway, I'm a potential replacement candidate, too. (although I've pretty much decided to wait until 2005.)

toto too

Not exactly a Jetta but just sold my '94 Corrado. Still having a good cry over it. I haven't been able to drive my TSX much since. It's been in the shop getting the ground effects and fog lights installed. Not all the pieces came so it's taken longer. Need some bonding time with it to help me get over the C!

fookie

I've had a 2001.5 Passat for about two and a half years now. I still love the car...enough that when I leave it, I still stare back at it. This love was weakened a few times by a premature battery-failure, which left me stranded, a broken blinker relay switch which prevented my blinkers from flashing, and the ECU since it continuously gave me an airbag fault. I've also had various bulbs burn out quicker than I can put them in, but in the end I still love the car and haven't regretted getting this car at all. I've heard the A4 Jettas, Golfs, Beetles which are made in Mexico have a higher frequency of repairs though.

teombe

I had a 2001 Jetta that I really liked. Of course, I was just afraid to keep it longer than 3 years (only 2yr/24K warranty on 2001 and older), plus I just had a feeling that something was going to go on it. I hate spending repair money on a car I'm still paying for. It happened once with a Mitsu Eclipse, and I vowed to never let it happen again.

rb1

Damn! The Passat is German-built too, isn't it? So much for that idea (getting a Passat... )

Nachoman

well rb1, my brother owns a 2000 Passat and he hasn't run into any problems that I have. Maybe Passat's are built better, I don't know if that helps you at all. But yeah, I am shying away from VW's and Audis for a good long time until they get their reliability issues up to snuff.

NickR

Sign me up as part of the club. I had an '01 Jetta 1.8T and loved it. I was just ready for a step up. I did have the typical window regulator and MAF sensor problems, but other than that it was a great car. But since I got the TSX for the same price as the Jetta, and I was out of warranty, I had to take it. I love a super high resale value + low rates.

Nachoman

NickR, did you trade in your Jetta? How much did you get for it?

rb1

Good grief! My Jetta is a 2001 1.8T Wolfsburg Edition, and I paid only 19K for it. Won't be able to touch a used TSX for that for about two years (assuming there even is such a thing and TSX'ers will ever trade their cars)...

NickR

Well I lucked out, there was a guy at my wife's bank that was looking for a Jetta equipped exactly like mine. And he just offered to buy it one day. I was leasing it for four years and was almost three years into it. I called VW Credit, got the payoff, which was about $1000 over current trade in value, but since he knew how well it was cared for and was what he wanted, he went ahead and bought us out of the lease. So we were starting cleaning with the TSX. At the same time, we were lucky that my father in law bought an '03 TL in late April, so when I went in in mid-May I had some bargaining power on the TSX. They dropped about $1000 off MSRP - which was extremely rare in the first few months of sales.

I cant remember my payoff, but I think it was $17k & change.

BTW, by the same price, I meant per month. My payment on a 4 year TSX lease w/ $290 down & excellent credit is $339, my Jetta was $336. The money factor was .00227 w/ 6% state tax and 57% residual. So three bucks didnt make a difference to me.

All in all, I'm lucky that everything worked out so well.

TSXinCA

I am in this club as well. Had a 2001 Jetta GLX that was nothing but problems from day one. After 2 years I couldn't stand it anymore and traded in toward my TSX. So far, the only problem I've had with the TSX is a couple of rattles, so it seems to have been a good decision.

As for VW quality in general, it seems that Passats and Beetles are relatively problem free, but almost everyone I know with a Jetta has had numerous problems. I think its cuz the Jettas are built in Mexico while the Passat and Beetles are made in Europe. Do you think this is true?

Nachoman

Did you get a good deal on the trade in? I will be trading in my 01 GLS VR6 and want to know how much I will likely get for it. I've had one dealer say he will just give KBB for it although I have yet to test him on that. I've heard of people having trouble with their Beetles too. I agree though, I still haven't heard about many problems with Passats.

fookie

Beetles are also made in Mexico, but they have significantly improved the quality of the car. The only VW's made in Germany for the US market is the Passat, the Touareg, the Jetta wagon, the Eurovan, and the Pheaton.

Johns

Hey welcome to the club. I had a 1990 Corrado that I sold in 2000 (with 200,000 miles) to buy a Passat. The Passat ran fine, but the handling was not great. I bought a Mercedes C230 Kompressor and love it . My wife drove a 1997 Jetta that ran with no problems ( 125,000 miles). We just bought a TSX to replace it.

fookie

yeah....with vdubs, you either get a great one, or you don't.

CopperTop

Ditched a 92 Jetta for my new baby. No regrets so far...

dufflver

I finally got rid of my 97 GLS for a 05 TSX 6spd. I couldnt take any more window motors breaking.and random little things. That and the trunk didnt open at all, so when i went to trade it in i hoped the dealership wouldnt try to open the trunk. they didnt

Ontilt

Im also part of the club. I had an 01 Jetta Wolfsburg 1.8t (heavily modded)

Although I had some problems with my Jetta I will always love it. My list of problems were the window regulators and the coil packs. Other than that no problems.

I was really considering going with another Dub or even Audi, but for the money the TSX was where it was at.

Overall, I enjoy the hell of out my TSX, but I really did enjoy driving the Jetta more.

sleeper

i don't trust the ecu as it is. hondata'll fix that, though.

congrats and good choice for a replacement.

daniel1113

I drove a 2001 Jetta Wolfsburg 1.8t before I moved up to a TSX. I miss a few things about the car, such as the turbo and auto passenger window up/down, but all in all, the TSX is much better. Luckily, I never had any big problems with the Jetta, but it seemed like all the small things broke at one point or another (interior trim, compartment clips, etc.)

mobidutch

I had a 2001 Jetta VR6 for about 10 months before switching to a 2002 Accord V6EX. The Jetta was a FUN car to drive, very peppy. But it was way to cramped in the back seats, and it had few problems I just could not get rid of. The AC/Heating system STUNK every time it kicked in (I noticed that same smell on other VWs), and my engine produced a very strange whine at a certain RPM/speed combination. No matter how fun the car was, these things bothered me enough to dump it.

No way I will go back to a Jetta though, it is just too expensive for what you get. Plus I don't like the new model, but my head still turns when I see the previous model zip by

NickR

i came from an 01 Jetta 1.8T. Luckily I had no problems other than a MAF and window regulator - both fixed under warranty. Overall I like the TSX better, but I do miss the pickup of the turbo. I wish there was a turbo sport model TSX for less than $32k. My ideal TSX would have the Mugen kit, 18" wheels on a 1.5" drop, LSD and turbo.

I do really miss the passenger auto-up window and one touch sunroof.

afax226

I had a 99 Passat 1.8T. No major problems during the 6 years of ownership but here is the list of problems that I haved fixed or lived with:

1) Leaky water pump: Fixed under warrayty
2) Heat side view mirrors: It never worked. I didn't know until I tried this feature on my TSX.
3) Mass air flow sensor: Prorated warranty. The whole bill was over $900CND. I had to pay $450CND out of the pocket.
4) Check engine light comes on and off.
5) Front suspension arm bearing made loud noice. Prorated warranty too. Forgot how much I had to pay.
6) Engine won't start after if I don't drive the car for more than 5-6 km. Some condensation accumlated in the gas line, I guess. Problem was never resolved. This was a hassle because I couldn't even back my car out of the garage and washed it without driving it around the blocks a few time.
7) Just before I sold it, the engine was drinking synthetic oil like there was no tomorrow. 'bout 1 quart every 4000km.
8) One touch up and down windows went bananas. After I stopped opening the windows in the rain, the problem went away.

Time to get rid of it......I still loved owning it though. My experience with the Passat was pretty good considering it was a German car.

bigwilliestyle

Not a big fan of the Jettas either.

We have a 99 Wolfsburg.

The 2 rear windows, some clip broke where it will open them, but cannot close them.
The front windows, both switches simply don't work.
The side molding on a couple of the doors have fallen off.
The e-brake gets moisture in it during the winter, causing it to freeze.
And the friggin' thing feels like it's only firing on 3 cylinders half the time.

Can't wait to get rid of it over this coming winter.

Ontilt

FYI, they didnt make a Wolfsburg in 99. In 97, 2001, and 2003.

jpooncanada

I'm just one out of million thousands TSX out there that had to replace the ECU within 3 months of purchase... Replaced and now working fine... but it did took them a while (1 month in exact - 2 weeks of frustrated negotiation with them, 2 weeks waiting for the unit) to get it fixed for me. Yet, don't worry, again I just unlucky enough to hit this type of jackpot (why I still haven't won lottery once? not even $10???) Yours should be fine like many others.

bigwilliestyle

FYI, yes they did.

http://www.edmunds.com/used/1999/vol...9/options.html

I drive one.

Ontilt

Your right! Of course, I was thinking you had a MKIV from 99. I didnt realize they made an MKIII in 99.

itrhybrid

iTrader: (1)

I kind of went this route, only I had a Dodge truck in between the Jetta and TSX. I had a 2000 Jetta GLX and was lucky enough to not have any of the major problems that a bunch of them had. I think I had one ignition coil go out and that was it. Other than that, the car ran very smooth. I'll have to see if I can find some pics of it. I had a lot done to it before I sold it.

James

davo-cls

We kept our '03 Jetta and those are features I wish the TSX had.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

I heard after 2001 the new factory in mexico started to come out with some cruddy vw.

My friend's vw golf is proof of the cruddy interior, cheap material, and her engine sounds like its dead. Transmission clunks.

un4getable

I had a 2000 1.8 and had many problems with it. It was in the shop for a variety of things. Some of which were:

1) Mass air flow sensor light issue (covered under warranty)
2) Three times for the windows breaking – the last of which I had to pay for ($300)
3) Oil leak
4) The last straw was when the car would not come out of park. I had to have it towed into the dealer.

I now have an 06 silver TSX and love it! I do miss the speed of the turbo. But I would rather have the quality of my TSX.

bibby

I had a 1999 1.8T Passat and had problems with it before I sold it (2005) and got my TSX.
1.) Oil Leak
2.) Barrings issue
3.) Shift replace
4.) ICM (Ignition Module)
5.) Left side headlight wiring problems
6.) Windows dropped (clip issue)
7.) Drinks synthetic oil at 4k kms
8.) Heated side mirrors didn't work
9.) Engine light on sometimes
10.) Weird suspension noise that I didn't even bother fixing it and sold it.

However, I loved that car, and still do. Even after a yr of TSX, I still miss that Passat. Just too much to fix, in too lil time. Happy with TSX however.

XJGrl

Hmmmmmm -- I ditched my LEMON 2006 Jetta TDI for a 2006 TSX -- VW=POS.

Milton TSX

I had a 2000 Jetta 2.0 Liter 5 speed I hated that car for 5 years!
First it was the rear brakes. Rotors, calipers, and pads. Went to the crapper after 38K kilometers.
Something with the wiper arms (can’t remember but it cost me)
Then the front window clips
Then the mass air flow sensor
Finally the catalytic converter bit the dust.

That will be the last time I buy a first or second year of any new car design

gecko23

Traded my '04 Jetta for a '06 TSX navi
Problems with Jetta:
1.) 2 leaking radiator caps
2.) Rear passanger side door would not open! (wtf?)

Other than that it was a okay ride. miss the auto up/down for passanger and auto locking doors.

Although my Audi A6 has All 4 windows auto up/down

joerockt

Seriously, when will people learn about VW?

Hecho en Mexico