Anyone have any comments, feedback or experience with a '12 Jetta GLI? Besides Mopars, I've had a number of VW's over the years, both air cooled and water cooled with the most recent one being a B5 Passat 1.8/5 spd, which we loved. I'm somewhat in the market and a base GLI with a 6spd MT has caught my eye.
Anyone own one or have any feedback? All comments/suggestions welcome.
Thanks, Pat
You can't turn the stability control off.
Saw that. The wiring and functionality is there at least to turn off the traction control. Just need to add the switch, which seems pretty simple according to the AWE instructions.
But...not looking for a race car. Looking for a reasonably quick, fun comfy car to cart my ass to back and forth to work in, can fit the kids in and my wife will be happy driving.
Barring reliability issues I'd say it's a solid choice for you then.
Warranty, warranty, warranty. You'll use it...a lot.
New Passat TDI seems like a tremendous commuter car.
No personal experience with the Jetta.
Most people stopped loving their 1.8 passats after the 4th or 5th coil and the $500 clutch went out and the rest of it fell apart. I have a friend with one who will sell it for $800 to any foolishly interested parties.
I don't know...we put 90k or so over 7 years ownsership on my wife's old Passat, had great fuel mileage, was comfy, peppy enough and and we put no money into it other than brakes, tires and a battery. I do recall we had to have a coolant temp sensor replaced under warranty, but other than that, it was a great car for us. Of the 5 VW's we've owned, the only one that gave some trouble was a mid '96 Jetta that had a consistent trans issue (5 speed). Ran great but kept eating the same bearing int he trans.
Just doing internet searches, I find all sorts of horror stories about VW's. However, if you look, you find them for almost any make or model. The only exception I've really found have been Honda's. We sold the Passat to buy an Odyssey, which has outstanding reliability ratings but if you look, you can find all sorts of people on the internet complaining about the horrendous motor mounts (have that one), whiney power steering pumps that end up having to be replaced (had that one), that they eat front tires and brake rotors (yes, yes) and that the transmissions are made of glass (thank god, haven't had that one) but it's still the most reliable van on the planet.
Don't get me wrong, I like my Honda. I just wonder how reputable the internet based reputations really are.
Consumer Reports isn't internet based.
I've put a combined several hundred thousand miles on our Passat/A4/S4 with no issues.
You need to maintain/feed these cars. They're not like a Honda/Toyota, run costs will be more once out of warranty, but if taken care of, they're very reliable.
Pat wrote: The only exception I've really found have been Honda's. We sold the Passat to buy an Odyssey, which has outstanding reliability ratings but if you look, you can find all sorts of people on the internet complaining about the horrendous motor mounts (have that one), whiney power steering pumps that end up having to be replaced (had that one), that they eat front tires and brake rotors (yes, yes) and that the transmissions are made of glass (thank god, haven't had that one) but it's still the most reliable van on the planet. Don't get me wrong, I like my Honda. I just wonder how reputable the internet based reputations really are.
Other items to worry about on the Odyssey:
Other than that, they're very reliable Thank goodness we purchased the HondaCare extended warranty, although I'm a little nervous as the warranty expired for us in May.
As vehicles become more complex, it's inevitable that they're going to have more issues. I remember the thread on here a while back about the car that basically wouldn't function after the stereo was replaced (speed sensor was an input to the factory radio to compensate the volume for higher speeds). I think it caused issues with the entire powertrain that was looking for readings from that speed sensor.
A lot of these items are a case of Your Mileage May Vary. Some has to do with how a vehicle was built initially and how it's been maintained, and some is just a crapshoot!
Pat, ive had similar experiences with other vehicles.
For example, the hated chrysler 604 transmission, ive had experience with several originals that went ~200k (some went more) before having serious issues, and the only one i ever owned that downright broke was when i burned through the known-weak 4th gear with top speed runs in my intrepid.
And my 336k mile DD is on it's second set of spark plugs ever, has never had a valve adjustment with solid lifters (recommended every 30k), got a clutch replacement it didnt need at 200k when the rear main started leaking, and i had to replace the idler pulley and fill a loose motor mount with urethane. Original struts, ball joints, wheel bearings, tie rods, ac system, etc etc etc.
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