What's wrong with Volkswagen?

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:53 pm

I've been considering new cars lately, as you all know. And I was wondering, why not a VW?

My girlfriend has one, and it seems pretty comfortable and nice to drive. So why not get a VR6 GTI or Jetta, or maybe a TDI.

But I know Steve, for one, hates VW's. Why? Is there something just wrong with them?

I know the rear suspension's on the FWD cars are horrible, and I guess I could learn to deal with that aspect of the car. Anything else though?

0perose · Post by **0perose** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:08 pm

I've been looking for an old diesel rabbit or jetta to play with biodiesel/WVO with... other than that I've just heard they're more of an electrical nightmare than my subarus, which is hard to believe, but if it's true I want nothign to do with VW

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:57 pm

Plastic cooling system, exploding radiators, oil coaking 1.8t's, horrible weight distribution, marginal suspension, electrical gremlins, mediocre quality control, head gaskets on the vr6, vwvortex. That's all i can think of offhand.

Tleg93 · Post by **Tleg93** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 7:54 pm

1. Damon , on 1/7/2005 12:07:00 AM, said:

I am a first time volkswagon owner and have had more electrical problems than I have ever experienced with any of my other vehicles. I now am experiencing an oil burning smell in my engine and I'm unable to locate the leak. My Passat has only 34000 miles on it and should not be experiencing long time wear indicators.
(0 people found this comment helpful, 0 did not)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Rominator , on 7/8/2004 12:24:00 AM, said:

I would say bad to ok. VW dealerships are very hard to deal with, and very expensive. I have had my Beetle for 5 years, and through those five years, I wouldn't recommend VW. The parts are expensive and the salesmen (parts wise) are not honest. You cannot even buy a battery at a local repair shop??? Not worth it. That is my opinion. I am selling my VW and buying either a Toyota or Honda.
(1 people found this comment helpful, 1 did not)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Sundiszno , on 5/29/2004 8:54:00 AM, said:

I grudgingly rate the VW as a 3; 2.5 would be closer to what I really think. I've had two (a Quantum in the late 80s and a 2001 Jetta). The quantum had fuel injector problems (at least that's what the VW service people thought) that never did get resolved; kept on dying at inopportune moments. Finally traded it on a Honda Accord in 1994. I currently own a 2001 Jetta 1.8 Turbo that, while a fast, nimble car, has more than its share of problems. It also kept stalling and dying on me (turned out to be a mass air sensor, since put on a recall list); there have been two other recalls, one for the window mechanism and the oterh for the taillights. It has developed rattles and squeaks in the doors, and overall, has annoyances that detract from the more positive aspects of the vehicle. I dont think I'll ever consider another VW. I'll stick with Hondas (I also have a 2002 CRV that is a great vehicle).
(3 people found this comment helpful, 0 did not)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. BIGBABY , on 10/12/2003 8:51:00 AM, said:

Volkwagon makes excellent reliable cars with all excellent parts. Unfortunately, prices are extremely high, and sales have never been really high. The new Bug helps, but not by much. Drop the prices, and Volkwagon could really be the best sellers.
(0 people found this comment helpful, 3 did not)

Just a snippit from rateitall.com.

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:00 pm

ooh, door handles operated by strings

professor · Post by **professor** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:14 pm

I've had an Audi and a bunch of friends have had VW's. My take is that the Golf / Jetta handles pretty well, but you can tell that the weight distribution is skewed compared to the 50/50 I'm used to for sport driving.

The interior quality is pretty good, possibly best in class. Everything looks nice.

Exterior is less good but not bad.

Quite a few niggling problems with exterior trim bits and lights leaking or fogging.

Manuals shift OK but not nearly as nice as a few other cars I've had (BMW, miata), clutches feel too light for my taste but work good. decent steering feel

visibility is excellent which is an underrated thing, I like to not hit stuff

they burn brakes pretty fast, even if not sport driving

4 cyl. sometimes has some issues with running smoothly, this appears to be corrected with newer models but time will tell. My Audi ran like crap.

parts are not that expensive, plenty of aftermarket and non-OEM support

not terribly hard to work on but not as easy as a Subaru (but what is?)

fragile bumpers, uber-expensive

professor · Post by **professor** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:18 pm

get a VR6 Corrado... one of the coolest looking cars on the planet => black w/ BBS basket weaves

oops but that's not a new car, is it

professor · Post by **professor** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:26 pm

forgot to mention the fraudulent "DOHC" labeling on the VR6, which isn't quite as fraudulent as it used to be, but almost.

It only has two cams total, always has, but now it uses pushrod-like devices to operate the valves for both banks off of one shaft, one each for exhaust and intake. wierd stuff

subawhatsubawho · Post by **subawhatsubawho** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:27 pm

The new pasat looks prety sweet...

tracking headlights and the glovebox is cooled by the A/C system...

thats about all the good things I can think of. I owned a Vdub and hated every minute of it.

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:32 pm

I'm looking for a 99 to 03... anything...

If they burn up brakes, then I don't know that I can deal with that. I go through brakes pretty quickly as it is (as most of you guys know). I can't be replacing brakes every few months.

Hmm, I wonder what other cars I should be looking into?

subawhatsubawho · Post by **subawhatsubawho** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:35 pm

How about a Subaru...99-03??

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:36 pm

oh, and the moulding is glued on and frequently discolors and falls off. Rare is the mk3 with all its moulding.

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:40 pm

I don't really have much desire to own a Subaru. I don't want to deal with Headgasket issues on an RS, and I have no real desire to own a newer Legacy. I don't really want a BD, already had one. And a BE is heavy as ballsack, and slow.... But Dave's does look nice.

So conflicted.

Tleg93 · Post by **Tleg93** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:47 pm

Heresy!!!!

Just kidding. I don't hold it against you (it would be silly if I did) but I thought you were liking the wrx and now you're saying you don't want to own a Subaru.

snowboarded · Post by **snowboarded** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:37 pm

gti 1.8t
My friend just bought the anniversary edition and that thing cooks. Plus he chipped it and it is at 215 hp and 240 ftlbs (supposedly) Plus the traction control is pimp.

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:42 pm

I guy at my work has a GTi 1.8t too and it's really nice. He has it chipped, TBE, wheels, tint, Euro body kit, black and it's very quick. The interior is very nice too.

My best friend is a VW nut. He just got his wife a new Jetta and he loves it.

I like old VW's a lot. Notch backs, fastbacks, squarebacks, gia's, busses, bugs, things ect..

I want a '69 fastback with a Porche 2280cc engine with dual dual-webbers. Who needs heat, right?

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:45 pm

I DO like the WRX. I DON'T like the insurance rates that go along with it. Or the price tag.

Tleg93 · Post by **Tleg93** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 10:07 pm

I can see that. I don't plan on buying a WRX myself. I don't have anything against VW's. I don't know what my next vehicle will be.

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 10:28 pm

riveted differential!

corsair · Post by **corsair** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 12:02 am

We always say it, Subarus are like legos. Just buy a newer RS or heck an older Legacy like Xcentric (forget his real name, real cool guy though) from the Feed and Speed and swap it with someing JDM STI V7 or V8 or USDM STI or WRX, whatever, it'd be cool and it's still true that not everyone has them.

It'd also be easier to do all the modding stuff you want to do whenever as the aftermarket for those cars is a bit larger.

Just my two cents.

But to keep it on topic to an extent, my friend Teddy who was a no show at the Feed and Speed has a 2004 VR6 GTI and it's pretty sweet. I'd be all for one except I don't think I could live without AWD. Either I'm too much wanna be rally driver (hmm snowboarded?) or just a pansy.

206er · Post by **206er** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 12:40 am

if its not a mk1 or aircooled, I have no interest in it really. unless its a TDi. I'd definitely rock a TDi passat or golf. no jettas please.
1.8t is a sick engine too, gotta love those heads. Ive seen a really ported one in person, its pretty amazing.
has anyone heard about the heated seats in a mk4 catching fire and burning the car to the ground?

Manarius · Post by **Manarius** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 2:05 am

VW = junk.

Don't last, high costs, fall apart at whim.

I'll leave you with this: My cousin bought a brand new 99 Jetta. Everything was okay on it except the A/C never worked. From brand new. And guess what, they didn't repair it. And when she traded it on her Civic 5 years ago, the a/c still didn't work.

Moral of the story: Subaru > *. Thank you.

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 2:35 am

Where to start ... How about the 5 1.8Ts (Audi and VW) I know of personally that have grenaded in under (sometimes way under) 40k? Or the three with multiple transmission failures under 80k (one under 40k also). Various post mid-90's years and models. Or the laughable electrical systems with wires that would be better suited to circuit boards in controlled environs than exterior automotive lighting (how many VWs do you see with all their lights working?). Absolutely horrible engineering as far as serviceability to the point where I seriously believe the escaped Nazi engineers who come up with this crap do it as a way to get back at the world. German engineers have a tendency towards engineering things differently just to be different (although, like the Emperor's New Clothes, they'll try to tell you it's better) and VW seems to really have a lock on the stupid end of the scale. Just change the taillight on a new Beetle or have the headlight connector of the two year old car crumble in your hand changing that out. That's about as simple as you can get, yet if they f that up ...

I know nearly a dozen people, some new owners, some die hard VW fans (that have finally bought the farm) that would not go back. I'm not counting the dozens of people I've read about on the internet, in magazines, or friend of a friend deal that feel the same way. The only VWs that seem to be OK are the pre-90's.

I'd honestly buy a Korean car before a VW and I've worked on both. The Koreans have that warranty and they're pretty easy to work on. They may be cheap disposable cars, but they don't pretend to be much more and they still have some things better engineered than VW. Their electrical and mechanical systems I would trust over VW any day. And from what I've heard the VW dealers pretty much would rather f' your kid with a knife in front of you than honor a warranty claim. Can't speak for the Koreans on that end, though.

Corrados were cool looking, but they are absurdly expensive to maintain.

I just don't like driving the cars at all in general, but that's not really important. I will say that the interior is nice. You can enjoy the ambiance while waiting for AAA. 50% or better of the cars I see on the side of the road are VWs or Audis. The precentage is much higher if you take 15+ year old American cars out of the equation.

If you're going to go German, why not BMW? I have very little experience with them, but they seem solid and well engineered from my limited view.

Steve

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:01 am

Steve speaks wisely. Screw VW, go BMW.

All of my friends were die-hard old-skool VW guys. One of my best friends had an 88 Scirocco, body was fully race-prepped, no back seat, triangulated rear bar, coilovers, all that shit. Dude, I shit you not: He had an electrical problem that would strand the car at least once a week. He once wanted me to call AAA because he had used all his free tows... About 10k miles later, he spun a rod bearing, threw a new crank and bearings in it, and 5k miles later, blew a headgasket. He parted it out and never looked back. Part of his final decision was that all his friends had experienced the typical electrical and bottom-end problems too.

Granted, these guys were very hard on the cars, but not any harder than some of you drive I'm sure.

BMW's can be expensive to maintain, but they are bad-ass cars. I've driven: a 91 318is, a 97 Z3 1.9, 00 328ci cabrio, a, 01 525i, and my grandma's Z4. I've loved every one. They are put together with quality like I've never seen, and every one is loads of fun to drive.

NICO · Post by **NICO** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:25 am

vw are junk all wasy mood cars if its not this its that, i got a bmw 1990 325i that i drove like a maniac on for 2 years, that thing would never have a problem. one time a maxima hit me and is car was so screwed all i had was a scatch tuff german tanks.

legacycentral bbs

A forum for 89-94 BC-BF(BJ) Legacy Owners and Fans

What's wrong with Volkswagen?

What's wrong with Volkswagen?