Don't buy a new 2019 Jetta!

[gregk24]

Originally Posted by simple_gifts
Not sure how people get bad impressions about them, except the OP is recommending avoiding the latest MY due to issues his mother's is having....


Just to clarify I OWN a VW and love them. My mother in law bought one recently and there is a LARGE number of reports (including VW who knows about this issue) who have reported the issue.

 

[KrisZ]

What would be a day on BITOG without some good old VW bashing. I think only Chrysler threads beat VW.

 

[edyvw]

That 8 speed Aisin is having big issues in Toyota too.
Just visit Highlander forums. As usual Toyota is pretending that nothing is going on or quietly solving issues with owners if they are persistent enough.
My friend got new HL few month ago and tried to return it after 2k due to transmission issues. Still fighting with Toyota.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by MCompact
Originally Posted by maxdustington

I've never owned one, but my coworker's sister's neighbor's BIL had one and he said it required needless expensive services and specific fluids. It blew up and VW denied warranty coverage because he didn't use their expensive oil and have it changed needlessly often. If I can use the cheapest oil for 10K miles in my 92 Tercel, why do VWs require specific oil?


I've got you beat, I know a guy who heard that his best friend's sister's college roommate knew a guy who had a neighbor that went to a dentist whose broker told him that it cost his second cousin $3000 to change the oil on his Boxster.
So there.



Hahahaha!

I will say this. Early 2000s weren't VW's strong point. A friend of mine bought a 2001 gti with 1.8T. We ran Mobil 1 0w-40 at extended ocis.

The vehicle decomposed around the supposed "sludgemonster" engine, and it was traded at 180k+ running strong with a broken breather tube.

Lots of interior stuff broke. Car kept running well.

Much of the bashing is way overdone.

OP's situation includes an AT in a new model. Could be any number of things.

Getting an AT was the only mistake

 

[PWMDMD]

I have a theory.

6 gears are good

7 gears are optimal

8 gears are the max

Anything over 8 gears are too many.

Every car and truck I've looked at in the last month regardless of manufacture has had issues with transmissions with greater than 8 gears. Even with the 8-speeds they are universally considered inferior to their 6-speed predecessors.

Not scientific....just my observation. I'm sure there are exceptions.....

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted by PWMDMD
I have a theory.

Anything over 8 gears are too many.

Every car and truck I've looked at in the last month regardless of manufacture has had issues with transmissions with greater than 8 gears. Even with the 8-speeds they are universally considered inferior to their 6-speed predecessors.

Not scientific....just my observation. I'm sure there are exceptions.....


Have you driven a ZF 8HP in a RWD BMW?

 

[PWMDMD]

Originally Posted by MCompact
Originally Posted by PWMDMD
I have a theory.

Anything over 8 gears are too many.

Every car and truck I've looked at in the last month regardless of manufacture has had issues with transmissions with greater than 8 gears. Even with the 8-speeds they are universally considered inferior to their 6-speed predecessors.

Not scientific....just my observation. I'm sure there are exceptions.....


Have you driven a ZF 8HP in a RWD BMW?


I'm sure there are exceptions...but the above still mostly seems to be the rule.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by MCompact


Have you driven a ZF 8HP in a RWD BMW?



Yes, and it was awesome.

My friend's 2015 335xi with M-performance package. Thing is a rocket ship and the ZF 8 speed shifts so quick.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by MCompact
Originally Posted by maxdustington

I've never owned one, but my coworker's sister's neighbor's BIL had one and he said it required needless expensive services and specific fluids. It blew up and VW denied warranty coverage because he didn't use their expensive oil and have it changed needlessly often. If I can use the cheapest oil for 10K miles in my 92 Tercel, why do VWs require specific oil?


I've got you beat, I know a guy who heard that his best friend's sister's college roommate knew a guy who had a neighbor that went to a dentist whose broker told him that it cost his second cousin $3000 to change the oil on his Boxster.
So there.



This is gold. !

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Shocked that this company still stands alone and was never bought-out. Been producing subpar vehicles now for many decades.


Porsche tried and failed.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by PWMDMD
Originally Posted by MCompact
Originally Posted by PWMDMD
I have a theory.

Anything over 8 gears are too many.

Every car and truck I've looked at in the last month regardless of manufacture has had issues with transmissions with greater than 8 gears. Even with the 8-speeds they are universally considered inferior to their 6-speed predecessors.

Not scientific....just my observation. I'm sure there are exceptions.....


Have you driven a ZF 8HP in a RWD BMW?


I'm sure there are exceptions...but the above still mostly seems to be the rule.

There is absolutely nothing that comes close to ZF in BMW's, including many dual clutch transmissions.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by wwillson
We own two ZF 8 speeds (Charger and Durango), which I think are the best transmissions I've owned. They don't hunt and are quick shifting and smooth after about 25,000 miles.

Same for the excellent ZF 8AT in my BMW; however, they are different animals with ours made for longitudinal and the Jetta's made for transverse mounting. High gear count transverse transmissions certainly seem to be difficult, don't forget the ZF 9HP which was a dumpster fire of a transmission.

 

[Andrew1972]

I think what matters with the transmission and its quirk of noise is how VW deals with them in latter life. All these 2018/2019 cars have 6yr/72k mile warranty so its covered a while.

If the replacement or repair rate is high post warranty hopefully they offer an extension on the transmission but not sure VW is that kind of company like Honda/Subaru in my personal experience covering items that should not fail early but do.

 

[CincyDavid]

Since it's an Aisin gearbox, why is the hate directed at VW? This should be a Toyota/Aisin bashing session. I will admit that I like the give-away pricing on new Passats, and if they are still cheap when the lease is up on my '17 Jetta, I'd gladly take the plunge on a new Passat as a "keeper". My Jetta has had a little quirk in the transmission since new that slowing to a stop on a steep downhill with the a/c running, it will get a slight "rumble" or vibration as it hangs in D3 before dropping to 1st gear as it stops. Mentioned it to the dealer, it's in the records as a concern, don't particularly care or worry about it.

All of the modern automatics with more than 3-4 gear ratios feel busy and weird to me. There's something to be said for a big lazy V8 with tons of torque that can just waft along at 1500 RPMS and never really need to shift except when accelerating from a stop. My 92? Buick Roadmonster was the epitome of that. 180 HP, give or take, and 275 LBs of torque. Shifts were almost imperceptible and it loafed along on the interstate at really low RPMs. Now I'm getting nostalgic for that beast. It was silver, slick top, gray mousefur seats, wire wheelcovers. Basic equipment level, including just AM/FM stereo with no cassette or CD, manual seats but full analog instrument package, of all things.

 

[Dave Hess]

Originally Posted by gregk24
Originally Posted by simple_gifts
Not sure how people get bad impressions about them, except the OP is recommending avoiding the latest MY due to issues his mother's is having....


Just to clarify I OWN a VW and love them. My mother in law bought one recently and there is a LARGE number of reports (including VW who knows about this issue) who have reported the issue.


Any manufacture I'd avoid the first 2 years of new design...

I'm sure the dealer will do the right thing.

 

[CincyDavid]

I imagine dealers WANT to do the right thing on warranty work, but my recent experience with dealer mechanical techs has been less than stellar. It would appear that many of them are parts-changers and not really strong diagnosticians. Plugging in the OBD II isn't always the end all and be all, there are times that a tech needs to take a minute and really do some critical thinking. If "X", then "Y", etc.

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted by gregk24


I would say the vast majority of VW owners are happy with their purchase. I know we are. VW tend to get a bad rap on this site, especially from people who don't own one.


Don't own one NOW. Doesn't mean they haven't owned one before.

 

[Chris B.]

Originally Posted by gregk24
Originally Posted by Chris B.
Originally Posted by Leo99
Originally Posted by Chris B.
I don't know how VW and Chrysler are still in business....nothing but junk across their entire line up. Why buy from them when there are so many other brands with solid engineering and quality?



Good question. Friend bought a Jetta two years ago. Windows don't go up properly. I'd buy American before a VW.


Yup. Several of my coworkers and friends have VW's and every single one has different problems with them.


I would say the vast majority of VW owners are happy with their purchase. I know we are. VW tend to get a bad rap on this site, especially from people who don't own one.


I hope so! I really like the looks of the new Jetta. If it proves reliable, I may roll the dice on one.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I drove a MkIV Golf as a second car for ten years and while it never left me stranded, my experience tells me VW and other European makes tend to have more niggling problems than Asian makes...whether it be coil packs, window regulators or what have you. Electrical gremlins also seem to be much more prevalent once they're a few years old and "overengineering" ( used as a rationale, excuse, or description ) can create its own problem...both now and in years past. I think the 1.4T in the Jetta is proven at this point.

Having said that, I like VWs and would consider one...but it's kind of scary when you read on the internet that the big issue with the new Jetta is supposedly the steering mechanics but then you come here and see a different laundry list. Hopefully, they'll get things under control before the 2020 model year.

 

[THORROMIG]

My wife absolutely loves her Jetta in my signature. Just rolled 22 thousand miles & so far -- motor & trans & everything else is working great. Car gets great gas mileage & with a nice/comfy/sturdy ride. There is "always" gonna be haters out there. With proper/diligent maintenance -- hopefully it will last us a long long time.


Dale