A friend of mine is considering a Mk4 jetta in the gasoline variety (preferably a turbo). Just wondering what everyones opinion of the reliability of these cars are and if there are any common problems to look for. Thanks.
MK4 Jetta Opinions.
- Thread starter SubyRoo
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I've heard some horror stories, but the few that I've had first hand experience with have been pretty reliable, all things considered.
A friend of mine had a Mk. IV Jetta Wolfsburg with the 1.8T, and put it through absolute heck for tens of thousands of miles: half-done mods, an incorrect ECU program that he never bothered to correct, etc. Nothing ever broke except as a direct consequence of his foolishness -- and even some things that should have broken never did. Even with a vacuum leak the size of Texas and an engine that constantly misfired itself into limp mode -- again, consequences of his errors -- it still felt totally solid, rode comfortably, and was fun to drive.
You HAVE to use the right oil and change it at the right interval. Other than that, it seems to be a pretty easy car to own.
A friend of mine had a Mk. IV Jetta Wolfsburg with the 1.8T, and put it through absolute heck for tens of thousands of miles: half-done mods, an incorrect ECU program that he never bothered to correct, etc. Nothing ever broke except as a direct consequence of his foolishness -- and even some things that should have broken never did. Even with a vacuum leak the size of Texas and an engine that constantly misfired itself into limp mode -- again, consequences of his errors -- it still felt totally solid, rode comfortably, and was fun to drive.
You HAVE to use the right oil and change it at the right interval. Other than that, it seems to be a pretty easy car to own.
The MKIV can be very reliable. I just hit 102K in mine and have had only a handful of problems, pretty much all the typical ones -- coil packs have gone bad, a brake switch, and an impulse sensor. The first two are warranty/recall items.
I fling it around a race track at least once a month, to give you an idea of how I drive it. Of course, that does also give a hint as to how I maintain it, ie well above average, but to be honest I'm not really doing much but flushing brake fluid/pads/rotors and inspecting the car regularly.
I would recommend finding a mechanic that specializes in VWs and start a relationship with them by taking any vehicle for a pre-purchase inspection.
Note that I will admit heavy bias, I've been a VW guy since I was born, practically. I'll stop buying them as soon as they start letting me down, which I don't really see happening!
robert
I fling it around a race track at least once a month, to give you an idea of how I drive it. Of course, that does also give a hint as to how I maintain it, ie well above average, but to be honest I'm not really doing much but flushing brake fluid/pads/rotors and inspecting the car regularly.
I would recommend finding a mechanic that specializes in VWs and start a relationship with them by taking any vehicle for a pre-purchase inspection.
Note that I will admit heavy bias, I've been a VW guy since I was born, practically. I'll stop buying them as soon as they start letting me down, which I don't really see happening!
robert
I worked on VW's for a while, and a Mk IV can be a fun car to drive, but not so much to own. The good thing is that, by now, many of the things that plagued them while they were still fresh have now been fixed, mostly via update parts. Think window regulators, coils/coil packs, catalytic converters, even just the ECM programming on many models has by now been made useable.
Parts can be expensive to people used to American or Japanese makes in many cases, and except for the 2.0 engine, they require good oils etc and a somewhat excessive amount of babysitting compared to their main competitors. But if the owner is willing to go the extra mile (to the dealer parts counter most likely) a Mk IV can be a fun car to drive. I frankly always had a smile on my face while driving one of most any variety, even a 2.slow. Good powertrain combinations are the 2001-up 1.8t 5 speed manual, 2003-4 (NOT 2002) 1.8t 5 speed automatics (it's a Jatco!), 2002+ VR6/any trans, 2001+ 2.0/any trans, any/TDI/any.
Still, I'd want to see a stack of receipts and paperwork with a used Mk IV, and absent that, I wouldn't touch one with the proverbial 10 foot pole.
Parts can be expensive to people used to American or Japanese makes in many cases, and except for the 2.0 engine, they require good oils etc and a somewhat excessive amount of babysitting compared to their main competitors. But if the owner is willing to go the extra mile (to the dealer parts counter most likely) a Mk IV can be a fun car to drive. I frankly always had a smile on my face while driving one of most any variety, even a 2.slow. Good powertrain combinations are the 2001-up 1.8t 5 speed manual, 2003-4 (NOT 2002) 1.8t 5 speed automatics (it's a Jatco!), 2002+ VR6/any trans, 2001+ 2.0/any trans, any/TDI/any.
Still, I'd want to see a stack of receipts and paperwork with a used Mk IV, and absent that, I wouldn't touch one with the proverbial 10 foot pole.
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