Does anyone have any experience with Volkswagens? My girlfriend has an 03 Jetta with the 1.8T and ever since she bought it the "malfunction indicator lamp" comes on and goes off every now and then maybe once every two weeks, stays on for a couple of days usually. Bought the car new, anyone have any experience with this. I heard of the same problem in a passat with the same engine.
get rid of it ASAP!!!!! new volkswagons have reliability of a 200,000,000 mile kia...sorry i have no other advice.
Opinions aside... You must check out what the code is when the MIL light lights up. It could be related to a loose fuel cap which she forgets to tighten it 3+ clicks after a pump. The code could be read if you have an OBD-II reader or know of someone who does (Checkers and Autozone does)
we make sure we tighten the cap, I'll have to remember to cruise over to Autozone next time I drive it. It would be nice to find out for sure what it is
Yeah, I picked up one of those readers because I kept getting CELs during the winter on my RS. I figured the $100 was worth it, and it set my mind at ease being able to read the codes and knowing what was going on.
I think the question is much deeper than you all realize. Let's probe further... The real question is: Why did you let your girlfriend buy a Volkswagen?
i have heard nothgn but bad things about VW (expceth for there nie white leather interiors). but those 1.8Ts are bombs. the arnt known for their longevity. atleast is itns the 2.0l if you get one of those run away. in one year VW used 3 different designs for thier 2.0l each one was a dud. EDIT: OMG the boards just shat itself. it posted this post 11 times (i only hit the button once). crazy 11 post.
sorry, i think steve-o was 'entertaining' a lady friend and her sonic shockwave screams must have caused a reverse ground charge surge in the mnsubaru.com web server's staror plates. and yes pull the code on the volkswagon.
autozone, checker etc.. may not be able to read the volkswagons... I dotn think I can in my shop with a $5000 computer... not sure.. most european vehicles are usually sent back to dealer unless its an oil change or brakes...
Every person I know that bought a VW regretted it. Three friends and five VWs later. Only one of them learned the first time around. Hecho en Mexico! The 1.8s actually had sludge problems because the turbo broke down the oil on the stock cycle. Toyota had a similar problem. Just get rid of it.
Unless it's a freakin' gray-market RHD import or something, all vehicles mfg'ed for sale in the US since ~MY1990 are legally required to have an OBD-II port on them. The OBD-II port can include some manufacturer-proprietary codes (generally requiring either a $60 reader or a $1000+ reader, depending on manufacturer), but they'll also include the "generic" codes, and you can buy a reader that will handle those for $35-$40. The generic codes are P0xxx, while the mfg-proprietary codes are P1xxx. And next time, do some brand research before buying a car. Subaru has "enthusiast clubs"; Volkswagen has "support groups". It could be worse, though-- Yugo's extended warranty included grief counseling.
^^^ I was tlaking from what we have seen in my store... but I think maybe VW can be read... I know Mercs, BMW etc we dont...
