# Has VW's reliability improved? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2009, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621 "2009-04-10T08:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/21 "2009-04-13T01:50:55Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Before you pull the trigger you owe it to yourself to investigate the [Genesis Coupe](http://www.leftlanenews.com/hyundai-genesis-coupe.html#overview). I sat in it at the Chicago Autoshow and was wowed. I’m hoping to get into the car market soon (once I get a new job, damn it) and this puppy is at the top of my list…this said as someone with a soft-spot for American and German cars and a distaste for Asians. Even the Top Gear guys, who hate pretty much everything from Korea, like it (looks-wise anyway). I drove one the other day. It’s uber quick (for the price), and handles relatively well. I mean, it’s not exactly going to knock off Ferraris at a track day, but it certainly handles better than, say, any Mustang. ETA: To add that it was the 2.0 liter turbo with the semi-auto 'box. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/22 "2009-04-13T02:17:04Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Even the Top Gear guys, who hate pretty much everything from Korea, like it (looks-wise anyway). > > I drove one the other day. It’s uber quick (for the price), and handles relatively well. I mean, it’s not exactly going to knock off Ferraris at a track day, but it certainly handles better than, say, any Mustang. Yeah, I’m looking forward to driving it. It’s a little weird the way Hyundai decided to have it share a name with the Genesis Sedan. I know the Genesis was popular and well received, in many ways marking a graduation for Hyundai, but the Coupe and the Sedan don’t seem to look anything alike and from what little I’ve read regarding the engineering the Coupe is a distinct platform. I feel like having it share a name with a somewhat stodgy and large family car will hurt it’s marketability. It’s not like the Genesis Sedan is a BMW 3-Series competitor. The biggest surprise to me was how nicely the Coupe compared to an Infinity G37’s interior. Sure the G37 is nicer, but not by much. And this thing just embarrassed the Accord Coupe and Toyota Solara in that regard. I will say a big bright nav screen would be very welcome though. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/23 "2009-04-13T02:24:49Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Yeah, I’m looking forward to driving it. It’s a little weird the way Hyundai decided to have it share a name with the Genesis Sedan. I know the Genesis was popular and well received, in many ways marking a graduation for Hyundai, but the Coupe and the Sedan don’t seem to look anything alike and from what little I’ve read regarding the engineering the Coupe is a distinct platform. I feel like having it share a name with a somewhat stodgy and large family car will hurt it’s marketability. It’s not like the Genesis Sedan is a BMW 3-Series competitor. The coupe uses the same rear-drive platform and a tuned version of the sedan’s V6. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/24 "2009-04-13T02:57:43Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The coupe uses the same rear-drive platform and a tuned version of the sedan’s V6. In doing some nosing around there’s speculation that Hyundai intends to spin off the Genesis into it’s own brand family of RWD cars. That probably explains it more than anything. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/25 "2009-04-13T03:02:07Z")
FYI, the base engine for the coupe is a turbocharged 2 liter 4. Seriously, I just checked out the site for the Genesis. Very, very slick with an inspiring “racing” clip of the coupe. Bandwidth hog, though. [www.hyundaigenesis.com](http://www.hyundaigenesis.com) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/26 "2009-04-13T03:08:57Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > FYI, the base engine for the coupe is a turbocharged 2 liter 4. See post 21 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/27 "2009-04-13T05:41:06Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > FYI, the base engine for the coupe is a turbocharged 2 liter 4. The annoying thing is that the 2.0t I4 and the 3.6 V6 both put out about the same gas mileage. Kinda disappointing if that’s your goal. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/28 "2009-04-13T12:10:13Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > My experience with VW owners is that they are in denial about the (lack of) quality and reliability of their vehicles. Ah, yes, the “American brand cars suck; I’m buying a VW” crowd. Gotta love 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/29 "2009-04-26T14:41:02Z")
Had a 2000 GTI VR6. Made in Germany. No problems with the drivetrain but lots of problems with interior and exterior trim. Stuff would break and fall off. Too much flimsy plastic. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/30 "2009-04-26T16:00:10Z")
We have a '99 Beetle TDI (hand-me-down car from another family member) which drives well, but since 2007 has had minor problems pop up about every 6 minutes or so. I’d love to ditch that car, but finances and circumstances are such that we will keep it for a while. My father’s company car is an '07 Jetta (sorry, etta… the J fell off within a month and for some reason, it never got replaced). My father loves driving it, but says he would never, ever buy that car, or another VW, if the maintenance costs were out of his own pocket. It just has random things pop up that constantly need to be dealt with at the garage. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/31 "2009-04-26T22:52:25Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > Had a 2000 GTI VR6. Made in Germany. No problems with the drivetrain but lots of problems with interior and exterior trim. Stuff would break and fall off. Too much flimsy plastic. Very common problem, even with newer models. The paint peels off from buttons and switches (usually radio and power windows) and the white plastic beneath shows. This usually happens to every car, but not sooner than 10 years. Some Golfs I’ve seen had completely peeled off switches after one year. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/32 "2009-04-28T19:21:19Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Ah, yes, the “American brand cars suck; I’m buying a VW” crowd. Gotta love 'em. My uncle used to drive his VW Bug to his job on the repair line at GM every day, fwiw. He must have known something. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/33 "2009-04-28T19:28:03Z")
I’ll bet he learned that long walks from the “competitive vehicle parking lot” improved his health. Maybe not even that. I assume he knew what the VW repair line was like, so he could compare? ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/34 "2009-04-28T19:36:56Z")
I would assume he knew he didn’t have to spend his free time working on his own car, but I’m guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/35 "2009-04-28T23:22:19Z")
My daughter had a 2004 Jetta 2.0T that had a problem with the drivers side front window falling into the door (a little disconcerting to say the least while driving down the road). VW replaced the window and then I took over the remaining 16 months of a 48 month lease. Had no problems with it and had the oil changed every 10,000 miles. I should point out that the car had 50,000 miles on it when I turned it in. My wife purchased a used 2006 Passat 2.0T about two years ago (it had 23,000 miles on it when my wife got it and now it has 40,000 miles). She now needs to get new tires but there has not been any mechanical issues at all with the car. It gets around 23-24 mpg for mostly short city driving. I traded in the 2004 Jetta mentioned above for a 2008 Jetta Wolfsburg Edition (2.0T) in July 2008. I haven’t had any trouble but it only has 9600 miles at this time. I am getting around 23-24 mpg for a mix of city and highway driving. FWIW, both Jetta’s were/are manual transmission and the Passat is an automatic. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/36 "2009-04-28T23:57:31Z")
> [@maladroit](#): > > My uncle used to drive his VW Bug to his job on the repair line at GM every day, fwiw. > He must have known something. And how many years ago was that? Probably at the time the Bug was more dependable than the cars he was building but a lot has changed. The Bug was a real POS that was good for little other than driving to your job at the GM factory. There have been other threads on this. Look at what VW replaced the Bug with. The Dasher, the Sirocco, the Golf, etc. Total crap! All car makes have gotten better but VW somehow became an illusion of dependability that has never really existed in the last 30+ years. But then, perception is reality so they say. ---
**Author:** ![jmwatts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jmwatts/32/17348_2.png) [@jmwatts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmwatts)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/37 "2009-04-29T12:43:17Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > Be advised that if it matters to you, Mazdaspeed vehicles have historically had phenomenally bad gas mileage. I have a 2008.5 Mazdaspeed 3, the 2010 is going to use the same engine/drivetrain. I have averaged about 23.5mpg for the past 6 months. Most of what I do is city commuting (albeit with some stretches of 60mph) for about 30 miles per day. In traffic I drive pretty conservatively and skip lots of gears. When the road opens up I accelerate really fast cause it’s great fun. I don’t consider that phenomenally bad gas mileage, YMMV (ha!). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/38 "2009-04-29T13:43:05Z")
I’m glad you’re doing that well, but I’m sure you’d be getting closer to 27-28 with the standard version of the car and your driving. From [fueleconomy.gov](http://fueleconomy.gov) Conventional Mazda 3 Auto: 24 City / 32 Hw Mazdaspeed 3: 17 City / 26 Hwy Mazdaspeed vehicles are NICE, but I’m puzzled by how bad the mileage is. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/39 "2009-04-29T13:44:50Z")
More anecdotal information about VW reliability. We own a 2003 GTI (Golf) which has the 1.8T engine. In 6 years and \>100K miles, the only problem was a seatbelt tensioner that engaged too easily, stopping it before it was pulled far enough to buckle. It was replaced under warranty. The interior still looks pristine. My understanding is that the GTI’s drivetrain was built in Germany and final vehicle assembly was in Mexico. It is possible the whole thing was put together in Germany, though. No idea if this is still the case or if that would have any bearing on reliability. Regardless of what car you buy, consider how many dealers there are in your area. Here, several brands have only one dealership. This often makes warranty work and scheduled maintenance problematic, since there is little incentive for the dealer to not screw you. The local VW place is particularly bad in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621/40 "2009-04-29T16:09:57Z")
Don’t have a VW and never did, but may I recommend the Saturn Aura SE? I’ve had a 2008 model for almost a year now and have been VERY pleased. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-vws-reliability-improved/492621.md?page=3)