2004 Volkswagen Jetta

Great little car, just don't

by cheeriosquirts on Apr 11, 2014
Vehicle: 2004 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8T 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)

I bought this car is 2007 with 30k miles on it, as of right now I am at 115k. I've been a bad VW owner and haven't done the scheduled maintenance like I should, in fact I haven't changed the plugs, timing belt or the pads. That being said with the abuse I have given it (which I suggest you don't do) this car has continued to run like a champ. I do have the oil changed regularly but other than that I have been lazy. Right now I have it in for all the scheduled maintenance that I have failed to do, not because it broke but rather I feel badly about not treating this car right. All you other folks that have had serious issues I'm sorry you didn't get my car, otherwise you would be very happy!

Excellent car for what it

by darksim905 on Mar 23, 2014
Vehicle: 2004 Volkswagen Jetta GL 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

I've owned this car for a solid 10 years & have had minimal issues. After 10 years, every car will start falling apart & showing it's issues. That being said my ''major'' issues that I have had are below. The car runs great if you take care of it & maintain it. I'm not sure what everyone else does with their vehicle, but I love my Jetta & will buy another as a project car once I manage to run this into the ground. 110k miles & going strong.

I bought a second jetta

by phreakymike on Sep 3, 2013
Vehicle: 2004 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI 4dr Sedan (1.9L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5M)

I was under the assumption that these jettas were more reliable than a regular JDM car that had high KM. Problem with this thinking is, you don't think about the wear and tear on all the other parts OTHER than the Diesel engine. I've owned two TDI Jettas for approx 2 years each, both had P0401 Check Engine code for EGR Valve. This was incredibly annoying. I've also had the famous clicking dash from my turn signal, the car interior creaks and clicks, drove me absolutely insane. Incredible frusturating. 12 year perforation warranty is great, I received a new fender and trunk before I sold my jetta, These hold their value very well.. but I don't want to buy anymore of these TDIs

Long term happiness

by tdiguy3 on Aug 16, 2013
Vehicle: 2004 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI 4dr Wagon (1.9L 4cyl Turbodiesel 5A)

I bought this car new in 2004. In the 9.5 years I have owned this car it has bean, overall, fantastic. I have kept up regular service. The major problems I have had are: a sensor, front wheel bearing, rear wheel bearing, the heater blower motor, and a the heater resistors...replaced a few times. The heater repairs I did myself so cost was just the parts. Considering I have had this car this long and have almost 260k on it, this is small potatoes. Overall this has been the most reliable car I have owned. It was not built in Mexico but rather came out of the Wolfsburg plant and that is why, in my opinion it has been such a great car. I have had no engine or tranny probs at all.

2004 vw jetta 2.0 -

by roman_empire on Apr 21, 2013
Vehicle: 2004 Volkswagen Jetta GL 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

I bout my Jetta in 2007 as a project with front end damage. When I was considering this car I was told that they have many problems and I should not bother. I went and bought it any ways. It had 59,xxx miles on it when it came to me. Today, April 20, 2013, it has 130,xxx miles. In general it is a very reliable car. Through out the history I have had to replace the water pump 2 time and a third time when the timing belt was changed. I have been changing the oil about every 3,000 miles. I traveled to Eastern WA about 4 times from Seattle. One trip I took to California a little over 1,500 miles round trip. I usually get about 28 miles/per gallon with about even mix of city+freeway commuting.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Mechanically reliable, but that's all

by hgates on Sep 10, 2012
Vehicle: 2004 Volkswagen Jetta GL 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 4A)

I have owned this for 8 years (purchased new). Mechanically, it is fairly reliable. Save a water pump there have been no issues other than normal wear and tear items. The engine seems solid, although underpowered and noisy. The transmission is not very responsive, especially switching from R to D. The rest of the car is complete junk. Everything falls off. The center hub cap on the alloys, the chrome trim on the doors, the fabric on the interior doors, the speaker grills, the headliner is falling down, the center console broke apart, the engine splash guard, the plastic lower grill inserts, etc. Also, all the rubber coating on everything peels and looks horrible after a few years.