Whats your first thought if you see a girl driving a bright yellow vw beetle?

Question 1
Whats your first thought if you see a girl driving a bright yellow vw beetle?...  

Answers
1)   OOOH GIRL WHO DID YOUR HAIR - Red Andy

2)   That girl has personality! Who is that girl?! - Two Lane. 455 Rocket.

3)   Colorblind and enjoys free drinks. - Nic Famous

4)   Hot chick ! - L G

5)   jeez, that sounds like a bag of nails...is that the exhaust blowing, or is it just ten minutes away from a strip and rebuild?

or, wow, a yellow money pit... you dont see many of them... - fivetoze

6)   sex - Ethan H


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Question 2
The truth about Volkswagen please!?...  Ok I'm considering buying a car and while I know that Japanese cars are supposed to be the most reliable and cheap to maintain their are none that I like! For my first car I'd like a compact sedan and would like to purchase a VW Jetta! I have a HUGE appreciation for German engineering! With that said how expensive is it to maintain a VW Jetta in comparison to say a Honda Civic? I've heard outlandish statements about VW being extremely expensive to maintain so once and for all I'd like to know from someone who has owned one! By the way I don't live in Europe as I hear that VW have a much better reputation over there. Thank you for your help!

Answers
1)   The truth, I have never heard a '90, 2000s VW owner say, "I will buy another Volkwagon" I have heard many of the other. - Kenny

2)   my friends has a vw jetta and has sunk more money into that thing that just buying a new car. He now has to keep it just to keep with the bills but id go for Honda. - REINO

3)   VWs are just as reliable as other cars, you just have to know which ones to avoid.

Stay away from the 1.8t motor found in many Mk4s.
Stay away from automatic transmissions built before 2005.

With that said. VWs do need a bit more love than that Japanese junk. Keep up with ALL the maintenance, don't stretch out the time between oil changes. Turn the music down every once in a while and just listen to the car. Get to know the sounds it normally makes that way you can catch small problems before they become huge.

Yes, VWs are more expensive to repair than cars of similar cost. Cars with are probably the most expensive to fix, and cars with the 2.0l are definitely the cheapest to buy, cheapest to fix, easiest to fix, and by far the MOST reliable. - Nick

4)   I've been around VW's in one form or another for a long time; I worked on air cooled type II's, worked in VW dealership service departments on and off since 1980, owned several VW's including air cooled, various water cooled models (including one 1979 VW Rabbit Diesel C, bought brand new), and even a couple of Audi's.

The Asian makes are probably better (Toyota as late being an exception) about flaws found in the product line and making corrections right away; Ford was better than the other US makes, I'd even get a call from some engineering guy about what I found in some vehicle I worked on.

The 1998 NEW Beetle and 1999.5 Golf and Jetta were good cars at first, but as time wore on the flaws began to show. Automatic transmissions had various problems, from delayed engagement to rough shifts to being completely toast; other electrical problems such as window regulator problems, a/c heater controls, vacuum leaks, check engine lights, engine building sluge deposits inside the motor etc. all helped to make this generation of VW's the legend of junk.

The Passat and Touareg were also problem prone in this period and the Touareg wasn't any good until 2007, the Passat has improved, but still isn't my idea of a reliable vehicle.

The Golf and Jetta had improved a lot starting with the 2005 generation and can be considered to be good reliable vehicles in general. But, owning a VW means having a specialist or dealership service/repair it to keep it on the road and as trouble free as possible. Labour charges are higher in owning a VW, due to lack of people who are really skilled at the make (at least here in California), and parts seem to be somewhat more expensive and european makes in general, require the usage of special fluids for the transmission, power steering, engine coolant and even in some cases, the engine oil that is used in them. Some of the problems I've seen with the vehicle have been the result of people adding the wrong fluids to the various systems, thus, causing failures in them.
Power steering system failure is fairly common if the wrong fluid is added to the system and engine failures can result from the wrong type and kind of engine oil being used. Even the engine coolant needs to be the correct type to avoid problems....

Also, the vehicles are unforgiving in missing services or doing services late; i.e., timing belts or timing chains, flushing brake fluid, etc. Failure to change the timing belt/chain when it should be done will result in very expensive repairs, often requiring the replacement of the entire motor. Over my long tenure with VW, I seen numerous cars towed in with broken timing belts/chains that ended up needing complete motor replacements, once they were partially opened for inspection. ( I remember the service advisor telling one customer several times over a two year period that the timing belt was overdue for replacement, but they said they couldn't afford it; he even gave them the name of an independent who would replace it for less, but, still they didn't do it and sure enough, one it came in on the hook with a broken belt... the head was pulled off and at least one piston was toast (cracked by the valve) and two others had impact marks....)

VW has a much better reputation in Europe because people there tend to follow the owner's manual recommendations much more closely than Americans do. Most european makes would not do well in the US because people don't follow the manufacturer's recommendation for service.

IF you're the kind of person who can follow the manufacturer's requirements for service to the letter, then a new VW might be a good choice for you. People who followed the recommendations of VW and/or the service advisors tended to have a far more reliable vehicle than those who took it to quick lube places or garages that didn't specialize in VW-Audi's.

The Asian and US makes in general tend to be far more forgiving about somewhat lax or irregular service that many people seem to do these days. I've been around cars forever and have seen the maintanance intervals length increase over time, sadly, a lot people don't follow what the manufacturer suggests for service.

If what you want is a vehicle that is cheap to maintain and reliable, but has no character, buy an Asian make (though those new Hyundai's look pretty good) as the Honda and Toyota's are about as good as it gets. Some of the new Fords and GM cars from what I've heard from others at local dealership personnel seem to also be very reliable and cheap to maintain too. The Ford Fusion seems to be an excellent car in its own right.

Hope this helps, a car nut. - a car nut

5)   I have a 2006 VW GTI, if you plan on getting any VW car with a DSG Transmission, expect to pay up to $400 for a transmission fluid change. When I damaged my spoiler brake light a couple years ago, the stealership said I had to replace the whole spoiler just to get a new spoiler brake light and it costed about $340 without it being painted. - Richard Hong


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Question 3
is vw jetta a sports car?...  

Answers
1)   No, but when they come out with the 200 HP version, it's "sporty". - Artemisc

2)   Not really, its more of a passenger car. If you want something sporty from VW the Golf Gti is better in that regards. The jetta does have higher power versions. The jetta is a stretched platform of the golf. - DrkLce

3)   sports car
— n
a production car designed for speed, high acceleration, and manoeuvrability, having a low body and usually adequate seating for only two persons

So according to the technical definition, no. With enough work can a VW Jetta hang with "sports cars" around the track, at the drag strip, etc? Absolutely. - gti_4cefed4

4)   No. They are simply passenger cars that are built for autobahn usage. (Too bad the US version isn't)

With a suspension upgrade, cams, and a cam specific chip Jettas can become quite fun track cars.

Whoever said the Jetta is built on a streched Golf frame, you are wrong. They share chassis'. The only reason VW built the Jetta is because people loved the Golf but wanted a trunk, so VW grafted a trunk on the back of a Golf.

Your street driven Jetta will never be "fast" but it can be "quick." - Nick


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Question 4
Is 140,000 miles a lot for a Volkswagen?...  I'm looking into purchasing a 1998 VW Jetta GL with about 140,000 miles on it. It seems to be in good condition otherwise, and I was just wondering if it's a reliable car, or if I should be worried about the high mileage. Any info would be great, thanks!

Answers
1)   Volkswagens are very tough, and 140k miles for a modern car is not an awful lot. In fact if the car has travelled those miles on the motorways, it will be a better bet than a car that has only been on 'urban' runs such as the school runs.

The mileage would be even better if the car is a TDI turbo diesel, you could probably get about 300k out of one of them!

Also consider Skoda and Seat. These are re-badged Volkswagen products, and since Skoda and Seat don't quite have the same badge kudos as a Volkswagen wearing a VW badge, they fetch less on the marketplace, so you could end up buying the same car (underneath) with the same mechanicals but a different badge for less! - V8VANTAGE

2)   It is an extremely well engineered car, but the condition depends much more on the driving habits and maintenance of the last owner than the miles.
Look for abuse, such as uneven or rough tire wear, worn petals and controls, oil leaks, dirty engine compartment from lack of maintenance, low fluids, etc.
Even better is to have it checked out at a shop.
There are lots of other variances as well, such as cars with manual transmissions wear about a forth less in the same amount of miles.
And a lead foot driver can wear a car over twice as fast as a conscientious driver.

At 140,000, it could be almost halfway to its second timing belt, or it could be long past due.
The front brakes are likely to be thin and cost about $150 (never turn rotors).
The CV joints could probably use repacking, for about $150.
Things like plugs, oil, filters, etc., should be done every year regardless of miles. - Motorhead

3)   You won't have any trouble with the 2.0l, especially with only 140k on it.

Check the reverse gear. Listen for clicking, if it's clicking the gear has had at least one tooth chipped off and is now running on borrowed time. Also, does it stay in gear when you reverse (get going until you've passed 2k rpm if that doesn't pop it out you're good)

Check the wheel wells, strut and shock towers, behind the license plate tub, the floor, the spare tire well, and behind the fuel door for rust.

The timing belt should have been done twice by now. Make sure they have paperwork.

There's a pretty good chance the Airbag light is on, chances are it's a broken clock spring in the steering wheel. Easy, cheap fix.

If the Check Engine light is on, have the codes pulled. Mk3 VWs are known for the CEL being on frequently and it's usually nothing to worry about.

If the car has power windows. Test each one individually, note how fast they go up and down. Do they seem to "get caught" on something. The power window regulators are terribly designed and when they go, if the owner is an idiot they may have burned out the motor ($350 to replace) so look sharp. - Nick


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Question 5
Engine Oil Cream on oil cap, false alarm maybe?...  engine Oil cap has cream on it , now I know what it means, water gets in the system ,but bear with me , like 3 days ago I got the garage to have a look at the car, they said that they had to change a part , I can't remember what it was , they did it anyways, they also cleaned the engine changed filters etc , the owner told me that head gasket might be gone ,but its unlikely, he told me if the anti-freeze/water starts dissapearing , then to come back to him , but the problem is , the foam is showing up , but There is no change in anti-freeze or oil ,their both pure, all nice and clean , anti freeze is lovely cyan see through and oil is nice gold colour, now is there any chance that there is recidue of the cleanser or sumtin ,cause he told me to change the oil after 1000mi. any ideas ?

Answers
1)   As long as the anti-freeze isn't disappearing I can guarantee it is not getting into the oil. This time of year we see a lot of concerns about condensation in the crankcase, but it is very normal. - Michael

2)   I agree with Michael; many vehicles can form this if driven in cold weather and for short distances.
Some of the older VW's would do this even if the weather was warm if they were driven in town driving for short runs, then shut off. The motor never got hot enough to burn off the moisture that was formed in the motor... You can have a pressure check and also a block check done on the motor to be absolutely sure that you don't have a blown headgasket, but from what you have written, I consider it highly unlikely.

A block check and cooling system pressure check done together will either tell you that you have some sort of leakage into the cooling system or not. In some cases, a sniff test with an exhaust infrared co machine will also indicate a exhaust leakage into the cooling system (blown head gasket or crack in either the block and/or head assembly.

Hope this helps, a car nut. - a car nut

3)   Emulsification, the cream you describe is a fairly natural consequence of the engine getting hot then going cold etc . A car engine creates an enormous amount of condensation within and mixed with the oil and oil vapour it will produce the cream sludge. However, why did the previous owner say anything about the head gasket if he did not have or had been told there may be a problem. You need to get a qualified opinion by an expert who actually looks at the car, it could save you an awful lot of money in the long run. - L G


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