Frank Fontaine

Curious if anyone had to do powertrain work while under warranty?

This car can still be annoying. I filled up the tank last night after we had a football game (need to hit the Motrin factory outlet store today, yikes, but what the heck I had 2 LT style sacks) and the fuel gauge did not go up to full. Here we go again. That's the 4th sending unit in the car now since new, I will not pay to have it replaced. But this am sure enough the needle climbs above full. Also, they told me I need a new power steering pump because it's leaking. Nah, steering is overboosted anyway and I don't see the level go down although I do see the fluid.

Just a heads up if you're getting a used '98, definitely check things out, make the dealer fix these items:

power brake check valve
o-ring 5-speed tranny
power steering
fuel sender unit
a/c heat blower unit
careful with side air bags, they are covered through 60k, very costly afterwards and faulty
check front strut boots for tears
rust under rear bumper cover but doesn't seem to harm vehicle
seat lumbar support mechanism
clutch whine/whirr

Mine was mfg in July 1997 so it may have been a bad early '98 car, but those are the things that needed attention on my car that was delivered new

Still gonna drive this thing forever. I know, no cars are perfect. My buddy needs a $1000 job done on his '00 Passat with 44k!! VW is expensive parts/labor wise. His brake pads are just over $60 discount, where ours are in the mid $40's. Either car front brakes are done in 15 min.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

My 98 was also manufactured in July 97, and it now has 135,000 miles

Anyway,

I replaced the tranny at 125,000 miles due to the bad bearings. Got a new ACT clutch too. So tranny issues, and clutch are moot. My original clutch was still good at 120,000 miles. Noisy though.


My power steering if fine, the fluid is always full,I never re-fill it. Yet, I see a leak, too. What gives??
My brakes are fine. Just replaced pads and front rotors for warpage.

Hmm feul sender?? Mine seems OK. Feul gage has always worked fine.
AC is fine.
My car doesn't have side airbags.
My boots are fine, too. Give them the old look thru whenever I change my oil.
Rear bumper cover, got to check that. My rear bumper needs to be re-painted anyways. Lots a scratches. Probably just replace it with a new painted one.

Seat Lumber support. I always thought it sucked, but it works, and still sucks


VWs are fun, but they still are not reliable. Lots of -ve ratings in consumer reports. Win-Maxima.

DW

xHypex

iTrader: (1)

I have a '99, but I'll be at the 60k mark before too long. My clutch never had a whirr, but I also replaced it at 48k. My AC works great, but the fan does make the cricket noise on low settings.
I had the power steering leak and used a wrench to tighten the nut, but I think the seals shrink/deteriorate over time and slowly leak. I haven't noticed any fluid decrease though
The transmission seal on the drivers side was leaking so I got that replaced under powertrain warranty. I also replaced my oil pressure switch due to a small leak. Other than those things no problems here. My front dust boots were shot when I replaced my suspension at 50k. My car was manufactured 6/98.
I love my car, but when problems creep up it does get annoying. So it goes.
-hype

JUDE

iTrader: (7)

I also have a 99 which was manufactured in late 98. Only problems have been a belt wine (alternator maybe?) that I can sometimes here at idle. Had to changed the rotors at all four corners. I went with cheap pep boy replacements and it seems I will have to changed them again soon. My fuel guage did act up at some point, but hasn't done that in quite a while. Also, my left headlight bulb exploded...

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

That could simply be due to whomever installed it not having cleaned their hands. Any grease or dirt left on the bulb will cause un-evening heating of the delicate bulb surface, sometimes making it explode like yours did. Whenever I install healight bulbs, I use a cloth soaked with alcohol, that way any and all residue on the bulb evaporates once the install is done.

DW