Re: 1998 GLX..too many repairs

[John Kiekhaefer <jonnk@execpc.com>]

I got my 98 GLX early last year too.  The only problem I have had is wheel
alignment.   I had the same problem early on with my 95 GLX.  Its not actually an
alignment problem but one involving wheels and tires not matching exactly.  The
Goodyear Eagle GA's evidently have some tread pattern inconsistencies that tend
to show up in tire pull particularly on a car that has tight steering.  Also, it
is improbable that one will get a set of wheels that are perfectly matched.  I
eventually solved the problem by moving the wheels around until the tendancy of
the car to drift was minimized.  The problem has also decreased as the tires
broke in.
John Kiekhaefer

Milind Gokhale wrote:

> I got my black 1998 glx early last year and have had too many problems with
> it...the car has been in the shop for about 15 days in the last 11 months
> with new problems cropping up with alarming regularity...here's a sample
>
> 1. Wheel alignment - 2 visits
> 2. Keyless entry problems- 2 reprogrammed the keys, then replaced a circuit
> board
> 3. Fuel indicator failed -replaced instrument cluster
> 4. Fuel indicator failed again- replaced another instrument cluster and when
> they noticed that didn't work...
> 5. they replaced the fuel tank
> 6. I noticed very low oil-below the minimum and had to put in about 2
> quarts...this was about a month after the 5K service! they found a
> crankshaft seal leak...and had to work on the engine to replace the seal
> 7. incidentally, while poking around, they also found Power steering
> reservoir leak…replaced the reservoir
> 8. and more recently, the rear brakes squeak
> 9. and the fuel indicator still malfunctions
>
> i certainly hope this is not normal for vw!!! i love the way the car drives
> but these problems are making me very nervous about what's to come after the
> warranty exipres. although my dealer has been very good about making the
> repairs, even they are getting frsutrated with the number of times my car is
> at the shop. i called vw customer service recently and they have made an
> appointment for me to meet a factory representative at the dealers next week.
>
> any advice/suggestions as to how i might handle the situation to my best
> advantage? has anyone out there experienced a similar situation?
>
> thanks
> milind gokhale
> Milind Gokhale                  Ph: (609) 258-4204 (off)
> Research Associate, POEM                  258-6688 (MBE lab)
> J303 E-Quad                               279-0274 (home)
> Princeton University
> Princeton, NJ 08540