77k miles in a 2018 VW Jetta 1.4T (manual)

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

Good choice with the CrossClimate2's, we have them on both of our cars and they've been great, even in the snow.

[@ashton9699]

Love how the video format is a reference to the old VW introductory VHS tapes.

[@warrenf5821]

So glad to see another car video on your channel. Manual transmission forever!

[@BigCar2]

On my 2011 VW GTI the volume knob not being vertical meant I only used the steering wheel controls. I like things orderly.

[@aperson6955]

Golf or Polo?

[@jonytube]

Fancy seeing you here!

[@CEzikMaj]

VWestlife - one of the few guys on youtube that can run out of tape

[@agy234]

I will always watch a vwestlife video no matter the subject

[@dsolin]

Hi Kevin. Being a long time follower of your videos, this made me think about your "not pulling off carrying a purse"-joke. Your dry humor makes me happy. Thank you :D

[@nickstevenson3276]

I can't believe that it's six years ago. Seems like just a few months ago that you did your initial review, and it still looks like new.

[@deldel3006]

I just realized how long I have been following this channel for. Not only I remember when you first got the current Jetta, but I also remember when you got the Subaru. I live in Japan and don't own a car, but I always found you car videos very satisfying to watch!

[@Jones5121]

love your style of videos, always entertaining yet informative

[@Craig1967]

Good video as always. I believe (please confirm) that your engine is a GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection.) If that is in fact the case, the carbon buildup that you mention in the intake manifold is NOT from the gasoline, but rather one of the downsides of GDI. In a GDI engine (turbo or not) the gasoline is injected directly into each cylindar and does not spray over the intake valves. The EGR (Exhaust gas recirulation) system along with the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) allows "dirty," or carbon rich gasses, and a small amount of atomized engine oil to flow through the intake manifold, and accumulate on the intake valves. In a MPI (Multi Port Injection) engine, (not GDI) the fuel injectors spray fuel into the intake manifold, typically one for each cylindar. The gasoline disolves the carbon buildup. If you determine that your engine is a GDI, there are do it yourself systems to clean off the carbon, or take it to a dealer or mechanic that you have absolute trust in. When it gets really bad (most likely was your case) the intake manifold has to come off and then the carbon is removed off the valves mechanically, or blasted off with walnut shells (not kidding.) I read on the Internet that some dealers will not explicitly explain all that for PR and marketing reasons. VW has a bad reputation in that catagory. I drive a KIA with a Turbo GDI engine, and the exact same thing happens. However, as a precaution, I use CRC Intake Valve Cleaner every 12K miles to prevent the buildup. If it is a GDI, and carbon build up was the cause, then that would explain the symptoms you were having. If it is in fact a GDI engine, the gasoline NEVER goes through the intake manifold, only air and oily blow-by gasses, etc. Carbon (soot) and goo can build up inside the intake manifold over time no matter what type of engine you have, but if you are being told that its the gasoline, they are lying to you. Please let me know. Thanks and Happy New Year!

[@vwestlife]

Yes, VW's TSI engine is direct-injection and thus prone to intake clogging.

[@PJBonoVox]

That's a lot of text to tell him something he likely already knows.

[@synapticburn]

​@@PJBonoVoxI found it useful. If you don't have something useful to add you can just scroll on by lol

[@lolman123401]

I prefer seafoam now, it's easier to get and it's cheaper and it seems to do the same job or better than the CRC

[@johnpriceuk]

So strange to hear a HubNut reference while watching another of my favourite channels!!

[@RobertPucovsky]

This is the tipe of video that I like. The one that shows all the little quirks and features of a car, or anything really.

[@arkkukakku112]

Fun fact about Michelin CrossClimate tires. In Finland an Sweden we drive folk racing, it is like budget version of rallycross. All special motorsport tires are banned so people use all wheather tires becaus those have best traction. couple years ago Michelin Cross Climate tires were banned because they could get so much traction on asphalt that lighter cars would wheelie and create dangerous situations on starting line.

[@LightTheUnicorn]

Glad you're still having a great time with the Jetta! Hope it gives you many years more of reliable service!

[@joshm264]

I love that you left in the little blooper while driving, lmao

[@scorch527]

Nice to see someone take proper care of and prefer a manual! On my side of the Atlantic manual is the default and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[@thewubmachine840]

I Have a 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE With 109,000 Miles And We took care of it We change oil every 5,000 miles. we had too many memories of that Van.

[@glossymouse7712]

Unfortunately here in Croatia, automatics seem to be getting somewhat popular. I think local snobs believe that driving an automatic somehow makes them superior. And they definitely don't care about the ridiculous maintenance costs of an auto.

[@Jason787]

I love the picture quality of your videos and the music. Reminds me of my childhood in the 80s. I have no interest in cars as do not drive but still enjoyed the video.

[@LaytonKnightt]

Ive wanted a 90s passat TDI for years because of that one video you did a while back (how I discovered this channel). Coincidentally, I just bought a 2012 Jetta SE 2.5 off of a family member for really cheap. It’s my first VW and I love it-just wish it were a manual.

[@LTMedia]

Normally a Honda guy here, but I find this manual Jetta to be quite interesting to me. It seems like it has many simple yet elegant features that speak to a practical-minded person like myself. Thanks for the great video!

[@jeg1972]

I never thought I'd see HubNut's Triangle of Doom get a mention on here 🙂

[@rafaelm.2056]

I have a 2018 Golf R 7.5 with a 6 speed and it has 6,000 miles. I like the innovation where the glove box doubles as a mini refrigerator due to the air tube from the ductwork. I took it in for an oil change, which was basically fresh oil from the year before and the service guy said it was really clean and still new.

[@fhwolthuis]

Happy 2024, Kevin! 🎉

[@scottnokes]

It is quite unfortunate that manual transmissions have become so rare. I agree that they make driving fun, and gives the driver a better feel for the vehicle. One of the vehicles in my collection is a low-mileage 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Tomb Raider Edition (#1 of about 1,050 produced), with a 5-speed manual. It is a ton of fun! Great choice to keep the Jetta. It has many more reliable miles left in it. Enjoy watching your videos over the years!

[@scottcol23]

I agree, I had many manual vehicles over the years. My first car was a 1989 Ford probe 5 speed. My favorite was a tie between my 1987 accord lxi hatchback 5 speed and a 1991 Ford escort hatchback 5 speed. They were slow but so much fun to drive. I'm still enjoying my Saturn VUE manual with AWD and a 3.0L Honda V6. Its a rare one.

[@nickwallette6201]

Still rocking a manual transmission. Every time I rent a car, I rediscover why I _loathe_ automatic transmissions.

[@richmorrison8194]

Last car I had with a 5 speed was a Hyundai Elantra. Miss it a lot!

[@straightpipediesel]

The reason is emissions. When you let off the gas to switch gears, the engine goes out of equilibrium and increases emissions. US, particularly California, emissions are stricter than Europe's so automakers can't meet them with manuals anymore. This is made worse with turbocharged engines. The post-dieselgate EU Real Driving Emissions test exposed designs in Europe, like the tiny turbocharged engines, weren't meeting emissions so that's why manuals are declining there too, replaced by hybrids, CVTs and high-gear count autos.

[@nickwallette6201]

@@straightpipediesel Oh man... the only thing worse than an auto is a CVT. But, if that's true, then that's encouraging. We might get stickshifts back with electric cars! Won't need as many gears, though.

[@NotIT]

This was interesting to see how so many of the features that my old 2000 Audi A4 were still carried on in the Jetta so many years later. Also shows how slow VW/Audi was to make changes and evolve designs back then.

[@sjefhendrickx2257]

Slow? And why evolve design! If its good its good!

[@mattalki]

I'm glad you're still enjoying the Jetta. I drive a 2015 Golf SE TDI that I purchased at the beginning of 2019. I've had it for right at 5 years, and I've gone from 43K miles to 110K miles. It's the 6-speed manual and drives extremely well. So far the only issues it's had are it needed a new battery (twice), the sunshade was broken and was replaced under the CPO warranty (it was like that when I bought it), the front drivers seat started showing the cracking that your seat is (replaced under warranty), and the sunroof and trunk both leaked water. The water leaks took a lot of time to find where the water was coming in, but I eventually fixed the issue myself for the cost of some time and RTV. Otherwise, it's been solid as a rock. It gets about 42mpg mixed, and gets me from here to there without issue. I've always had VWs and probably always will. Glad to see your Jetta is holding up fairly well. I've been curious about the 1.4L and 1.5L engines.

[@golfguy25]

I was looking for a first car, thinking of getting a Civic, but you're videos convinced me to get a VW. I ended up getting a 2010 Golf S with a 2.5 naturally aspirated inline-5, and a 5-speed manual. I am loving the car so far, the interior is great, it has a surprising amount of nice features for a base model, and the driving experience is really satisfying and refined. People say that VWs aren't super reliable, but with a simple N/A engine, a manual transmission, and good maintanance, they can last quite a while. Mine has 145k miles and runs like it's brand new. I plan on keeping up with maintenance and keeping the car as long as possible, as there aren't any new cars that fit my needs as good as this car.

[@CompactDisc_700MB]

Nice I always like your car videos. Glad you are keeping the Jetta since new cars kinda suck now. I also like the old camcorder video it just has a cozy feel to it.

[@smvwees]

I like the 80's 90's vibe with music you put under it and the handycam footage with the authentic color fringing, contrast and standard defenition image quality. The outside of the car also feels 90's. The pricelist you showed, i know i will never have the money to buy and maintain a car.

[@grantbanstead1971]

It's normal to bash VW recently, so a good review of a well built European car is nice to see. So many thoughtful touches. I loved my old Audi A6.

[@richmorrison8194]

hi Kevin! I had a Golf TDI and the exhaust manifold clogged up. The dealer said it was from using cheap engine oil and that I should be using synthetic oil. Since it was a Diesel, it used a certain type of oil. The kicker was I always got the oil changed at the dealership! They did not recommend the synthetic oil to me until it was too late. I was so pissed!

[@zorilla0]

That gauge cluster illumination tech has to be one of the most German solutions to a basic problem I think I've ever seen. The wiper "maintenance position" feature is probably a close second. To their credit, I don't think I've ever seen a single Volkswagen with their headlights off at night. It's always Toyotas and Nissans.

[@andreasu.3546]

My decidedly non-German but very French 2006 Citroen C5 has that exact same wiper maintenance feature. However, instead of doing funky things with the gauge cluster illumination when it gets dark, it simply turns on the lights for you.

[@vadnegru]

When i tried to turn lights in Skoda it was unintuitive after Kia (that got it near steering wheel)

[@Edvinas_channel]

The gauge cluster feature is an implementation of a mandatory UN regulation 48 requirement which states that cars with DRLs must either turn on the headlights automatically or provide an indication, either literally (a message in the dash) or via illumination of instruments. Having interior buttons off is also an acceptable indication, but it seems that Toyota drivers don't notice that.

[@zanesutherland406]

I have a ‘97 VW Passat TDI, and in the owner tape instructional video they talk about how studies show that daytime lights resulted in less accidents. They are always on outside, but you use the switch inside to turn on gauge lights. Not sure if daytime lights are less power or not. I really like that feature

[@Edvinas_channel]

@@zanesutherland406 daytime lamps usually differ from any other lamp mode, either in strength or in the bulbs that get lit. If a car uses front position lamps as DRL, then those lamps are a lot brighter than in the position/parking mode. If high beam lamps are used as DRL, then those lamps are a lot dimmer than in the real high beam mode. There is no other mode that replicates DRL mode but with gauge lighting, as if it's dark enough for you not to see gauges, it's time to use real lamps.

[@Kane26510]

My wife and I recently bought a 2020 Jetta 1.4T (base model with an automatic) to replace her 2007 Rabbit (2.5L with an automatic) which was totaled in a head-on collision (airbag deployed, wife is fine). We bought the car with 7,400 miles on it in September 2023. Since it was a CPO Car (Certified Pre-Owned), VW of North America extends the warranty 12 months or 12,000 miles, so we get 84,000 miles ending some time in late 2026. So far, I'm impressed with the fuel economy that this car gets. We run it on Sam's Club fuel, so we may have to switch that up to top tier stuff. My list of items that I wish our car had is fairly short. - Heated Seats - Adaptive Cruise Control - A sound system that integrates with my phone (an iPhone 8) better. It usually works, but gives me issues about 15% of the time. - Lighter interior color (ours is dark charcoal grey, which in Phoenix is a recipe for a scorched butt and thighs). It is fabric, which we prefer. Liked the review and will keep in mind the 40,000 mile spark plug issue. Cheers.

[@anameofsomesort959]

As many have already said, gotta love the manual transmission and physical buttons. I'll probably never get rid of my Focus with a few simple mods because of those exact features, and i's complete lack of driver aids (traction control and ABS). I do enjoy going to SCCA events in the summer with it, although I may stop taking it to those as it gains miles, but also may take the opportunity to engine swap it as low mileage examples are still available cheaply. Great review. I'm normally hesitant about turbo charged little engines. I prefer 2L+ NA engines as they should last longer. However, seeing your service history, it seems that actual engine wear isn't all that much of an issue as you get higher up in the miles.

[@glossymouse7712]

Turbochargers on these are nice up until it passes around 200.000km, after that it gets less and less reliable. Issues range from smaller failures like vacuum leaks (which still leave your car undrivable) to the turbine outright blowing up. It's a big money pit that doesn't have to exist. Also the larger fuel consumption, my Audi A3 TDI 1,6 consumes up to 12 liters if it's pressed a bit harder (which is necessary with the diesel because of the regeneration junk)

[@dan19120]

I always forget how much i love your videos

[@TechieZeddie]

Your CEL and random cyl misfire issue mirrors my experience with my 2017 Golf R. Still in the shop as we speak. Only my dealer kept misdiagnosing the issue. At around the same milage as yours, I replaced spark plugs and coil packs, but that didn't fix it. Then they kept saying it was due to the ECU running too rich at cold start, and that an update should fix it. The update never came and now if it ever comes out, they want to charge me for it because im no longer under warranty. Now that the warranty is over, I went to a tuning shop that specializes on VW/Audis and they said it most likely carbon buildup on the valves. But by now my car has 172k miles and the carbon buildup was really bad. It's taken them 2 weeks to clean with chemical solvents. They told me they couldn't use walnut blasting because that would only chip away at the surface. Cylinder 3 was the worst of it. Unlike your valve cleaning that cost $600, they charged me almost $1.7k. I'm pretty mad at my VW dealer for not taking care of this around the 38k mark like yours did. This gave me really bad vibes with VW and I was about to swear them off for my next vehicle (thinking of going back to Japanese like Toyota, Honda, or Subaru). But now i feel like my current car will last a bit longer without costing me too much more on repairs. Thanks for sharing your long term review of your Jetta. It actually helped me understand what's happening with my own car.

[@marks-the-spot]

Thanks for this report, Kevin. I have experienced very long life from VW brakes. The best was 88K miles on the original brakes in a 2001 Passat 4-Motion Wagon. I drove a lot of highway miles, but the brakes still got a good workout. That car was very reliable. The only warranty claim was to replace the catalytic converters. We just put CrossClimate2s on the wife's Tiguan and so far, so good. But we're still waiting for the first snow...

[@oleo007]

Jetta is a cool car,i believe 90% of Jettas of this generation sold here in Brazil are automatic,manual is absolutely rare with 1.4 TFSI,the quirks of your jetta reminds some things of my Polo 9N3 2011. As always your videos are so cool specially in 720p 😂it's a nice touch!As a gear head and tape head too, LOL,please more videos about your cars.

[@MN12BIRD]

I hope my GLI runs as long and trouble free! I agree the mirror defrost switch is whack the first time I realized it rotates all the way around (took me like 2 weeks to even notice) it felt like I was going to break it and I thought surely they don't want me to do this? They must just come on with the rear defrost I thought. But I guess not. Also I hate that many times when I get in the car it wants to default to my phone/KZbin app audio despite the fact I was listening to XM radio last. Oh and every once in awhile I can start the car and XM or even FM won't work the icons (saved stations) are all just blank and it's loading but never comes on. First few times I thought okay for XM maybe it just doesn't have a good signal but for FM? XM or FM just wont work every now and then until I turn off the radio and try again. I wonder if I should update the software somehow. Oh yeah and the fact the power logo on the volume knob rotates is cheep looking. I noticed that the day I got the car! Otherwise I love the car the 2.0t still surprises me sometimes with that 2nd gear pull. I've only been using 91 octane mainly Petro Canada (I should see if that's considered the good stuff!)

[@Markimark151]

I once had a stick shift VW Jetta from 2002, it was a lease, I learned to drive on that car. The car was fun to drive, but the maintenance especially for the diesel model was hard to do for local dealerships. But it got really good fuel economy, especially on the highway, my dad drove it everyday to work. Diesel fuel was once cheaper than premium gas.

[@nuherbleath461]

I’m actually going to listen to you as you have the manual

[@andregadellaa]

I thought I spied a wonky knob before you did the radio segment! I’m also glad that you rotated that volume knob vertically as well! Alas we do not get the Jetta down under anymore, stopped in about 2017, and manuals are long gone.

[@bencezavarko7312]

A fellow manual enjoyer I see. Very based!

[@michaelgreco4813]

My father has a 2019 Jetta 1.4t manual with a little over 202,000 miles. No real problems with it other than wear items expiring, the car recently received a clutch and timing belt service a few weeks ago. Good and surprisingly engaging vehicle.

[@SpeakerFreak95]

I have a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Dune, and at 46,000 miles it’s been a blast to drive. Easy to maintain, it’s fun, it’s cheap to use. I’ll do a video! VW’s are charming cars. I’ll always love them. Many of the same quirks ‘N’ features you pointed out, apply also to the Beetle’s I’ve driven over the years. Including my Beetle Dune.

[@Drmcclung]

I LOVED my white 2015 2.5 SE and am still, STILL pissed off at the drunk driver who rear ended me at the end of 2017, 13 days after a major hurricane (Harvey). Best car I ever owned, first one I ever bought brand new, still crying myself to sleep every night!

[@gotham61]

I live in NYC and didn't even put on my dedicated snow tires last year. We'll see how it goes this winter.

[@savagemadman2054]

Glad to hear you're not replacing your car unnecessarily. My 2006 Subaru Legacy GT isnt going anywhere - even though it's EJ257 engine costs a fortune to fuel nothing ever seems to fail on it with just normal maintenance.

[@F40PH-2CAT]

Quirks and features....Doug DeWestlife. Also, nothing snow related has changed. It will be back to normal next year when el nino goes away. Keep those snow tires.

[@Fezzler61]

I started buying used Jettas for my daughters when the became drivers. I have owned three. They are wonderful cars that give you A LOT of value for your money. Very happy with them.

[@KaldekBoch]

The fact that you upload in 720p still is on point.

[@DasYorgo4000]

The carboned up intake valves has nothing to do with fuel quality. Your engine is direct injected, spays fuel directly into the cylinders over the piston crown. Oil vapor from the PCV system does not get washed off the intake valves like in a normal port injection engine, it builds up to the point where it causes issues with misfire. To be honest this is not just a VW thing its pretty much standard on most DI engines you will probably have to do the cleaning again in the future.

[@scott8919]

I would assume, though, better quality fuel would affect how often it needs to be done at least.

[@Kandralla]

It's only a problem for DI engines when the manufacturers way of addressing it was to just hope it didn't happen. Mazda designed the valve seats on their DI engines to run at higher temps and assumed most people were going to floor it every couple months when the engine is hot to burn it off. I think it was either Honda or Toyota that put injectors upstream of the valves and runs like a non-DI engine in some conditions.

[@Kandralla]

@@scott8919 All fuel is pretty much the same quality now; it's almost 100% certain that you have put gas in your car at a station that was actually manufactured by a competitor because they buy fuel off of each other regularly.

[@rusuclaudiu1988]

My friend, is a VW issue. They have it in the manual. On a 2002 golf Mk4 iw was written up to one liter of oil in 1000 km in fine. For a 2023 diesel engine it is written the same. How is it possible not to clog anything with all the oil vapours? Same 2023 engine, 20000 km on it, since it was new, one liter on every 4000 km. Îs not all right.

[@fallwitch]

I've come so close to buying a Jetta a few times. I really like them. Lovely cars. Yours is nice BTW! and looks like you have taken good care of it.

[@AndrewWilliams-nm9nu]

Thank you awesome videos just got a 2019 golf good to know what to expect!! 😊

[@MrDuncl]

MK7.5 or MK8 ? Doug DeMuro's review of the MK8 GTI made me seek out a Golf MK7.5 (although not a GTI).

[@AttilaSVK]

2009 Skoda Octavia vRS (2.0 TSI, 200 hp, 280 Nm) owner here (with about 183000km and about 28 mpg), based on the same PQ35 platform as the A6 Jetta. It's interesting to see that you've got quite a well equipped car, but no automatic headlights (I have an "auto" position on my light switch between the off and parking lights position) and no automatic AC. Maybe the former wasn't a thing the in US, but the latter surprised me. Btw, the radio runs QNX instead of Linux. The rear view camera is indeed composite, and AFAIK NTSC even in Europe. There was an RGB+sync highline camera option available in Europe (not sure about the US market), and on the pre-facelift models (with the RNS310/315/510 radio) even the lowline camera was RGBS. The tire pressure monitoring system is based on the wheel rotation signals coming from the ABS unit, and that's why it's less sensitive and needs a "reset" button. The button just tells the ABS unit that current wheel outer circumference is the normal.

[@AMDRADEONRUBY]

Yeah it's nice to see someone who taking care of theirs stuffs a very nice car you have love it.

[@beverpix]

Happy new year!

[@gabrielgomez2483]

The tire pressure monitoring on these doesn’t use sensors In the tires. It uses the wheel speed at each wheel and detects when a tire is low by the circumference and speed difference relative to the other wheels.

[@macdaniel6029]

Funny, I bought my Jetta in 2018 too. Mine is a 1990 model and had 140k when I bought it. It is the most modern car I currently own with the most luxury, it has power steering. My other 5 cars are older, I will never ever buy a modern car in my life.

[@nutsack]

The Mk2s are the best

[@rkan2]

Designed in the 90s, produced in the 2000s remains the best era imo! Enough overdesigning because of not having powerful enough computers, just before crazy amount of emissions controls came in and of course already almost as refined and efficient engines as today!

[@9852323]

Yes I prefer old cars. I won’t buy a modern car.

[@tvbox6955]

...exciting driving music! 🎶🎹

[@tvbox6955]

My theory is you found that music at the thrift shop. 😅

[@sparksfly13]

so cool to see your Jetta has the same fob my 2005 Jetta Wagon has! only difference is i use that switchblade key to start it lolll

[@CARLiCON]

cheesy old corporate promo video music goes perfect with the random business parking lots you used as sets...has kind of a 80s Motorweek feel to it, well done!

[@ccalhoun3908]

Happy new year.

[@joonglegamer9898]

With an ICE car I totally agree with you on the Manual drive. I always had manual drives on my ICE cars as well. That changed when I went electrical, then the accelleration is as good as the motor will allow you, and it leaves the ICE cars behind in the dust. I have a weird quirk in my Electrical car and that is that I cannot turn on the Mirror Heaters manually at all, in fact, the only way they will turn on is when the AC is in Auto mode, then it will work perfectly, without it - everything is a mess.

[@galacticusX]

Lovely car. Happy New Year mate!

[@BollingHolt]

I agree! I custom ordered my 2006 Accord EX-L V6 with a 6-speed manual back in 2005. I still drive it today. I made the mistake of getting a buying a 2017 Land Rover Discovery HSE Luxury for my 40th birthday in January 2021, and while I knew it would never be as reliable as the Honda, I had no idea how UNreliable and EXPENSIVE it would be (though a SWEET ride when it wasn't at the Land Rover dealership). I'm just going to keep my Honda running as long as I can. It's hard to find much these days that's affordable and reliable that comes with a manual transmission. Very sad!

[@molivil]

I got my 2014 Jetta 1.8T SE MK6 automatic w/ ~170hp in late 2016 and it had 25k miles on it. It used to belong to a Floridian car rental, so I'm the second owner. It is now 400 miles short of 100k and so far no major drivetrain issues. I did have to replace the AC compressor, and the AC side (passenger side) cooling fan motor at the radiator started making rattling noise, but that I could repair myself. And I had a service company change the rear brake pads just a couple weeks ago. And the front break pads I've never had to change, and they are now at 6mm (I hear they come brand new at 12mm). As for fuel, I have never run premium grade gasoline on the vehicle, only regular and never had any clogging issues, but I use QT or Love's most of the time so that may factor in. On cold days below freezing I do occasionally observer the car start at fairly low RPM's (maybe around 750rpm), which I'm not sure of, but it doesn't run rough and otherwise idles normally. All my previous fuel injected gas cars ran at a high RPM to warm up and then settled to about 700-800rpm. I still get around 37-45mpg with it, depends on the season. In winter I can regularly hit over 40mpg with the air conditioner turned off. But the brutal heat during Texas summer means lower fuel economy, around 37-40 because I run the air conditioner all the time at full blast.

[@misterrocks3035]

The feature with the wipers automatically switching to intermittent was a feature of the 1993 BMW 3 series I used to drive - not sure how long that feature had been around then, nor when VW introduced it themselves, but it was incredibly convenient when driving in traffic in patchy rain! The intermittent interval also decreased with your road speed, and would even give an extra wipe when you first started off with the wipers on. Fresh air intake for the climate control would automatically switch to a partial recirculation above about 70km/h, and would also do this when the interior temperature was significantly hotter than outside and you were trying to cool things down (you'd notice the switch back to more fresh air around 2ºC warmer than set temp, especially in humid weather, as the A/C would lose that telltale cold crispness of recirc).

[@Mrsteve4761]

Way to go! Rowing the gears like I prefer to do on my 6-spd 2013 CC. The carboned-up intake track is a result of direct injection as likely your car is as is my CC. The CC calls for premium fuel (as it is turbocharged) and though that is the only fuel I ever used I too had to have the intake track cleaned at around 40k miles due to carbon build-up. Without fuel washing over the valves this will happen.

[@handles_are_dumb_01]

In my 2014 Jetta TDI, I was able to use the "Carista OBDII" adapter to modify some parameters in my car -- including making the mirror heaters turn on with the rear defrosters. Might be worth looking into. There are some other tweaks you can make with it to. For example, I was able to disable the seat belt alarm -- I do wear my seatbelt, but at least in my Jetta throwing my cellphone onto the passenger seat made the car think someone was sitting there and it'd ding at me because my... cell phone wasn't wearing a seatbelt. (Also I'm not advertising the Carista. There are plenty of devices that can probably do the same things, it was just a cheap way for me to do it)

[@molivil]

Yes that is a problem in my 2014 Jetta 1.8T gasser as well. The passenger seat pressure sensor is too sensitive, so I've had to put the seatbelt on to the empty passenger seat. I'll need to look at that Carista OBDII thing.

[@HazewinDog]

@@molivil wow that's ridiculous. the good thing about a 4/5-door is that you can easily throw bags or other cargo onto the back seat, but I guess that safety feature kinda ruins that...

[@molivil]

@@HazewinDog yeah it used to not do that (at least for such light pressure) so I'm thinking it's a faulty sensor, just gone bad over the years. It's easy enough to put a seatbelt on the empty chair to silence the warning so I'm not too concerned.

[@straightpipediesel]

@@molivil You should fix it correctly because the weight sensor is safety critical in that it affects how the airbag deploys. In the worst case, you have a small person in the passenger seat, get in a minor crash and the airbag snaps the guy's neck or decapitates a kid. Some cars have a recalibration process, but that requires special fixture. Also report the problem to NHTSA (or your respective regulator) because with enough complaints it'll trigger a recall.

[@robertbarker5981]

'Triangle of Doom' 😂 I hope Ian is watching

[@mercuryoak2]

I have a 2014 Jetta TDI wagon 6 speed manual. It's funny that you have the same dashboard gauges as mine where is a friend of mine has the digital fuel gauge and no temperature gauge on his 2017 and his 2015. My brother has the infamous 2.5 L 5 cylinder Jetta from 2009 with a 5-speed manual. I love my diesel the only issue I had with it was the DPF and EGR got clogged up under warranty and they reissued the warranty for another 120k so that's awesome that I get covered again. The problem was that the car came from carvana but back when it had its emissions recall in 2019 supposedly the dealership in Colorado changed out the DPF. But when I took it to the dealership a few months ago when the warranty work was being performed they said it was never changed because it looks to be original from 2014. I thought it was funny when you said about the dashboard lights they dim down so that you actually are not stupid enough to not turn on your headlights. Unfortunately I saw somebody driving an Audi and a new Jetta the dashboard lights stay lit and even though I tried giving the guy attention by saying hey lights are off I got a crude hand gesture.. I get these idiots on Facebook that you got to love they want to push you to get an Ev.. just like a certain KZbinr on here 8 bit guy... They know where they can shove them ev cars etc. I will never get rid of my diesel wagon. Mine has 113,000 mi on it when I got it it had 52k in 2021 Dec. Upgraded to LED headlights and Lakeshore to keep that car clean especially in the fender Wells so that the drain doesn't get clogged and start a rust issue. I also have Goodyear assurance tires it originally had Goodyear weather-ready assurance tires and they weren't that good. The current originally had according to what the full size spare is Bridgestone. Good video is always Kevin

[@OzRetrocomp]

A modern VW is fine as long as you keep it serviced properly and choose a manual transmission, though unfortunately that choice is becoming more limited by the year. Signed, a 2012 VW Up owner with 100k miles (160k km) on it.

[@MrDuncl]

The DSG in my Golf 1.4TSI was still working fine when I traded it in at 115000 miles. A big bonus of the DSG was just £30 a year road tax as it was officially more economical than the manual.

[@rkan2]

4cyl with a manual* Not many options left indeed.

[@fredfletcher1370]

@@rkan2 My 4-cyl with a manual EA211 1.4L turbo - at over 63,000 miles: since new: No issues at al!

[@rkan2]

@@fredfletcher1370 rookie miles though :P. My Audis have 310k, 273k, 242k and 143k :D

[@standroid2406]

"I knew that was gonna happen" 🤣 the side-mirror defrosters on my Subaru Forester also have their own control, sort of: they come on when you turn on the windshield wiper heater. that's right: the Forester has a dedicated heater at the base of the windshield to keep the wipers from icing up. and I completely agree on the superiority of a MT.

[@starcrash1750]

I'm been waiting for an update of this. 😀

[@crazy.__1577]

Yeah! Keep this Jetta going! My 2003 Jetta has been in the family for 21 years now and is still going strong at 200k miles. Maintenance is key when it comes to Volkswagens.

[@golfguy25]

Does it have that classic crayon smell? My aunt has an '01 jetta in around 2013-2016. When I was at the junkyard a few days ago hunting for parts, I opened a door to one of those jettas and was hit with a huge wave of nostalgia the instant I smelled that interior.

[@MrDuncl]

I always found that I got slightly better gas mileage when using premium fuel in my 1.4TSI Golf. So much so that the cost per mile was hardly any higher.

[@synapticburn]

Yep, econ though it can run ok, Anything with forced induction should have high octane, otherwise the computer will have to pull timing to prevent knock

[@briangoldberg4439]

would highly recommend using fuel injector cleaner to keep your mileage up, i bought a used 2017 subaru forester and used techron cleaner once every 3 months and after a year my mileage went from 22 MPG to 25 MPG. this is for the XT turbo model and is pretty much spot on correct EPA

[@HouseCzechowski]

American using manual gearbox instead automatic 😂 Well done Yankee you getting closer to Europe 🇪🇺

[@FoxyVulpes]

having in the US a manual gearbox is also a good theft protection ... .🙂

[@applescruff1969]

Manual Transmission is still popular in Europe? I've been thinking about moving to the British Isles for a while, and this might seal the deal. Lol.

[@HouseCzechowski]

@applescruff1969 in entire Europe it is more popular than automatic. Don't get me wring I had VW Golf MK7 with DSG automatic gearbox and I do understand why Americans love automatic gearbox - because it is comfortable... But with manual you have way more fun 😁

[@FoxyVulpes]

@@applescruff1969 where I live (in Luxembourg) .. it still is ... - but slowly goes to automatic transmissions (esp. due electric vehicles, where no manual transmision exists - but EV are not that hugely accepted here - yet .. - I dunno) as a sidenote: I drive a VW Golf 5, with Automatic transmission, 2L TDI Diesel Engine, bought at 2004! and having around ~110'000km on it

[@applescruff1969]

@@FoxyVulpes So it's slowly becoming like it is here in the States. That's a shame. Still, hope I can move before EV's take over!

[@Octothorp3]

Ive got the same tires you have on my ford fusion and they are the best wet weather tires I've ever had. Hopefully they work as well for you as they have for me

[@fab555trainspottingandmore]

6:25 i like the 24 Hour mode more because thats what we use in Europe 🤭

[@Luke-san]

Strange seeing these international differences. Loads of people here in Europe switching from manual gearboxes to automatics, also due to the rise of hybrids and EV's. I have a 2017 (model 2018) Golf 1.4TSI highline. Almost no way to get leather seats here in a VW unless you pay a fortune which nobody does. A sunroof is also not very common here, at least not in the Benelux. Also a button to start the car is an option here. But auto lights (really handy), adaptive cruise control, adaptive wipers were all standard here on my Golf. For the interior ours are different it seems. I have a satnav 8inch screen Android Auto capable one, top model was a 9.2 inch. The mirrors also have a position on the switch so that the right mirror goes down when reversing. (not to hit a curb with the rims while parking). Ok it has a few option packs but here most of the time you order a car and you might get it a year after you order so people tend to 'compose' what stuff they want on a car. I had a car which brand I will not mention that I gave back to the dealer and had to go with a demo car, luckily with a lot of options, (had 1000 miles on the clock, now at an unbelievably low 10.000 miles) that was available. Btw you (and I) have the good 1.4TSI. They had serious issues with stretching chains and they switched back to belts I believe. Should be pretty bulletproof. I am on long life oil which means I only visit a specialist VW garage every 2 years to switch the oil. Just had to battle a strange ACC issue and it was the 12V battery it seems (touch wood) while the garage wanted to book me in for a complete alligment of the radar. The Jetta is no longer sold in Europe, it stopped with your model which they actually not really pushed here. Before the other car, which I gave back, I had a 2008 Jetta TDI. Probably the best car I ever had. Driving to the South of France fully packed averaging 5l of diesel per 100km is really crazy. (47mpg). But diesels seem no longer welcome in Europe because of the emission zones. Edit: For the remotes battery, just had the same. CR2025 but you can force a CR2032 in according to some posts. There is a very nice leather cover I use for it. It's like $6 on Alie black leather with red stitching. Fits perfect and keeps the remote new.

[@simonro9168]

5:57 Yes, this bothers me and I specifically set the knob to be right-way up and then use the steering wheel buttons to actually select the correct volume.

[@DeathInTheSnow]

I love your tech videos, dude, and this one is no exception. It's a lot of fun! Although I do question the validity of that MPG in a VW. 😁 But I am surprised you drive so much. I wouldn't have thought that was your jam. Have you thought about getting a bicycle for the new year?

[@UpLateGeek]

I was sad to get rid of my Golf a few years ago. I never drove it because I live a short walk from the grocery store, and public transport is also super convenient to get to most places here. Plus I don't have off-street parking, so maintaining it wasn't easy. I've been thinking of moving to a place with off-street parking, so I've also considered getting a new car as well. The Polo is the replacement for my old Golf (size-wise; the current Golf is about the same size as a hatchback version of the Bora would've been back when my Golf was new), but I've also been looking at electric cars and they don't make an electric Polo, so that's no good. I could've dropped down to an E-Up, but apparently it's a criminal offence to own a city car in Australia, which is probably why they're not sold here. So sadly Volkswagen no longer makes any cars that I'm interested in buying.

[@michobat6116]

Great cars love the mk6 I miss my 2015 gli

[@volvo480]

Cherish manual gear change and physical buttons for heater controls in this car. You can hardly find those in a new car.

[@themaritimegirl]

The CrossClimate 2's are also first on my list when it comes time to replace the Yokohamas on mine. The dealership only valuing your car at $9500 seems like an enormous rip-off to me. That is an $18,000 USD car in my area, and I say that knowing that's what it cost new in your area.

[@vwestlife]

Yup, I paid $18k for it new, minus the trade-in of my Subaru.

[@bbishoppcm]

Kinda shocked you have heated mirrors, power tilt/slide subroof, and manual hvac controls. My Mazda has all the above but no heated mirrors… also, VW still does the keyed horn power w/ unkeyed radio power? Neat!

[@nenoman3855]

Do you shoot your videos with a MiniDv camcorder? It's got the early 2000s, late 90s look.

[@vwestlife]

Yes, on this one I used a Sony DCR-HC62 from 2008.

[@nenoman3855]

@@vwestlifecool! i was expecting something from Canon, with the white balance on the warmer side.

[@NJRoadfan]

Incidentally I just rolled over 77k in my 2018 Audi A4 quattro coming home from vacation today. No complaints here, car was reliable thru the 4 year/50k warranty period. Only non-maintenance item I had to repair out of warranty at 60k was blown engine mounts (common failure on these). Same quirks and features inside. Does your passenger mirror tilt down when the adjustment knob is left on "R" and you shift into reverse? My 2006 Jetta and all the Audis I've had all did that. I'm surprised about the carbon buildup. While a common problem on DI engines, it generally is only a problem with much higher mileage. I went with ContiExtremeContact DWS06+ tires. Reasonably priced for a high performance all season and I've had good experience with the older models on various cars at this point. The Cross Climate2's get a tad pricey in 245/40R18! I get the same "upgrade" notifications from the dealer. The new A4 is not an upgrade as they removed TORSEN quattro system for something similar to the haldex clutch pack system found in the A3, TT, and R32!

[@vwestlife]

There is an option for it in Carista, but even with it enabled, the passenger mirror does not auto-tilt when I shift into reverse.

[@albear972]

Holy smokes! You drive a lot! I still have my Saturn automobile that I got brand-spankin' new back in June of 2002 It currently has 106,288 miles on the odometer.

[@JeffCD77]

I was just thinking the exact opposite, that he didn't put many miles on it. I mean that's pretty average if you ask me. My brother put 90k miles on his brand new Tesla in 3.5 years. That's a lot of driving!

[@LakeNipissing]

@@JeffCD77 How about 197,000 miles (315,000 km) on my 2017 F-150, which I bought brand new in October, 2017 ? 5.0 V8 2WD with 6 spd. So far only brakes, tires and oil changes. Has been from North Bay to Edmonton twice, North Bay to Winnipeg three times, and North Bay to Long Beach, CA twice. Average MPG to date is 21.7 (city/highway). Only half of what Kevin's Jetta achieves, but not bad for a truck. The aluminum body helps!

[@peacearchwa5103]

By West Coast standards, 77k miles over six years is quite typical. We tend to drive more frequently and somewhat longer distances out here, though my own driving mileage has dropped a lot over the past 5 years for various reasons.

[@doomedhuh]

I like that it still has a cd player. My 2019 Honda civic didn't have one.

[@tinfoilcat]

A friend had a Golf V with the 1.4 TSI which was chiptuned at some point. With the six speed manual transmission I got it to around 52 mpg cruising country roads in 90 km/h. 40-45 was common. Great engine!

[@bbishoppcm]

On a GDI engine, fuel type/quality has no impact on carbon formation, as the fuel never touches the backsides of the intake valves or any part of the intake tract. In my experience, routine cleaning about every 20k is a good preventative measure. I’ve owned three GDI vehicles with zero trouble (driven nearly 200,000 miles combined)

[@Kraigslist]

The reverse camera in Volkswagens are usually component video it may roll due to a PAL vs NTSC as the screen receives the video signal it gets confused and rolls for a moment

[@nickwallette6201]

It has been a couple of years, but the last one I worked with was still composite video. This was WELL after the rest of the world had moved to HD. But, for a backup cam, it's fine. Dot crawl and resolution aren't such a big deal for this, and it's just one wire instead of three. The roll is just the screen locking on to the sync. They're capacitor-coupled video inputs, so you have to clamp the signal to the display's ground reference, then there's usually an auto gain control to set the peak level, and then you let the sync detection do its thing. It's not always instantaneous, which is why CRTs would roll, and why LCDs often blank the image until they've got all of that (and the image phase / position) sorted out.

[@jordan.7]

I didnt expect your name to be Kevin. I always imagined it to be Gregory.

[@YogeshwarVaithyanathan99]

Awesome video, totally loved the content, more importantly the look and feel of the video. Could you tell us the shooting and editing gear (incl. software, if any)? Much love!

[@vwestlife]

I recorded this video on a Sony DCR-HC62 from 2008 and edited it using Serif MoviePlus X5.

[@veganguy74]

Back when I got my 2013 MINI Cooper Coupe it came with runflats from the factory. They didn’t last even 20,000 miles. I replaced them with Continental Cinturato P7 All Season tires which have done 30,000 miles and still have a decent amount of tread. I only have about 50,000 miles on the car because I work from home and mostly do local driving.

[@doalwa]

I seem to remember your original video when you got that car…damn, 5 years came and went fast 😳 The interior reminds me a lot of my old MK7.5 Golf GTI that I drove from 2018 to 2020. That was an amazing car and very fun to drive..I’m in a Tesla Model 3 now, but I really miss that manual gear box and the physical controls from time to time. Shame VW went all in with touch controls with the MK8 Golf.

[@MrDuncl]

In September I replaced my Golf 7 with a Golf 7.5 for that reason. I would have bought a Cupra Formentor if it didn't have the silly touch controls.

[@Veso266]

@@MrDuncl its just a screen thats touch anyway The radio is in the glow compartment or how this things sre called Just get a dcreen with buttons and swap it

[@MrDuncl]

@@Veso266 I'm sure doing so would invalidate the warranty which was the main reason I changed the car

[@Veso266]

@@MrDuncl well what else can u do if the car doesnt have what u want The worst thing is that nowadays what u want u cant even buy anymore BTW: screen does not have a waranty sticker, just get the trim off, and use 4 radio keys to get the screen out I dont think that it (screen) even has component protection