OT VW GTI 337, Anyone have experience Options

[mtn flyr]

Anyone have any thoughts on these? Thinking it would be nice to park my work truck for the basic running around and kid hauling duties, basically a part time fun driver. Thanks!

[Brett W]

RUN AWAY!!!!!!!! RUN AWAY FAST!!!!!!


Where do I start. They are a one off model, they have model specific parts like the transmission, etc. They are very expensive, if you can find them to replace. They are a VW product, that means they have a constant check engine light. It could have a problem blowing the coils. There are four of them. Could have a sludge problem, it is a 1.8T. It was either abused or babied, nothing in between. The starters tend to fail at around 100-130K. Other sensors just randomly fail, like the MAF, Speed Sensors, etc.

Don't bother, if you want something fun to drive and are stuck with wanting a German car, get a BMW of any variety. Forget anything VW Audi. If you want a cool car to drive, buy a WRX, Honda, Acura, etc. They will all be faster and all be light years more reliable. Hell I would buy a Corvette long before I buy a VW, or even a Mazda Speed 3. It is faster and more reliable than the VW.

[Gearhead1432]

The only unique features on a 337 are visual aside from the o2m 6spd gearbox and the brakes if I recall. The o2m is a fine transaxle and can handle well over 500hp. It can be found in other 1.8t vws such at the GLI and 20th anniversary GTI. I have a 2004 R32 that has over 75k with no problems. With proper maintenance they are just fine just like any the German car.

Rob

[jonferns]

I'm on my second VW, and ive never experienced any major problems. I have an '04 Jetta TDI (yes, diesel) and I love it. I've had it since march of this year and have put about 10k miles on it so far. At 135k miles it has zero problems, and I average 47 mpg.

[914-300Hemi]

I have a 2010 VW GTI with DSG as my daily driver and I love driving it everyday. it has a lot of power when i need it and it has great handling. I have 12,000 miles on it already and no problems.
If you buy one let me know how you like it.

Ravi

[banger]

Forget anything VW Audi. If you want a cool car to drive, buy a WRX, Honda, Acura, etc. They will all be faster and all be light years more reliable. Hell I would buy a Corvette long before I buy a VW, or even a Mazda Speed 3. It is faster and more reliable than the VW.

Funny, I have had 2 VW passats, and put 200k on each, with no major problems. Currently I have an Audi A8 with 186K and a VW Eurovan with 150k, none of cars has ever stranded me, and all have been very cheap to drive. The key is doing the work yourself, since the dealers dont seem to know what they are doing.

[Brett W]

I have had several customers with VWs and Audis. They are flaming piles of crap. When they are running right they are fun to drive. They have very nice driving dynamics. That is their redeeming qualities, but from a maintenance stand point, they are junk. You will need a proper scan tool, like VagCOm, Launch etc. Those little janky code readers will do nothing for you. You will need every tool in your tool box, plus a few you don't know about yet. Bring Torx, Allen, e-Torx, Anti-tamper Torx, Triple Squares, anti-tamper triple squares, in addition to the regular 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,21, fasteners. They are a royal pain in the ass to work on. I have an 01 S4 in right now and it is a nightmare. I am replacing turbos, manifolds, etc. It was easier to remove the engine and tranny than to try and do it in the car. (but it drives great, when it works).

The customer complained that the car would die while driving down the road. Turns out the coolant temp sensor will kill the car when it gets flakey. Yeah it happens after he drives the car for about 2 miles. Really, VW? A coolant temp sensor should never disable a car.

Ask my customer about his 337. Yeah its pretty fast, when it runs right. I put a clutch in the car (800$ alone for the clutch), then it needed a starter, yeah the 337 is different, it was $800 new from the dealer, they were the only ones that listed it. He had already had the coils blow out of the head, replaced those himself. WTF? Another customer has a 337, it has left him stranded several times. Audi Auto Transmission fluid is 29$ a quart, similar price for manual gear oil. Pink VW/Audi coolant is 20$ a gallon, yes it will corrode the aluminum bits inside if you don't change it out. Yes it will corrode the inside of the oil cooler.

Sorry I will never recommend anyone I know buy a VW Audi product.

[Cupomeat]

RUN AWAY!!!!!!!! RUN AWAY FAST!!!!!!
Forget anything VW Audi. If you want a cool car to drive, buy a WRX, Honda, Acura, etc. They will all be faster and all be light years more reliable. Hell I would buy a Corvette long before I buy a VW, or even a Mazda Speed 3. It is faster and more reliable than the VW.

Yes, this is interesting. I've heard a few people with similar view points, but My experience with VW and Audi products have been GREAT! I've owned an A3 for 8 yrs now, a 1st gen GTI (over 200k), a 2nd gen Jetta (over 200k), a 4th gen GTI (1.8t, no issues), and a 4th gen Jetta wagon (no issues).

My sister has a 4th gen Jetta with 150k and he only issue was dealing with a seatbelt/airbag light issue under warranty back around 80k.

Well, I guess you will always find people who have had a bad experience (or have a different viewpoint), but I can't agree. The VW/Audi products have always been reliable AND a great car to drive (far better than my Hondas).

As for Corvette... is that really in the running?

[Cap'n Krusty]

I work on VW products every day. My neighbor works on Japanese cars right along side me. I have to say he spends way more time researching problems, looking for parts, and fixing them, per car, than I do. As for special tools, I have Vag Com, which is a dealer level tool, and a normal toolbox full of 40 years of tool purchases. Those el cheapo scan tools are great, if you have a chain parts store that offers free scans (talk about getting what you pay for!) that don't even come close to showing you the number and details of the codes you actually have. Professional technicians don't even own them.

BTW, coils don't just get "blown out" of the tubes unless you don't torque the spark plugs in place. VWs was using FI for over 20 years before it came into general use in Hondas, and it's taken that long again for Japanese car mechanics to get used to it. If you don't understand them, don't work on 'em! Stick to carbureted cast iron block GM pigs. Like NASCRAP. .......................

The Cap'n

[VaccaRabite]

I bought my Subaru in 2004, and got free dealer oil changes for the first year. This was at the same time as the Mk4 VWs were in their prime. When I would go in for my scheduled service, the Subaru bay way usually pretty empty. The VW bay was always packed.

Just remember - quality is not building a good thing once. Any one can do that. Quality is building a good thing time after time with the same consistant result. Some Mk3 and Mk4 VWs were built great and have lasted for hundreds of thousands of miles. But a well above average number have been total dogs. The engine might run forever, but the rest of the car is falling apart around it.

I would buy a new VW. But I would not buy one made between 1995 and 2005 - even though I lust after Corrados every time I see them on the road.

Zach

[Cupomeat]

I bought my Subaru in 2004, and got free dealer oil changes for the first year. This was at the same time as the Mk4 VWs were in their prime. When I would go in for my scheduled service, the Subaru bay way usually pretty empty. The VW bay was always packed.

Just remember - quality is not building a good thing once. Any one can do that. Quality is building a good thing time after time with the same consistant result. Some Mk3 and Mk4 VWs were built great and have lasted for hundreds of thousands of miles. But a well above average number have been total dogs. The engine might run forever, but the rest of the car is falling apart around it.

I would buy a new VW. But I would not buy one made between 1995 and 2005 - even though I lust after Corrados every time I see them on the road.

Zach

As for Corrados, none were sold in the US after 1994 so you can lust for one and meet your criteria!

I LOVED my 93 slc. Sometimes I even think of getting another.

[VaccaRabite]

As for Corrados, none were sold in the US after 1994 so you can lust for one and meet your criteria!

I LOVED my 93 slc. Sometimes I even think of getting another.

I thought they were sold until 1996. God, how I used to want one.

Zach

[Cupomeat]

As for Corrados, none were sold in the US after 1994 so you can lust for one and meet your criteria!

I LOVED my 93 slc. Sometimes I even think of getting another.

I thought they were sold until 1996. God, how I used to want one.

Zach

Well, technically, a few (something like 460) were sold in 1995, so just avoid those ones...

[Brett W]

I work on VW products every day. My neighbor works on Japanese cars right along side me. I have to say he spends way more time researching problems, looking for parts, and fixing them, per car, than I do. As for special tools, I have Vag Com, which is a dealer level tool, and a normal toolbox full of 40 years of tool purchases. Those el cheapo scan tools are great, if you have a chain parts store that offers free scans (talk about getting what you pay for!) that don't even come close to showing you the number and details of the codes you actually have. Professional technicians don't even own them.

I would guess that is because either he doesn't work on them on a regular basis or because the number of occurrences of that particular problem are so low, that he doesn't know the simple fixes. Compare anything from 1995 on VW to anything HOnda and Toyota and you will find the Japanese cars are light years ahead the germans as far as reliability. Look at the Consumer Reports listings of manufacture reliability ratings and who dominates the top. The Japanese and Porsche. Not VW Audi. In fact VW, Audi, and Mercedes have been hanging out at the bottom with the Americans for many years.

As for the tools. The average car owner doesn't need that stuff. If you own a Japanese car, you can for the most part take the whole thing apart with a 10,12,14,17,19,21, 32, and a phillips head screw driver. There is absolutely no need to have every type and size fastener on the planet on one automobile. It is absurd and overly complicated.

BTW, coils don't just get "blown out" of the tubes unless you don't torque the spark plugs in place. VWs was using FI for over 20 years before it came into general use in Hondas, and it's taken that long again for Japanese car mechanics to get used to it. If you don't understand them, don't work on 'em! Stick to carbureted cast iron block GM pigs. Like NASCRAP. .......................

The Cap'n

Its not an understanding of them, its they are junk. The parts are outrageously expensive for the simplest parts and the electronics are so overly complicated that they invariably come from the manufacture with a CEL. No one cares who invented FI. The Germans may have been using for 20 years before the Japanese, but they damn sure never figured out how to make it work right without setting a constant check engine light. I know you make a small fortune on those cars and their owners, but I will never recommend to one of mine that they buy one.

I also won't recommend anyone buy a Honda with an Automatic transmissions either.

[rohar]

As for Corrados, none were sold in the US after 1994 so you can lust for one and meet your criteria!

I LOVED my 93 slc. Sometimes I even think of getting another.

I thought they were sold until 1996. God, how I used to want one.

Zach

I sold my G60 corrado last year, my older brother had the SLC and sold it about 2 years ago. We owned them for years and played with each other at the track a LOT (cheep track fees here).

I did upgrade the G-Ladder grenade to an Opcon Autorotor once it hit about 100k miles for dependability, but after that and all the years I'm still not sure who had the better car. Both were extremely low maintenance and fun to run. Kinda miss the little red hatch.

[VaccaRabite]

As for Corrados, none were sold in the US after 1994 so you can lust for one and meet your criteria!

I LOVED my 93 slc. Sometimes I even think of getting another.

I thought they were sold until 1996. God, how I used to want one.

Zach

I sold my G60 corrado last year, my older brother had the SLC and sold it about 2 years ago. We owned them for years and played with each other at the track a LOT (cheep track fees here).

I did upgrade the G-Ladder grenade to an Opcon Autorotor once it hit about 100k miles for dependability, but after that and all the years I'm still not sure who had the better car. Both were extremely low maintenance and fun to run. Kinda miss the little red hatch.

The G60 is what I wanted. No plowing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Zach

[rohar]

The G60 is what I wanted. No plowing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Zach

I went from a '78 1.8 turbo 8v scirocco to the G60. It seemed very front heavy at first (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) But I was dealing with Seattle traffic at the time so it was probably worth it for the comfort.

There's still a few of them around, but you gotta ditch the charger at this point, they're all out of maintenance. $300 for a new exhaust manifold, a junk yard hair drier and new downtube and you're in business though. The stock EMS will manage over 20lbs of boost (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Still have nightmares over the auto raising/lowering rear spoiler.

[Brett W]

There's still a few of them around, but you gotta ditch the charger at this point, they're all out of maintenance. $300 for a new exhaust manifold, a junk yard hair drier and new downtube and you're in business though. The stock EMS will manage over 20lbs of boost (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Still have nightmares over the auto raising/lowering rear spoiler.

And the 150-200$ and NLA coolant hoses. Love some VW.

[rohar]

There's still a few of them around, but you gotta ditch the charger at this point, they're all out of maintenance. $300 for a new exhaust manifold, a junk yard hair drier and new downtube and you're in business though. The stock EMS will manage over 20lbs of boost (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Still have nightmares over the auto raising/lowering rear spoiler.

And the 150-200$ and NLA coolant hoses. Love some VW.

Ok, I'll bite, which hose is that? Never paid more than $50 for a hose on that car and eventually replaced almost all of them.

[Brett W]

The multipiece coolant hoses on the VR6 cars or many of the later cars. I would guess beyond the crappy G-Lader supercharger your car was as reliable as a Golf from those days. That was essentially that with a super sweet body on it. I always liked those cars, until I drove one and couldn't see anything out the back window.