Hi All,
I would like to know what kind of problems people have had with their WRXs. I currently have another car (won't mention the brand), with around 6K miles on it and has already been in the shop for a week. The failure it has will most likely re-occur, and now it is becoming apparent from other owners, that other issues are starting to crop up as well. So, I am considering trading the car on a WRX, but want to make sure I don't get into the same situation. Any info would be most appreciated!

Best Regards,
Jeff C

OK... I have a 2002 VW VR6 GTI. I like the car, but VW seems to have taken 12 steps backwards in regards to reliablility. There are numerous issues with them right now, but the one that is leaning me towards trading the car is the coilpack issue. Mine has 6 coilpacks on it. One blew and I waited a week because the parts were on national backorder. They only replace the failed part (unless you are really lucky), so I figure I'll have 5 more trips to the shop with my brand new car!

 

As long as you don't beat up the tranny thier pretty good. What car do you have? You might as well tell us just to save yourself from reading 30 post asking you what car you have.

 

There are always a guy at all the car companys who comes to work on the assembly drunk or pissed off. Sometimes you get the car he put together.

 

i thought that Gear box and Turbo was very problematic on the WRX

anyones else??

it's very hard to shift into 5th gear.

don't know what happened to the turbo ..

 

Yeah, VW reliability is in the dumps. My car, a 2002 VW GTI 1.8T, left me stranded 2 weekends ago 150+ miles away from home after a snowboarding trip. I had to have the car towed to Sacramento, which is still over 100 miles away from where I live. And my car is still in Sacramento waiting for a new coil. The dealer has no ETA as to when I'll get my car back. I'm praying that it takes longer than 30 days so that I can officially declare my car a lemon and get rid of it.

And in response to enigma's post, my car was made in Brazil as are all the 1.8Ts, so I think we can safely conclude any cars made south of the border are pretty much junk.

I just signed up here today to find out more info about the WRX and the STi. I have never sat in a road-going WRX as I've only been in them at car shows. How is the fit and finish on the inside? Anybody have any other major mechanical problems?

 

That has nothing to do with where it was built, over half a million Audis and VWs are affected: http://www.boston.com/globe/sunday/automotive/ (click on the second article). What really sucks is they'll only replace the broken coil because they don't have enough to replace all the faulty ones, so it could leave you stranded at any time.

For my own two cents, my family has owned multiple Hondas and Nissans built in the US and Canada, and Mexico for the latter. They've all lasted well over 100,000 miles and 10 years without any major issues. What matters is where it was designed and who designed it, not where it was built.

 

That really sucks about your car being out of commision. Although I only had to wait a week, it was still very inconvenient and not what you'd expect to do with a brand new car. I also didn't like the fact that VW didn't actually fix the problem. They gave me my car back knowing full well that they'd see me again when the next coil blew.

As far as the VW coils go, they are made by Bremi in Europe, from what I understand, so it's not really Brazil's fault.

I would HIGHLY suggest driving a WRX. I just sold my VR6 GTI yesterday and am the proud new owner of a 2003 Blue WRX.
The car absolutely ROCKS! You will be impressed!

Let me start off by saying, this may sound like I'm slamming GTIs, but I'm not. I did like mine and it was fun to drive.

As a direct comparison to the GTI, the GTI is so far under the WRX it isn't even funny. The WRX has the GTI beat in ALL regards in my book.

The fit and finish of the interior is great. I'd say as good or better (better to me) than the VW (after all, you get a MOMO steering wheel and aluminum racing pedals as standard equipment!). All the controls are placed well and the car actually "fits" me better than the GTI did. I am far more comfortable in the car and find the seats much more supportive.
After giving the WRX a good close lookover last night, I can honestly say that I don't see anything on the car I would consider of lesser quality. In fact, I think the car is better thought out, and better executed.

As far as performance goes, the WRX again kicks the GTIs rump. I had the VR6 model (200hp), so your performance is probably different, but I found that the GTI had issues putting the power to the road. It would spin its wheels under a fairly brisk acceleration (this isn't dropping the clutch and trying to drag race either) and would suffer from torque steer where the front end felt light and jittery. It would also stumble on me in different traffic situations even though I thought I was keeping the car in its power band. I actually began to think it was my driving (I was wrong!). Also, I found the GTIs traction control too aggressive. It would actually cut the engine or apply the brakes at times when I had everything under control. How do I know? I would run the same roads with the traction control off and go faster, plus enjoy myself far more.
I also find the ride to be way better, as the GTI was actually a little stiffly sprung since they put low profile tires and stiffened it up to try and make it handle.

The WRX has no problems putting the power to the ground (now I don't drop the clutch at 3 or 4 grand, this is with reasonably fast take offs)
The WRX is REALLY fast! It will smoke all stock GTIs and seems as fast as the BMW M3 I used to have.
It is more stable through turns and rain (I have not felt ANY drift from puddles and it has been raining like crazy here). Again, I think it is more on par in this department with the BMW M3 than the GTI.
It shifts much more smoothly than the GTI did in regards to the car's behavior. As long as you keep the WRX reasonably in its power band, it does not stumble like the GTI did.
I haven't been able to rip through any back roads with the car yet, but I am certain it will out perfrom the GTI and will be a total blast!
Also, I can't say that I've really noticed any turbo lag which I did notice when I test drove a 1.8T GTI.

About the only things you may not like about the car are the steering and the synchros on the transmission. The transmission actually seems tighter than the GTI's (I had the 6 speed tranny), as it takes a little more effort to get it into gear (You'll see what I mean if you drive one). I happen to like this feeling and don't mind it at all.
The steering is also a bit heavier than that of the GTI. But, again, I happen to like this feeling more.

I really feel that this is the car I should have had all along and am 110% glad I made the switch.

Sorry for such a long post, but hope this helps a little.

Jeff C

 

Every body gets a lemon from time to time. Seems that the car gods had it out for you.