One of the most important questions people ask before investing in a new or used car relates to the maintenance expense. When it comes to VW Jettas, you will ask the question, “Are Jettas expensive to maintain”, because it’s a legitimate question.
If you’re not asking this question before buying a car, you are likely going to be in for some big surprises as a car owner in the near future.
Since the Jetta is such a popular model in the Volkswagen family, here are some things you should know about it and the expenses that may be involved with owning one.
Are Jettas Expensive to Maintain?
Some of the factors used as metrics for measuring the expense to maintain a VW Jetta include the following.
| SERVICE | FREQUENCY AVG | ANNUAL COST |
|---|---|---|
| il Changes | Every 6,000 miles or every 3 months | $200 (if every 3 mos.) |
| Tires | When thread depth is ineffective or damage | $160 (if twice per year) |
| Tire Rotation | At each oil change - every three months | $240 (if every 3 mos.) |
| Engine Filters | Every 20,000 - 60,000 miles | $65 (once per year) |
| Wipers | Once or twice per year | $16 (once per year) |
| Multipoint Inspections | At each oil change - every three months | $400 (without warranty) |
| Battery | Usually when you suspect something is wrong | $200 (each time) |
| Brake Pads | Suggested: Every 30.000-50.000 miles | $108 (approximately) |
| Transmission | Suggested: Every 60,000 - 100,000 miles | $192 (each time) |
- Oil changes are one of the top important maintenance tasks and are usually performed every 3 months or every 6,000 miles. If you drive a lot, you may have more oil changes than the table represents. The average cost of oil changes is around $60.
- New tires aren’t something you have to do a lot if you stay local or don’t drive a lot. However, if you have a job that requires you to drive more, or that takes you into places that contribute to tire wear and tear, you may have to have them replaced once or twice per year. Costs for tires depend on the brand and type you use.
- Tire rotation should be performed every time you get your oil changed and may be free with that service if your mechanic offers that service.
- Engine filters need to be replaced at least every 20,000 to 60,000 miles, so that also depends on how much you drive.
- Windshield wipers are another common and easy thing to replace. Replacing them once or twice per year helps you avoid issues with them not working to get gunk or rain off your windshield.
- Multipoint inspections are not mandatory in every state, but if you can get them as part of your regular service agreement to save money, it’s a wise idea. Otherwise, these comprehensive inspections can be costly if you do them with each oil change.
- Car batteries are usually long-lasting in the Jetta, but on average, you might replace yours once every 5 or more years.
- Brake pads should be replaced every 30,000 to 50,000 miles unless your work is hard on your brakes. When you replace your brake pads, be sure to have your mechanic check the rotors.
- Transmission checks should be done every 60,000 to 100,000 miles to prevent future costly transmission issues.
Taking these maintenance costs into consideration, your average annual maintenance expense for a Jetta comes to $1,021, including parts and labor.
This would essentially come to around $86 per month. The battery change has been figured at $40 per year every five years to get an annual average.
Your annual maintenance costs for your Jetta may be as low as $610 for standard maintenance.
It’s really no more expensive to maintain a VW Jetta than any other car. However, repair costs could be more due to its level of quality and specialized parts and repair processes.
Are Jetta Reliable Cars?
Another question people ask when they are considering a Volkswagen Jetta involves the car’s reliability.
Reliability is a vital factor considered when buying a car with good reason. We have looked at the average maintenance costs of Jetta ownership, but how reliable is this car overall?
The average overall rating for Jetta’s reliability is about 46-47, which doesn’t seem like a good reliability score.
That information comes from the tableau public website where they list the reliability of vehicles in alphabetical order.
On the other hand, Repair Pal’s ratings show that the Jetta gets 4.0 out of 5.0 stars, which is above average. This rating is based on the VW Jetta’s severity of repairs, cost of the car, and the frequency of repairs.
Are VW Jetta Parts Expensive?
When you’re looking at the maintenance costs of a VW Jetta, you may also consider what it’s going to cost to replace parts as needed. That’s another aspect of car ownership some people tend to overlook.
| REPAIR | AVG COST |
|---|---|
| Strut Replacement | $260 |
| Head Gasket Replacement | $1,080.00 |
| Wiper Motor | $125.00 |
| Window Motor | $130.00 |
| Air Conditioner Compressor | $995.00 |
These are just a few things that could go wrong and require repair on a VW Jetta. These are repairs common to almost all vehicles, especially as they age.
As you can see, these are pretty median prices for these repairs. They may be less for some cars and more for others.
What are the Most Common Complaints of Jetta Owners?
All car makes have complaints. There’s no way around it. People will complain about things. Some things are truly warranted and need to be remedied.
What are the biggest complaints about the Volkswagen Jetta?
Musty Odor
One VW Jetta, the 185 model seems to omit a must smell through the heating and air conditioning system. This issue occurs at about 50,000 miles.
More than 15 of these Jetta models were diagnosed with his problem and remedied. The average cost to diagnose this issue is about $100, which is for the proper cleaning of the system.
Power Window Regulator
People surely do love having power windows, but they aren’t so happy when that convenience is interrupted by a malfunction of the power window regulator.
Strangely enough, about 200 Jettas had this issue occasionally, while 23 models reported the issue happening between 500 and 250,000 miles.
This problem comes with a higher price tag to fix, costing an average of $550.
VW Electrical Issues
If you have ever experienced a problem while driving your car, but when you take it to the mechanic, it won’t do it, you will understand this idea of the phantom electrical issue that may occur in the Jetta.
Nearly 200 Jetta owners experienced this phantom issue when having their cars checked out. This is a challenging diagnosis to make, so until it was finally identified, it was a frustrating problem to Jetta owners.
The problem, if it happens, costs about $100 to remedy.
Automatic Transmission
The average cost of a replacement transmission for a VW Jetta sits at about $2,750, including parts and labor. This average includes new replacements and rebuilds.
Unfortunately, more than 820 Jetta reported this issue and it presented itself through shifting problems.
The most Jettas affected by transmission problems occurred in 2-wheel drive models starting with the 1990 models.
Ignition Coil or Spark Plugs Failures
These two problems may be separate issues, but they are related, so we put them together here.
When this issue arises, your check engine light will come on. Another sign that this is happening is noticeable misfiring under the car hood.
The fixes for these problems vary from Jetta to Jetta. Some were fixed by replacing the spark plug wires, and some by replacing the ignition coils.
The average cost of this fix is about $210 and occurs most commonly in Jettas from 1996 and up.
Do Jettas Have a Lot of Problems?
After reading about the issues that can arise and the complaints from Jetta owners, you may think that Jettas are expensive to maintain and have a lot of problems.
However, the Jetta has no more issues than any other car on the market. These things are pretty common as cars get older and more miles on them.
It’s just a fact of life that you should be aware of and have a good strategy for maintenance and repair prepared.
Can You Save Money on Jetta Maintenance & Repairs?
There are several ways to save money on Jetta expenses for maintenance and repairs. It may take some research and networking, but in the end, it’s worth it.
One thing you do need to avoid is paying too little because you really do only get what you pay for. It’s important to ensure you are getting the best services at the fairest prices.
Almost every town and city have its mechanics that are dedicated to helping you solve your Jetta problems without charging you an unjust amount of money.
Your goal is to call, email, message, or chat with various mechanics and dealerships to find out which one offers the best value for the maintenance or repair needed.
One thing is for sure, in most cases, proper maintenance can prevent some of the issues that arise in the Volkswagen Jetta.
Are Jettas expensive to maintain? We claim that it’s no more or less expensive than owning any other car.