2001 Golf Heater Core

I know that you are feeling upset about your busted heater core. Stuff like this does happen. But unfortunately VW will not pay for repairs unless it's a recall item. Anything that affects the safety of the vehicle is usually recalled right away. The heater core isn't considered a safety item as it's not a door latch or a seat belt. "If" you can organize a group of supporters who also have the same problem with their VWs, you might be able to file a class action lawsuit and get the item recalled. It all depends on how commited you are, how much money you have, and how far you really want to take this.

But cheer up. VWs are generally very good cars. Every continent has a ton of VW golfs running accross it at this very moment. German engineered. They offer plenty of interior space and great cornering for what they are and they look good, handle great, are economical and are fun to drive.

HTH East-

Yes, stuff like that does happen--especially with VWs. Heater core failures have been a problem in VWs since the late 1980s. There was even a recall in the early 90s on some models (Passat and Jetta I believe) because the failure could cause hot coolant to enter the passenger compartment, scalding the passenger.

The heater core went on my 95 Passat at 9 years/100K miles (in 2004). There was a recall on the 94 model for this problem, so I was able to get VWOA to cover parts and labor for the replacement (good thing, the design is so "great" that you have to pull the whole dash to get at a $100 part, resulting in $800-1000 in labor). Its worth a call to VWOA to try to get them to cover,. esp. if you are the original owner. Keep trying, let them know you know this has been a problem for them for years, etc.

Another good thing about VWs is that they are consistent-- I am now reading stories on PassatWorld of heater core failures on B5 and B5.5 Passat with as little as 4 years/60K miles on them.

Yes, stuff like that does happen--especially with VWs. Heater core failures have been a problem in VWs since the late 1980s. There was even a recall in the early 90s on some models (Passat and Jetta I believe) because the failure could cause hot coolant to enter the passenger compartment, scalding the passenger.

The heater core went on my 95 Passat at 9 years/100K miles (in 2004). There was a recall on the 94 model for this problem, so I was able to get VWOA to cover parts and labor for the replacement (good thing, the design is so "great" that you have to pull the whole dash to get at a $100 part, resulting in $800-1000 in labor). Its worth a call to VWOA to try to get them to cover,. esp. if you are the original owner. Keep trying, let them know you know this has been a problem for them for years, etc.

Another good thing about VWs is that they are consistent-- I am now reading stories on PassatWorld of heater core failures on B5 and B5.5 Passat with as little as 4 years/60K miles on them.

Yea. Consistantly bad.

I have a 2003 Jetta GLS and it's my last VW EVER.... Plastic water pump impeller pressed onto the shaft? Give me a break.

Timing belts and water pumps that have a nasty habit of breaking right after the 60k warranty is up, yet the VW manual is very vague about replacement and gives a very wide range of miles.

The car is way over designed in certain areas and way under-designed in others.

They should get the guy who designs the splash shields and various covers and fluff to design the water pump.

He's an expert at screwing those things in with 100 torx screws.

One thing I WILL give VW is safety. The cars are incredibly well built to withstand accidents which is why I purchased one for my daughter.

However, if you buy one, get the best extended warranty you can find because you WILL need it. Guaranteed.