I believe my problem has been fixed!
VW dealer in West Chester PA was happy to play with my money, but when they wanted to replace the ECM wirning harness (free part, but labor would run $600)to fix this rough idle problem I took the vehicle back from them. I found a good mechanic that specialized in VW and Audi vehicles. He replaced the mass air sensor (apparently a common problem that doesn't always generate a check-engine code), cleaned the throttle body, and installed a new air filter and the problem has shown up in a week.
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Anybody experiencing rough idling with the 1.8T engine?
>
> We have had coil packs replaced on two occasions and new plugs, but the
> rough idle comes back every time. Problem started at about 25k miles, just
> out of warranty. Dealer paid for parts the first time.
>
> The last time it happened we got a check engine-code that showed a misfire
> in #1 cylinder. Our local mechanic thought a crack in the coil pack was to
> blame for this, so at a price of $180 + labor, he replaced it. Rough idle
> came back a week later (no check engine light this time). Car feels like it
> is going to stall for the first 30 seconds after the engine is started each
> day or been sitting for a few hours.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> thanks,
>
> Steve Finnerty
>
> 2001 Jetta 1.8T w/ auto