checkster

Guess they don’t teach the KISS in school anymore. Remember the good old days when a 5 dollar cable controlled the throttle and not a 500 dollar potentiometer.....LOL or a vacuum switch controlled the air vent, not a 400 dollar mother board........or you could go down to the local hardware store and get a new car key made for 2 bucks……oh no buddy now you need a 40 dollar car key that the dealer has the “program” at another 90 bucks……..or or or. It’s everywhere, not just yer wiper blade.

belfert

It appears an '05 Jetta still takes the 94R battery which Pepboys and Autozone both carry. Not cheap though at $130.

I just replaced the battery in my '03 Golf TDI on Saturday and nothing had to be reset. The manual said I would have to enter the radio code and reset the one touch for the power windows, but everything worked even with the battery disconnected for over 20 minutes.

Raspy

Well, that's encouraging although mine is a Passat. I also did not mention the all rubber winshield wipers that chatter like crazy or the special VW approved oil that only the dealer and a select few auto parts stores have. Since when do individual automakers mandate their own oil specs that are not produced for any other car? Even the dealer was confused about the oil and was happy to put in the wrong kind if I did not confirm what VW says must be done. I finally found oil at at Auto Zone but then the oil filter was not the one listed in the book and another big search began. A search that was not possible until I knew what the filter actually looked like because the ones listed were in stock but not it. Man, is this some kind of rocket science? I love the car, but sheesh.


John

Fronty Owner

my 06 Xterra looks like it takes all off the shelf parts.

on the other hand, my 00 Frontier has 124K on it and I haven't done anything besides routine maintenance.

JD730

And people wonder why I keep all my 1st gens.

HayHauler1

Just do it like the pros at Interstate Batteries. They take a small 12v 7ah battery with clips, clip it onto the battery cables before removing them, and your radio stations and other computer controlled equipment in the vehicle stay powered up throughout the battery replacement. I thought it was a cool idea.

Hay

belfert

Opps. I read your signature and somehow came away with Jetta instead of Passat. Autozone doesn't have any batteries listed for the Passat diesel. I would bet it is still the 94R, but can't say for sure.

Yes, the special oil is a pain. I doubt VW did it to make you buy it from them. There just aren't enough VWs on the road needing this special oil for the oil makers to get their oil certified.

donnee

When I went to change the blades on the DW Sportage, it had a 24" on the drivers side, 18" on the passenger and a 12" on the rear door..
I agree with the previous poster that they were out to lunch about keeping it simple.