[Vickipayne58]

My car keeps overheating and I don't know why,I keep having to stop and put water in it. I can drive afew Miles and have to stop and put more water in it.

 

[billymade]

I wouldn't' keep driving it in this condition; it sounds like you have a water cooling system leak, if it is coming out on the passenger side of the engine, under the harmonic balancer/crank pulley, it is most likely your waterpump is leaking, needs replaced. If you keep driving a vehicle with a cooling system leak; it will eventually, cause engine damage and can cause a warped head, blown head gasket (thousands in repair costs).

If you are unable to do this type of work yourself; I recommend, you have the vehicle towed to a shop that specializes in VW's or a repair shop you trust. Typically, a cooling system pressure test; will help identify, the source of the leak and then, appropriate replacement parts and repairs, should be done.

 

[Thejarhead]

Stop driving till it is fixed or you will ruin your engine if you haven’t already. It could be something as simple as a broken/cracked hose, bad or leaking thermostat or more involved like a water pump or leaking head gasket. Find someone to diagnose it ASAP.

 

[roukyweal20]

I have seen so many sources talking about VW having a lack of reliability. I am thinking of buying a 2005 Jetta TDI, and I am curious if the reputation VW has is true Nox Vidmate VLC or not.

 

[Thejarhead]

You cannot allow a vw to want for regular maintenance. My 2005 MK4 will cross 400k miles this month. It has been the most reliable car I have ever owned, HOWEVER, I do not let anything go, hoping it will magically heal itself.

An 05 jetta could be the MK4 platform with the BEW engine which requires special oil (505.01] and has a know cam issue. The Jetta changed mid year to 2005.5 which is an mk5 platform with the BRM engine and a known cam issue and also requires a special oil.

Owning a vw requires “maintenance vigilance “ as I suppose any car does. Very rarely does an out of the ordinary noise go away on its own.

From 99 till about 07 or 08 it’s a good idea not to buy a vw with an auto transmission as the most common failure point especially with a tdi is the auto transmission . 500 thousand mile engine coupled with a 50k mile auto tranny. (Hyperbole added)

I consider vw to be equal to other major brands as far as reliability but then I consider the 99.5-06 tdi’s with the 5 spd manual to be the best all round cars ever made. Golf, Jetta or Beetle.