VW cost cutting at a whole new (lower) level!

[Brendan_A]

Hhhmm.. really? I didn't know that!

I'll double check on that one. Why does it only have 1 side?

Hope I didn't jump the gun on this one!

On our MK5 jetta the fog light is on the right and reverse light on the left.

I think it's just a European design of the car. My golf is the same.

[jets]

Don't forget you only hear the negative, many people have hardly any problems with vw's so have no reason to post it on the internet

I am one of those people with no problems. My 2.0 TDI Golf comfortline was made in '05 with compliance very early '06. I had the radio recall although mine didn't manifest itself. Everything has worked as it should for almost six years with no warranty work.

[frozze]

I've got reverse lights on both sides. Not sure how to figure out if the rear fogs only comes with 1 or 2 (no bulb error or anything). Went through the manual and it didn't say anything about the rear fogs working only on the driver's side.

I'll remove the tail lights tomorrow and confirm it!

On our MK5 jetta the fog light is on the right and reverse light on the left.

I think it's just a European design of the car. My golf is the same.

[Jake02]

The only car I've seen with two rear fogs is the Lexus RX and I assume that's because they can't be bothered switching from left to right for particular markets. But it's true, most cars that have rear fogs only have one because at some point, someone around the world will have them on without them being needed (shock huh!) so why blind totally, as opposed to partially - old Hyundai Excels come to mind here. Also to seem like they aren't brake lights.

VW aren't cost-cutting here and at least the Jetta has two reverse lights, unlike the Golf! What shows VW cost cutting on the Jetta are things like a lack of xenon headlamps (even as an option - even Octavias have projector-beams as standard), the lack of soft-touch plastics in the cabin (apart from the dash), the gooseneck boot hinges and the general lack of flair (no offence to those who have the new Jetta, I'm sure it's a great car otherwise). And that it's made in Mexico...

[frozze]

VW aren't cost-cutting here and at least the Jetta has two reverse lights, unlike the Golf! What shows VW cost cutting on the Jetta are things like a lack of xenon headlamps (even as an option - even Octavias have projector-beams as standard), the lack of soft-touch plastics in the cabin (apart from the dash), the gooseneck boot hinges and the general lack of flair (no offence to those who have the new Jetta, I'm sure it's a great car otherwise). And that it's made in Mexico...

Agree with the points above. I was quite shocked when I found out that they did not even offer the option for Xenons. The previous MkV had xenon options, IRC. But it's still a great car, IMO. Absolutely no regrets! I guess I'm just nitpicking here!

[brad]

Does the fog light share the same bulb as the brake light?

On the Octavia, the fog can either be LHS, RHS or both sides (all set with VCDS) but i figure if you have both sides then the brightness of the fog light overpowers the brightness of the brake lights. You only need one fog bulb to make yourself noticed & I'd rather as much contrast between running lights & brake lights as possible.

[wai]

Unfortunately I am not in the position to buy a new dub, but if I had half the problems some guys seem to have I'd go ape***** in the service centre when problems wernt corrected properly by an authorised dealer.

You have to remember that those who frequent these forums are a mere fraction of the total VW owners, and the problems here are not necessarily a reflection on VW or any other brand for that matter.

If you were to follow any other brand you would find the same thing and end up walking everywhere.

[brad]

As i am "the car guy" in my group of friends, I'm often asked what they should buy. I always point them at Toyota because i don't have to live with it & it's (traditionally) a safe choice. Frack, you wouldn't believe how many problems Toyota have these days.

[frozze]

Ok so I can now confirm that the MkVI Jetta only have 1 rear fog light on the driver's side.

I removed both the tail lights and compared it. Found out that the passenger's rear fog did not have a bulb in it. So I chucked a bulb in just to try it out and see but of course it did not work anyway. Found that the driver's side fog connector had 4 cables but the passenger's side only had 3 cables. Guess they did not wired it that way.

[brad]

/sigh
You'll need to enable it via vcds. If it was enabled & you simply left the bulb out, then you'd get a cold bulb warning light.

Subarus used to put in all the fog bulbs & wiring & not install the switch.