How reliable is the 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit?

Question

I just purchased a brand new 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit. I am very excited but of course have my concerns. Are there any common issues that I should keep my eye out for? What is the most important thing I can do to keep my car running flawlessly? How is the integrity of this car?

Answer 1

those would have been great questions to aske BEFORE you bought the car.

they are somewhat below average, but not incredibly so as the 99-05 jetta and golf were.

keep an eye on all things electronic.  VW has had some terrible times with that.  also watch the dealer.  i don't know if they still do it, but they used to have a large plastic rock guard under the car.  it was held on by more than 20 screws.  the dealer left out 14 of them after a repair one day, i had a problem and they would not honor the warranty b/c the guard was not fastened correctly.  how do i know it was the dealer?  tehy were the only ones that ever worked on that car.

Answer 2

I got an '08 Rabbit (2 door, manual gearbox) in December of last year and have driven it for almost 10,000 trouble-free miles.  :)

I know that's not exactly a lot of miles lol, but I don't have any complaints about the car at all.  It's comfortable, quick, and I was surprised how well it gets around in the horrible Iowa snow.  The only thing that ticks me off about it is my Volkswagen Dealership's service.  When I got the car they told me my first oil change would be completely free, and then they charged me $84.  Free my ***...and they were just rude about the whole thing.  The car itself is fantastic though.

Answer 3

Congratulations on your purchase.  The Rabbit is a fine car that shouldn't give you too many headaches, a world of difference from Volkswagens in the past.  Better build quality standards and being manufactured in Germany benefit this car greatly.  A lot of past yahoo answers claimed it was a new car 'so watch out', but it was actually released in Europe in November 2003 and has proven very reliable, without the 'ghost in the machine' electrical problems of the MKIV Golf.    I sold about 120 Rabbits during my tenure with Volkswagen and not one of them was a lemon.  The feedback from my customers was excellent and it quickly became my favourite car to sell.  I am no longer employed by Volkswagen, I am in the IT sector, but I still recommend Rabbits to everyone I talk to who aspires to have a fun, reliable, sporty, functional car with German build quality and ingenuity.