I have a 2003 VW Jetta gli vr-6. the air conditioner stopped working after it was nice and cold for about 5 minutes. Hot air was blowing out of the vents. Engine (coolant) light came on after about a 10 minute drive. The engine (coolant) gauge was almost in the red 260 degrees. I switched off the air, and the gauge went down a little, but didn't really cool off. The guy at the dealership explained if the engine starts overheating, the fail safe for the car is to automatically turn the A/C off in order to save itself from overheating to the point where damage would occur. After all day diagnostics, the dealership says the fuse box is melted due to an electrical problem. This, conveniently, is not covered by my gold plus extended warranty that I spent lots of money on. Repairs so far will cost ~$800. They have to fix that before they can test to see if the alternator is damaged. Both the dealership and the warranty rep say this is a very common problem with Volkswagen cars. If it is common it should be recalled!!

- Lewisville, TX, USA

Problems with air conditioner on 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. The air intake duct leaked which caused white smoke to emit from the vehicle when parked after a 75 mile trip. The part had to be ordered. The A/C condenser leaked which caused the A/C not to cool the vehicle properly. The dealer surmised that the damage to the condenser was from an outside source therefore refused to replace it under warranty.

- San Antonio, TX, USA