Initially had found out the MAF had issues, as the MIL came on, but would go back off. It would only come on at high speeds. Around 6 weeks later, I was driving on the interstate, and the engine misfired or something, causing a loss of oil pressure and my engine locking up. I got a used engine replacement for 1400, which isn't bad considering everything. MIL came on two months later, code for MAF came up. Intermittently on for a few days, off for a few days. Now it's on all the time, and you can tell it's really affecting the performance of the car. It drives weird at high speeds, feels like I'm constantly going over small bumps. Gas mileage isn't as great, either. I've seen videos and sites claiming just to clean it, but I'm afraid it won't work.

Update from Oct 1, 2015: It actually initially came on in January, not February

The EPC light would come on sporadically and put the car into "hide under your desk" mode. All of a sudden it'd refuse to go more than 60 mph on the highway and would accelerate like a boulder rolling uphill. Everyone was baffled; including the do-nothing squad at the local VW dealership. If those guys were doctors and you came in for a bad cough, rest assured you'd be leaving with a prosthetic torso.

In any event, I ended up talking to a retired local mechanic. Gave him $50 to walk me through what was going on and once I'd gotten the part in the mail it took me 30 minutes to replace. But not so fast! Every oil change I have to pull everything apart and clean the hairs-width filament with solvent so it won't happen again. Because there are no problems fixed with this car, only problems deferred.

It's never fun to see the "check engine" light come on, especially when it's accompanied with a loud buzzing noise coming from the front of the car.

I brought my Jetta in to see what the problem was and the computer code said we had a faulty Mass Airflow Sensor. I had never even heard of such a thing, but found out it is a tool found in modern engines and is used to monitor the incoming air. This information helps the engine control unit (ECU) deliver a balanced amount of fuel and air to the engine. It is usually installed inside the intake air duct between the air filter and the engine.

I thought I might be able to get away with driving around with the faulty part, but found out a malfunctioning MAF can lead to stalling, misfiring, poor fuel economy or bad acceleration.

$100 for the part and $75 for the labor later I was on my way.

Until a few days later when the MAF sensor malfunctioned again. I brought it back to the same garage and they replaced the part and gave me half off the labor, how "kind".

A few days later the damn check engine light came on again. This time I brought it to a mechanic who specializes in VWs and he said was once this starts happening, it's a sign of things to come. His advice? Get rid of the car ASAP.

So I traded it in for a Subaru and never looked back.