Common Issues With VW 2.0l NON TURBO Engines

VW's 2.0l NON TURBO has been around forever. And typically it's a pretty good engine for Volkswagen. But there are some issues that it does have in a mk6 Jetta.

Humble Mechanic Podcasts

Project White Wookie ~ MK3 GTI Videos

Failed VW parts videos

Tool and Product Reviews

How To videos

MK1 VR6 Swap Videos

Be sure to follow me at:
The Blog

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

GOOD STUFF ON AMAZON

[fjones]

2 Slow. It's still getting me to work and home after 15 years.
Still a great looking car, IMO.

[santileonsteinberg]

Came back to this vid after my 2007 2.Slow Beetle crossed 310k miles, I still love my little yellow bug. Just keep up with regular maintenance, use good quality parts and change the timing belt and water pump regularly and the car will last virtually forever. These are very reliable engines if a bit slow, especially with the automatic trans.

[JoeyCiccotti]

I love my 2.0 jetta! It’s ungodly slow but it’s fun! And I use Costco gas which is definitely top tier

[shaunjohnston]

You went over some great points that I really appreciated but if u could do something on the older 2.0 engines like the 2000-2005 preferably

[JoeyCiccotti]

I had a 2012 jetta with the 2.slow and it got me 150k pretty much trouble free miles before someone totaled it this summer. It would have gone another 150k I’m sure of it. I ran it religiously on Costco gas and it never gave me issues like that. It did eat coil packs but that’s about it. It definitely was bulletproof

[fivedotsdave]

Way back in the days of the mk1 & mk2 golf/jetta they were considered to be one of the best engines for economy and strength, if well maintained, but nowadays I wouldn't want to own one, all this drive for technology and management of emissions has spoiled a great reputation...

[killernanny]

248k on my '01 AEG. Runs like a god damn champ. No oil leaks, runs on whatever gas I put in it. Change your tbelt and sparks on time and it keeps on going.

[brianskinner]

Hey Charles. I totally agree about the ABA engine being almost indestructible. Awesome but gutless. The issues with 99-05 2.0 was throttle bodies not adapting and I've replaced lots of them when I worked for vw in omaha. I left in 04, so I don't know much of the newer ones. I worked for vw when vag5051 was the cream of the crop for diagnosis on vw. Too bad they can't go back to cable throttle body. Very little problems I've noticed

[BarakaGitari]

MK6. Learnt the 'quality fuel' lesson the hard way. Idle was noticeably rougher before I started going to shell.

Had to replace the spark plugs, ignition coils, and clean up the intake manifold too. Overall not bad though.

[AltruisticWarrior]

192k on my 2.0 2012 MK6 and counting! A lot of goofy plastic electronic crap breaking but the engine and 5 speed transmission are super solid.

[dontaefletcherdcf]

Can you make a video about tuning this engine

[jacobcathey]

I was looking at a VW Jettas. I test drove a 2014 with the 1.8 T, a 2012 with the 2.5 L, and a 2013 with the 2.0 L. The 2.0 is one of the most sluggish engines I've ever experienced. I was at a complete stop, and I had to get it to about 4000 RPM before it would start accelerating. I personally hated the feel of it. While im sure its a great engine it has no power whatsoever. As for the 2.5 L and 1.8 T, I loved driving both. The 2.5 is a little heavier and has more horsepower and was louder, which was more similar to my old V8 mustang than the other two. The 1.8 T is my personal favorite. Light, efficient, great torque.

[thomasrapp]

Beard goals. I don't even own a VW but I watched the whole video. Good review.

[boomerguy]

"...even more no power"... What a diplomat! Love his videos. He tells it like it is.

[nickl]

I can't help but notice you said 2l turbo twice...

[ryanlively]

My 15 Jetta a just rolled over 78k. I've been looking into doing my timing soon. Love the car and the 2.0na

[SF]

Awesome video. I have 12 jetta 2.0. Still running like new after 306k. Yes dashboard lights up like a christmas tree but still.

You're right about the spark plugs etc. I had to change all that to make it run smooth.

Never knew about the gas quality. Great information.

[deadbeatproz]

Just bought a 00 2.0 beetle with 233k runs great, great gas mi. lotsa room. Yeah a lil slow but it's a bug. I just save a ton on gas compared to my 08 Lexus LS460L premium only 14mpg.

[StBeter-tcte]

I have a 2005 Seat Cordoba, 2.0 non turbo, and ik it might be slow but it is verrryyy reliable, done spark plug changes and oil changes... Greetings from México. I might get a Golf GTI later on 👍

[beastsrt]

Yup, spark plug wires are definitely an issue. Drove my car for a good 20-25k miles and got a random misfire one day. Took it to the shop? he said it was the spark plugs, replaced them and she ran good as new. Noticed, new wires, plugs and maybe a coil pack makes this car so smooth. A bit on the slow side, but i rather have reliability