I bought this vehicle yesterday from its previous owner. Had it checked out by a mechanic who said it was in great condition and ready to buy - so I did. I drove it home and to school this morning. On my way home the MDI switch came on. After I turned the car off and tried to restart it, the battery died. I took it to the local Pep Boys, they replaced the battery and said the code for the check engine light was that there was a misfire. He said he believed it was the coils going bad. Is this common? Is this something the mechanic who did the pre-purchase inspection should have seen?

Please help. I've owned my car one day and it's been a very rocky one. Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.

 

I had the same problem, I have a 2001 jetta vr6. The issue is the coil and/or plug wires, and to replace the coil &/or wires you must go OEM with them. If you do not it will continue to have issues. The last one I replaced cost me around $1000 for the coil and wires $150. These cars are so sensitive to aftermarket parts. Also expect to have issues with the catalytic converter and oxygen sensors. I think the 99-01 were probably some of the worst jetta's to be produced.