This car, a 2005 1/2 new style Jetta, with only 17,305 miles wore the rear brakes so bad that there was metal to metal contact. This is ridiculous, no matter what car it is on. I took the car to the dealership, thinking that there had to be some problem, because I've never had a car wear out ANY brakes in 17k miles. I got the old song and dance about normal wear and tear, and how the back brakes wear faster on VW because the proportioning valve sends most of the braking action to the rear in low speed braking to prevent nose-dive. WHATEVER! That is a load of crap, and they know it. I traded in a 2003 Dodge Ram Quad Cab with over 50k miles on it, used for pulling a trailer, camping, and moving furniture, and never needed any brake work on it. My wife's car, a 2004 Nissan Altima had over 65k miles on it when we traded it in, and even though we replaced the front tires, the front brakes were at 75% and the rear at 90%. Volkswagen needs to address this problem at once. It is no wonder that their resale value is terrible and their quality is perceived to be below standard.