The 4th issue I've noticed with this car is, after I replaced the wheel speed sensor to get the ABS working right again, literally driving back home, I'm accelerating from a light, and the car freaks out and stumbles and smokes and check engine light starts flashing. I nurse it to the side of the road, I'm thinking this car is done for good. She's not starting and I'm thinking it jumped time or the timing chain broke or some other catastrophic failure.

After about 15 minutes, I finally get her started and she's just running like crap, smoking white smoke and just barely running. I nurse it home. I later tow it to the dealer, and after a couple days they tell me that one of the high pressure direct injection injectors is bad. Fortunately for me, it is covered by one of VW's 10 year/120,000 mile extended warranties for various parts so it was fixed totally free, and the car seems to be running good again now finally. At least until the other 3 injectors crap out.