VW’s Massive Quality Control Problems Continue
VW is recalling 800,000 cars. With VWoA selling less than 250,000 cars a year in the US, 800,000 is a substantial number.
VWoA is drowning in a sea of red ink. If you have lemon problems do not expect VWoA to step up to the plate. If you have lemon problems contact a lemon law lawyer immediately.
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VWVictim Said,
March 1, 2007 @ 2:08 am
News Source – The report of the recall was posted on numerous news sources. Seemed redundant to post a reference to one of them. But, after referencing your thread, I see how it is done.
297 Said,
March 1, 2007 @ 4:02 am
- Actually, you’re right. Posting that CNN article on the recall isn’t much. I actually lost track of my point when I did that. What I really wanted to see was an article on how this was drowning VW in a sea of red ink (moreso than your previous posts have indicated) or at least some musings on how much this recall will cost. Basically, some sort of discussion beyond the blanket statement of doom, doom, and more doom.
For instance, here’s an interesting article that would get the ball rolling:
Volkswagens US SOS.
VWVictim Said,
March 1, 2007 @ 7:27 am
Ignition Coil Redux – This just seems like a replay of the window regulator and ignition coil fiascos. VWoA dances around and denies a problem until it hits them in the face like a shovel. Reminds me of the old joke about the mule. First you have to hit him in the head with a 2 x 4 to get his attention.
VWoA only sold 235,000 cars in the US last year and had a 800 Million to one billion dollar loss. They are trying to cut costs wherever they can. They are caught between a rock and a hard place. It is a situation of their own making. They insulted and alienated their customers.
Edited by VWVictim on 03/01/07 at 7:28 AM
Edited by VWVictim on 03/01/07 at 7:34 AM
297 Said,
March 1, 2007 @ 11:22 am
- I’ll give you that. It’s a tough situation mending years of bad service. The question is: will there be a new direction and will it allow the company to regain former status and market share in the near future. I’m not worried about overall future for VWOA – the US is far too big a market for VAG to abandon and eventually the pendulum comes back the other way. It’s really a matter of when and in what form. If they hit the ground running they could be back in a good light in two years. If they continue to meander it might be a decade or two, in essence a generation, before good faith is restored.
I would personally like to see a return to low cost reliability. Their recent ad campaign for the new base models being under $17,000 is a little better, and given inflation is probably better than it sounds (a base Civic is $15k), but once the deal is done the major reason VWOA has such a bad reputation is in its reputation via dealerships.
It’s like beating a dead horse, to say that the dealership sucks, but in VW’s case, it’s really getting to be the leader of sucking. There are a few dealerships that are great to deal with, but usually only in one way or another. The parts department at VW Santa Monica, CA is awesome — but their sales are rude and service leaves much to be desired, whereas Timmons Long Beach has a great service department, a decent sales division but a rather uninformed parts department (even if that parts department is one of the few that sells aftermarket parts).
297 Said,
March 1, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
Again… – Post the relevant news source. I could sit here and say, “”Cats and dogs living together!”" with just as much conviction and just as much evidence.
Fortunately: CNN News on the recall.
This is on the brake light switch. They finally came up with a decent design, one that doesn’t “”lock”" into place. The older designs were built in such a way that replacing it usually destroyed the unit, which sort of indicates a pretty crappy design. The new one installs much easier — BUT from recent posts it’s obvious some dealerships have techs who never read the bulletin thoroughly on the initial recall on New Beetls and Jettas (this is an umbrella recall that extends past those two models) and have been screwing up the installation.
I received my recall notice last month. I ignored it. Mine has never broken (it seems to be more common on automatic transmissions) and I don’t plan on replacing it until it brakes, if ever. And when it does, it’s a $15 part and a 5-minute install with little mess (the part is in the driver’s footwell).
Folks with automatic transmissions ought to go have it replaced though, since it does cause issues with your shifter.
297 Said,
March 1, 2007 @ 12:48 pm
By the way – You can easily also take the car to a mechanic after ordering the part online from 1stvwparts.com or worldimpex.com. Won’t cost you much and gives you peace of mind if you no longer trust your dealer.
This is the thread I posted on the initial recall, it includes the part number and some other details.
YupOldBull Said,
March 3, 2007 @ 4:11 am
Nothing is different…….Bad to the core – The class action on the window regulators stated, “”1995 and up vehicles.”"
I own a 2000 Jetta and had the problem 3 times up until they replaced the plastic design with the metal. It was finally fixed in 2002. That is 7 years to fix a minor problem. But they made money replacing them at $240 a pop.
This is my third offical recall on the brake light switch. I didn’t need the last 2, but will go down for the third just to waste their time and money.
800,000 vehicles is a lot to fix.
The entire car is a rolling tribute to poor design and cheap plastic. (read my profile)
There have been 352 stinking Technical Service Bulletins issued on this vehicle. There have been only 5 stinking recalls and 3 warranty extensions.
Source for TSB’s and Recall’s
When are the States Attorney General(s) going to get involved?
Bolo Said,
March 3, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
- Volkswagen dealership mechanics might tell you that they would have an easier task repairing and maintaining Volkswagens if the company’s engineers would design their components to stand up to real world driving as other companies do and make their on-board systems less complicated. I think you are putting too much of the blame on just the dealerships. Volkswagen sucks from deep in the core.
-Bolo