VW’s do NOT suck!
Hey guys and gals
I can understand your frustrations with the product you have purchased. However, from my experience VW’s and Audi’s are not bad automobiles by any stretch of the imagination. I have had everything from a 96′ Golf, 01′ GTI, 03′ GTI VR6 (my favorite) & now a 04′ A4 1.8T. YES, these cars have all had their problems but none to warrant me to hate the VW brand. Everytime I have had an issue both in warranty & out I was treated fairly and the car was fixed the first time w/o a problem. Take a look around the web and see all the other “”car hate”" sites for Honda, Toyota, Dodge, just about any manufacturer there is. The VW brand has been in my family for years and all of our cars except for an issue ridden Jetta have been fantastic. There is no better engineered car in the grasp of the masses for the money. Sure they break but to complain about a car that has over 100k on the odometer can’t you expect issues to start to arise? My GTI had over 130k on it when it got totalled (hit a palm tree at over 70mph, lets see a japanese or korean car keep you safe with that!!!) it was still going strong cause i kept up on maintenance. I still miss that car today. Sure the Audi had the dreaded sludge issue… they didn’t even ask for oil receipts, fixed it first, still wasn’t good, so they replaced the whole engine no questions asked! I think you guys need to find a new dealer / service person… don’t hate on the VEEDUBS!
-Peace!
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Bolo Said,
May 22, 2007 @ 4:02 am
- Thing is, most of us had major problrms with our VW way before 100K miles. And to top it off, VW Customer Care is typically not helpful in trying to fix these problems and almost always tries to blame the owner when things in the car start breaking down because of substandard quality control and underdesigned parts like plastic waterpump impellers, just to name one of many in a typical newer VW.
fred4202 Said,
May 28, 2007 @ 12:48 pm
- I can see your point & frustration. I will agree with you that VW customer service does seem to be sub-par when calling. I have found that this is not the case with Audi which is strange since they are the same company. I think that you guys seem to have crappy dealers that service the car & don’t fix it properly the first time which is unfortunate because a huge chunk of happiness when owning a vehicle is good service when needed. I mean there are a few people on here with true horror stories which is unfortunate. In regards to mileage and failures… I have friends that bought hondas, toyotas etc which have had similar horror stories & they are only warrantied for 36k. The bottom line is cars break, they are always going to cost money no matter what make/model
Bolo Said,
May 29, 2007 @ 2:43 am
- I owned three Hondas and two Toyotas before I bought my VW and none of them ever broke down in a major way other than needing fluid replacements, new brake linings and one alternator going bad after over 100K miles. None of them even had to have their clutches replaced even though most of them were driven over 120K miles. In contrast my late 90’s VW Passat and my sister’s 1999 Passat both fell victim to constant CELs Both cars having their alternators die within 50K miles, Her tie rods going bad almost right out of the delaers lot, My waterpump plastic impellers breaking and almost causing my engine to overheat, My black box dying, My window falling in the door, Two of my door handles wearing out and failing to open the door after 70K miles, My headliner falling off at the back seat area and along the sides of the driver and front passenger, My ignition switch failing within 60K miles, My coil pack dying at 80K miles, My thermostat housing warping and leaking, My steering rack leaking at 90K miles, My headlight lenses yellowing and degrading at 60K miles. She was smart, getting rid of her VW as soon as she saw the spiraling amount of problems I was having with mine and the ones that were staring on her. There are many more things that I coulkd list that happened to my German engineered wonder but I just get depressed being reminded of them. We both drive Japanese brands today and have had zero problems after a few years already. No, all cars are not built to the same standards. VW just builds them worse than most other manufacturers do
fred4202 Said,
May 29, 2007 @ 4:51 am
- In my experience I have never had problems with my VW’s / Audi’s the same as you haven’t had problems with your Hondas/Toyotas. all european auto manufacturers had issues in the mid-late 90’s with quality control and a few faulty parts here and there… both you and your sister got bad cars it happens. complaining about a coil pack failing at 80k, and your headlights yellowing @ 60k seems a bit much. I live in florida & the sun eats through just about anything, especially plastic headlight lenses. I can go out into the parking lot and see about 40 cars of all makes with the same problem. Running into constant cells, doors not functioning properly etc leads me to believe what i said in my first post. Your dealer service is sub-par… they probably broke clips to your headliner when attempting to fix the door’s weather stripping and didn’t replace them… Oh and the windows falling into the door & the coil pack dying were brand specific recalls. Take a look at toyota they just recalled about 500k cars for oil sludging issues, at least vw/audi warranties them for 8 years unlimited mileage against sludging whereas toyota doesn’t.
VWVictim Said,
May 29, 2007 @ 5:01 am
- Last year VWoA sold 235,000 vehicles in the United States. This is a TINY number of cars compared to other makers. And yet, VW has one of the LARGEST number of “haters” on the web. Why is this? VW’s are horrible cars. The dealer network is horrible. And VWoA treats VW owners in a horrible manner.
fred4202 Said,
June 8, 2007 @ 4:04 am
- Last year VW was at the end of their production cycle. Obviously less cars are sold at this time as potential buyers are awaiting the newer design. You cannot compare a company like VW to GMC, Toyota, or even Honda. Those companies cater to the big fat american ideal that desire their super sized french fries and giant SUV’s that guzzle gallons of gas per mile. the VAG group caters to people who love to drive & love the rewards that owning a german car provides when driving because no other car manufacturer provides such an exhilirating experience behind the wheel (and they get really great gas mileage too) Don’t say that germans don’t know how to make great cars or that the VAG group is crap because Porsche, (VAG subsidary) has been on the top of reliability ratings and customer satisfaction over any other car manufacturer for the last 15 years.
VWVictim Said,
June 9, 2007 @ 6:12 am
- Last year VW was at the beginning of the production cycle for the Jetta and the Passat, their most popular models.
Since when is Porsche a subsidary of VAG?
Oh yea, it is truly exhilirating driving your VW back and forth to the dealership to try and have problem after problem fixed.
calling all toasters Said,
June 10, 2007 @ 5:23 am
- Why didn’t I think of totalling my GTI on a tree? But, then, my “issues started to arise” around 15K miles and haven’t let up since.
297 Said,
June 12, 2007 @ 2:12 am
Porsche owns 30.9% of VAG, not the other way around. – Naturally, this is confusing, since most parts in a VW are shared among its brands PLUS Porsche (the Touareg and the Cayenne are the same chassis, for instance). The two companies have always had a close relationship due to their origins. Porsche is sort of that hands-off big brother than benefited from its younger sibling, using parts and chassis when needed, and always there to help out if things go wrong. Their assumption of larger ownership was actually an attempt to stave off a potential takeover from a foreign maker, but now that they do own almost 1/3 of VAG stock, they do plan to take a larger leadership role in VAG that fits in with their own plans.
fred4202 Said,
June 12, 2007 @ 2:51 am
- Right.. Regardless of which way it is, the bottom line is that both companies are heavily connected to each other in both parts and a few chassis, i.e the toureg/cayenne…. bleh, I’ll put it this way to any potential vw/audi buyers… don’t listen to these people on here when it comes to buying a car, take it with a grain of salt because the internet is a great place to complain about things, all things. When was the last time you went on the internet or called your cable company to thank them for the great service they provide? Probably never… There are millions of totally satisified VAG customers out there, in fact there are more fan sites for vw’s then hate sites like these… I understand most of you got bit by the lemon bug for the most part and that sucks, but some of you are hilarious complaining about timing belts snapping at 105k miles your defense is that it doesn’t say service until 105k or whatever… You ever hear of preventative maintenance? You have to be nuts to drive that long on original belts, i don’t care what kind of car you drive, boo-hoo you have to maintain the car, you take care of it, and it will take care of you. I notice also that alot of the complaints are related to simple CEL lights etc, you know, you don’t have to goto the dealer to have that checked, goto autozone, have them scan it, write the code and use the internet which you all know how to use and find out what’s wrong with the car…. Don’t goto the dealer after warranty, get yourself a good independant repair shop that specializes in european cars, or even better yet do your own tune ups and oil changes, the internet is great for that too… You can find Do it yourself’s all over the net. Parts really aren’t much more then Honda or Toyota parts mostly, you guys get robbed at the stealership for labor… just my 2cents
297 Said,
June 12, 2007 @ 2:59 am
- You have to realize that checking a CEL yourself is above and beyond what is expected of a car owner in today’s world. Having a dealership charge you for the privilege of scanning an error in your car, and having that charge be near $100, is exorbitant and blatant extortion.
Checking the CEL yourself is a workaround for an issue that should not have a workaround. Checking the CEL yourself is above and beyond a normal car owner’s responsibility. A normal car owner’s responsibility is to check liquid and tire pressure, and when an idiot light on the dashboard turns on solid to drive to the dealership or repair shop to have it checked, and when an idiot light blinks like mad to shut down the car and have it towed to said dealership or repair shop. That’s it.
So if a car continues to get a CEL light after repeated trips to the shop, then yes, the car owner will complain. And getting a VAG-tool to scan the ECU for codes is the workaround to a problem that should not be there in the first place.
fred4202 Said,
June 12, 2007 @ 3:27 am
- The thing is, with a little knowledge of the product you are using you can save yourself a bundle of money. Like you said if your CEL is on instead of taking it to the stealership where they will charge you 100.00 (ridiculous) to scan it, stop by autozone and have it scanned for free, not only will you save yourself time, but also money. When you have a flashing cel, 9 times out of 10 it’s a coilpack. The dealership will charge you about 500.00 to replace one. The funny thing is to change it all you need is the part 30.00, and a screwdriver which is in your spare tire kit, takes five minutes and your back on the road. Preventative maintenance is really the key to keeping these cars on the road successfully, small items like fuel filters, plugs, etc can mean the difference between a 30 dollar part and a 3 thousand dollar repair job.
fred4202 Said,
June 12, 2007 @ 3:30 am
- The thing is, with a little knowledge of the product you are using you can save yourself a bundle of money. Like you said if your CEL is on instead of taking it to the stealership where they will charge you 100.00 (ridiculous) to scan it, stop by autozone and have it scanned for free, not only will you save yourself time, but also money. When you have a flashing cel, 9 times out of 10 it’s a coilpack. The dealership will charge you about 500.00 to replace one. The funny thing is to change it all you need is the part 30.00, and a screwdriver which is in your spare tire kit, takes five minutes and your back on the road. Preventative maintenance is really the key to keeping these cars on the road successfully, small items like fuel filters, plugs, etc can mean the difference between a 30 dollar part and a 3 thousand dollar repair job.
297 Said,
June 12, 2007 @ 5:11 am
- Yes, but the point is that the dealership should scan it for free as part of the service, especially since it’s so easy to use a portable tool synced with Gecko, that it takes but 30 seconds to see what’s wrong and from there provide an estimate for repair, if needed. To charge $100 is extortion, and that is what people are unhappy about. You are finding a solution to a problem that is not a solution but a workaround. The same with replacing a coilpack. You are saying it is easy but there are people who do not want to nor care to replace that themselves. Some days I change my own oil and filter and some days I turn it in to the shop, even though I know how to change it myself. That’s not the point. The point is why are they charging $100 for a 30 second scan and why are they charging $500 for a five minute job with a $30 part.
Preventative maintenance is not the issue here. I am sure some folks just neglect their cars and for them you would advise on getting a car designed with that type of consumer in mind. But what about the rest? What about people who follow their maintenance schedules and still end up with problems? What do you say to them?
timwigle Said,
September 18, 2007 @ 3:49 am
Ya Ok – I hope yours breaks down and you can feel our pain.
peterd1965 Said,
September 25, 2007 @ 8:05 am
No, they do suck: My Service bio – 2002 Jetta GLS CPO with 120 point certified inspection
Date Mileage Service
01-Feb-05 41211 Bought Jetta!
02-Feb-05 41220 Day 1 of ownership: Temperature light went on , restarted car and disappeared. Dealer says if off, then will investigate at first service. Occurs several more mornings.
10-Feb-05 42050 Check Engine light went on called two dealers they both said fine so long as it is not blinking
17-Feb-05 42522 Stopped at Dealer to have mudflaps installed, Temp light and Check Engine light not on – nothing wrong found.
24-Feb-05 42700 Temperature light went on , restarted car and disappeared.
04-Mar-07 43350 Temperature light went on , restarted car and disappeared.
10-May-05 45152 LOF, reconnect wire to aux water pump, check cooling, check transmission for cause of harsh shifts
19-Jul-05 47428 Again temp light on and experiencing weird shifting. Dealer can’t find anything wrong w/ transmission or temp
05-Aug-05 47849 Radio won’t work, fuse blown
02-Sep-05 48300 Changed both rear brake lights, tested fuse
27-Oct-05 49334 LOF, turn signal
23-Dec-05 50900 Temperature light goes on: Dealer Remove and Install ExpansionTank, Remove & Install Catalytic converter
21-Mar-06 53079 Air bag light is on, Reset SRS System
27-Mar-06 53185 Air bag light is on, Reset SRS System with Correct Coding
06-Apr-06 53306 Air bag light is on, Remove and install Airbag Control Unit
06-Apr-06 53306 LOF, temp light back on, ask dealer to investigate harsh shifts
20-Jul-06 55248 Remove and Install Secondary Air injection Pump
11-Oct-06 58200 Remove and Install Transmission Control Unit, Water Deflector, Check Add/ ATF, under warranty
11-Oct-06 58200 LOF and check about bad shifting
05-Apr-07 62365 60K Service: LOF, Air Pollen, Fuel Filter, Rotate Tires, Inspect Engine Cooling system, Breather Valve, Check Computer System, Top off all accessible fluids, multi point inspection, brake flush, Road Test
05-Apr-07 62365 Dealer says I need new brakes too, replace front brakes, replace brake light switch.
07-Aug-07 66610 CEL, remove and install tempsender unit, tech found hole in crankase breather hose, replace torn crankcase breather hose, remove and install ignition coil for cylender 1, jerkiness in tansmission – no prob found.
30-Aug-07 67547 Oil Light blinking tow to dealer, set readiness code, remove/install dipstick funnel, oil pressure check, road test, tech. diagnosis, restore electrical power procedure, check battery, remove and install mass airflow sensor, replace clogged crankcase breather one way valve, air meter, valve, hose, clamp, funnel
05-Sep-07 67818 LOF – dealer forgot to do on 08/30/07
09-Aug-07 67850 New battery self installed, vw wants $240 to install hah.
10-Sep-07 68110 Oil Light blinking again this time 170 miles from home, tow to nearest dealer. Sludge problem, need proof of oil changes. Dealer Replace Oil Pump and Screen
22-Sep-07 68110 Dealer notice park brake cables rusted, under warranty replace cables
22-Sep-07 68110 Leaving dealer, right turn signal goes out
Edited by peterd1965 on 09/25/07 at 8:06 AM
Edited by peterd1965 on 09/25/07 at 8:09 AM
YupOldBull Said,
October 16, 2007 @ 10:03 am
Read my profile…….. – I have a 10 year mad.
This is year 7.
fred4202 Said,
January 30, 2008 @ 7:48 am
I Changed My Mind – Okay, so my love affair with VW/AUDI has officially ended! I used to love my cars as you can see by my original posts but not anymore. In the last few weeks, i have had my waterpump, timing belt, transmission module, rear brake calipers, and control arms fail! IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS! I dumped the POS and picked up a KIA Spectra5, which is just as sporty and will probably last till 200,000 miles no problem… I hope you guys get out soon!!!
Bolo Said,
January 31, 2008 @ 6:40 am
- Geeze Fred,
What took you so long!?