Dissappointed with New VW's

[HeidelbergJohn4.0]

[Juanito84]

The Chattanooga plant might be one of the most efficient and enviromentally freindly plants out there, but what about it's suppliers? And add in all the transportation of supplies. Not only that, but by the time the fuel reaches your tank it has already poluted with all the pumping and shipping and refining and transporting.

Don't get me wrong. I am glad the new VW diesels are ultra low emissions vehicles. I try to keep my emissions as low as possible in my own Golf. For an example I walk or take my bike when I can. I also have adjusted the injection quantity so it no longer smokes (lower particulate matter). I also have been contemplating adding a diesel catalytic converter to reduce CO, HC and NOx emissions as well as cooled EGR or water injection to really reduce NOx emissions. I also am looking into biodiesel and vegi-oil.

But still, I see more similarities between modern cars and ones built 100 years ago than I do see differences. And whether car manufacturers really are improoving things or are actually making them worse is still up in the air. If they want to sell me a car that still uses the same old otto cycle used in the Model-T only it gets twice the fuel mileage I really don't see the big difference. It's got to be much more than that to catch my attention. Something that's obviously a think-outside-of-the-box concept, not just one that claims it is.
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If a water cooled engine cools its water with air, isn't it just an overcomplicated air cooled engine?

[HeidelbergJohn4.0]

We obviously have different needs/ uses for the automobile. It's not about environmentalism for me. It's not a-b transportation, etc.. it's the combination of performance, economy,convenience, efficiency and brand loyalty for me. the first car I ever rode in was a VW coming home from the hospital in germany. The first car I owned was a VW, I've always owned VW's even when i also own other makes.

I drive long distances, I have a tall family, I tow multiple trailers including an 1800lb boat with my Passat.i travel alot. I haven't had time to fiddle with cars like I used to, nor do I have time to screw around with an old cantankerous 20 year old car as my DD. i messed with biodiesel, home brew and WVO for years. I let VW's engineers do that for me now.

My only real complaint is the lack of a wagon in the US model line(again).
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71 LWB Manx style dunebuggy
71 Beetle
71 Volksrod
Machette Speedster
2012 Passat TDI SE (sadly sitting in a buyback parking lot somewhere waiting for it's heart to be ripped out.)

[HeidelbergJohn4.0]

[oasis]

[ach60]

Hell No!
OK here’s the deal in ’77, I started driving a VW Squareback which I drove until Mid-Summer of ’83.
The Squareback was a VW with a “Bad Reputation” because of the Fuel Injected engine. But the car was a rock solid, good running reliable car when I had it, and I maintained it.
But the Squareback which was designed in the early ’60, but was still better than any small or midsize car anybody made until Toyota’s got good in the early 80’s.
Now here we stand in 2014, and you be asking disappointed in new VW’s, Hell NO, on any given day the 15 year old Passat Wagon I drive is a better car.
I’ve driven nothing but VW’s for the last thirty seven years, they are great cars, I’ve heard all the horror stories, and most of them like the “Bad Reputation” Fuel Injected Type 3’s are BS.
VW engineering has always been more sophisticated than the competition. I’m happy this my three “new” VW’s which are a 2001 Passat Wagon V6 5speed GLX, 2005 New Beetle Convertible 1.8t, and the newest addition TO THE FAMILY a 2010 VW CC TSi DSG. I’ve driven lots of rental cars for work in the last 30 years, most of them have just pissed me off with bad design mistakes.
There was nothing like speed shifting my Brother’s ’72 Super Beetle on any side street in my old home town, but speed shifting my 14 year old Passat Wagon to 110MPH on US 101 came damned close last Wednesday night.
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Good Luck
Al

[HeidelbergJohn4.0]

That's why I still have my W8 wagon!
_________________
71 LWB Manx style dunebuggy
71 Beetle
71 Volksrod
Machette Speedster
2012 Passat TDI SE (sadly sitting in a buyback parking lot somewhere waiting for it's heart to be ripped out.)

[HeidelbergJohn4.0]

[skills@eurocarsplus]

sorry, but I wouldn't own a new TDI if I was making the payments with your money.

far to expensive in maintenance to own long term, and for what the price of gas vs diesel is, I will take a gasser any day of the week.

loved my mk1 and mk2 diesels, but it was a different time...diesel was like .79/gal where gas was 1.10+

now, it's just the opposite diesel is way more per gallon, way more emissions b/s that is super expensive to fix. not worth it for the "savings"
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[Juanito84]

Cars are like hamburgers. Hamburgers are a meat patty between slices of bread. Cars are an internal combustion engine on wheels. It's what else that's added, plus the size, that makes them different. Everyone has their favorite, and every year car and hamburger makers add new and different toppings to try to keep their product popular. But hamburgers are still just hamburgers and cars are still just cars.

If I had a choice, I'd take something different, like a flying car,

a transporter beam,

or a rolling cage.

But as long as hamburgers are all they offer I'd like something different than what everyone else wants. Maybe an electric,

or a stiriling,

or steam, or compressed air, or wood gas, or hydrogen fuel cell or just anything that's just plain different regardless of whether it's faster or slower or more expensive or cheaper or bigger or smaller and whether or not other people like it or not!

So far, I've managed to "be different" by driving around a half-a-century old car that has the engine in the trunk with no radiator that cost me some $500 and driving it across the whole continent through artic weather to sunny beaches through deaserts and dangerous towns and getting much better than average fuel mileage all at the same time. While I laugh as I drive past SUVs and Subarus stuck in the snow, get better fuel mileage than buddies I have with Prii and other hybrids and not have to worry about being assulted like my friends in newish cars.

So far this is what's worked for me. Not that other cars are't better than mine, depending on your point of view of course, but mine's different and that's what I like about it. And I'd be all for a new car if it were truely different.
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If a water cooled engine cools its water with air, isn't it just an overcomplicated air cooled engine?

[bradleydad]

I'll never buy another VW.
I've had VWs for over 40 years, from a 1960 convertable to busses, bugs, squarebacks, rabbits and a rabbit pickup, Golf, Jettas and even a 411. Except for the 411, they were great.
We bought our serviced our 2013 Tiguan new and it was serviced as required. At about 70,000 it ran rough a moment and the check engine light came on. The water temp was always at the same temp. The dealer said the engine is toast because it was running too hot due to running lean due to faulty injectors. He said VW would help. VW said "tough sh..". Their customer service attitude is horrible. VW wanted 14K to repair it plus $1200 for the diagnostic. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER VW OR RECOMMEND THEM. I promptly sold my TDI Jetta.
The new Jetta

[andk5591]

Hmm...bought a 15 Golf TSI January 2015 with the auto tranny..Thought I would like it. Traded it on a 16 Golf TSI Launch edition 2 door last October (5 speed). Love the car and I mean LOVE the car. Had to drop it a bit with a spring kit and put 17's on it. Getting 38+ on the highway (speed limit...we don't need no stinking speed limit). Only gripe is that my Continental DWs wear out a little quick....Not sure how that happens

Just got my free 20K mile oil change. Dealership is awesome, service department is awesome and they give out my shop business cards to anyone that comes in the a air cooled car that they dont want to work on.

And the diesel thing is bullshit as far as I am concerned....VW got caught...Others didnt or quietly made resolution..... If something happened to this car, I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Oh - Used to drive a couple WRXs for about 9 years before the Golfs....
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D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[ps2375]

Our newest VW is a 94 Golf, the other now is a 69 Bug. I worked on model years from 1980 to 2005, and now they have even more plastic in the motors than ever before. I drove my 1980 Rabbit for work for over 20 years, did all my own work on it and then it got killed by a dumb-ass in a big truck.
I don't see myself buying a VW any newer than what I already have, partly because the local dealership sucks and aside from a GTI and maybe the Golf R, they don't sell anything I'd want to own, let alone work on. And as far as the R goes, I wouldn't pay $35-40K for a Golf.

[andk5591]

[ps2375]

I have noticed.

[kamzcab86]

[Cali_Army_Guy]

FWIW we got the wifey a 2015 Passat Wolfsburg edition and I love it. Gets damn near 40mpg on the freeway. Super quiet, no wind noise or road noise when driving. Plenty of room. I'm 6' 3" and I have tons of head and leg room. Decent size trunk for grocery shopping. I have zero regrets about buying it
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2015 VW Passat Wolfsburg Edition
1966 VW Beetle - Sold

[Meiang]

I have been a VW fan for decades (since the late 1970's) and I still own a VW a 1968 1500 Beetle. I recently went on a VW drive experience day where we drove (read thrashed) new VW Golf R's and Scirrocco R's around a race track for a whole afternoon. Guess what, they performed really well, actually too well - couldn't really fault them with anything, brakes, gear change, performance - anything. Would I buy one - no.

Why - VW reliability - it just isn't there.

The last time I looked at buying a VW was 2005. I drove a new VW Golf 1.6 and the drive train was seriously deficient (the 2 Litre petrol and 2 Litre TDi were way too expensive - read overpriced), it changed gears at 3,500rpm even under light throttle - seriously. I ended up buying and EP3 Honda Civic which only had a 4 speed auto compared to the Golfs 6 speed auto and was far superior is drive train refinement plus it had 30% more power for the same engine size. In addition the cabin space and utilisation was far superior in the Honda.

11 years on with the Honda, I have replaced the tyres (they were less than 50% worn at 9 years) but showed signs of perishing. Nothing else. Apart from oil changes every 12 months I have done nothing - read nothing, not even a brake fluid change - I know naughty!!!!!. The car drives like new.

I recently spent time working on a friends 2012 Toureg, seriously expensive to maintain, horrendous sagging front doors, gearbox problems, and to be quite frank did nothing that a far cheaper SUV woould not do.

Other friends of mine bought a new 2014 Golf 1.4 twin charged unit from new . Numerous continuous prolems to date. At 24 months the infamous cracked piston problem happend, at 39 months (out of warranty) the water pump failed.

VW DSG failures in Australia are a problem and guess what, the clutches are not covered by warranty as they are a wearing item.

[HeidelbergJohn4.0]

Well, she's gone. Sold the Passat back to VW.
58 months
128,947 miles
2,712 gal fuel. Left it on the lot with 0 mile range showing on the MFI
47.5 mpg average over the time I've owned it.

-14 oil changes
-5 fills on the DEF beyond the 3/36.
-2 sets of tires, one went on the week before the scandal broke.
-1 set of brake pads, still rolling original rotors on all 4 corners.
-1 wheel bearing( pretty sure daughter hit a pot hole and damaged it but VW did replace it under warranty.)
-zero mechanical breakdowns, no known mechanical issues. CEL did come on for the DEF heater about 4 months ago, would have been covered under the recall.
-never serviced the DSG
-never changed fuel filter.

Hell I never even waxed the car other than spending the extra buck at the drive through in the winter when it was too cold to wash it by hand. Paint looks a good as the brand new one sitting on the lot.

I really hate to see it go, but the DSG and timing belt were due and the buyback sealed the deal. I hate the idea that it'll likely be crushed.

for a car I admittedly barely maintained, I find it EXTREMELY hard to have any measure of disappointment with the most recent VW. Sadly, they can't sell me another diesel and the buyback figure was good for a 5 year old car that essentially cost me gas and oil changes.


I picked up my 328D Friday morning and just filled for the second time. So far calculated 46.76 mpg on my trip home from Atlanta after a few sight seeing stops in ATL, through about 30 miles of stop n go on I-85 Northbound and two days of my commute to work and back.

Looking at a 2001 Golf TDI 2dr for my son later tonight and won't hesitate to buy it if the records are as he describes.
_________________
71 LWB Manx style dunebuggy
71 Beetle
71 Volksrod
Machette Speedster
2012 Passat TDI SE (sadly sitting in a buyback parking lot somewhere waiting for it's heart to be ripped out.)

[Cap10323]

I too am disappointed in new VW's. Especially after driving older VW's.

The biggest thing for me is just reliability and ease of repair, New VW's are less reliable then other makes of cars,
and when you compound that with the fact they are incredibly difficult to work on, and parts are expensive and very frequently hard to find. It just becomes a mechanics nightmare.

I was working on an 80's Rabbit pickup the other day and was truly impressed by how easy it was to get to everything,
we did an oil change, new cap and rotor, and new plugs/wires in under an hour. It was great.
Compare that to working on my father's 2008 Passat 2.0T which takes nearly 2 hours just to change the oil due to the amount of plastic crap and screws you have to remove, not to mention the special tools you need to remove the plastic oil filter canister thing.

Not to mention, the '08 Passat has been nothing but problems, not even 100K miles on it and it's already been in for 3 recalls, a bad catalytic,
a bad turbo seal (which caused the catalytic failure), and some weird tapping sound which turned out to be a valve lifter failure.
VW refused to cover any of this under warranty and my father shelled out close to $3000 Total on top of his nearly 30K car. Disgraceful.

Buy a Subaru. My 99 Legacy Outback (2.5L DOHC, 5MT) has 330K miles on it and still going strong, other than a set of headgaskets at 50K miles, and timing belts every 100K, I've never done anything but maintenance.

Honda's and Toyotas have also gone nowhere but up in quality and reliability over the years.