New car pickup - visual things to check

[Rotorhead]

Things to check...

When I picked up my new 118TSi from Sutherland VW three months ago, the cupholder divider/bottle opener was missing.

"It's on back order" was the explanation....

Still waiting....

[PassatB6]

Found this on Vortex, might help..

1 Check all the optional extras
2 Spare wheel in trunk and that it has air.
3 Check the condition of all the bodywork, wheels and interior, fog lights for stone chips (if its got cosmetic damage its going to be down to you once you drive away).
4 Marks on wheels from lashing ratchet strap from the transporter lorry.
5 Look very carefully for any small dents or chips. Crouch low and look along the sides of the vehicle and all around for anything out of the ordinary. If the car is outside and it has been raining tell the dealer you will be inspecting the car as soon as it is dry as you wouldn't see anything small if wet.
6 Check panel alignment
7 Check the fit of the doors (front especially) up at the top of the window towards the rear.
8 Have a good look at the seats and the fit of all the trim inside.
9 Check the transport blocks have been removed from the suspension springs
10 Owners Manuals are present
11 Make sure all other documents are in the vehicle wallet.
12 Radio security code has been inputted and you have the number etc
13 Make sure there are no stray rags/cloths in the engine compartment.
14 Check VIN numbers match between the car and documentation
15 Check the bolt caps have been inserted in the holes on the wheels
16 Drop the windows right down, and then put them back up on auto (so push/pull knob the double click and don't hold it). Make sure the windows don't drop when they're about an inch from shut.
17 But dont worry too much about making sure all the electric stuff works (if there is a fault with the car its covered by warranty anyway) just concentrate on the stuff that the retailer can shirk responsibility for later.
18 Key adapter for locking wheel nuts (should be in the trunk, with the spare wheel)
19 Two keys with remote locking functions, plus plastic key tag - with serial number, for ordering replacement key if necessary.
20 When you get the car home check the tyre pressures (once they have cooled down) - they leave the factory at 55 psi (set for long term storage)

21 Check that the fog light covers are on.

22 Check oil level is exactly what it should be.
23 Check all four tires for defects/nails/bubbles, you might have issues getting them changed if you drive away. Specially in the winter months with the pot holes.
24 Before signing off on everything, test drive the car and make sure that it runs properly.
25 Sign everything and drive off with an huge smile in your face.

[Transporter]

A few things I've noticed with my GTI - wondering if others would take the car back to the dealer to have them fixed:

1. Imperfection in the left rear door near the handle. Looks like a grain of sand baked under the paint. Clearly there on delivery.

2. Imperfections in the rear bumper paint under the boot lid (can't see with the boot down) - two spots look like fat pin pricks in the paint. Black in the middle with raised paint all around. No idea how I could've done it, not sure if it was there on delivery.

3. Imperfection in drivers window dealer fit tint. Area the size of a 10c piece has tiny bubbles near the edge of the window. Barely noticeable unless you're cleaning the windows.

I would take it to the dealer if these were very visible faults only.

[Flighter]

You could do with a few smilies there Mav.

On the last point - sunlight vs indoor fluro light. I would say that not all dealership delivery areas are created equally, so your milage will vary. But I would disagree that checking under sunlight is better. As Maverick said, checking under sunlight, particulary in the middle of the day, is not easy, and can hide things which are clearly visible in well lit room. So I'd say, to be safe, look at it twice, once in the delivery area, once out in the natural light

I agree, as I had blemishes in the paint (clear coat as it turned out) on both C pillars that I couldn't see in direct sunlight, but were quite noticeable otherwise.

[jj77]

You should be thankful. The "new car" smell is actually harmful to you. They "baked" all the volatiles out of the interior for you.

As for the squeak... my Polo gets that. A rattle in the dash and some sqeaking from the door rubbers.

learn new things everyday. Thanks
The squeak noise was beyond "normal" as admitted by Osborne Park VW (this is not the dealer where i bought my car) - the noise can be heard even when you gently push the car from the side. OS VW tried to fix the problem but we both gave up that was back 2004. The noise is much softer now though...

J

[jj77]

That's a Volkswagen requirement IIRC and it's there to protect the dealer/VW from spurious claims from people claiming damage after delivery. All dealers (at least for new cars) do this AFAIK.

I didn't know about that as I was never asked to sign a form before collecting my new cars (previously bought Mazda, Honda, and Hyundai - polo was my 1st vw).

You don't know that they knew about the scratch and I doubt they would have delivered it to you if they did but would have fixed it up and delayed your delivery by a few days. you should have been grateful that they fixed it for you as not all dealers would have done so.

That's right - and you have a good point there. But the scratch wasn't the only problem I had. The night I picked up my car with brand new window tint, the windows decided to have a mind of their own winding up and down by themselves while I was driving - just to list one of the problems I had beside the scratch which was discovered the next morning. And yes the dealer fixed the windows too. Perhaps, I was shocked and frustrated by the problems I encountered with my very first brand new VW Polo and how the Dealer Principal responded to my frustration saying "frankly speaking... not all new cars are perfect...". My overall, frustrating, experience perhaps clouded my judgement about them.

Did you take it back to the dealer? Or did you make it worse by applying various products that including nasties like silicone?

Yes, I took it back to the dealer without making it worse or even touching it.

Unless the dealer scratches it and makes the door squeak

Thanks for your kind words.

Checking under sun light is not easy, checking in their delivery area is the best place to check it for any blemishes. But this is really just common sense 101.

I should've said must check under the sunlight as well as checking the car under the showroom light.

[WhiteJames]

Tint - factory tint on the rear three windows will limit any chance of defect by 60%. For the two front windows, I'm happy going with the dealer recommended aftermarket tint (Solaire). I figure that if they constantly fit tint to Golfs as should be the case, they should be experienced in taking off door panels & applying the tint. I think this would be a better option than sourcing someone a bit cheaper that does not regularly work on Golfs.

When I collected my MKV GTI, I saw a white overspray on the centre B-pillar window black plastic strip. Thought it was external and would buff out. Later found that it was under the clear coat. Never both having it changed as it was a very minor blemish.

Another area is ride height. Some Golf can have up to 1.0cm in variance from side to side (esp rear end) better fender height. My MKV GTI has about 8mm variance at the rear (front equal), which later become an issue when fitting after market springs/coilovers. Not sure on exact cause, but I'd be betting on (1) Casting/maching of rear suspension subframe; (2) Isolation rubbers between rear sub-frame and chassis; (3) Chassis itself - although this may be unlikely as the robots in the factory are suppose to have very little if any variances.

Another issue is spring height - front to rear. Springs come in batches and I've seem some Euro 3 door MKV GTI with the front end way to high compared to the rear of the vehicle and other GTI's. In other words, park the vehicle on dead flat & smooth land and make sure it sits correctly.

Cheers
WJ

[JAYDEE]

Reverse Camera not working

When I picked up my GTI last week I asked for the salesman to show me Reverse Camera. The camera didn't work.

Apparently there is a known fault with the coding that they updated where by the camera does not function.

The dealer has said that they will notify me when the fix is available which is fine by me.

This might be going a bit over the top but unless you are familiar with the RNS510, I suggest that you ask the the salesman to show you all the available functions in the system to ensure all work.

[diop]

Has anyone had the experience of purchasing a car from an interstate dealer, and more specifically, having it transported to your home via road/rail by an auto logistics company? I am wondering if this does/does not affect the buyer's rights in any way prior to accepting delivery since it is being handed over by a party other than the dealer. I would like to hear from anyone who has taken this option.

Cheers

[thelairster]

When I picked up my new 118TSi from Sutherland VW three months ago, the cupholder divider/bottle opener was missing.

"It's on back order" was the explanation....

Still waiting....

Picked up my GTI from sutherland last week. Missing bottle opener too. Only just found out it had a bottle opener today!

[bulaviti]

Lessons learnt for me when I picked up my 118TSI ....

pen mark near the driver's seat sun visor - detailing guy must have had his pen when pulling down the sun visor; one wheel nut was missing on the rear passenger side wheel - all sorted out a few days after the delivery but just shows that one can miss simple things like missing wheel nut! The pen mark was hard to see in the delivery room in my case - only saw it when I had to pull it down when driving the car home for the first time.

[OilBurna]

I had a few small things only minor and given car was delivered from geelong wasn't too fussed, there was a very minor chip in the leather on the steering wheel, small dint in the speaker on top of the dashboard. The major one though - which someone else pointed out. The side protection strips on one side on both the front and rear doors on the passenger side including the rear bumper were black not chrome - don;t know how they missed that one at the factory and dealer!!!

[ozgti]

Found lots of fine small scratches down the B Pillar and rear of drivers door. But because they are black, it's harder to see them. Only noticed in the sunlight when it was a bit dirty.

Make sure the Lumbar support works. Mine broke on the drivers side about 5 mins from my front door! Needless to say, I will be going back in for the mini service/checkup and hopefully the seat can be replaced (bot sure I want someone ****ing around under the fabric with an airbag there as well!)

[Corey_R]

There's a mini service/checkup?

[hooba]

At 7,500kms according to my dealer.