Golf 118 TSI Engine Failures and Service Campaign 24S4

[brad]

The office of fair trading lady I spoke to said they handle the ACCC claims as well and said no chance. Here's the section I think she was referring to, bullet 2: (happy to hear if this is BS)


Rights to a repair, replacement, refund, cancellation or compensation do not apply to items:

- worth more than $40 000 purely for business use, such as machinery or farming equipment
you plan to on-sell or change so that you can re-supply as a business
- bought as a one-off from a private seller, for example at a garage sale or fete (but you do have rights to full title, undisturbed possession and no unknown debts or extra charges)
- bought at auction where the auctioneer acted as an agent for the owner (but you do have rights to full title, undisturbed possession and no unknown debts or extra charges).

She doesn't understand your issue.

It's got nothing to do with where you bought it from. You are claiming due to "fitness for purpose" of a design that has proven to be inadequate as demonstrated by multiple similar, premature failures of the same item.

[BurnedbyVW]

She doesn't understand your issue.

It's got nothing to do with where you bought it from. You are claiming due to "fitness for purpose" of a design that has proven to be inadequate as demonstrated by multiple similar, premature failures of the same item.

Thank you Brad, that's very helpful. I've asked for the work to be carried out, does that impact my ability to get compensation? E.g. after the work has been done and I've paid.

[brad]

Thank you Brad, that's very helpful. I've asked for the work to be carried out, does that impact my ability to get compensation? E.g. after the work has been done and I've paid.

I have no idea...

[arnoldc77]

2010 Golf 118tsi piston and timing belt goodwill repair

Several months back my Golf began to run poorly and I booked it in for service and was told piston 1 was cracked. The car had done 75000km and was regularly serviced at vw for first 4 years then elsewhere either on time or a couple of months late.
As per suggestions on this thread I contacted vw general manager, head of customer service and head of customer experience.

I was prepared for a long fight but within 10 minutes I had a response from Jason Bradshaw indicating vw would diagnose my issue free of charge and provide a courtesy car.
With 24 hours I had received a phone call arranging for me to drop my car at my nearest dealership.

After a week or so I received approval for a goodwill repair replacing all pistons, as well as the timing belt and water pump.

I'm happy to share directly my initial email correspondence if anyone needs help raising the same issue with vw.

[ope126]

Several months back my Golf began to run poorly and I booked it in for service and was told piston 1 was cracked. The car had done 75000km and was regularly serviced at vw for first 4 years then elsewhere either on time or a couple of months late.
As per suggestions on this thread I contacted vw general manager, head of customer service and head of customer experience.

I was prepared for a long fight but within 10 minutes I had a response from Jason Bradshaw indicating vw would diagnose my issue free of charge and provide a courtesy car.
With 24 hours I had received a phone call arranging for me to drop my car at my nearest dealership.

After a week or so I received approval for a goodwill repair replacing all pistons, as well as the timing belt and water pump.

I'm happy to share directly my initial email correspondence if anyone needs help raising the same issue with vw.

So great to hear!

[brad]

So great to hear!

It is but the inconsistency of how VW treats this issue is really wrong.

[BurnedbyVW]

It is but the inconsistency of how VW treats this issue is really wrong.

They seem pretty comfortable with the decision not to provide me any goodwill. I've sent this to ACCC to see if that will result in any different outcome.

[Maxxiz]

Afternoon all,
I thought I'd share my story on the notorious 118 failures.
Purchased my 2010 Golf at the end of 2016 with 82000km (Volkswagen Dealer Used Car - full genuine service history)
6 months later, CEL ON, rough running etc. (~96000km)
Self-diagnosed as failed cylinder #4.

Wrote a letter to the dealer principal explaining what had happened and what I think should happen.
Dealer was VERY responsive and willing to assist.
-Vehicle was towed from my house to dealer the next day
-Vehicle was stripped and diagnosed within 2 weeks
-VWA Goodwill assistance was approved 100%
-Vehicle repaired, detailed, refuelled and returned to me all within a month, with not a cent paid by me. (All cylinders replaced, cylinder head and injectors replaced)

I was very very happy with the outcome, and the service provided by the dealer and VWA.
I was ready to call it quits on the car before finding this forum and realising that they're still providing goodwill, so thanks for sharing!

[easylay]

Hi. Would it be possible for you to DM me those email details? I have been trying with VW customer service but they basically never return emails or don’t call when they say they will.

Thanks,

pete

[arnoldc77]

Sent to
Jason.Bradshaw@Volkswagen.com.au
michael.bartsch@volkswagen.com.au
Kurt.McGuiness@volkswagen.com.au

[madds96]

Hi all. Thought I’d share my experience with my 2009 118TSI Golf.

Bought from a used car dealership in Oct 2016 with 88,000km (second owner). Was previously always serviced on time through VW, and had been taken in for gearbox recall. At approx 105,000km (Oct 2017), the car began with rough idle, rough running and eventually no power. Upon researching I figured out that I was indeed, sold a lemon, and that I was experiencing the exact issue that everyone else was.

I contacted VW Aus Customer Service (1800 number), and it was organised for the car to be diagnosed at my local VW dealership for $150/hr on Mon 6th Nov. If they found that the issue was manufacturer related, they told me the diagnostic, parts and labour would be covered 100%. I was supplied with a loan car.

Upon strip and inspecting they found, yep you guessed it... cracked piston in Cyl 1, and stretched timing chain (Tues 14th Nov). A goodwill appeal was submitted to VWA that day.

Today (15th Nov), I was advised that VWA had agreed to cover 100% parts and labour. To say I’m stoked is an understatement. They recommended that the cylinders be decarbonised and resealed, at a cost of $500 to me. Without this they could not give me the 2yr warranty. I was happy to oblige, as it’s much more than I was expecting after reading some other 118 owners’ previous attempts of goodwill repair.

Just want to say thankyou to everyone on this forum for sharing their story, without it I could’ve been thousands of $$$ out of pocket to get it running again.

Now to get rid of it, and buy literally anything else. Goodluck to everyone else fighting the same 118 battle!!!

[BurnedbyVW]

Here's my response from the ACCC, not quite the calvilry to the rescue response I had hoped for, got to work out next steps now:

Thank you for writing to us about Volkswagen. We have recorded the details of your report. We can offer you information about your consumer rights and how to resolve a dispute with a business.

How to resolve your dispute

If you are unable to resolve your issue by speaking with the business, put your complaint in writing – that way the business is clearly aware of the problem and what you want, and you have a record of your contact. You can learn about writing a complaint letter and use our complaint letter tool on our website.

If this does not resolve your dispute with the seller, you can contact NSW Fair Trading. As your local consumer protection agency, NSW Fair Trading can help consumers resolve some disputes. Find out more about how to make a complaint to NSW Fair Trading on its website.

If NSW Fair Trading can’t help, you may need to take your complaint to your state or territory small claims tribunal.
Your rights: acceptable quality

Products you buy from businesses should be reasonably:

acceptable in appearance and finish
free from defects
safe
durable
able to do what products of their kind normally do.
If a product you buy is not one of these things, it does not meet the consumer guarantee of acceptable quality and you are entitled to have the problem fixed.

The guarantee of acceptable quality takes into account what would normally be expected for the type of product and cost.

This guarantee does not apply if the seller told you about the problem with the product before you bought it. And it does not apply if you damaged the product by using it incorrectly.

Approaching the retailer or manufacturer

You can approach the manufacturer directly, however, you will only be entitled to recover costs from them, which include an amount for reduction in the product’s value and in some cases compensation for damages or loss. You cannot demand a repair, replacement or refund from the manufacturer.

If the manufacturer is overseas and does not have a place of business in Australia, the business that imports the goods is considered to be the manufacturer.

We have recorded your report

We appreciate you reporting your matter to us. All information is potentially valuable to help us identify trends and where we can most effectively direct our resources, so we encourage you to report any behaviour or business practice that is concerning to you.

What the ACCC does with information from reports

The ACCC focuses on enforcing the laws we administer in circumstances that have the potential to harm the competitive process or result in widespread consumer or business detriment. We use reports received from the public and small business, as well as other sources of intelligence, to inform our work. When the ACCC takes action, it is to remedy market problems; we are not a complaint handling body and don’t resolve individual disputes. You can read more about how we prioritise our work and what we can and can't do for consumers on our website.

We hope the information we have provided today will help you to resolve your dispute.

[Mk R]

Now to get rid of it, and buy literally anything else. Goodluck to everyone else fighting the same 118 battle!!!

Be careful, you've got a 2 year warranty on the engine now. Unless you buy new you won't get that same benefit.

[MotleyLemon]

Looking at potentially buying one of these vehicles, good price, well maintained (not that it seems to matter), has just had waterpump and supercharger clutch done... Manual box, just under 100k kms.

Anyone had any experience with goodwill replacement in Canberra? I assume it would go through Lennock VW in Phillip...

Cheers

[VW Convert]

Looking at potentially buying one of these vehicles, good price, well maintained (not that it seems to matter), has just had waterpump and supercharger clutch done... Manual box, just under 100k kms.

Anyone had any experience with goodwill replacement in Canberra? I assume it would go through Lennock VW in Phillip...

Cheers

Have you read through this thread? Why would you want to buy a car with a hand grenade engine and put yourself through the angst of dealing with a claim through VW? Plenty of good VWs (or other makes) around rather than one of these.

Cheers

George