Unexpected costs

[Ss_2211]

I am considering buying the new Tiguan and was after some advise from existing owners.

I know that VW have the pre purchase service option which covers the first 5 years, however are there any considerable out of pocket expenses that people have been stung with?

Also what has reliability generally been like post the warranty expiring? I’m coming from Japanese vehicles so never had to worry about extra costs for parts, servicing etc

[Lucas_R]

Hi and welcome. What model Tiguan (diesel or petrol, and which version) are you looking at?

There have been some gearbox issues with the Tiguan's, then you have the well known water pump/thermostat leaking issue. Another thing to keep on top of is the screen filter in the Haldex system for the AWD. This is not listed as being something that needs to be periodically cleaned in the VW service manual, but many have failed (resulting in a blown Haldex system) because the filter gets clogged. Recommend getting your mechanic to remove and clean the filter every 2-3 years or no longer than 30,000km.

If you are looking at a TDI, then you have a timing belt that needs replacing at either the 5 or 6 year mark.

Also - brakes. If you spend a few hundred dollars on new high quality ceramic brake pads when the car is new your brakes will last for years and years. But if you leave the factory fitted brake pads in there, you will be replacing your disks and pads in about 3-4 years at a considerable cost ($1,000-1,200+), not to mention having black filthy wheels constantly due to the brake dust caused by the factory brake pads.

[Ss_2211]

Thanks for that, I was initially looking at the 110 life but now leaning toward the 132 purely for the extra power.

Aside from the brakes and timing belt, I assume the others you mention would be warranty covered items?

[Lucas_R]

Thanks for that, I was initially looking at the 110 life but now leaning toward the 132 purely for the extra power.

Aside from the brakes and timing belt, I assume the others you mention would be warranty covered items?

The 110TSI Life is front wheel drive only, so if you do get the Life then you can disregard the Haldex issues I mentioned in my previous post as they are related to the All Wheel Drive models only.

The 110TSI Life is (in my opinion) underpowered in the heavy Tiguan. If you can afford it, I would definitely go with the 132TSI as a minimum. But, you might find the 110TSI perfectly adequate for your needs.

The 1.4L is a good little engine in the Audi A1, A3 and Golf Mk7 etc (adequate performance vs the size/weight of the car), but to me its just too small and underpowered in a much heavier Tiguan.

Many people with the 1.4 TSI engine have big oil consumption issues after a few years, normally outside of warranty - look at some of the Mk7 Golf owners using 1.0L of oil every 1,000km. The oil for these modern VW's is about $15-20 per litre so that cost (and annoyance of constantly having to add oil to the engine) adds up.

The 2.0 engine is very reliable in general, with the water pumps/thermostat being the only common issue. Id have to say with a fair bit of confidence that the 2.0L engine is in general a better/more reliable and long lasting engine than the 1.4L is.

The timing belt I mentioned is only related to the diesel TDI models. The petrol models have a timing chain which in theory should last the life of the car.

Warranty period is 5 years, so yes if the water pump dies in that timeframe (and there's a good chance it will) then it will be covered. Same with gearbox and Haldex. The problem is when these parts fail outside of warranty its going to hurt the wallet.

[iDiesel]

Also - brakes. If you spend a few hundred dollars on new high quality ceramic brake pads when the car is new your brakes will last for years and years. But if you leave the factory fitted brake pads in there, you will be replacing your disks and pads in about 3-4 years at a considerable cost ($1,000-1,200+), not to mention having black filthy wheels constantly due to the brake dust caused by the factory brake pads.

This.
typically Japanese cars you can get a couple of sets of pads before changing the discs
so budget about double for this