Are all VW lemons or am I just expecting too much

[dubrav]

One week without my car(2007,MY08,125kw,TDI) and still no idea when i'll get it back.First it was DSG which was fixed couple of months ago and now it loosing coolant,alarm was coming on once a week so it was booked in for warranty.They've done all the usual checks and found nothing externally and next step is to go in,to pull the head off and was told it could take weeks.Anyway i did get a loan car(for free) and it's Jetta FSI 04/08 model with only 1400 km on the clock and after 4 days of using it the A/C fan is stopping after couple of mins of usage and if i switch the car off and turn it back on it'll work for few mins and so on.Previously owned Polo TDI 2007 model which also had warranty issues and my brother owns Golf MKv 2006 1.9 TDI and he had problems with master clutch cylinder.
This time i was lucky because it's still under warranty but god knows what's going to fail next and the car has 99000 km so one thousand km's left.
So for me it wasn't the best experience with VW and i think the Passat will go and never again VW and probably get something cheap at least i know to expect from cheap cars. I've also heard that their warranty runs at 18% and the company that i work for runs at 3% and they still think it's too high, thats 18% of sales.
Very disappointed VW owner

[gerhard]

Good reason to buy the extended warranty.

Make sure you get it before it ticks over 100,000k.

[dubrav]

I do have extended warranty but it only goes up to certain amount
and with VW prices it's only drop in the ocean

[anthony]

We currently have a 2006 Golf,2007 Jetta,and 2010 Caddy in the family,and NO problems at all.
Couldnt be happier.
Will buy VW next time around...

[Jase]

I think dubrav, you're in the unlucky box. That's not to downplay those with serious or problematic warranty issues though. In 10 months I've had to drop my Jetta off 8 times, with about 12 days the car being unavailable due to repairs. I reckon I've had a rough trot but at least the main components (engine, DSG) haven't had a problem thus far.

This online community is extremely helpful and from the posts I believe the majority have very few, if any, warranty repairs as such. Some vehicles have a few. While a much smaller amount have repeated on-going problems...dare I say welcome to that club.

I've driven a couple of demo cars for test drives that had faults. I made sure to tell the dealership on return. One occasion it was a Passat that had front end shuddering on take off & the parking sensor audio would scream it's head off as soon as you put it in reverse, regardless if any objects were there. I was a bit shocked the attention to detail wasn't there but hey, cars do funny things sometimes.

If you're gonna keep it, at least the entended warranty will look after everything as per the original warranty till 160,000km. Good investment no matter the model or history of a late model VW considering the cost of the components involved.

[jets]

I bought a new Golf in late '05 & only problem so far is replacement of stop light globes at different times. No warranty claims what so ever, love it. I also own '01 Polo & '01 T4 Trakka both bought used. Very minor problems with both cars. The T4 has a very slight oil leak at crankshaft seal [will be fixed at timing belt replacement time soon] & gearbox linkage shaft seal on Polo [repaired for $15] I agree expectations with cheaper cars is lower when purchasing new. It's even lower when buying used. One of my observations with VW is that they are very keen on introducing new technology & new[cheaper] suppliers before doing any long term testing. The car buying public [you & me] are doing that for them at sometimes great frustation to us.

[dubrav]

Ubelivable, loan car , Jetta,just broke down ,looks like battery's gone not sure.... These cars are like wifes.....

[dubrav]

Managed to start it up and few k's later it cought on fire

[jethro41]

Managed to start it up and few k's later it cought on fire

You my friend is what is commonly referred to as a jinx

Sorry, mate trying to lighten the mood.

I'm sorry hear the VW experience is not being kind to you.

I've had my ups and downs too, but I've owned 3 golfs now and I'd still buy another.

Yes, when things play up it can be a pain, but what a pleasure to drive when all is going well.

[dubrav]

Roadservice just came and diagnosed faulty alternator.Engine was using battery power only and was pulling a lot of current and started melting insulation, and also ther was no warning lights at all.Only 1900 km and already big problems.I'm definitely jinxed
Also been driving in Australia since 1994 and never had an accident until i bought VW Polo and after 2 months got hit twice from behind in a week

[phaeton]

Stay away from VWs

Perhaps a Skoda ?

[nikamichi]

My experience with Audi/VW hasn't been happy.

I have a 2006 A3, with 40,000 kms, and it has had approximately $15,000 worth of warranty work, and it will probably need another $7,000 worth soon ( thank god for the extending warranty).

It has had the documented A3/ Golf V problems : -

Faulty Steering Rack
Faulty air cond compressor.
Faulty fresh/ recirc actuator for the climate control
Faulty gearbox which required a 3 week rebuild.

A non-documented issue requiring fixing was a faulty drivers airbag

At work there was also a GTI and Jetta, and they all had steering racks, and other irksome electrical troubles.

I think it is far to say that cars built on the PQ35 have a deservedly poor reputation for quality, and a lot of that can be directed back to component suppliers. Having said that 2007 and on cars appear to be better.

In my GTI negotiations I always correct dealers about the difference between fit and finish, and quality.

[gregozedobe]

I do have extended warranty but it only goes up to certain amount
and with VW prices it's only drop in the ocean

Sounds like you haven't got the official VW extended warranty (underwritten by Allianz). This one doesn't have any limits on costs, so all repairs cost you nothing. It's good, but not cheap (but still worth buying IMO). See this thread for more info:

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=28828

[tessie]

Sorry to hear the probs you are having, I've owned a Mk V Golf Sportline now for 4 years, 66,000 on the clock and not a single issue thus far,touch wood.
Probably because of that experience, or maybe certainly, I've bought a Passat CC TDI. Great value I thought at $55k, and I hope it hangs together like the Golf. If it proves otherwise, I'll quickly dump the brand and go back to Japanese which would really disappoint because I appreciate the technical sophistication of these cars.

[dubrav]

Roadservice just came and diagnosed faulty alternator.Engine was using battery power only and was pulling a lot of current and started melting insulation, and also ther was no warning lights at all.Only 1900 km and already big problems.I'm definitely jinxed
Also been driving in Australia since 1994 and never had an accident until i bought VW Polo and after 2 months got hit twice from behind in a week

just came back from Denlo,they gave me a another courtesy car(Golf 6,1.6 tdi) and they told me that they need to replace cylinder head and it has to come from Germany so looks like I'm not getting my car for another month