Ordered a new passat yesterday =)

[GeckoZAO]

Hi all,
first post here.

My mother in law was looking for a car to replace the old mitsubishi.
firstly she was VERY interested in the toyota camery and hybrid, then i suggested the passat and 'converted' her. =P

there is no need to compare the quality of toyota and vw... you can see camery everywhere in Aus, plus passat has better fuel efficiency @ 118kw, camery has got a 2.5L @ 135kw.
We have been to three VW dealers in the eastern melbourne regions, camberwell, glen waverly and glen waverly.
camberwell disappointed us, poor custermer service experience.
Both ferntree gully and glen waverly sales were good and patient.. but ferntree gully only got passat wagons left in stock, so we decided to go barloworld in glen waverly.

I think every body knows about the vw financial year sale.
so we ordered the passat 118TSI, drive away @ $38,990. plus free metallic paint.
(But i think there is more potential to bring the price down further.)
they said there arent too much stock left in Aus, new cars from Germany will not be in time for this sale which ends this month, so we didn't get the chance to configure (add-ons, color, etc), but the basic config of 118TSI meets our daily use demands. (parking radars, touch screen media centre, cruise control, etc)

so yeah, looking forward to get the car in 2-3 weeks time.

I think I will go to Glen Waverly again some time next year to get my Golf MK7.

(I was born in Shanghai, China, and VW was the first foregin invested automobile company in China, the first model was 'Santana', very very popular, and good quality. so VW has very good reputation in China. My dad's first 3 cars are all VW, therefore VW is my favourite brand. XD)

By the way, does any one know if we should go for the protections (crystal glaze, vinyl and leather) and window tint?
if any of you can give me some idea of how much each of these will cost that will be great! the pricelist dealer gave us is not cheap.

[Buzy_Robot]

Congratulations GeckoZao - I have owned a B7 125TDI Passat sedan for 10 months now and overall it is a really good car. Not perfect as I don't like the start-stop system and there are a few too many interior rattles for my liking, but the performance and fuel economy is absolutely outstanding. I also cannot fault the car mechanically and in late July it will go in for its first major service.

As for dealers, I've had good experiences with Essendon Volkswagen and Werribee Volkswagen.

As for all that protection stuff - I personally have refused all of it every time I have bought a new car. The persuasive techniques they try and use (hyperbole, supposition, appeals to guilt and the hip pocket nerve) result in a repetitive "nope!", cheeky grin and chuckle from me!

Do I really need paint and/or rust protection? Why? Is there something wrong with my Passat's metallic paint? No. Do I need window tinting? No. Do I need interior protection? Not that I can tell. It all looks fine to me. When I need to clean the leather seats, I'll just get some good quality leather cleaner and do it myself.

That's just my opinion and others are welcome to differ. Either way, I've heard dealers make a very nice profit on this stuff, so if you're really keen on any of it, go elsewhere and save a bundle.

[cru22z]

Congrats,
YOu might need tinting for UV protection. As for paint protection etc get yourself to carcareproducts.com.au and get yourself a Duragloss paint protection kit, its a DIY which will save you heaps of money compare to dealer butchered job.

[Buzy_Robot]

Great suggestions from cru22z. Just wondering though, if you do get all of this stuff for your new car, does it improve the resale value or not?

[Transporter]

Great suggestions from cru22z. Just wondering though, if you do get all of this stuff for your new car, does it improve the resale value or not?

In general it doesn't increase the resale value, especially when you trade it on a new car. But, if you're selling privately you could get bit more and it will be easier to sell than the car without the extras.

[cru22z]

Paint protection doesn't really increase resale value as what transporter says.
Even if you have paint protection and some idiot dings your car with their door or bloody trolley,
then with or without paint protection its the same.
Also getting paint protection from dealer requires you reapplication every so often, so even if you apply one now and then decide
not to do it later then it becomes pointless. If you do DIY at-least you can apply it yourself at your convenience. Detailers now such as CCP can rejuvenate a worn out paint before resale, so its really not something that important later on.
Get the Duragloss or nanolex and apply it yourself, you'll feel alot better as well after that exercise.

[GeckoZAO]

Thanks cru22z,
i thought its gonna be complicated but i visited the website and it looks alright.
will consider.
any idea for how much tining will cost approximately? the dealer has 'galaxy 35' and 'supreme 35'.

[GeckoZAO]

Thanks Buzy_Robot! Thanks for your advice!

[MJW]

If you can afford it I would take it to Car Tint in Ringwood. I had my car tinted by the dealer & although the tint might be of good quality the application was very poor. Dealer will charge around $200 & Car Tint will be double that but you get what you pay for. Good luck.

[GeckoZAO]

Thanks for your advice. =)
nice car btw.

[Riker]

Congrats Gecko, you will be getting a great car..

Window tint is a must & not only because it makes the car look better. The cars come from the factory with minimal UV protection so a good quality tint is a smart thing to do as it will provide near 100% UV protection. It is a smart choice.

Paint protection is another smart choice but I suggest doing it yourself. The best product is Nanolex & it can be purchased through forum sponsor Car Care products. Water just runs off, literally & other things like road grime, dust, bird s*** etc just wash of with a hose & light wash. It stops gunk from sticking to the paintwork. You apply it once a year in the same way you would a car polish 'wax on, wax off'...... It is great stuff & gives the car a nice shine.

Leather protection, forget it. This is a money spinner for the dealer & whilst it might offer some protection initially after a few months that new car seat starts to turn shiny. All you need is a good quality leather 'cream' & apply it lightly every 6-12 months.

[GeckoZAO]

Thanks Riker! Very detailed explanations! I will have a look at the items you mentioned!