6Spd Auto flush out.

[Transporter]

If you guys are using the vans for business, why not to put together letter to VW Australia, ...please explain why the transmission and many other components fail so Early? ...and if that's the case that we have to fork out $$$ for the unnecessary repairs incl. transmissions rebuild well before 150,000km, then we ...and the list of businesses signed, will consider buying the Toyota or other brand vans instead.

That could have a better impact than a single letter from one unhappy VW owner.

[Sunny43.5]

Here,s the deal with our van bought brand new for family use not commercial at all , my wife is the primary driver and she only uses it to go shopping and various other trips . I also drive the van as I used to take my teenage son Moto Cross riding and racing so we did do a few long trips on weekends some times just 1 bike and three passengers and a bit of gear certainly nothing that would put the van under any stress . Also we have towed a 6 x 4 trailer when we go recreational riding again no way any where near the capacity it can handle . My point is that this van should not have even a hint of a problem with the tranny IF it were able to be serviced !!!! . I cannot believe that VW would expect transmission oil to last unchanged for whatever time they expect it to last . If they seal the box then I believe they should give some sort of support if one fails or plays up .
Lets face it we can change engine oil when ever we choose or at set intervals we replace tyres brake pads etc at any time so why not the tranny fluid or any internal filters , the transmission is probably one of the most stressed components in the drive train so logic dictates that it should be able to be serviced . I do have an idea why these things are like this , I have a business fitting sunroofs and I also do repair work on sunroofs that are factory fitted . Now if some small part fails as they will do if you go to the various manufactures and try to buy a part you can see has broken be prepared for a shock . Car makers are only working on the assumption that if some thing fails while under warranty they will just suppply a whole component for two reasons 1/ its easier for their mechanics to replace a whole component as it saves on labour for the dealers . 2/ believe it or not they don,t train their mechanics to fit parts that you and I would expect them to they are only trained to change whole assemblies and carry out regular servicing . Bad luck when its out of warranty you just have to suck it up .
Now this is not just VW all car makers are guilty of this rort , I recently quoted to repair a sunroof on a Citreon C3 Plurial the fabric sunroof that folds back down over the rear windscreen and then the whole unit folds down into the floor , there is a small plastic component that breaks and totally disables the sunroof guess what no part is available you have to replace the whole unit $7500 plus 8 hrs labour . The owner told their insurance company some one tried to break into the car causing this part to break end result insurance company wrote off the car as not worth repairing it was 6 years old and in perfect condition except for a simple piece of plastic that you can see is broken but you cant buy it . I hope the day comes when car makers stop this nonsense as the cars keep going up in price but if they go wrong cost a fortune to fix . PS I still love my VW,s we own three of them 1 x T5 2.5 turbo diesel auto 1 x T5 2.0 litre manual {my work van} and my sons T4 2.5 petrol .Howard

[MultiplexMan]

I think the "sealed" terminology is a bit misleading. The auto box is able to be serviced despite being "sealed". Rolls Royce used to decree similarly for the entire power plant/driveline at one time...

The issue is the definition of a "reasonable lifetime".

I have owned many cars and many were/are VW. My personal "record" was 265,000km with a Mk1 GTI. I changed cars frequently, every 1-2 years, in my early years. I tend to keep my cars much longer now. Mainly due to the fact that resale is terrible.

I too, would expect a diesel vehicle to do 500,000km. I think this is reasonable after considering the technological and material investment in bringing the vehicle to market. However the modern consumer appears to equate a 3 year/100,000km warranty with the "reasonable" life span of the car.

What does help, is customer feed back. VW is one brand that does take some notice of what customers want. I was pleased to note some component fixes to the T5 last month. Little revisions that have been passed on to the T5.1 - a start but better than nothing.

Forums that offer constructive, reasonable criticism are invaluable to "brand managers".

/RANT
"Fan boys" can do more harm than good when they "shout down" and mask opportunities to make a good product better.

Classic cases in point have been the DSG and TDI injector issues. When these were originally raised, the response by some forum members was attrocious - nothing short of bullying.

Persistance is finally paying off with vehicles slowly being repaired under warranty or under "good will". Hopefully the brand has not suffered too badly.
/end RANT