Tweet
Complaints by VW branded vehicles in particular, about reliability & ownership costs must be starting to hurt the VW stable.
From what I can see, these DSG issues seem to plague VWs, but not Skoda to anywhere near the same extent. Most of these problems seem to me to be in smaller cars & particularly those with a torquey turbocharged motor in front of a 7 speed DSG. As far as my 3.6V6 Supurb goes, I've wonder if this has to do with the differnet engine mapping used by Skoda for the R36 engine; 191kW with a wider torque band, rather than the 225kW peakier toque curve of the Passat. The Supurb is also stretched which makes me wonder if the longer wheel base might also contribute with the longer drive train not being close to a harmonic length. Pure speculation on my part.
Seperately, I see VW is giving customers in China a TEN year guarantee on thier DSGs. Looking about on Briskoda, it is clear VW discriminates on price, specs, warranty period, parts & service costs in its different markets. That suggests they who scream loudest get a better deal. Particularly if you are a market the size of China.
That HQ at Chullora houses offices, bulk store & a call centre, so I'm not quite sure how that will help improve reliability.
I note she went one to address the issue of parts & servicing ripoffs through the dealer network, undoubtedly working against a RRP 'agreement' with VAG.
I have my doubts about this being anything more than empty words though. Note the final sentence of her statement. I read it as her saying she doesn't think the problem is anything more than a beatup to be addressed through PR. Why she had to add that final sentence suggests t me she isn't too sharp. Even if she thinks it, that one sentence largely shoots the rest in the foot. It is also interesting she talks of attracting customers from other brands, but says nothing about working to retain the brand loyalty of existing customers. Maybe she thinks that is a lost cause.
From what I can see, these DSG issues seem to plague VWs, but not Skoda to anywhere near the same extent. Most of these problems seem to me to be in smaller cars & particularly those with a torquey turbocharged motor in front of a 7 speed DSG. As far as my 3.6V6 Supurb goes, I've wonder if this has to do with the differnet engine mapping used by Skoda for the R36 engine; 191kW with a wider torque band, rather than the 225kW peakier toque curve of the Passat. The Supurb is also stretched which makes me wonder if the longer wheel base might also contribute with the longer drive train not being close to a harmonic length. Pure speculation on my part.
Seperately, I see VW is giving customers in China a TEN year guarantee on thier DSGs. Looking about on Briskoda, it is clear VW discriminates on price, specs, warranty period, parts & service costs in its different markets. That suggests they who scream loudest get a better deal. Particularly if you are a market the size of China.
The managing director of Volkswagen Australia, Anke Koeckler, admits being concerned by customer feedback and a study that ranked Volkswagen last in a study of Australian car buyers last year.
"It is a worry for us, and we take it seriously," she says.
"And that's the reason why we're putting a lot of focus right now in those fields.
"We have employed a lot of people in the after-sales area.”
Volkswagen's national head office in western Sydney is now home to a customer care centre that reports directly to Volkswagen's top brass, including Koeckler.
"It is a worry for us, and we take it seriously," she says.
"And that's the reason why we're putting a lot of focus right now in those fields.
"We have employed a lot of people in the after-sales area.”
Volkswagen's national head office in western Sydney is now home to a customer care centre that reports directly to Volkswagen's top brass, including Koeckler.
I note she went one to address the issue of parts & servicing ripoffs through the dealer network, undoubtedly working against a RRP 'agreement' with VAG.
Koeckler has also moved to address another common complaint against Volkswagen.
The brand is currently examining whether it could introduce fixed-price servicing across the range in a bid to ease fears motorists hold about the cost of European car ownership.
Koeckler says her team are doing their sums to make sure Volkswagen is "not ripping off our loyal customers".
"It would actually reflect the honest service costs and parts costs," she says.
"We have to make sure that we actually get new customers from different brands, and those customers might at first have a perception that we are too expensive.
"[But] I think when it comes to Volkswagen it's probably more a matter of perception than reality."
The brand is currently examining whether it could introduce fixed-price servicing across the range in a bid to ease fears motorists hold about the cost of European car ownership.
Koeckler says her team are doing their sums to make sure Volkswagen is "not ripping off our loyal customers".
"It would actually reflect the honest service costs and parts costs," she says.
"We have to make sure that we actually get new customers from different brands, and those customers might at first have a perception that we are too expensive.
"[But] I think when it comes to Volkswagen it's probably more a matter of perception than reality."
/ it's around $20+ for VW 1.5L concentrate
Comment