DSG woes in The Age

[RoknRob]

Different laws. As I said, in NSW at least, you can do whatever you want (unless it is already on the criminal statutes), as long as you tell your customer what you are going to do them. There are limits, but what we are talking about here is OK.

On the ACCC, they are concerned with safety. Again, it is up to the person lodging the complaint to make the case on safety.

Above all, DO NOT be confused by the titles of these organisations. The titles are a way of governments (all persuasions) hoodwinking citizens into thinking they are doing something about a problem. Just look at all of what is going on right now in politics. Create an organisation or body with a name that suggests they are doing something and you quieten the masses.

Wai, you miss my point.

The point is there are real problems that have obliged VW Globally to act. And VW has acted - which means they are aware of problems, and presumably know how to fix some of them.

Some here are suggesting it is all in our heads. That we're all trolls. That we don't know how to drive.

Recalls do not occur for these spurious reasons, and yet they have happened, so that can't be it.
VW Australia should do the right thing - not just the thing that some actuary has determined is not worth the money!
(But I take heart, because as this discussion drags on, it will likely become more and more worthwhile for VW to do the right thing! And then we can all go back to loving the brand that gives us such wonderful dynamics and interiors at a reasonable - for Australia - price!)

And thanks to cappuccino for such a comprehensive explanation of why this is all possible, even if no fault can be found.
(Surely I'm not the only one to have my desktop computer hang for no apparent reason, but when re-started, it's as if nothing had ever happened? This is a day-to-day example that I would be hard pressed to believe someone has never experienced.)

[Barracuda]

Well, I've been driving for 40 years and never before have I owned a car that's shut down while moving no less than 5 times. In fact, I don't think it's ever happened to me while driving any other car, not even the ones I drove back in the 1970s!

Request to moderator: can you change the title of the thread please to remove the reference to "DSG", which is incorrect? Ta.

You've been driving for 40 years which would put you at about age 57 yet you frequently use the term "fanboi" - common among 17 year-old kids. I have serious questions over the legitimacy of the things you write, let alone your profile itself.

[Barracuda]

Oh please! I'm well versed with the lingo of the younger set. I have kids that age. Stick your paranoia up where the sun don't shine.

Yeah, good. You're a classic case of insecurity. You make comments like that yet you also ask people to 'stop harassing you'. Mate, you're harassing the forums. VWWatercooled isn't for the spreading of hate comments. If you had a bad experience with a Volkswagen, I'm sorry to hear that. You don't need to go around to every post and spread negative comments and tell everybody how much you hate Volkswagen. One would only hope that you have better things to do...

[Umai Naa!!]

At the end of the day, it's only the internet.

You shouldn't take it too seriously.

[pologti18t]

I don't like being threatened. I don't like being told that my driving habits are the cause of a serious car malfunction. I drive like an old lady.

May I ask you to stop harassing me, pologti18t? I could equally ask you why you are such a mindless fanboi who cannot stand to hear the bad news about his pet consumer product, ffs.

Threatened, harrassed? I'm not harrassing you.
You get your car fixed... you log back in to that forum 1.5yrs later to say everything is hunky dory... then when the Age article surfaces you feel the need to edit your 3 month old post and then re-create an account on here to sprout your unproven theory.
Has VW really been that nasty to you? If so, why do you still drive a Golf?

Am I a fanboi? Hmmm, no, I wouldn't recommend a first series 7DSG car to a friend. But then again I have done some research on other manufacturers and how they handle these sort of issues. Doesn't matter who they are they all get the same negative feedback from people online. "Kept in the dark", "they aren't telling me something" "Manufacturer XXX doesn't have any issues why does my car" "They are just stalling until warranty expires".

[nomadx38]

I'm sorry but I have to side with the other guys as well on this one. If you have been driving for 40 years you should then know that for a car to go from 100-0 in 3 seconds is not physically possible.

But let's say that it is...the truck driver apparently saw no brake lights, and I would also assume no smoke from the tires which means she didn't try to even brake - was probably too busy texting and went up someone's ass and the truck followed.

Another thing to note - and I have experienced this first hand! Limp mode or the false neutral does exactly that - it disengages the clutch and you coast FREELY!!! If you do the math I'm sure you could figure out that without drive and the wind/rolling resistance at 100km/h it would take about 1.5km before you rolled to a stop. Are you telling me for 1.5km (about 3 mins) you didn't think to indicate and pull over??? To me that sounds like an idiot who can't drive.

The freeway is one of the safest places to have a problem like this because its flat and there is plenty of room to run off. When I got my first false neutral I was approaching a interception up a hill. I noticed that it went into neutral (had the D but no gear number) and went oh well not making these lights and started braking...wasn't even concerned.

[Barracuda]

Afaik I have not said I "hate VW" anywhere! What are you talking about? Or, in teenager lingo: "Da fuq??"

My avatar indicates this is the worst car I have even owned, and it's a factually true statement, based on my 5 breakdowns. Sorry, it's simple historical FACT.

Fair enough. Still, there is no need to be so aggressive with the manner in which you display your dislike of Volkswagen. If it is the worst car you've owned, sorry to hear that, but you don't need to tell the entire forums. From what I've read, the way in which Volkswagen has treated you is disgraceful - there's no doubting it. Don't get me wrong, Volkswagen Australia's management is absolutely garbage and they should have recalled these prominent issues a long time ago (like every other country). As a result, Volkswagen Australia is ruining the reputation of the brand in Australia, and it's an absolute shame. Volkswagen's are tremendous cars and like Transporter said, I trust the quality and overall reliability of Volkswagen much more than most brands, it's just the Australian management ruining the reputation.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

[Barracuda]

I agree with most of that. I did not buy 5 other VWs for nothing. Great brand, which is getting trashed.

Exactly. In fact, I have a mate who knows someone in the Finance Department at VW Australia and he knows the head of VWA - Apparently he's the biggest jerk and is exceptionally arrogant. Makes sense.

[Ideo]

So, ummm, I've done 85,000kms in just over 2 years and the worst issue I've had is a slight squeak from the door seal.

Just sayin'.

[RoknRob]

So, ummm, I've done 85,000kms in just over 2 years and the worst issue I've had is a slight squeak from the door seal.

Just sayin'.

Good on you. That's how it should be!

That's what we should all expect.

And I frankly wouldn't care about this at all, if it were just cosmetics or annoyances, like rattles.

But this is a safety issue.

Total loss of power, no matter when or where, always has the POTENTIAL to be very serious. Most people have been lucky when they've experienced this. But that is exactly what it is - dumb luck. Lucky that someone wasn't following too closely. Lucky that there was a gap in the traffic to move over to the side of the road. Lucky they weren't traveling too fast. In short, lucky that it didn't happen at the wrong time. For one person, her luck already ran out (allegedly). How long until the next person's luck runs out?

I just don't get why VW is stalling, if there is a fix that has been implemented elsewhere. If it's just a question of economics, well, that's not the kind of company I want to support.

But again, hopefully this discussion will spur VW into doing the right thing, and making us all safer.

[Barracuda]

So, ummm, I've done 85,000kms in just over 2 years and the worst issue I've had is a slight squeak from the door seal.

Just sayin'.

You're spot on. My brother has had 4 Golf's, holding onto them for about 4-5 years each (all of them have been manual). Worst issue he had was with his Mk5 R32 when the air conditioning stopped working, but it just needed a new compressor I think. The car was about 4 years by that time anyway.

There's no doubt that there are a lot of issues, but on the whole VW's are (in my opinion) fairly rock-solid cars. I've (and my family) have certainly always had good experiences with them.

[wai]

Wai, you miss my point.

The point is there are real problems that have obliged VW Globally to act. And VW has acted - which means they are aware of problems, and presumably know how to fix some of them.

Some here are suggesting it is all in our heads. That we're all trolls. That we don't know how to drive.

Don't get me wrong. I understand what you are saying, and I DID LODGE A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH THE ACCC. The response was that under their authority they could do nothing unless it was a safety issue that the complainant could verify and satisfy the ACCC as to the cause.

VW should act, but you see, the Australian market is not big by any standards for VW, so why go to the expense of doing something here when we are like a mosquito biting an elephant...plain annoying, but not likely to do the elephant any harm.

Oh yes, also it is not the ACCC that initiates a recall. They do notify the public, but they do not initiate it. It is the Department of Infrastructure and Transport where the complaint has to be lodged, and there is a specific format that the complaint has to come in.

I e-mailed a complaint on another few safety issues, but being bureaucratic, it must come in a specific format, so I have to resubmit it. Mind you the first time I submitted it was around September 2011, but heard nothing. This time I have been told to "do it properly".

So, to all who consider it safety related, go through the proper channels and then something might just happen. Otherwise, do not expect anything to happen soon if at all. You can do all you want in forums like this, or through social media. It is just being a mosquito. The Australian market does not matter that much to VW. If they sold nothing here, it would barely rate mention at a strategic meeting at VW. The only reason they have acted in other markets is because they simply cannot afford a loss of share in those markets.

By the way, this is not a VW bashing exercise as such. It would be the same for any manufacturer with a small market share. Holden reacts in Australia because that is its prime market. If there was something odd to happen is a market they are not that concerned at losing, and the same issue is not an issue in their prime market, they are not going to bother.

No one is attacking anyone in this forum.

Here's another example received just minutes ago.

Google earth images are WAY out of date. Currently they are as things were in 2009. Google want to sell professional packages of Google Earth for a premium where you get higher resolution imagery. Pity it is higher resolution imagery of how things were in 2009. What does the ACCC say about selling high resolution imagery that is up to 5 years old? Nothing. I have been directed to my local Fair Trading Department, and no doubt Google mention this somewhere in their T&C's so nothing can be done about it.

Like I said, there is nothing "fair" about Fair Trading, and the ACCC is just a mouthpiece. Decisions on what has to be done are made by others and the ACCC name has a nice ring to it.

So, if we want action we have to go through proper channels, otherwise whatever we do or say is for information only.

It may not be what you or I want to hear, but that is the way it is.

[wai]

I just don't get why VW is stalling, if there is a fix that has been implemented elsewhere. If it's just a question of economics, well, that's not the kind of company I want to support.

It is simple business economics. VW sell cars. Their business is NOT repairing cars at no cost unless they are directed to do this. The Australian market is minuscule, and the authorities are reluctant to act.

Not what you or I want to hear, but that is the reality.

Here's what is really wrong about this. If VW owners were prepared to pay say 50% of the cost of a "fix", they would probably jump at it.

[OilBurna]

I guess at the moment the economics don't stack up.. Sooneror later market share will have to be affected..

[SilvrFoxX]

Re: DSG woes in The Age

So, ummm, I've done 85,000kms in just over 2 years and the worst issue I've had is a slight squeak from the door seal.

Just sayin'.

You have a squeak... luxury I say