DSG woes in The Age

[The_Hawk]

Now there's a VW owner with a car that wont switch off - VWA going to look very stupid very soon...
VW owner films his car malfunctioning | Video

This is another completely different issue from the DSG and Diesel injector problems, although the insinuation and for me the take away is the frustration from another customer who has apparently tried multiple times to have an issue resolved without success.


To play devils advocate, if a may for a moment, when an intermittent problem presents itself without any error codes and the vehicles passes all tests in a workshop it's hard to "fix". Consider even if the dealer does see it and then something is repaired/replaced/tweaked in an effort to resolve the problem it may then pass tests only to fail again later.

Sadly this can turn into a game of he said/she said with a customer claiming an ongoing issue and the dealer saying it either can't replicate it or that it's been repaired and passed testing. Why would any maker replace/refund something if they can't see anything wrong with it?? This is where so called lemon laws could come into play for issues that just don't ever get resolved.


Not that any of this helps the consumer frustrated with a vehicle with issues that are seemingly never repaired, even more so if it leaves them off the road for an extended period without an courtesy car.

[Diesel_vert]

So only the whingers should get an airing?

Not at all - I generally dislike curtailing free speech.

Although I'm not sure how you'd feel if your own car were to have the same recurring issues some people are experiencing and then consequently be labelled a "whinger" if you were to air your grievances.

Just had a client talking to me about this, and how crap his wifes Golf was.

Turns out a car should run perfectly after not being serviced for 65,000kms because his mid 80s Hilux could do it.

It's tempting to dismiss all these claims as self-inflicted (which is certainly not out of the question!) but Volkswagen vehicles do have their fair share of well documented faults, some of which are quite severe.

and Toby Hagon, Drive Editor has just noted;

"Editor's note: We are more than happy to let the debate continue and have only rejected comments that have had potential legal issues.

Regarding the story on a manual Golf - it is not something we have tried to hide or ignore; in fast we have mentioned this in each story published on the issue.

From the huge volume of feedback we have received (including these comments, phone calls and emails) it seems the problem is not limited to diesel automatics, as Volkswagen would have us believe. Our articles have also highlighted the huge quality issues being faced by many Volkswagen owners, something we feel is worth pursuing.

So the short story is we are happy for people to have their say and be critical of our coverage, but we will not be publishing comments in poor taste or those with potential legal ramifications. "

Translation: the sales/finance/accounting division is happy with the high level of responses and the number of hits generated from our motoring website, so we'll continue to allow our readers to make comments.

[boris]

Young girl in the ACT had an injector shutdown at 110 with a truck up her arse and it was a very very near miss. She than had some guy try and kidnap her whilst stuck on the side of the road in middle of nowhere. Her Dad and I had a lot of "chats" about what to do about it, and he took it up the ladder only to find our Gov watchdogs are a joke, thus VW's ability to do as they please.

I have no doubt this is why the 125kw MKV diesel was never released in the USA, VW knew it had potential problems.

Will be interesting to see how the woeful 7 speed DSG problem pans out though, FAR greater numbers of failures.

I think you will find the 125TDI wasnt released as it woudnt have sold. Americans in 2008 wouldnt have even been interested in a little 2.0TDI engine. Small diesel engines are only just now being released in the US market.

[sVWatt]

Translation: the sales/finance/accounting division is happy with the high level of responses and the number of hits generated from our motoring website, so we'll continue to allow our readers to make comments.

Agree - they've decided they are onto something and are going to run with it. Wonder if it will affect Drive's future invitations to trial new models as VWA rolls them out ?

[ian]

Volkswagen Driver Claims VW Threatened His Job Over Fault

[sVWatt]

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.

I think this nails it. VW is a great brand in the global sense. It's just being shafted by pi$$ poor management in Aus at the moment. Would not surpise me if we get announcements of a new management team within Australia soon.

Adding it up, I've had; Golf, Beetle, Passat, Polo, Polo, Golf during my years in the UK, and not once did I have an issue. So my faith in the brand is strong.

[pologti18t]

I'd like to see all the correspondence OzVWCrap sent to VWA and the dealer.
Only seems fare to see what VW/Dealer responded to.

[wai]

I'd like to see all the correspondence OzVWCrap sent to VWA and the dealer.
Only seems fare to see what VW/Dealer responded to.

Probably a disclaimer and copyright notice on the letter preventing its disclosure to a third party without permission.

[THE_EGG]

I'd like to see all the correspondence OzVWCrap sent to VWA and the dealer.
Only seems fare to see what VW/Dealer responded to.

If it was anything like what happened to me, i was just sent around in circles. VWA-CC just kept referring me to the dealer principal, the dealer principal kept referring me to VWA-CC. When VWA-CC finally said they would do something as they would talk to the dealer principal themselves, I wasn't contacted again. I sent both parties evidence of the issue and evidence from the interwebs of it happening to others but still didn't get anywhere. That is when I just left the brand, sold the car and went somewhere else as I was too anxious while driving my car wondering when the next breakdown would happen with the DSG....

[pologti18t]

I think you will find the 125TDI wasnt released as it woudnt have sold. Americans in 2008 wouldnt have even been interested in a little 2.0TDI engine. Small diesel engines are only just now being released in the US market.

It wasn't sold because it didn't meet US Smog regs. The 103Kw TDI they (US) had in the Jetta/Golf had to be upgraded from EU specs to meet US regs.
2008 Volkswagen Jetta TDI - First Drive Review - Car Reviews - Car and Driver

[pologti18t]

Probably a disclaimer and copyright notice on the letter preventing its disclosure to a third party without permission.

OzVWCrap has already shown the VW response letter on the web.... Yet he hasn't shown any correspondence he sent VW or the Dealer.

[pologti18t]

I think I was reasonable.

Right then..

[FSI 220]

Volkswagen Driver Claims VW Threatened His Job Over Fault

This is the article that concerns me... If a VW customer wrote a complaint from a work email and VW rather than respond to that email positivley or negatively with attepmted due process or disputing the problem or whatever... that is one thing.... however to defend by attacking by threatening that person with the sack by exposing them to their employer... then VW has lost me to the brand...

I have defended VW to all the haters for the last three or so years, but that action is not one of a responsible corporate... rather a hysterical shonk resorting to subterfuge... I dunno... I have been sitting on the fence, no rush to get out of a little roadster whilst I check out the next GTi/R, next Skoda RS wagon ( hopefully in AWD - i'd be in that!) or whatever. But that article struck a nerve...

There are two sides to any story, but if that story develops I will be interested to find out what happens..

[RoknRob]

I'd like to see all the correspondence OzVWCrap sent to VWA and the dealer.
Only seems fare to see what VW/Dealer responded to.

Geez - you really seem to be going after this individual...

There are plenty of disgruntled owners on here... why him?

Doesn't seem too unreasonable to me...

[RoknRob]

If it was anything like what happened to me, i was just sent around in circles. VWA-CC just kept referring me to the dealer principal, the dealer principal kept referring me to VWA-CC. When VWA-CC finally said they would do something as they would talk to the dealer principal themselves, I wasn't contacted again. I sent both parties evidence of the issue and evidence from the interwebs of it happening to others but still didn't get anywhere. That is when I just left the brand, sold the car and went somewhere else as I was too anxious while driving my car wondering when the next breakdown would happen with the DSG....

So impressed to see you still hanging out here, Egg!

Just goes to show how much you would love that car back! But I fully understand your concerns.

If only VW would address the issue properly, I bet they would have at least one return customer!

What a shame their handling of all this is so immature.