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i would be interested to know where these oe radiators are made ---ie in what country of origin? as 3 years and pop is just laughable without the laugh
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I have poor relation ( to polo/golf) skoda, i reckon some parts are the same though.
But in 8 years only the exhaust has given out, so perhaps not such a poor relation?
The rad is plastic and would take only 1 hour to change though, even the coolant had a drain plug - better than ford's.I am impressed with the skoda, so far, but I think a car needs to go at least 12-14 years with no fault to be useful. VW buyers paya premium for snobbery - so they should have deep pockets
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>>>VW buyers paya premium for snobbery
This remark is utter balderdash(and if I could use stronger words, I would). Most VW owners consider their cars to be similar to Toyota, Honda or Ford. I am sick of these cretinous remarks on this site. Grow up.
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My Passat (54 Plate) is now on its 2nd new radiator 3rd if you include the original that it came with out of the factory. My last radiator was changed last month. I spoke to the service manager at the dealership who advised me that my new radiator has been re-designed so that it should not fail again so soon. Wait and see. But as my car is now out of warranty it will be done to me to get it fixed if it goes again.
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>>>VW buyers paya premium for snobbery
quizman
Totally agree with your comments sick to the back teeth with backroomers saying that I am nothing more than a snob badge.
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>>Most VW owners consider their cars to be similar to Toyota, Honda or Ford. <<
There in lies the problem quizman - as we see so many times on this site VW have a poor reputation for reliability and are even worse for customer care.
Treating goodfellow like they have is apalling.
The problems were notifed during the warranty period but becuase the car's electronics are so tempramental the dealer fobbed him off. They then blatantly lied to him by saying that any error messages would be lost. This episode speaks for itself I'm afraid.
I appreciate there are a number of threads at the moment slating VW but there's no smoke without fire. If it's customers got reliable cars and good service - there would be no cause to criticise or post on here - people are not making the stuff up.
I've also been slating Toyota of late - but I had a similar situation where I reported a problem during warranty - the delaer could not find and fix. 3 months out of warranty the problem repeated itself. I told them about the previous report and they repaired it without hesitation.
PS - I think you meant 'badge snob' bhoywander.
Edited by Pendlebury on 01/12/2007 at 21:10
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>>Why is it that Skoda and Seat seem more reliable than VW ? Best of luck anyway. <<
I don't think they are - in fact they can't be because whatever people say here they are the same car basically. Engines, harnesses, transmissions etc are all identical.
People think that becuase the interior is designed slightly differently they are different.
That is one of the things I hate about the VAG group. Most other companies focus on continuous improvement and if Skoda were left entirely to themselves I reckon they could build better cars cheaper - but they are mandated by VAG to always be a little cheaper and tackier becuase VAG don't want the cars to feel better than VW's. So the fact is they are not as good as the probably could be - and that is an insult to it's customers. (I apppreciate that the credit for Skoda's good reputation now must also go to VAG)
I do think that Skoda and Seat look after their customers better though.
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In my experience VW dealers are no worse than many others. The worst dealer that I have encounted is an Alfa one. They would come up with all sorts of excuses for their poorly made car.
I was much younger then, they wouldn't fob me off now. I think customers should stand up to dealer's staff and insist that things are sorted.
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>>In my experience VW dealers are no worse than many others.<<
With due respect quizman that would suggest your experience is fairly limited.
VW dealers are not in the same league as any of the Jap brands or Skoda come to think of it. And every satisfaction survey would support that view.
As I said earlier what goodfella experienced is typical of VW anywhere.
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I take my Passat for it's service to an independent Audi/VW specialist in Derby. The boss is a German and he and his son do a great job, using all VW parts. Several friends have used them and they have all been satisfied.
I feel lucky that I have found a reliable garage, I know that some main dealers are not very good. My experience with VW dealers is very limited, I only used them for the first service and the car hasn't needed them since.
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The final bill was £440 instead of £570, but i'm still going to try and claim the money back from VW.
Just for the record, the reason i own a VW is because my second car was a 9 year old Golf i bought off a relative, then drove myself for 3 years. No problems at all in the whole 12 years. So the reason i bought another Golf was purely down to previous experience, not snobbery.
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I know the VW dealership in Derby well quizman and I'm not suprised you use an independent. If it is the one I know then you are getting very good srvice.
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hi. i wondered if someone could shed some light on my problem . i own a vw golf 2.0gttdi and is now 'off the road' due to two of the six engine bolts breaking and causing my engine to be let loose, and damaging the cam/time belt. i only got that changed in march '09 and paid 350 for it. the thing is i noticed a slight problem in acceleration but two weeks ago and rang vw garage on two consecutive days, receptionist stating that service department is busy and that i would get a call back. i rang three times on both days but still got no call back. im self employed so have to book my car on phone to get looked at so i can plan a day off work. my point is , what kind of customer service is that? if my calls were returned, i would have been able to book it in to get looked at .but i didnt, and now my car is KAPUT! im sure the problem could have been identified at an earlier stage and now when my engines gone bust. i spoke to vw and they say the enginge bolts are not under warranty and i cant use my parts warranty on the cam belt because that is damaged due to bolts breaking. its going to cost me 400 quid for bolts change and new belt when iv only just got it replaced. i spoke to the service manager and i find him to be very abrupt and rude, no customer service skills whatsoever. i really want to complain but dont know what to do, and really dont think i shoud have to pay full 400 quid.
{'txt' talk substituted for proper words!}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 27/06/2009 at 04:25
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really dont think i shoud have to pay full 400
Ask the dealer if any contribution is available from VW. They will say no. Then all you can do is pay and write a letter to VW complaining about it.
Anything VAG related - VW / SEAT / Audi and (although they used to be seen to be a bit better) Skoda - is like this. Rude Serice Managers seem to be a feature too. Just remember to avoid anything VAG related in the future.
Edited by Bill Payer on 27/06/2009 at 11:27
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>>>Rude Serice Managers seem to be a feature too. Just remember to avoid anything VAG related in the future.
This is just not true. It depends on the individual at whichever car brand what service you get. The rudist service person I have ever met was at a Ford dealer, but Ford must have some nice ones.
I think it matters how you treat the service staff, if you are rude to them they might be rude to you.
I have 2 VW cars from different dealers, both of whom have been excellent when I have had the cars serviced.
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In my experience, much of the unreliability of VAG group products is due to inappropriate "attention" by the dealers - maybe your radiator met up with a stray spanner during maintenance operations.
I think it affects VAG vehicles more than most because their products, whilst relatively sophisticated, are poorly designed for routine servicing operations (ever tried an oil change on a B5.5 Passat with the undertray in the way). Their "glass palace" business model also ensures that margins have to be maintained by letting the apprentice do the routine jobs. I made my VAG dealer pay for a new undertray on my car after attentions from his resident lout.
Coupled with truly dreadful documentation (remember the "PD engine oil" saga?) this is a recipe for real disaster unless you find a knowledgeable Independent or do the work yourself.
There is no mechanical difference between comparable vehicles in the VAG stable. Skoda's better performance in terms of reliability is probably an inherited characteristic from the days when Skoda dealers were family businesses and traded from tin sheds.
M-K's glass palace policy appears to be hitting Skoda - so I will expect "reliability" to fall in due course.
659.
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It is easier to change the oil in a Passat B5.5 than a Focus TDCI.
On the Passat I sucked the oil out with a Pela and changed the filter which is on top of the engine. On a Focus it is impossible to change the filter without removing the undertray and to get it from under the car, so it has to be on a ramp.
I tried and tried to get to the oil filter on my old Focus, but had to take it to my local indie in the end.
I think most firms use apprentices to do routine services, it is just your luck if you get a conscientious one on your car.
I now use a VW/Audi independent in Derby for my work. The boss does the job, he uses proper VW parts and the place is spotless.
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Coupled with truly dreadful documentation (remember the "PD engine oil" saga?)
..and the ever changing cambelt change interval, funnily enough a much shorter change frequency is required on UK Volkwagen's than German ones. Funny that, isn't it?
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The 4 year cambelt change interval is, in my opinion, an MK generated scam. It does not correspond with any other VAG recommendations on the planet and appears on scrappy pieces of paper issued with the vehicles. The printed recommendations in the service book differ.
The Internet has made the world a smaller place. Dishonest traders beware.
659.
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>> >> >>>VW buyers paya premium for snobbery >> quizman Totally agree with your comments sick to the back teeth with backroomers saying that I am nothing more than a snob badge.
Yes it seems as soon as anyone has a problem with a VW on this forum the anti VW bashers come out in force. I think everyone should remeber that you only hear about people who have a problem and maybe also need some help/advice. The 1000's of satisfied VW owners out there aren't going to post just to say they-re happy.
Personally I've had 2 Passats and 2 Audi A4's over about 200K+ miles with less faults than you could count on one hand.
I think VaG bashing is a case of reverse psychology myself, ie they wish they had spent the extra money to buy one, and as they didn't they now want to justify their position !
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>>>VW buyers paya premium for snobbery This remark is utter balderdash(and if I could use stronger words I would). .....
It's amazing that the Strength Through Joy People's Car ends up as being seen as desired by snobs! But when it comes to snobbery, remember that its 3 letter rival started out building Austin 7s under licence. Oh, the ironies of history!
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>> This remark is utter balderdash(and if I could use stronger words I would). .....
My daughter made a comment once about VW Golfs marking people out as "posh".
If I didn't dislike VAG so much I'd buy her one for irony's sake. :)
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BP, I find your posts regarding VWs as very odd.
I bought my missus a Golf 18 months ago, it goes well and hasn't gone wrong yet. It does not make her or me feel superior to anyone else, it is just a good car.
I feel sorry for people who get jealous, it must be very frustrating when going out. Heaven knows how you feel if you see someone in a Bentley (owned by VW) or a Ferrari or goodness gracious a Rolls Royce.
I can't wait for the revolution when we can all walk.
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Its hard to see how the "Peoples Car" can be seen as out of the ordinary. Inverse snobbery anyone?
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I feel sorry for people who get jealous it must be very frustrating when going out.
I don't feel jealous of Golf, or any other car. I drive a newish Mercedes myself.
I'm merely confirming another poster's suggestion that some people do perceive a "snob" value in VW, and people that buy them are paying extra for it - yet VAG quality and reliability is a myth. I've rarely heard a good word about VAG customer service.
We've had a VW in the family and we currently have a SEAT Ibiza, which of course is a Polo in a different body. It's broken down 4 times, and it failed its MOT at 4yrs/34K miles. In 30 years I've never looked after a car which has failed MOT before, and I think it's astonishing that SEAT UK (therefore VAG) think it's perfectly OK for it to do that. The car was bought new by us and has been fully dealer serviced.
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I've never understood people who see the Golf as upmarket or classy. I think it's probably the only true classLESS car. You can park one on a council estate or on the driveway of a country manor house, and it doesn't look out of place in either. It's not a car anyone has ever asked me "what made you choose that?". They nod. "Golf. Nice car." Justified or not, it's a real perception among many people. They don't drool or salivate over it, and they don't ache to own one, but they tend to know why I bought one and would do the same. It's a rare thing.
We're delighted with our mkIV TDI 130. We have it serviced by a VW dealer technician who is a family friend, so it's looked after properly and it's rewarded us so far with 100% reliability. Goes like stink, does 50 mpg and is comfortable, well equipped, attractively styled (IMHO) and so far utterly reliable. It's certainly not screwed together any better than a Focus or Mondeo, but it's good enough.
Edited by DP on 29/06/2009 at 09:55
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You drive a Merc and go on about the snob value of a VW, shome mistake surely.
My Passat had her eighth birthday last week, she has passed all 6 MOTs without even an advisory. The only thing to go wrong in this time has been a broken electric window mechanism.
My wife's Golf has been faultless in the 18 months we have had the car.
My dad had several Mercs in his time, you needed a mortgage for a service. I reckon if the Merc costs 30K, it is 25K for the car and 5K for the badge on top of the bonnet, just to remind you that you have "arrived".
When I drove the old man to Heathrow and went into the left lane he told me that Mercs shouldn't go in this lane! This has explained a lot!!
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