I have a Mk. IV VW Golf Estate, bought new in April 2000. A personal import from Denmark, hence massive savings.
That's the good news. The bad news is that when my wife tried to open the driver's door on a frosty afternoon recently - and when I say "frosty", I should point out that we live in Cornwall, not Siberia - the door was frozen to the soft plastic/rubber roof gutter moulding: when she finally managed to get the door open, it ripped two great chunks out of the gutter moulding in the process. Prior to that we had found it impossible to open one of the rear doors for the same reason: frozen fast to the roof gutter strip.
I complained loudly to VW headquarters in Milton Keynes, and told them that I expected them to pay for a new gutter moulding to be fitted to my car. Although the car is technically out of warranty, I took the view that this was a blatant design fault in the vehicle. Do the generality of motorists arm themselves with buckets of warm water and de-icers every time they want to open the door of their car on a slightly frosty morning? I don't think so. Does the Golf handbook advise this procedure every time the temperature falls below zero? Again, I don't think so.
Predictably, VW are content to hide behind the warranty. "This is not a known problem", was the patronizing response handed down from their technical people. Well it bloody well is now (I informed them), because I've just told you about it. The material used for the moulding has a sort of velvety, almost furry surface to it - perfect for holding and trapping the maximum amount of water while it freezes. And freezes your door so tightly shut that you can't use your car without ripping the guttering off.
I think the fault itself is a bloody disgrace (and there was me, thinking that engineering was the Germans' forte). And I think the refusal of VW to own up to their design error and fix my car free of charge is also a bloody disgrace. So I would hugely appreciate it if you felt able to publicize this story - and warn other Golf owners that their cars may be unusable on ever-so-slightly-frosty mornings because the doors will be frozen shut. What the hell do they do in Canada, I wonder - or even the Bavarian Alps?
Allan Blunden
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If you search back, this was covered over Christmas with various suggestions.
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Glycerine was the most popular, I recall.
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Allan
They're lying! this is a well known problem, along with the rear washer leaking into the boot. The cure is well documented, liberally applying silicone oil to the door seals, keep trying!
Andrew
www.hispecgolfs.co.uk
>
>
> I have a Mk. IV VW Golf Estate, bought new in April 2000. A
> personal import from Denmark, hence massive savings.
>
> That's the good news. The bad news is that when my wife tried
> to open the driver's door on a frosty afternoon recently -
> and when I say "frosty", I should point out that we live in
> Cornwall, not Siberia - the door was frozen to the soft
> plastic/rubber roof gutter moulding: when she finally managed
> to get the door open, it ripped two great chunks out of the
> gutter moulding in the process. Prior to that we had found
> it impossible to open one of the rear doors for the same
> reason: frozen fast to the roof gutter strip.
>
> I complained loudly to VW headquarters in Milton Keynes, and
> told them that I expected them to pay for a new gutter
> moulding to be fitted to my car. Although the car is
> technically out of warranty, I took the view that this was a
> blatant design fault in the vehicle. Do the generality of
> motorists arm themselves with buckets of warm water and
> de-icers every time they want to open the door of their car
> on a slightly frosty morning? I don't think so. Does the
> Golf handbook advise this procedure every time the
> temperature falls below zero? Again, I don't think so.
>
> Predictably, VW are content to hide behind the warranty.
> "This is not a known problem", was the patronizing response
> handed down from their technical people. Well it bloody well
> is now (I informed them), because I've just told you about
> it. The material used for the moulding has a sort of
> velvety, almost furry surface to it - perfect for holding and
> trapping the maximum amount of water while it freezes. And
> freezes your door so tightly shut that you can't use your car
> without ripping the guttering off.
>
> I think the fault itself is a bloody disgrace (and there was
> me, thinking that engineering was the Germans' forte). And I
> think the refusal of VW to own up to their design error and
> fix my car free of charge is also a bloody disgrace. So I
> would hugely appreciate it if you felt able to publicize this
> story - and warn other Golf owners that their cars may be
> unusable on ever-so-slightly-frosty mornings because the
> doors will be frozen shut. What the hell do they do in
> Canada, I wonder - or even the Bavarian Alps?
>
> Allan Blunden
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In cold countries special (silicone based, I think) grease is applied to door seals to prevent this. That's what you should have used from the start, and what a half-decent VW dealer would have recommended, had you not bypassed the system to save a few quid. If you're the type who need your hand holding for basic car maintainence problems (and there's nothing wrong with that, I love my grandmother dearly), perhaps you should have gone to a dealer.
Vaseline on the seals seems to do trick, too.
Rob
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>and what a half-decent VW
> dealer would have recommended, had you not bypassed the
> system to save a few quid.
I know of countless UK supplied Golfs which have suffered this problem, so Allan saving about 5K on a new Golf from Denmark will not have caused this problem.
Andrew
www.hispecgolfs.co.uk
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>Andrew
>www.hispecgolfs.co.uk
i thought that advertising wasnt allowed on HJ's website.
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That isn't advertising though...
Dan
www.arachnyd.co.uk
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Interesting, seeing as it's got lots of cats on it, it must be still on topic too :-)
Lee.
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You Bloody snitch, ladas!:)
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can i advertise my website then??
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ladas are slow wrote:
>
> >Andrew
> >www.hispecgolfs.co.uk
>
>
> i thought that advertising wasnt allowed on HJ's website.
What advertising?
Andrew
www.hispecgolfs.co.uk
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ladas are slow wrote:
>
> >Andrew
> >www.hispecgolfs.co.uk
>
>
> i thought that advertising wasnt allowed on HJ's website.
Being a fool is frowned upon as well.
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Dear Rob,
Thanks for the suggestion, but if I want to be patronized I?ll just write to Volkswagen UK?s customer care department. You raise three points ? two of them irrelevant, but never mind: (1) Servicing know-how: I?ve been driving for 30 years and I go back to the days when car handbooks actually contained useful servicing information. You could even get factory manuals out of BMW in Munich, if you asked nicely. So I?ve done my time on car servicing: what?s that got to do with VW?s shoddy engineering? (2) ?Saving a few quid?: perhaps saving £5000 is your idea of a not-so-smart-move, but most of us regard that as a high price to pay for the desultory attentions of a can?t-be-arsed UK dealer. (3) The problem with my car: genuine thanks to you ? and indeed everyone else ? for the advice on future prevention. But the damage is already done, and VW deserve a kicking. Car designers and engineers are paid good money to make sure this kind of thing doesn?t happen ? so when it does happen, the manufacturer should foot the bill, not the customer.
Picture, if you will, the Golf design studio in Wolfsburg on a sunny Monday morning. Enter Horst and Eberhard. Horst: ?Well, Eberhard, what shall we design today? Intelligent folding wing mirrors that sense the width of your garage doors? A parking sensor linked to a video display? A sat nav system that can switch your VCR on from the other side of Berlin?? Eberhard: ?Well, yes, Horst, but what about doors that actually open on frosty mornings?? In your dreams, it seems. No wonder the German economy is in trouble.
Allan Blunden
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Here's weird...
Having lived in the Andes for some years, and never having protected the door seals with anything at all, I've never had a problem.
Dunno why.
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Maybe you don't experience the DAMP winter air of the UK?
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Moosh wrote:
>
> Maybe you don't experience the DAMP winter air of the UK?
Now that could be. Chile has very dry weather, even in the depths of winter.
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Germany has drier cold winters than UK and maybe thats why VW are not aware of the problem (from the factory's point of view).
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Your'e taking the p now, Mark. It hasn't stopped raining all day in this part of the globe and the wind is blowing it sideways.
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Today - blue skies, 38° C, no change forecast.
Tomorrow - beach, surf board, G&T, scenery.
Life is tough.
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I understand that BMW apply a silicone substance to the door seals to avoid sticking (not just freezing). I wiped some Back-to-Black on mine about a year ago and this cured door seal sticking. Would probably help against freezing as well.
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Doesn't it turn your clothes back to black as well if you rub against it though David?
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Phil, the stuff I'm talking about, Simoniz Back-to-Black, is a clear liquid spray which restores rubber and plastic without causing any black residue. As you probably know, there are other plastic/rubber restorers that are a black liquid which blackens everything it touches.
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Yes, I was thinking it was the sticky black stuff. Hmm, might give it a try!
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This has happened twice to my Golf in the last few weeks - in Central London.
Fortunately I had access to some warm water.
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I haven't read all the following postings but, in case this has not yet been suggested, try painting the meeting surfaces with glycerine. This worked well with my MGf, which was never kept under cover through three winters.
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Author: ladas are slow (---.cache.pol.co.uk)
Date: 25-01-02 15:38
>Andrew
>www.hispecgolfs.co.uk
i thought that advertising wasnt allowed on HJ's website.
LAS - A bit rich coming from you surely, since your e-mail pen name is virtually an advertisement itself - albeit not a very favourable one for Ladas!
Additionally, since I prefer to read the posts in Flat View, I've only just seen your request to advertise your website, followed immediately by what seems a reply to you in the shape of Phil P's post:
"Yes, I was thinking it was the sticky black stuff. Hmm, might give it a try!"
My feeling is that, subject to MBRM's decision, you would be better *not* to press the point in case, say, some overseas based correspondent feels compelled to suggest that your website would be more likely to be sticky brown stuff ....
Only kidding - but can't wait to see MBRM's decision.
Ronnie
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See your point Ronnie, it does read a bit bazarre in flat view! I'll have to get into the habit of ping
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Sorry, that's bizarre. Martyn, how's about a spell+grammar check on the new software? As well as an edit button.
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I suggest that MBRM lets LAC advertise his website once - on condition that he promises never to contribute(I use the word in its loosest possible connotation) to this forum again. We know he is truthful these days!
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if he reveals the address and its a personal site, I and around 2000 trawlers/bots will be paying a gleeful visit.
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