|
Have just checked down through the Technical Matters threads on this forum and there are currently 12 listing faults with VAG products. It would seem that the superb reliability of the old Mk1 & 2 Golfs is now but a distant memory. After reading other recent threads on their after sales service as well, it would appear that VAG need to address these concerns PDQ, before their reputation sinks to Fiat`s level. !!!!
|
The Autoexpress Driver Power survey this year showed VAG cars not to be rated very highly. In fact French cars were doing as well or better than the equivalent sized VW and Audis.
The Skoda brand seems to hold up well, perhaps peoples expectations arent as high.
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
|
I think you hit the nail on the head Ben.
Peoples expectations are too high with a VW so any little problem with the car and it gets slated.
|
|
|
|
Ah, statistics.
Dude, I wonder what percentage of VW products are faulty?
The more they sell, the more you could reasonably expect to hear about their problems.
There's a 100% correlation between breathing air and dying, you know. Everyone who breathes, dies.
And you know, when they die they stop breathing.
I'm not really defending them, and I do sympathise with folks who really should get better than they appear to have.
10 years ago, VW were a premium product which the man on the Clapham Omnibus aspired to. Shareholders required VW to pursue a larger market, and in real terms the cars are cheaper now than they have ever been.
Savings have had to be made, but I truly believe folks ARE getting value. Just my opinion.
|
Sean, I unserstand your point of view.
However, looking at HJ's car-by-car breakdown for Golf IV, the list of "what's bad" is enough to put me off buying one of those.
Have a look for yourself, and it would be intersesting to know what you think of that list.
|
Point taken, eMBe.
Quite disgraceful in terms of the sheer volume there, contrasting sharply with even the Tipo, for example.
In fairness, there's an almost identical volume of "what's good" there too.
I'm not comfortable with some of the things that went on at Wolfsburg, but I was more comfortable than with things I've seen at other makers' plants. I can't let on much really, as Sean is my real name and folks will put 2 and 2 together.
I'm unhappy about marketing practices. I've just written about a chap's PD unit injector leakage problem here.
If it were you or I, we'd swap his engine, but it was none-VAG UK imported, and MK say there has to be an incentive to buy here, or folks will just go abroad or buy the imported stuff at the spersites. As it is, they said a fair contribution, for a known problem was 50%, and that's all he got.
My wife has a Boxster now. Porsche adopts exactly the same policy as VW, as did Daimler Chrysler with her Merc before.
What you have to remember is that about 70% (I think, I haven't got data here on that figure) of new cars are bought by firms, who just "pay and go" if there are service problems.
We would dig our heels in, and you'd be amazed at what can happen.
|
|
|
I directed a colleague who asked me about the Golf to HJ's Car by Car, It makes the Citroen pages seem like the reliability that VW wants, If you get a newer C5, there are very few known issues!
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
|
|
Does the C5 have very few known problems because no one buys them? !!
|
To be fair, there are several known problems, but they have been eliminated during model development.
157,100 C5 were produced in 2001, I don't have the 2002 figures yet. Sales started in April 01 in the UK.
Keep your eyes open for the C5, there are more than you think. They do a good camoflage as other cars.
I wouldn't swap mine, except maybe for the V6 diesel Jaguar or Citroen C6 in a few years.
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
|
Keep your eyes open for the C5, there are more than you think. They do a good camoflage as other cars.
Err I know its the apple of your eye, but there is no way you can mistake any C5 for another car.
|
I prefer the looks of the 406 coupe, now, if that had the C5 chassis....
Wait 2 years for the 407 coupe!!
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Having recently experienced VW's unreliability, poor dealers and customer services, I feel that VW still have the attitude that they are doing you a favour in allowing you to buy a car from them!
|
All told, a classic case of a marque not keeping up with its marketing (or the price you pay).
May be the quality and reliability would be more palatable if you paid less. So buy a Fabia instead of a Polo, an Octavia instead of a Golf, a Superb instead of a Passat etc, etc.
Factor in a bit of a reality check, though. Surveys always bring forth statistics. Whether someone would volunteer a problem if they weren't asked about it is another issue.
And I have a (so far) 100% reliable five year-old Passat. Famous last words...
|
|
|
|
