My Passat 2.0 i having it's 40,000 mile service today and I have been given a courtesy car. It's not the Golf that it should have been as it hadn't been returned in time, so in its place I have been given a Polo 1.2 Twist, and it is like driving a rollerskate.
I only had a 7 mile journey to make in it (and have 7 to take it back) but what an experience it was.
Firstly where were the heated seats? I couldn't believe that I had to manually switch the wipers on when the rain started. The reverse gear is on the left of the box, and not the right I am used to, and you have to push the lever down to get it in reverse; you don't on the passat.
I haven't seen dials with numbers on them on the A/C system for 6 years. Don't all cars have digital climatronic readouts these days?
And I had to actually put the key in the door to open it! I also had to push the petrol filler flap to open it, which exherted much more energy than pulling the electric lock on the passat. Honestly.
The plasticy steering wheel was a lot harder on the hands than my leather one, and the seats were really common and made from fabric!
On the motorway I only dared pull out into lane 2 if the vehicle approaching from behind was at least 1/2 mile away. I'd forgotten how underpowered smaller engines are.
I can not believe that they still make cars like this!
Joking aside, I had a 96 model Polo from new, and I thought that the interior was much better to the new model.
What was more embarassing than looking like a woman was the fact that I couldn't park it easily. I'm so used to a wider longer car that I couldn't judge! Oh the shame.
On a more serious note, I think that people should be required to drive at least 2 cars other than their usual ride each year. One with a smaller cc and the other with a larger one. Driving a 1.2 on the motorway certainly reminded me that other vehicles on there are not as capable as mine, and I'm sure that if I was to drive something with an engine larger than 2.0 that I would appreciate that I am a slow coach to others.
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>I also had to push the petrol filler flap to open it, which exherted much more energy than pulling the electric lock on the passat. Honestly.
7 miles? and you had to fill it up? Thats bad
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On a more serious note, I think that people should be required to drive at least 2 cars other than their usual ride each year. One with a smaller cc and the other with a larger one. Driving a 1.2 on the motorway certainly reminded me that other vehicles on there are not as capable as mine, and I'm sure that if I was to drive something with an engine larger than 2.0 that I would appreciate that I am a slow coach to others.
What a good idea, pdc!
Once I was given a Rover 200 - the little blobby one that morphed into the 25. Awful. I think they forgot to fit an engine - the accelerator pedal didn't seem to be connected to anything. And the seats were so unsupportive that when I did manage to get it moving (downhill) and went round a corner I nearly fell off into the doorbin.
Drove it half a mile before turning round and going back to ask for something else. Anything.
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I once asked if they supplied a paper bag with the courtesy car.
'Why?' was the response.
'It's a purple Micra - I don't want to be recognised by anyone I know!'
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I once had a hire car that turned up with bald front tyres.
I gently explained to the driver that this wasn't really on at which point he took it away and returned with two new tyres.
I drove him to the nearest station and remarked that the brake warning light was on, to which he replied that "it's the pads mate and it's only just come on"
Two days later when I'd started wearing away the piston on the disc, they gave me another car which had more mileage than the starship enterprise.
When these jokers eventually took the car back, I found they'd use my credit card to pay for the new tyres on the original car.
I had the last laugh as I got my card company to reverse all transactions related to the vehicles and when they rang told em what they could do with it.
Still waiting for a response ;-D
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Oh don't get me started!
I've had a few Corsas (why do they bother putting a roof on them when it's so clearly no thicker than a baked bean tin?) and three different new shape Micras (fantastic car...for a milk man) but by far the worst courtesy car was the brand new Polo I had last time mine went in for a service. Same sized engine, but a much much heavier car meant that I went from my nippy little polo to this great hippo of a thing that just didn't seem to go properly! The headlight switch turned the 'wrong way' and it had that new fangled central locking that kept locking me in! ;-)
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Worst I was given was a Maestro when I took the old Astra in for a service about 7 yrs ago. a 1.3 powered heap of rust, boy was I glad to take that one back. As I recall it was stir the gearlever and hope it found something.
Had the usual Corsas loaned when I had a Vectra without a doubt no fun for 200 miles on the motorway; all of them felt unsafe at more than 80mph, marginal brakes, puny engines and interesting wobbles and vibration.
Now having a VW I have yet to get a courtesy car from the main dealers, one needs to be a close relative of God as far as I can tell.
The Seat dealers that I now use to service the Passat always give me a Leon and they have hinted if I book far enough ahead they will see their way to letting have a loan of the Cupra at my next main service. Fantastic.
as always
Mark
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It works both ways!!
We had a Fiesta van, to let customers use, just so they had 'wheels', while their van was in for service - remember, we're not a BIG dealer group, just trying to be helpful, to our customers.
So when it came back with the roof caved in & signs that a ladder rack had been fitted & removed, I made the mistake of providing an LDV 200. All resprayed & signwritten in our livery. Fitted a lightbar to prevent ladders being carried, too.It looked very smart & matched my Maestro, giving a 1st class proffessional image to our firm.
But when a customer borrows it, lends it to a sub contractor, who promptly rams it into a scaffold truck.... THEN drives it 15 miles back here, with no radiator...........
lots of legal letters back & forth, our customer thought it was OUR fault, their subbie had no insurance!!!
We stopped letting vehicles out on loan after that!
VB
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With insurance companies it is the smallest car they can find isn't it. One car hire company that was contracted to provide one for me, when our Xantia had to undergo a bodywork repair, said I could only have a Seicento (don't know if the spelling is correct). Horrible thing had more rattles than a tin of marbles. Eventually, after complaining (I am 6ft 2in), they let me have a 1 litre Corsa (an upgrade would you believe).
Worst courtesy car ever? No competition really, it was a Citroen BX, supplied by the then Citroen main dealer in Loughborough about 10 years ago. The exhaust was blowing, the wipers were shot and the back of the driver's seat was twisted. The look of amazement on the manager's face (that I should complain) will never be forgotten. They fixed the exhaust and wipers, but there was no chance of another car. I was assured that nobody had complained about it before.
Finally, to add insult to injury, the following morning, the throttle cable came adrift as I approached a junction and I had to rectify the fault myself.
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Reminds me of when my Vectra got written off last year - as the accident wasn't my fault I was able to have a hire car until I the insurance claim was settled and I had purchased a replacement.
Turned up at the hire firm and they tried to give me a Fiat Seicento (in fetching custard yellow). They told me that is was the only car I could have. I told them that there was no way I would drive my daughter (then three years old) around in that tin can as I felt it was unsafe.
I ended up taking an Vauxhall Astra away which I kept for five weeks (and four thousand miles!), which was fine except for the back-achingly soft seats.
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Reminds me of when my Vectra got written off last year - as the accident wasn't my fault I was able to have a hire car until I the insurance claim was settled and I had purchased a replacement. Turned up at the hire firm and they tried to give me a Fiat Seicento (in fetching custard yellow). They told me that is was the only car I could have. I told them that there was no way I would drive my daughter (then three years old) around in that tin can as I felt it was unsafe. I ended up taking an Vauxhall Astra away which I kept for five weeks (and four thousand miles!), which was fine except for the back-achingly soft seats.
Had a similar experience when our Picasso got rear-ended a couple of years ago. The third-party's insurers would provide us with a hire car and on being told it would be something like a Corsa, I demanded a bigger vehicle as there was no way that we could get us, two under 3s, a double buggy and assorted kiddies gubbins in a Corsa. The company said they'd see what they could do and would probably stretch to something like an Astra.
Dropped the Picasso off at the crash repair center and was provided with a VW Sharan to pootle around in!
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With insurance companies it is the smallest car they can find isn't it. One car hire company that was contracted to provide one for me, when our Xantia had to undergo a bodywork repair, said I could only have a Seicento (don't know if the spelling is correct). Horrible thing had more rattles than a tin of marbles. Eventually, after complaining (I am 6ft 2in), they let me have a 1 litre Corsa (an upgrade would you believe).
I think you're right there. I had one recently and asked for something a little bigger so I could go about my work unhindered. What turned up was a Hyundai Getz 1.1! I asked whether this was a big car and was told that it was bigger than their normal one (I think because it was a 5dr).
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>>where were the heated seats? >>>
you need heated seats in july??
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In 1997 I bought a 1995 Astra Sport from a local independent dealer.
After I'd picked the Astra up I noticed a 'miss' at certain revs, I took it back and they agreed to look at it.
The dealer decided it needed investigating properly and gave me an A reg orange VW Jetta to drive around in!
I had the Jetta for 10 days, the Astra was given back to me with the same fault, so I took it back and this time the courtesy car was upgraded(?!) to a D reg Vauxhall Cavalier.
In all fairness to the garage, they did find me an identical replacement car after conceding that the original car's engine had damaged valves and had probably suffered a cambelt failure in it's previous life.
PP
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I 'borrowed' a courtesy car when I put my Subaru in for rmedial work, all prearranged. When it was to be given to me the manager said, "Oh, they did tell you about the £1000.00 excess if you damage it, didn't they?" They hadn't, of course. I had to get transport, so I signed the forms. The car was a newish Legacy saloon. It was very dirty inside, the radio was damaged and the petrol tank contained only vapour. I made very sure that I pre-arranged full insurance next time.
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Probably the worst courtesy car I ever had, a 1988 Toyota Camry. It was lovely. The clutch was so light I nearly put my foot through the floor the first time I used it, the gearstick felt like it was not actually connected to anything, apart from when you wanted to change into first, in which case you had to wrestle with it. The steering was very heavy, but at the same time has no feel.
Oh, and when travelling in a straight line, you could steer about 5 degrees to the left or the right without changing direction at all. And the colour? It was two-tone with a black stripe down the middle. The top brown, the bottom gold.
Don't really mind though, I use a local garage and I prefer that my money is going on a good repair than a flashy hire car.
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Don't really mind though, I use a local garage and I prefer that my money is going on a good repair than a flashy hire car.
Ditto. I get offered a 1996 Punto when my Alfa goes in, but as I'm saving about £60-£150 each time (depends on service) and they use genuine Alfa parts, they could give me a space hopper as far as I'm concerned.
To be fair, I rarely bother with the courtesy car. The garage is half a mile away so I plan any services around a day when I'm pottering about at home and fancy a walk or Mrs ND is on hand with La Gooner.
As a note of interest, remember that we are referring to "courtesy" cars here. That means they are optional, i.e. provided out of courtesy, not right. If you are involved in a no-blame claim it is not unreasonable to request that the guilty party's insurers reimburse you for a car that reasonably matches your day-to-day usage of your normal car. Ideally you get them to hire it direct once they accept responsibility, but as that can take a month of sundays.....
Just don't go hiring an S type if you usually drive a 10 year old scorpio.
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Had two bad experiences of courtesy cars, both from the same dealer, both when I was having problems with a car I had bought.
1. Car number one was a Nissan Sunny (or was it a Pulsar?) that didn't have any windscreen wiper stalk! I drove out the forecourt, rain came on , went to put wipers on and there was no stalk to move! Wnt back into dealers and they gave me a
2. Beige Vauxhall Cavalier 1.4 engine saloon! 1.4 engine in a Cavalier and it wasn't even a modern fuel injected 16V 1.4 !
Had to drive it from Scotland to Wales and back ! Awful, just awful!
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Generally the local Vaux garage lend me a Corsa when the Vectra is in for a service, but last time they lent me a red Agila. Could have sworn I saw ghostly images of a black & white cat and some mail bags on the back seat.
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>>where were the heated seats? >>> you need heated seats in july??
I live in Manchester. It was cold and wet yesterday, as it is everyday!
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>>where were the heated seats? >>>
What's the benefit of heated seats? Don't cars come with heaters nowadays? You wouldn't have a heated sofa in your house.
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But you can buy heated under blankets for beds.
Heated seats are excellent, not only for leather seats, but also for those of us with tender backs. Its far cheaper that visiting the physio!
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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But you can buy heated under blankets for beds. Heated seats are excellent, not only for leather seats, but also for those of us with tender backs. Its far cheaper that visiting the physio!
I found if I left the heated leather seats switched on too long in my old Cavalier Diplomat it sometimes caused side effects - namely the trots/squits/runs/screaming abdabs (sorry, can\'t spell diarrhea)
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I'm sorry - those symptoms are caused by driving any Vauxhall with a ridiculous trim badge/name
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Gives Espada III a saucer of milk ;o)
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Worst courtesy car. I'm in two minds whether it was the Ford Ka while my old car was in the body shop or whether it was a j reg rover 214 more recently . Both were asthmatic. The ka had a gearchange like stirring porridge and no power steering. The rover was road coloured and people just wanted to drive into me when I was on the road. I took to putting the headlights on dip all the time just to avoid any more near misses! Reverse had one of those collar lift things which I had no idea existed so I had to phone a friend to work out how to find reverse!
They also left it with vapours in the tank, blithely said there was a petrol can in the boot then sent me onto the nearest motorway where I wafted along squeaked into fifth gear until I got to the nearest service station that I knew. They also returned my car to me with a petrol leak under the bonnet and a cracked windscreen. Lovely.
teabelly
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Never had a courtesy car but I love in the insurance policy it says:
"In the event of you needing a courtesy car, we will provide you with a courtesy car with an engine of 1.0 litres or less. So basically a Daewoo Matiz or a Flymo."
It didn't say about the Daewoo Matiz incidently :-)
Academic really considering I'm too young to get one anyway...a courtesy car that is not a lawnmower.
Adam
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Not really a courtesy car, but I hired a transit once with the drivers seat not bolted down and the gearbox swinging on the bellhousing!
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I once hired a 10 year old Escort in London. Near the top of the A1, the cambelt broke. Called the AA - on the garage's AA relay card. The policy had expired & they wouldn't come out. (I'd pointed out to the chap when I picked the car up that the card had expired, but he assured me that it had been renewed.) I'd even asked to see the insurance certificate & MOT in respect of the car.
So, called the AA on my own membership (paid for by father in those days), who delivered me to Newcastle airport where I returned with a shiny new Accord - to the astonishment of my friends who had seen me depart in a beat-up Escort!
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A couple of years ago my local Ford dealer gave me a Fiesa as a courtesy car while mine was in for a service. Had to pay extra for an insurance that didn't have an interstellar excess figure on it. No petrol, so had to mess about finding a garage as soon as I'd picked it up. If I'd know I would have turned up at the dealership with a can of petrol. I wonder what they would have made of that!
I'm always keen to try out different cars so I drove to work in it. Only managed to get 105 mph out of it on a major A road, might have gone a little bit more but it kept jumping up and down at this speed. Very nippy, that 1.25 Zetec engine!
Another time they gave me a KA when mine wasn't completed. Great fun, I thought, and I took it for a fairly aimless drive in the evening just to try it out. Covered 250 miles! I don't know what they thought when I returned it but fortunately they didn't say anything. Oh, and I even put some petrol in!
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Its so long ago since I had an accident ( touching large block of wood) that I've forgotten what it was I had as a courtesy when my car went in for a crash repair in the 70's - It think it was a SEAT Arosa or something like it. It was filthy inside and out and I was going to a wedding and was ashamed to be seen in it.
SWMBO and I set to work with Decosol ,polish and hoover and brought it up gleaming like new.
The amazed look I got when I returned it was worth the effort.
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>>it's a courtesy car
Well, it's courteous of them to charge you £150 per hour at the sort of place that gives you a courtesy car...
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Back in the 1990's when I had a Rover 820, the dealers lent me another 820 when mine was being serviced. First time I had it, when I returned it I noted how it seemed more powerful than my own. Ah yes, the Service Manager replied, our lads have played around with it a bit and chipped the engine! No wonder it went like stink....
More recently, took the Scenic for servicing at main dealer a couple of years ago and had to wait nearly an hour for the courtesy car to be driven out for me to get into - someone had parked a just-delivered-off-the-transporter new car in front of it the previous evening, and hidden the keys. They eventually moved it by using 4 trolley jacks and several mechanics.....
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Wonder whether they'd notified their insurance company...
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The courtesy car (Vx Corsa) was OK to look at and clean etc. when my car (Pug 309 at that time) went in to have the dents removed after my son had an argument with a Dutch tourist on a roundabout, but when we went to get the week's shopping only half of it would fit in the boot.
How do people manage with shoe boxes tagged on the back instead of a proper boot?
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Nissan Micra 1.nothing with an autobox. Need I say more?.
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I once had a 91(H) Fiat Uno 60S that went for a gearbox and clutch replaced at very shady place somewhere between Leeds and Bradford.
As I was a poor student at the time and that this was my first car. I decided it would be best to look at price rather than the garage. I had found this place in E&M somewhere on Leeds road.
When I got there I realised I had not made a wise choice. The garage seemed very dodgy. For the courtesy car they took me for a drive in a towing truck to get the car. They gave me a Peugeot 405 which I had to drive back to Manchester with. When the car reached 60 mph the whole steering began to shake so violently. and the steering seemed very vague. I decided it would be wiser to drive at 40mph on the M62. Luckily I only had the car for two days. If I had it any longer I'm sure I would have died in it!!
Before anyone asks - Why I didn't take it back. Well they had two huge doberman's and the mechanics looked more like wrestlers.
Taught me a lesson though, never always go on price for repair job, and always check out a garage first!!
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306 2.0 SE Cabriolet
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when the bug first got towed away they deliverd my a courtesy
car to use, an astra sri coupe, I must say i thought it was pretty good as a courtesy car, also had a golf with a fairly sporty engine, i asked why id didnt get the usual lupo and the hire car company (possibly national) said it was bcause VW had lots of complaints about poor cars and they were trying to improve things!!
A friend of mine had a nissan 200 and his company gave him a
fiat panda (an old one) when his car went to be serviced,
he wrote the panda off on his way to work, they gave something a bit better the next time around!
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he wrote the panda off on his way to work, they gave something a bit better the next time around!
How did he manage that? By emptying the tank?
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Skidded on bamboo shoots............
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I've had a mixed bag of loan cars. Funnily enough, when I was driving a bog-standard car with zero image for dealer service (Fiat Punto SX) I always got a bigger/higher spec car than the one I owned - always got a Brava/Bravo, including a HGT (which had no power at all, really opened my eyes about how meaningless badging can be), or else a hot version of the Punto itself.
When the Passat has been in for work, I've only had the Golf E or S, no better, which really made me appreciate the difference between that chassis setup and that of the Leon. For the Leon itself, I've had a variety of substitutes: a Leon S with the 90 bhp diesel engine - what a difference between that and the 110; a Rover 25, probably the worst courtesy car I've had, with a really soggy gearbox and what felt like a high centre of gravity; and an Ibiza S which was a severe disappointment - not much better in terms of handling and driving experience than the 25. The puny petrol engines in each probably didn't help.
The most pleasant surprise was the replacement car I got some years ago for the duration of an accident repair - a Ford Ka. I thought I would hate it, but what it lacked in some areas such as interior space, electric windows, etc., it made up for with superior handling, giving me an appreciation of what reviewers mean when they say "point and squirt". Wasn't too bad for what it was, but I wouldn't want one now.
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andymc
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pdc !
Haven`t you anything else to worry or rant about. I know it must be tough living in Manchester. Myself I don`t ever stray beyond the M25. That Polo is probably better then Passat. Polos have A/C rather then C/C , so whats the big deal?
And why do you service old Passat at main dealers?
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Psst - Redpuma. It was a joke....
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I had a new exhuast fitted to my car the other week. I was given a courtesy car.
It turned out to be a 998cc Nissan Micra, with windup windows and the only electric device was the starter motor and the windscreen wipers!
Quite a shock coming from a 2.0 Mondeo Ghia X :D
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And why do you service old Passat at main dealers?
Because a) it's only 18 months old, and b) it's on a service, maintenance and tyres scheme with VW which budgets out at £45 per month.
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The worst was an Austin Maestro that rattled more than a drum kit and had a standard of appalling interior cleanliness.
The best was a shiny demo Jaguar XJS V12 from the same Austin/Rover/Jaguar dealer when I complained about the appalling level of ability to fix what was a simple problem with my brand new MG Metro, compounded by poor image of their company given by the grotty Maestro loaner!
I'm glad they then fixed the problem in a day though, because on a salary then of £4K pa, I couldn't have afforded the petrol for much longer!
That's history, what about now?
Well I don't automatically expect a loaner, unless the car is needed in garage hands for more than a day, and even then, I would prefer a 1.0 econo-something-or-other to a direct equivalent for my shiny year old V70 2.4T. After all, it's you and me that has to pay for it, and I don't really care what the neighbours or anybody else thinks.
My V70 is now serviced by a Volvo Indy who provides exactly this type of loan car, even for normal routine, within a day, servicing, for less than half the hourly rate of my local Volvo dealer.
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Good of you to put this at the top so ND can find it more easily...
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Good of you to put this at the top so ND can find it more easily...
Is the help really needed? Surely the high-up view from the passengers seat in the cab of a flatbed makes finding things a bit easier? ;-)
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I had a new Renault Megane 1.5 diesel as a courtesy car recently. Not exactly a "shameful" car (it was quite comfortable), but certainly one of the slowest, most underpowered cars I've ever driven. The title for weakest engine goes to the 1.1 litre Rover 200 though - absolutely lethal when trying to pull out of junctions - there's just enough power to drag the car into the main road, but not enough power to avoid being hit by anything that happens to be in the vicinity.
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Well I've been driving a vaxhaul signul 2.2 diesel for almost 2 weeks now, while my own car gets fixed following on from someone running into the back of it at a red light.
it's a nice-ish car, but it is very basic. i looked on the vaxhaul web site when i was told what they were sending and I was quite excited to see that all models have headlights that follow the direction of turn, sat nav as standard, a/c, seats with memories etc etc
On all cars except those used as hire cars apparantly!
The driving position is very comfortable. I get leg pains in the passat, and haven't in this, so maybe it's time to change the seating position in my own car.
It looks cheap and plasticky inside. not impressed with that at all. the multi function readout is in the centre of the dashboard, and you have to look left to see it. not good. Am not impressed with the average of 42 mpg, as I can get about 37 from the passat now I drive gently.
The most anoying thing about the car are the indicator and wiper stalks. They return to the middle straight away, as in they operate bounce switches. The indicators are a nightmare. Sometimes they wont cancel when you have changed lane, and so you tap the control in the opposite direction and it applies opposite indicator. You then find yourself playing indicator ping pong and the driver behind must wonder whether you are taking the michael or not.
hope these don't catch on.
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The indicators are a nightmare. Sometimes they wont cancel when you have changed lane, and so you tap the control in the opposite direction and it applies opposite indicator.
The trick to these indicators is:
Lightly press the stalk to make the indicators flash 3 times, then they self cancel. Handy for lane changes.
Press the stalk harder and the indicators remain on until the movement of the steering wheel cancels them, or you can self cancel them by lightly tapping the stalk in either direction. If you're indicating right, then it's easier to tap the stalk toward the right to cancel so you don't accidentally then turn on the left indicators if you press the stalk too hard.
hope these don't catch on.
I've actually got used to them. The problem I find is when I revert back to a car without them and I still lightly tap the stalk which only turns on the indicators for less than couple of nano seconds.
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i had started to suss out yesterday that the duration of the indicator seemed to be related to the lenght of time you held the stalk initially. thanks for confirming it dd. shame you don't get a manual with hire cars. haven't a clue what the tyre pressure should be!
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haven't a clue what the tyre pressure should be!
Although the vauxhall "signul" isn't listed, I would imagine they'll be the same pressures as the Vectra:
www.thetyrepressuremonitor.com/tyrepressures_vauxh...l
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The only thing I have to do for a courtesy car when my car is being worked on is find where my wife has hidden the keys to her car.....
Then I realise it's faster than mine, and remember why I never get a look in!
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RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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