Non-stop Golf

My daughter purchased from a VW dealer an 06 plate Golf 1.6 FSI That was still under warranty. The warranty expired in June this year. The car has been serviced regularly and MOT'd in June by a family run independent garage using VW parts to comply with the warranty. This garage has been used for many years for all our family cars, 5 in total. In August the ABS light came on and the car was taken to the garage who did a diagnostic test, charged £40 and then advised her that the ABS pump was faulty and she should take it to the main dealer. The main dealer insisted on doing their own diagnostic test at a cost of £49 although they have not charged for this at present. The verdict was the same the ABS pump had gone and it now transpires the cost to replace will be £1,600. VW as a gesture of goodwill has offered to stand half the cost leaving £800 to pay. They would however be prepared to pay more if we can prove that genuine VW spares have been used on the car at service. Because my daughter could not obtain this information from the garage concerned VW contacted them and they have also failed to obtain this information both from the garage and their supplier. Before we proceed further can you advise: Is this ABS failure a common problem as this was indicated by VW? Do we have any redress against the independent garage as we feel very let down by their attitude? Initially VW said it would take 2 weeks to supply this part, now 2 weeks later they say it may be another 4 weeks before this is available. Is this a sign that they are fitting a large number therefore stocks are low?

Asked on 21 November 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
A lot of Golf, Golf Plus, Touran, Altea, Leon, Toledo and Octavia owners have had this problem at 3 - 6 years old. VOSA has refused to issue a vehicle safety recall. I suspect the problem is caused by corrosion within the pumps from not having had the brake fluid replaced every 2 years, as required by the VAG service schedule. VAG's response, received at the beginning of September, is: “We are aware of some issues affecting certain models within the Volkswagen passenger car range with the ABS control module. Reported instances with the Touran model where we suspect an ABS module
failure and the vehicle has service history within the Volkswagen Retailer Network, customers will receive a 100 per cent contribution towards the cost of the repairs. In addition, regardless of the vehicle's history, all cases will be dealt with in a sympathetic manner. We have been in communication with VOSA on this issue and we agree with their view that this is not a safety issue. Drivers are warned of an issue with a clear warning light and are advised to take their vehicle to their local retailer. In all instances the ESP may not function when the warning light illuminates however the ABS function remains operational and the fundamental safety of the vehicle is unaffected.”
Yes, you may have a case against the garage if it used non-VAG approved parts or failed to follow VAG procedures. Yes, if a problem like this occurs and a supplier geared to make, say, 10,000 units a day is suddenly asked for 500,000, there will be delays.
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