VW Touareg SUV

klaudnyc · October 2003

Where can I find information about the upcoming (?) W10 T-Rag?

stever · October 2003

The wheel fell off on the way home? I dunno - some of this stuff you just can't make up :-)

Steve, Host

big_guy · October 2003

It isn't a W10 engine . . . it is a V10 TDI (turbo deisel). A quick google search using Touareg V10 TDI as the search words should pull up several articles regarding the new engine.

sciencegeek · October 2003

I read somewhere that it won some engine of the year award in Europe. It'll be awesome but also quite expensive.

thor8 · October 2003

Here is an article about the VW V10 diesel, the article says it will not be available in the US but VAG said it will be available in 2004.

http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/above4.html

sciencegeek · November 2003

So what do you guys think about the CBS "shame" thing? Do you care about it? I feel rather indifferent and slightly amused by the whole thing but then again I'm not a towing kind of guy.

http://cbsnewyork.com/shamestories/local_story_303155456.html

arhfx45 · November 2003

Since 1999 I've bought 6 German autos. The 99 Beetle 2.0, the 00 X5 4.4 & the 99 ML430 were very troublesome, never stranded but something all the time. The 01 Turbo Beetle needed 2 sets of Power Window swithches, but otherwise was good. The ML55AMG had one issue upon arrival with a Navigation System cable then was troublefree. The Boxster was perfect for 3 years then had the steering wheel replaced due to a loose thread. The engineering & performance has made the overall experience positive with each of these vehicles. As perspective; neither of my 2 Corvettes, 00 Coupe or 03 Z06 has ever had a problem, neither has my Miata or FX yet. I realize that my experience isn't representative of the market, but it is what I've seen rergardless. These issues won't keep me from buying the next generation M3 & possibly an X5 4.8 when it arrives. I appreciate fine engineering & therefore am a huge fan of VW, Audi, BMW & Porsche. The fact that some of their new models have had some teething problems will not dissuade me from buying them. I'd rather make a couple of trips to the dealer in my next M3, if required, than drive an Acura that may be troublefree. Japanese cars have many positives, but few of them really move me as the M3, M5, Boxster S or Carrera's do. My FX45 is the first time I ever remotely considered an Infiniti, although I like the G35 Coupe very well also. Anyway, sorry for the length of this. And back to the topic of this forum, I was glad to see the Touareg elected as SUV of the year. It is an excellent vehicle, good looking, loaded with features, the best SUV interior & an overall A+.

dieselbreath · November 2003

Clarkdale VW in Vancouver had 3 on the lot, but all pre-sold.
I talked to the sales manager, and they're moving lots of them but he claims they have never had a T-reg on the lot that wasn't already sold before it arrived.
And they're already holding deposits on V-10 TDIs.

They appear to still be a hot commodity in this part of the world (although I only saw one while driving 700 miles in NY/NJ/Penn/Mass last week)

fndlyfmrflyr · November 2003

After reading Motor Trend's glowing report about the Touareg I took a look at them today. I'm not interested in the gasoline models, but the coming V10 TDI should be the same body and interior.

I've had VW diesels before and I think the V10 TDI will probably perform better and give significantly better mpg than my MDX. By the time the oil burner arrives my need to occasionally seat seven should no longer be a consideration.

The sales people were unable to answer some of my questions. Maybe someone here can.

What does one do with a full size tire that goes flat? The spare is the kind that must be inflated before use and is quite small when stored. It just fits in the well under the rear floor. The under floor location for the spare looks to be much too small for a full size wheel and tire. If one has the back seat in use and the area behind the back seat full with luggage there appears to be no place to put the tire that went flat. The salesman, in jest I think, said to just leave it on the side of the road and buy a new wheel and tire later. Does the owner's manual say what to do with the flat tire?

None of the cars at the dealer had rear seat climate control. The sales people said it is available as an option. There are vents back there in the standard climate system, and the front climate controls determine what and how much comes out of these vents. Does anyone know if the optional rear controls can operate the A/C for the rear seats passengers if the front seat passengers don't want A/C (and can the people in the rear get heat when the front A/C is running)? In short, can the rear climate control be run independent of what the front climate control is doing?

As I've seen posted here, VW did nice job on the interior, but I did find the rear seat bottom rather hard and it was a bit hard to get my feet through the back door opening. I hope VW can hold the price down for the TDI and also upgrades the navigation system to a DVD 'all of the country' type from the obsolete 'part of the country' CD type.

klaudnyc · November 2003

Quote
"We did make a mistake." Volkwagen's embarrassed Press Relations Manager spoke with us (CBS news)via satellite from Detroit. Tony Fouladpour admitted the tongue weight of the trailer in the ad is too heavy for the Touareg, a fact VW's marketing department failed to check.

VW says it's in negotiations to compensate other owners who were misled by the ads. It plans to send letters to every Touareg owner explaining its towing capabilities.
Unquote

Has anyone received this letter and found out the T-Rag's true towing capability?
What's next, are we going to hear the T-Rag can't really tred through 22 inches of water?

thor8 · November 2003

I would never question the validity of what you are saying or your experiences, I was referring to some posts that pop out of nowhere and by judging the general development of the whole statement are highly suspect of being truthful, is hard to put in words but I am sure you have been confronted before with a lie that you cant prove one way or another, you could not describe exactly how, you just dont buy it, that is all I was referring to.

nedzel · November 2003

Believe what you want.

In the 50,000 miles that I put on my 2000 GTI GLX, I had to replace:

Rear shock top mounts (twice)
Rear struts (twice)
Starter motor
A/C condensor
A/C clutch
Engine temp sensor
Coilpack
Plug wires
Rear brake disks at 20,000 miles
Turn signal/cruise control switch
Controller for engine cooling fans

When I sold the car, the 2nd gear synchro was going bad and the front wheel bearings were shot. No, I didn't race the car. No, I didn't abuse the car -- I'm 43. No, I know how to drive a stick shift -- I've been driving a stick for the past 25 years (until this August).

I'll be glad to give you the VIN if you think I'm making this up.

Don't get me wrong, I like VWs. I like their interiors. I loved the dash lighting on my GTI. I just wish it was reliable.

michaellno · November 2003

...there is one like this:

'99 VW New Beetle (2.0L gas, 5 speed). Purchased in December 1998. Currently at 53,000 miles.

Problems and issues:

-> 02 sensor replaced
-> A/C seal replaced
-> Cable to gas cap release repaired
-> Power window switch replaced (broken by someone who didn't know how it worked)
-> Front belly pan replaced (torn off by wife when driving in 6-8" of snow - she should have known better - she's from Wyoming!)

And that's it! Have done all required services, plus bought a new set of tires (the stock Goodyears gave up at about 27,000 miles - replaced with Pirelli 4000's which still look good).

In my mind, pretty reliable. Nothing that has caused the car to leave us stranded. All repairs effectively taken care of by the dealer where we bought the car -- only once has it had to stay overnight -- dealer arranged for a free rental car.

We have an Explorer that is coming off lease next spring. Wife likes the looks of the T-reg and we may consider a V6 when the time comes. Will continue to monitor this board to see what else is said and how people feel about it.

knockoff · November 2003

In the world of owning some Japanese brands, this "short" list would constitute "unreliable". It is amazing what we grow accustomed to. :-)

michaellno · November 2003

I'm sure you can peruse the boards here at Edmunds on some of the Japanese brands and see examples of "unreliable" vehicles there, as well.

I guess my point is, my car is a sample of 1. So was the other posters. Hard to draw a reliable conclusion about an entire brand from 2 vehicles.

Also, I would suggest, but cannot prove, that most of the posters here will talk freely about problems, but the owners of vehciles (regardless of brand and model) who don't have problems don't have much to say.

I've been on these boards now for 6+ years. I've bought and/or leased 6 vehicles in that time. When I do the research on what we're interested in, I hear all about the problems of this car and that SUV, plus some positive comments thrown in for good measure. I take it all with a grain of salt.

I will admit to being a bit skeptical about VW's reliability when we got the NB. Some friends of ours have a '98 NB and have had much more trouble with it than we have with ours.

Overall, I've been pretty impressed with our VW. Enough so to consider the brand again when our next vehicle needs to be purchased.

markcincinnati · November 2003

If you are looking for a place for people to carp, these boards (all over the Internet, to be fair) are the place to go. I have owned and or had access to 5 VW's, 1 BMW and 25 Audis (and a few Chrysler or Dodge cars) in my 52 years on planet earth.

My German cars have been the best driving cars and I wish they had been more reliable.

I have test driven and/or rented dozens, probably hundreds, of cars -- many of them Japanese.

Personal taste: there just have not been any Japanese cars that interest me enough to spend my money on them. All the raves about reliability do not phase me -- and yes I wish my German cars had been more reliable; and continue to improve in their reliability.

But even the few Lexus and Infinity cars I have rented and/or test driven (and I grant they are nice) don't push my "this is a fun car to drive" button.

So, I too take the preponderance of complaints on these town halls just as the poster said -- people who have problems post "more" than people who have none.

I took one of those sales courses -- so I don't really have anything scientific to go by -- where they claim that if you have problems [with a product or service] you tell 5 people and if you have no problems you tell only 1.

By that reasoning, these boards are a distortion a negative distortion of the folks who could but don't post.

For the life of me, other than those "damn lawyers" I can't figure out why the auto manufacturers themselves don't post on these town halls and message boards and chat rooms across the world wide web!

low_ball_88 · November 2003

I have to agree with knockoff. For a majority of Japanese made vehicles that have around 50K+ miles, the only services they had to do is oil change and rotate/replace tires. I could attest to that since this is what I've experienced. Good luck on your next 50K+ miles. My Honda is around 200K+ now and the only thing I replaced were timing belt (90K mile and 180K mile), motor mounts (100K mile), oil pan gasket (180K mile) and starter igniter at (190K mile). Otherwise, I just do regular oil changes and check my breaks for pad replacement. I am extremely happy with my Honda.

But now I would like to own a German made vehicle since its handling and performance is superior to the Japanese vehicles (IMHO). Now I need to decide whether I could put up with the problems. BTW, I think that German electronics is a step ahead of the Japanese in the automotive industry. However, the Japanese will take what the Germans invented and improve it ten folds. This is how they make a superior product and of course reliable.

knockoff · November 2003

I keep hanging around here and reading because I want to own a T-reg but... the reliability issues (tales of all the trips to the dealer) make me hesitant. I have only 1 car (Japanese) & with no loaner program.... VWoA are you listening???? add maintenance (like Audi, BMW & MB) & a loaner program and I will soften. :-)

jpvwaudi · November 2003

Are on a dealer by dealer basis; we give them, some dealers don't. Depends where you buy it. We haven't had any more problems with this car than anything else new on the market...yes, they're ironing out some bugs, but as I stated last week, most "problems" are misunderstandings....

sciencegeek · November 2003

Since I've put a deposit down for a T-reg I've scoured all these types of boards and, to my relief, have found that there are few posters with serious problems. On one T-reg-specific board that I visit frequently, which has hundreds of threads, the owners are super-enthusiastic, which is *very* reassuring. Quirks here and there, but very very little that can't be fixed quickly.

Fact is, modern cars despite their complexity are very impressive beasts, and the reliability gap between the Japanese manufacturers and VW may seem large in relative terms, but in absolute terms it's just not that bad. Now, I'd be the first to contend that there's room for improvement for VW, but it's not as big of a deal as some Japanese aficionados would want to make you believe.

thor8 · November 2003

Sciencegeek, That is right, there are other boards that have hundreds of Treg owners postings and most of it is just trivial chit chat, I havent seen anything serious either, and I am too waiting for the V10 diesel.
I guess is true most people come to these boards when they have a problem and the other half just to make conversation.

sciencegeek · November 2003

you lucky dog, I'm jealous

I wish I could afford the V10 TDI, it promises to be *awesome*. And great fuel economy, too. Who can argue with that?

stever · November 2003

Patti participates for Subaru in Subaru Crew: Official SOA Presence (aka Patti). (with a few disclaimers <g>).

I spent about 16 hours driving my sister's '00 NB a couple of weeks ago going and coming from VA to TN. Drove well, solid feeling ride and the seats were very comfy. It's a bit tricky getting the power windows to go up and down though :-).

Steve, Host

tregowner · November 2003

Someone was asking about this the other day....When I purchased my T-Reg (8/30), it came with a little dummy plug labeled "12V" that was in the spot where the flashlite goes. I didn't care one way or the other, and never mentioned anything about the lite. Yesterday in the mail, I received a package from VWOA. Had no idea what it could be. Opened it up, and along with a letter saying "here's your flashlight" was a sealed box with the flashlite inside. Maybe VW was concerned about theft (as the poster had questioned), and decided that this was the best way to distribute them. In any event, it showed up on its own, so I would expect other owners to be getting theirs. I'm not sure what I'll use it for, but my kids think it's fun!

sacstate1 · November 2003

I like the TReg and considered a purchase. Until I visited the local dealer. Slimy, greasy, ignorant of the product, bait and switch tactics, high pressure, horrible location all added up to, "get out of here quick!" Not to be personal or attack someone, but these 'salespeople' and their 'manager' typlified the used car salesman image to a degree of perfection.

Too bad, I had a Scirocco that ran forever and seemed pretty reliable, except the factory hooked the a/c unit up backwards and I developed a glacier at the base of my inside wheelwell everytime the a/c was on. Which then led to mold, etc. Dealer couldn't figure out the problem until 65,000 miles at which point the car smelled like an aquarium.

I bought a Toyota 4Runner Sport with the V8 and dual Borla exhaust. The XREAS and other amenities make the vehicle unbelievable, if you had a similar experience at the VW dealer try the 4Runner. Having owned over 15 new vehicles of varying manufacturers over the years, I can say without a doubt the 4Runner is the best vehicle (SUV/car) I have ever owned. I like the TReg though, especially the soon to be optional V10 diesel! Happy motoring!

fish8 · November 2003

And just think...this is the same car company that is selling and servicing a $70,000 luxury sedan (Phaeton). And they expect to compete with Lexus, Bmw and Mercedes!!!!!!

fndlyfmrflyr · November 2003

Too bad about the VW dealer you visited. The one I visited isn't a big dealer, but had six T-regs in the front. Three were on the show room floor and the other three were outside for test drives. Like your sales people, the ones at this dealer knew little about the T-reg.

The dealer had put his additional window sticker on the cars that added $2500 to the factor window price. Like you experienced, all three of the 'sales' people I spoke with left me with the feeling that this was not the place to buy.

I still like the T-reg, but I'll shop somewhere else. Maybe that dealer will know where to put a flat tire and how the rear A/C system works (or have a T-reg with rear A/C).

jkloss · November 2003

We ordered a T-Reg that was on the boat and due at Houston Port. Tenative deliverdate to the dealer was to be 11/07. Dealer call yesterday to say the the vehicle would no arrive until 11/21.

Thed did not know where the T-reg was but were notified of the new date on the Monday morning updates. Dealer said he would try to locate the T-Reg.

Dealer just call today to confirm the the T-reg was spotted by VW Houston and will be sent to Chicago asap.

I did not call the dealer he took it upon himself to keep informed. Could not ask for more.

By the way he gave me a good deal. Very hard to find a V-8 in the chicago area with the right equipment.

jeeto · November 2003

Hey sacstate1,

I assume by your name youre up north. The funny thing i found about all of the dealers down here in Southern California is that they are all very mellow about selling. I almost found them to be too distant. I dont know whats going on in other parts of the country but i really assumed that the salespeople are almost told to back off and let you do the talking.

low_ball_88 · November 2003

I noticed on the stick that the transmission is built in Japan. Does anyone know why and is it a Japanese designed tranny?

highender · November 2003

The VW dealer in my area were professional and couteous. I went to see the t'reg and had no problems with the dealer/sales staff.

fndlyfmrflyr · November 2003

My Volvo had one from Japan too. It was a European design, but made in the Far East. The Volvo also had a turbo from Japan as well as many parts from all over the world. My Toyota has a GM Harrison radiator. I suspect most cars made today have parts from all over.

According to the T-reg Window stickers I saw the car comes from Slovania (sp), the transmission from Japan, and the engine from Hungary. Most of the other VWs on the lot had stickers that said Germany for all three.

highender · November 2003

Why is the tranny made by Aisin of Japan ? Is the design better, or was it designed in Germany, but built in Japan ? I'll try to do some research also....

big_guy · November 2003

I had read that the tranny was intended to be used with all the engine types to be used with the T-reg, including the V10 TDI. VW didn't have a tranny that could handle the torque so they went with a tranny from Japan. FWIW.

sciencegeek · November 2003

... the tranny is actually also designed, not just built, by Aisin. I read on a German forum that Aisin is the biggest tranny manufacturer, so they probably do a good job at a good price. The 2004 Golf has one, too, by the way, I read on another site. Global economy, go figure. Where were your socks sewn?

It's interesting that highender's Cay also has that same tranny, but some other chassis components are not the same between the two, as far as I know. So the tranny was part of the plan from early on.

Hey by the way, the T-reg has added another feather to its crown. This one is hilarious. (Forgive the duplicate post, the other thread where I posted this is not very active.) It was voted best Texas SUV. Now if that's not a badge of honor I don't know what is:

http://www.autofan.com/newsdetail.asp?id=785&mn=10&yr=200

sciencegeek · November 2003

It's Slovakia, FYI. That's the eastern third of the former Chechoslovakia (not to be confused with Slovenia, a former part of Yugoslavia that formed after all hell broke loose there). It borders Austria and the Chech Rep in the West, Poland in the North, Ukraine in the East, and Hungary in the South. 5.4 million people live there, in an area ~ the size of West Virginia. The T-reg is manufactured in Bratislava, the capital. More than you wanted to know

fish8 · November 2003

Did anyone notice the Touareg was named SUV of the Year by Motor Trend in the Dec issue???

sciencegeek · November 2003

... doesn't give it away, does it? I'll have to pick up the hard copy today. It has been getting a huge number of competitive awards, that does mean something, doesn't it?

sacstate1 · November 2003

jeeto: Actually I am out East, as in North Carolina, I went to Sac State. Job has taken me everywhere, good guess though.

rower2 · November 2003

I just found this site and I don't think it would have swayed my decision to buy a
T-Reg but for those of you considering it, wait till next year when they get all the bugs out. It seems that the shop has had my car more than I've had. A recalled part has already been replaced and the team of "VW Touareg Engineers" can't seem to give my service department a call back to tell them why they can't get the fault light to turn off for the tire pressure monitoring system. Other than that annoyance, I absolutely love this truck. Especially after driving the loaner car and sliding all over the road in the rain. I've had a Trooper and a Tahoe and this is by far superior. I wish it took regular though because $37.00 a pop for a fill up is pretty steep.

eai · November 2003

I'm really close to buying a Touareg. Trying to justify the extra $5-6K for the V8. Have driven them both, V6 seems adequate (especially with transmission in sports mode -- which probably does nothing to help the gas mileage!!), but the V8 definitely has more zip. Be interested to hear other's opinions about 6 vs 8. I know the V8 has the premium package and bigger wheels, but are there any other considerations such as reliability of the bigger engine, resale value ....

sciencegeek · November 2003

I had exactly the same choice to make.

First off, beware of cars on the lot; they'll have good bargains especially for V6's, but some of them may be older than others. Check the build date. Don't let them sell you one that's old. I actually ordered one, if you order one now you'll get it at the beginning of Feb or so.

You can get better deals on the V6 than on the V8, so in real terms the difference in price will be larger than the MSRP difference (after you pile the premium on to match the V8 features). Your estimate of $5-$6k more for the V8 is probably realistic. The extra performance wasn't worth the higher price and increased fuel consumption, I'm not an agressive driver and the V6 seemed adequate.

eai · November 2003

The build date is the other issue that been bothering me. I assume the VINS are sequential, so higher VIN = later build date? The V8's in this area can be had in the 17000+, there are some V6's in the 23000. (There are also lots of lower numbers, but I was avoiding those!)Were there changes made, and what is a high enough VIN to avoid "early build" problems? Definitely can't wait till Feb.

jkloss · November 2003

You wiil find V-8's on the lot just now with a
26000+ vin number. My V-* just got to the port in the last week or so and has a VIN in the 27500 series.

sciencegeek · November 2003

... and be flexible with the options and color and you'll find a newish one that will serve you well -- if you really can't wait for an order to come in. If you can wait a little while, you can also go for one that has just come to port or is in transit. Ask your favorite dealer to tell you what's out there right now (options, colors) and then get quotes for that same vehicle from a few dealers. Then go back to your favorite dealer and give him a chance to match the offer.

jeeto · November 2003

So would I have made a huge mistake on getting a v6 with a vin # of 14500 or so? I had to wait a day or 2 as it was coming right out of the port so that sort of throws off the concept that it wasnt "fresh". The white plastic was all over it as well as all of the plastic covering the inside. Was it maybe sitting at a holding part of the port then?

So yeah - what is a good vin#?

highender · November 2003

again thanks for info.....I applaud the numerous awards that T'reg received....it makes me proud of such an illustrious cousin/brother. It is a great package and positively luxurious interior. The SRX looks almost bargain basement...left over from a Cavalier or Rendezvous ?? T'reg is a true sport ute....no compromises. The other competitors sacrifice all offroad ability for only a slight increase in speed. Some competitors cars I wouldn't even take crossing over a curb. ;-)

lee1000 · November 2003

Does anyone know what the heck is in Sound System I? I cannot seem to find any information anywhere.
Thanks.

jkloss · November 2003

Since I am taking delivery of a T-reg with a NAV system soon,I was disappointed in the comments in Motor Trend stating "the optional navigation system doesn't include street names on the maps (an updated system with names will be introduced next year"

Does anyone have experience with the Nav in the T-reg. I would appreciate your comments.

Do they give you a grid coord. book so you can tell where you are? Just kidding. I have made in inquiry to VW and am awaiting their reply.

jkloss · November 2003

Includes AM/FM/CD stero with 11 speakers and 300 watt amplifier

VW Touareg SUV

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