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Comments
-Craig
The reason that the power seats, among other things, are only available in the GLX is due to competition. Very few carmakers can stay in business offering any option on any model. Take the 2003 Honda Accord for example: the DX (4 cyl stick with Dealer installed A/C), the LX (4 cyl /auto) and EX (pretty much the same as GLX) The only way to make things efficiently is is make them generally all the same.
That is why if someone was to order all the options on a GLX separately they would pay about 2000 more. That is why I bought one. Do I need all the toys ? Probably not, but I do enjoy them.
Granted you can spend $2500 on a 1.8T and it will be a monster. I can spend about $1200 (chip, exhaust and nitrous setup)on my V6 and have a monster too, but it my V6 wouldn't last very long. I look at the mods offered for the 1.8 and they look good, but I know that VW engineered things pretty close to right, and I know that anybody that really starts doing rad stuff like that isn't going to have a engine last 200,000 miles like I plan to.
We all have our preferences.
By the way cstabile, on the tires - I got Michelins on my (GLX) 16" aluminum wheels) (part of that $4500 you know) and they run sweet at 130 and they run sweet in the snow, and they run quiet. I have a buddy with a BMW/Continentals and he doesn't like them. It's kinda ironic (for a BMW owner) but he says they don't last and they are too spendy.
What is basically stated in that letter is that VW will replace the parts under warranty, which they have to do anyways.
I really didn't understand the point of the letter. "You have a warranty. A part is failing. We'll replace the part under warranty."
Duh.
-Craig
It said you have to basically wait for the coils to fail though. What's the point in that? I agree with you on the point that they are basically telling you the part WILL more than likely fail, and to bring the car in when it does. Whatever.
VW has lost my respect as a company over this coil thing. They went far enough with the failing window regs that they kept a "secret" for years. Now this. What's VW coming to?
Now that this "issue" has been going on for this long (and I'm sure VW knew about it longer than any of us), my next car purchase will NOT be a VW. No matter how good it is.
But for the time being, I'm going to enjoy driving my Passat until I can turn away from VW for good.
Plus all these crummy looking VW dealerships were getting on my nerves.
-Craig
Nice.
-Craig
But the VW letter implies that only individual,failed coils will be replaced.
I've just assumed that I'd be getting another letter soon,one that agrees with the newspaper reports.
I've got the H coils. I know I run a higher risk that one or more may fail (possibly soon). I see that VW is trying to get on top of the wave, initially with replacing the bad coils due to shortage of parts, then with the letter to the customer base. I see the probability of getting all of the coils replaced soon, but we're talking a huge number of cars.
I could be caught with a blown coil before this replacement program gets off the ground. If so, I'll deal with it. At least there shouldn't be any problem getting a replacement part or a rental (should it be necessary).
At least VW is publicly coming to grips with the problem. Some may say, too little too late. But other manufacturers have made missteps in handling other issues, too. While I think this is a safety issue, it's not of the same magnitude of the Firestone/Ford Explorer deal.
I'm just sitting tight, hope I get through to the replacement stage without blowing a coil, and then I look forward to forgetting all about this while enjoying my car. YMMV.
While it's all fine and dandy that coils will be replaced "over the next several months", those who transport little kids (this IS a family sedan) and /or live in bitterly cold climates are at a severe disadvantage to this "Oh, we'll fix it for free when it breaks. Just wait a few hours at the side of the road for our friendly VW Tow Truck."
Again, phooey!
-Craig
I was exiting off the NYS thruway at a faily fast pace when the car lost power and began to shake. I was so frightened because there was a line of cars exiting in back of me. Fortunately no one slammed into my rear. It frightens me to think what if this happened while I was in the left lane traveling at 65mph........
Also, your statement is kinda not true. VW is NOT doing their best to deal with this matter. VW said they didn't think this was a big enough issue to warrant a recall if you remember correctly. VW always hides behind their poor customer service practices when it comes time for them to come to bat for their customers. VW was exposed by the media, and therefore didn't really have a choice but to recall the cars and do something about it. I am sure they still lost alot of customers in the process.
I know my next car won't be a VW. I can't see giving my money to a company who can't stand up for its customers.
All we can do is guess what VW is thinking. I'm sure the media and the internet had some influence on them, but I've also heard that they were waiting to understand the full scope of the problem before deciding how to approach a solution. They wanted to know if the entire series of J coils was bad or just a limited run. If it was my business, I'd do the same thing. I would not want to replace all of the parts until I was sure which of them are bad. They replaced them as quickly as they were produced to keep as many people on the road as possible.
As far as not standing up for customers, you may or may not be right. Their reaction time may have been longer that we think it should have been, but they are now standing up for the customers. I think they stand up for the customers just by producing one of the world's best values for a superb automobile. There are not many cars in the price range of the Passat I'd rather drive.
I was just thinking, I wonder how much this coil fiasco, rental cars, and replacing/reimbursing for window regulators is costing VW? It couldn't be good for their bottom line...
Also, the 02 Jetta is my 6th car in 6 years of driving. I love the car, it fits perfectly and drives great. Will I buy another VW? More than likely not. After dealing with VW itself, I don't know if I want my hard-earned money going to a company that I may or may not be able to trust.
And no matter what VW says about driving the car slowly, it's terrible for the car. The cats get unburnt fuel, which ruins them (won't pass emissions). The turbo, for some unknown reason, gets really, really hot (bright red). These two factors alone will prevent me from driving ANY distance with a blown coil (or two... or three... or four).
I planned on keeping this car 5 years. I'm not sure if I can do that anymore.
-Craig
http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=42523
It has some information I hadn't read elsewhere.
If anything VW should be suing their supplier for supplying faulty parts and for putting them in a PR situation that will take years to recover from.
BTW - even with the 2 coil failures, I would buy another VW because I cant think of a better value anywhere even if you can afford more.
Second, if we just keep buying VWs, what kind of message is that going to send to the "customer relations group"? If sales keep steady or go up, they're going to do the same things over and over.
Personally, I feel like they're supplying a very good car, with safety and performance at the expense of using cheap parts from the lowest bidder supplier. The coil packs before 2001 were fine. They used them for 3 years. Why the change? Save a buck or two? This can only affect resale negatively in the future.
Trust me, I wanted to buy VWs in the future. I really like the way it drives, the conservative luxury it provides, etc. But if it weren't for the internet/web/newgroups, would ANY of this surfaced? I really doubt it.
-Craig
Our '01 RX300 (wife's car) now has a 10 year, unlimited mile warranty on the engine. I call that standing behind the vehicle/customer. Would VW do that? Puhleeze.
-Craig
More than 850,000 Volkswagen and Audi vehicles --
about 530,000 sedans and hatchbacks sold in the
U.S. alone -- are being recalled for a faulty
ignition coil. Volkswagen announced the recall last
week, noting that the problem could cause spark
plug failure and rough running, which is usually
indicated by the vehicle's "Check Engine" light.
Most of the cars affected carry the VW corporate
1.8-liter turbo four (which includes the Audi A4
and TT coupe; the VW Golf, GTI, Jetta, New Beetle
and Passat), the 2.8-liter VR6 and the 3.0-liter
V6 engines, as well as the VW Passat's W8.
I've also heard GM has cut Saturns budget to the point that their quality and customer satisfaction is also suffering. Saturn's designs are a generation behind the competition.
Any manufacturer is going to look for cost reductions, hopefully without sacrificing quality. Sometimes it backfires.
From reading CR's annual auto issue, it seems that no German make has average or above reliability. Think next time, I will have to go back to the Japanese side of the fence. Their cars aren't as exciting as the Germans', but I need something that's not gonna break down on me and cost me a fortune to run.
No reliability problems there (knock on wood).
<Second, if we just keep buying VWs, what kind of message is that going to send to the "customer relations group"? If sales keep steady or go up, they're going to do the same things over and over.>
BTW, the WSJ had an article about VW and sales in Jan being down 17% from same period last year. They basically attribute the decline to the coil packs and VW staying away from the deep incentive game, so i think consumers are sending a message. Also in the article was the mention that only 4000 Phaetons had been registered in europe versus company projections of 20,000 units.
I drove a Mazda6 sedan (2 of them, actually), but didn't like the lack of headroom for me (I must have a sunroof, and I am 6'3). Also, I would like more power than the V6 has to offer.
Now if you discount it based on looks or utility that is another matter entirely.