VW Touareg SUV

rhinobetsy

They're there. Probably didn't bother opening the armrest. My 12 year old HATES them b/c you have to open the armrest compartment to use them, leaving everything she's stuffed in there exposed to fly around the back seat if I decide to drive in sport mode. : )

Seriously, though, they're there, just not very good.

rhinobetsy

I'm fairly aggressive and use sport mode frequently. We are getting about 14 mpg during commuting into D.C. (1/2 hwy, 1/2 city). V6. I drive about 95% of the time, my wife the other 5%. Based on comments from others, 14 is pretty good!

When we go up to NY, we get about 17 mpg at about 80 mph (did I admit that????) and a fairly loaded car.

rhinobetsy

Yeah, this thing is unreal. Makes me wish I had $100k to drop on a car.

Unfortunately, I read that they're making 550 only and that 330 of them are going to Saudi royalty and the balance to top customers only.

rhinobetsy

2004 was limited to 7,000 lbs. I only know this b/c they had an add w/ the Airstream trailer (you know the one w/ the Beetle trying to pull it first) and had to pull it b/c that model Airstream was 7700 lbs. Not sure about 2005.

rhinobetsy

I plead ignorance: what's brake dust? My wheels start to get really black quickly after a car wash (w/in a week). Is that b/c of brake dust? Can you give me a link to what you're talking about? It would save me a 1/2 hour a week of wheel washing!

Thanks.

bostonron

Brake dust is from your brake pads . German cars have softer brake pads. Go to www.kleenwheels.com

tregowner

Does anyone know how to reset the tire pressure monitor? I get the "ok" for all 4 tires, but no pressure reading (0.0). I have tried taking the fuse out, but this doesn't seem to help. I did this when the car was cold, to get the base reading, but while the system says "learning", the readings still come up 0.0. The dealer's only answer was to take the fuse out, so they don't seem to know either. Any ideas or help would be appreciated......this has been going on for weeks, with no fix in sight.

golfgti4789

i recently test drove a t-reg V-8, when the car was in D, when it would downshift from 2nd to 1st, it would make a clunk sound and a motion of a harsh downshift, but when in S mode, i wouldnt get that harsh downshift. has any other owner noticed this?

socalfrank

I am so glad that Edmunds didn't just give their 2005 SUV of the Year award to the LR3. Every car magazine seems to think they can only award their tropheys to NEW or REDESIGNED vehicles for the year. Since the only choices this year for new or newly designed vehicles are the LR3, Ford Freestyle, Escape Hybrid, or H2-SUT, the LR3 has won all their awards....pity.

socalfrank

I get that harsh downshift in both D and Sport modes. The dealer shakes his head and say they can't duplicte the problem.

ivan_99

Is there really this much space BEHIND the 2nd row seats?

 

Or is it just an optical illusion?

 

golfgti4789

yeah, its pretty big back there

ivan_99

I was just trying to think of a reason the Touareg did not have 3 rows of seating. I thought it was because there was not enough room, until I came across this picture.

 

Apparently VW had other reasons.

golfgti4789

i hear they are going to make a extended touareg, like what they did to the trailblazer. and that should have 3 rows of seats. but i have no idea when it is comming!!!

sebring95

That's true, I've seen pictures of it. Might even be available now in Europe. It looked a bit "odd" kind of like the Trailblazer Ext. A bit too long for its britches.

tdo123

I can't believe how quite this board has become. I must admit, I have been focusing much of my attention at the LR3 Rover board, but I am still in love with the looks of the Toureg.

 

Is anyone having a better reliability record with a 2005? Did they fix or update any problems that have been all over the board. I just hope they are taking care of this Toureg based on the fact the Audi is just going to use the chassis, and not re-tag the same Toureg under the Audi name.

 

Any new news would be very appreciated

 

happy new year.

stever

Oddly enough, after never seeing any, I've seen three Touareg's around Boise in the last ten days. I was impressed with the nice clean lines along the side profile in person. Almost looks like a shaved custom ride. One was up at the ski hill, so I guess the 4WD works.

 

Steve, Host

tdo123

I have noticed the same thing. In fact, I have seen two commercials on TV for it tonight. I hear they are fabulous in the snow and perform (on street) better than most 4wd.

 

Boise? It doesn't get any more beautiful than that...Wallace is pretty also!

panzer

I've noticed quite a few Touaregs around Denver lately. I've had mine about 10 months and it was rare when I purchased. I've also noticed the dealers only have about 5 to 10 of them, when they used to carry at least twice that. Cayennes are springing up everywhere too. I guess there's lots of people out there with more money than brains.

mcmuney

After much negotiating and research, I've given up on the Cayenne and will be purchasing a Touareg this weeken. The only thing that I don't like about them are the HUGE VW emblems. Have any owners replaced them or got rid of them completely?

 

Please post some image links and also local shops in Southern California if possible.

 

Thanks.

stever

This might be a good time to drag Badge/emblem removal techniques out of the archives. Perhaps the dealer will remove the badges as part of the pre-delivery checklist. Especially if they are just attached with adhesive and there's no holes left in the sheet metal after removal.

 

Steve, Host

stever

Some pics are up in the Photo Gallery.

 

Steve, Host

sbcooke

Much of east got hit with over a foot of snow. Any reports on Touareg performance?

ivan_99

Where are the Touareg enthusiasts…are there any?

 

I find this vehicle fascinating, though I have yet to drive one. I’m deliberately staying away from the dealerships because of my “new car buying syndrome” I suffer from.

 

I would though, like to live vicariously through others experiences.

 

Anybody have the 3.2 Diesel?

Real world experiences?

Long trips?

Mileage?

Reliability…paint chips, dings, seats cracking.

Ingress/egress with kids?

mopagree

Thanks for your request, I am asking the same question, has all the previous & numerous problmes with the Toureg been corrected in the 2005 models or have people just learned to live with the prior posted porblems, some so severe there were multiple posting of people using the "Lemon Laws" in various states for remedy since their dealers and VW No America wasn't helping. I first saw the Toureg in Naples, Itlay in March 2003, fell in love, again at the NYC auto show, but once the truck started vbeing sold in the US, the postings on this board began to appear and become worse in nature and more in frequency. I still like the Toureg, but would welcome some honest comments from current owners or older owners whose problmes have all been corrected.

Thanks for your help and replies.

PS The LR3 is also getting a fair amount of problem postings.

darcydog

Touareg fans, please help me out. I am waiting for my new V-8 Touareg (not easy to spell is it?) and have a couple of "picky" questions. When you don't get air suspension as an option, can the VW dealer do anything with the gaping hole in the right side of the center console? And, as someone else mentioned in this forum, what's with the huge VW badge on the back of the vehicle? Can that come off in a way that doesn't leave marks on the car? Picky, yes, but for $46,000 the cosmetics on this car could be better.

Thanks for your responses...

Darcydog

stever

Badge/emblem removal techniques

 

Steve, Host

panzer

At almost 19k miles, I'm pretty happy. There have been a number of visits to the service department over the past almost year, as can be seen from my previous posts, but the problems have been taken care of fairly well. I have no lingering problems at this time. If you understand and like German cars, you'll like this one. It's every bit a good on road (and better off-road) than an X5. If you are looking for a Japanese car, or are not much of an enthusiast about cars, you might be frustrated. The Touareg is state of the art, very complicated and expensive to service. Comfort, styling and fun to drive are way up there. Utility (room, etc.) is not so much. I really believe I got most of a Cayenne for way less money and a better looking car to boot. I still can't think of a better car to tear up the interstate on a long trip. BTW, I've driven the W12 Phaeton and like my v6 Touareg better. I'd be in jail for excessive speeding if I drove a Phaeton.

eandlcubed

i want to know if 3 carseats would fit in the back row since i don't have time yet to visit a deaership . i have a britax forward facing, one booster with just the bottom seat and one booster with both the bottom seat and its back. thanks

mopagree

Thanks for your reply. I'm on my 5th BMW(car) and never had a problem. but not consider the X5 for an off road truck, and am looking to replace my Grand Jeep cherokee, and the Touareg fit all my needs, off road capability, 2nd row seats go flat for loading ice chests behind front seat, mt. bikes, etc, and good styling, but concerned about the mentioned problems on this forum and what at times appeared to be a care less attitudes by dealers to customers problems. My hopes are that after over a yr. of sales and experience, the problems have all been identified and service bulletins issued to dealers or production procedures modified. Would you agree?

Thanks again.

panzer

If you are tall, forget about folding the rear seats flat. The front seats have to no more than about 1/2 way from full front position. I am 6'3" and need to have the front seat at about 3/4 of the travel from the front. I suggest you try this at the dealership before you buy. It was not a deal breaker for me, but would be if I cared to put long, bulky objects into the car. I could put an entire quenn bed mattress in my old Trooper. No way, no how in the Touareg. When we go camping, we keep the rear seat up and put stuff on the seat and on the floor. Mountain bikes go on top, no exceptions (IMHO).

 

Otherwise, the room and utility is about like a Jeep GC.

 

As far as dealers, I've noticed a big turn-around in customer service at my dealership in the past year of Touareg ownership. Find a dealer that handles the Phaeton too. I think they are kept to a little higher standard by VWofA. I always have a loaner (at least a Passat, once a Phaeton), they always wash the car and they always have it done when they say they will. Yes, there have been some glitches in service quality and even replacement parts, but they've done all they could reasonably do to make up for VWofA not having something in stock.

 

The dealers know very well about all of the problems with Touaregs. They just wont easily share that information with you. I'm sure there's some policy of never admitting anything. Try to be friendly with your service advisor, keep the same one so he/she knows you, be knowledgable and interested in your car. Maybe drop some basketball or show tickets on him/her to gain a little recognition/respect. I think most people that buy these cars are at least casual car/driving enthusiasts. As a BMW owner, you know what I mean. If they understand business at all, they'll do what it takes to keep you in the fold and buying from them for life. All of the problems I've had with my 2004 are stuff that were easily taken care of with recalls and updates issued by VW. I see no reason why a 2005 shouldnt be about perfect. I'm actually thinking of trading for a V8 Touareg to better tow a possible new boat.

 

You'll probably get a feel for the kind of dealer you are working with when you shop for the car. I'm starting to see alot more on the road around Denver. The dealer stock has changed from a lot of lightly optioned V6 cars a year ago to fewer cars with way more options. There seem to be more V8 and V10 cars than V6's. It was opposite last year. The option packages have been carefully chosen to get you to spend more money to get the cool stuff like air suspension and xenons.

mopagree

Thanks a lot for your reply. The fact that you are considering a 2nd Touareg says a,lot. I really appreciate your taking the time to respond.

I have An "A" Plan pin # from Ford, spouse's brother works for Ford, which gets us an LR3 at dealer invoice, great deal, but the problems on the same web page at Edmunds are very scary especially for a vechile that just went on sale in the US market in late Nov 04, stalling out, suspension issues, people already selling their 2 month trucks, trying to exercise "lemon laws", etc.

So I figured the problems associated with the 2003/2004 Touareg had hopeffuly been all resolved, and it sounds like form you they have.

I'm in LA, so don't know if any dealers are offering any type deals, as you are seeing a lot more Touareg's on the road now in LA.

Good luck on your 2nd. purchase.

 

a

panzer

My past luck with Fords has not been good. I don't think I would buy one. Talk about crappy parts, recurring problems and dealers that don't care. The A plan is only a good deal on Ford cars that you have to pull nose hairs to get at invoice. My reading on the Land Rover (Car and Driver, Autoweek) implies it is a pretty good SUV, but I'm not surprised Ford missed a few things. Land Rover wouldn't have to go very far to improve on the old one, which is an ergonomic nightmare, in my opinion. You'll almost never find repair problems discussed in the car magazines, particularly the big ones, except maybe Autoweek. They have to be cheerleaders to keep the advertising bucks rolling in, regardless of what they claim. The items that VW missed are really no big deal and have been taken care of, as far as I know. As you may recall, BMW had a few problems with early production X5's, which were diligently fixed without a lot of fanfare.

edwardc3000

Just saw a real nice 05 with V8, White, Teak interior, P83 package with DVD Nav, List price of $53K. I really need to be about $48K less my trade for the numbers to work for me vs a Lexus GX (which is where I was headed).

The dealership is pretty small (Reydel in Edison, NJ), but has quite positive feedback on dealerrater.com.

Think I got a shot..??? or should I begin putting it out to bid..??

edwardc3000@yahoo.com

stever

"A specially prepared edition of the Touareg finished a respectable sixth in the 2004 rally from Paris to Dakar, a grueling race that runs nearly 7,000 miles from France to Senegal. So there's no question this baby can go off road."

CBS Marketwatch

Steve, Host

uafly1

Has anyone added a disc changer? I went with the base and that's the only thing I can complain about not having. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

stever

You may want to check out Aftermarket Audio Systems & OEM Upgrades while waiting for responses in here.

Steve, Host

ekrob

I'm considering an '05 Touareg and will often be towing a 5-6000 lb. trailer. Does anyone have an opinion of the v6 v. v8 for this task?

cat3126

I think the V6 might be lacking a bit on ramp acceleration and hills. I have a 05 V8 and pull a 4200# trailer with no problem.I have the air suspension which keeps everything level.
I picked up my Touareg in mid Nov. and have not had a single problem. The only time I had service work done was the 5K oil change. I have 7500 miles on it now.I,m using Mobil 1 5W-40. Have not used a drop of oil.

chuckmorton

Had an issue with the tranny in my Touareg today and I am researching for any inherent problems before taking it in. Any information would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

chuckmorton

Does anyone have any information regarding any inherent issues with the tranny in the '04 Touareg? I experienced a very strange thud today and would really appreciate any news anyone can share.

don2004t

Just an FYI, I have a 2004 and it has had 9 recalls so far. I have a slowness in pick up that almost got me broadsided a couple of times. the tire indicator is still going off and the dealer says it is a major problem for them. Since I am real picky about the way the car handles I now let my wife drive. She loves it. She damaged an outside mirror and the dealer said it is a $1000,00 to replace it. Sounds like a whole door to me. Not all problems are corrected as yet, but it is a pleasure to drive. Big drawback is the need for premium gas. Opening up the rear door is not convenient however. Good luck if you buy one.

mopagree

Thanks for your response, the 9 recalls have they been major or minor in nature, and the other outstanding repair issues , again the same question. I saw the truck in Naples Italy March 2003 and fell in love with it, then when the suv became available in US and then I saw all the postings on this web about all the problems and decided to wait until 2005 models came out and hopefully problems were all identified and corrected and VW dealers became aware of problems and how to correct as well as became more aware that VW now had a group of buyers spending $40-$50 k for a suv, and some increase in customer service, more than what was usual should be given to these buyers.
For the same reasons on more serious problems I have backed away from the 2005 LR3 and still would like a T-reg if I can be convinced the current buyers are satisified and the previous 2004 owners problems have bee corrected. Why do we as buyers spending $40+ have to deal with problems that should of been detected in tests runs and corrected or at least been corrected in the first 6 months of production. Yes, I am frustrated on the whole buying experience.
Thanks again for your response and to anyone else who relies.

dieselbreath

One caution about european trannies that I got from my VW/Audi specialist private mechanic:
Always come to a full stop before shifting from Drive to Reverse or vice-versa.
He said most blown VW automatics that he encountered were from the person backing out and putting into drive while still moving backwards.
American transmissions are designed to handle this, but if you asked a mechanic in Germany about this, he says they'll likely give you a puzzled look and ask: "Why would anyone with half a brain put the car in forward while its going backward?"

Not sure if this is related to your "thud" but its something to be aware of. (and I don't know if this applies to the new vehicles, or only up through '90s)

stever

I've read this caution in the Caravan discussions, so I don't think domestic transmissions are designed to handle this either. There's probably something buried in every owner's manual about how to shift an automatic.

But it's a common practice and I've been guilty of it myself from time to time.

Steve, Host

wingale

After exhaustive research I have (finally)decided to purchase an '05 T-reg V6. My question is does anyone know why the base price of this vehicle in Canada is CAD $55,010 while it is US $37,140 in the States. This represents approx 48% more while the exchange rate is about half that.

I wonder if I should consider driving to Buffalo NY and making my purchase there.

sbcooke

You should search the Acura MDX forum. That subject was covered extensively. Overall...there did not seem to be any benefit to purchasing out of country. Warranty coverage problems, emissions conversions, speedometer, taxes, etc.

dieselbreath

That price spread is a mystery. A few years back, when the V8-Passats came out (I mean W8), the ones in Bellingham WA were priced at $66k CDN after exchange while you could buy the same car in Canada for $54k.

In fact, a local Audi dealer was selling over 1/2 their cars to Americans because of the price difference at the time!

I suspect that VW sets their pricing well in advance, so back when the CDN dollar was falling relative to US the CDN price was better, but now that it has risen so much the US price is better.

And check the warantee ... I'd be very surprised if VW in Canada didn't honour the warantee of a car purchased out of the country. (unlike Honda).
VW of Canada is just a branch office of VW of America anyway....

But for $10k I'd import the car. Just be sure you don't pay state taxes in NY. Since you are from out-of-state you are tax exempt on the purchase, but you'll have to pay full GST and Ontario PST when you bring it across the border.

ekrob

I'm considering a Touareg and will be occasionally towing a 6000 lb. trailer. Does anyone have an opinion of the v6 versus the v8 for this task?

kjw23

I just got off the phone with the service center and they are trying to charge me $180 oil/filter change, saying I need 8-9 qts of synthetic oil. This was suppose to be the first 5,000 mile tune up. Is this a rip off or what?? I have had nothing but problems with my 2004 Toureg. It's a lease vehicle and if I could return it, I would in a heartbeat....