Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

well that certainly sucks. And you broke Driver's record for early clutch failure on a VAG product.

I assume this means the Alltrack is gone by next weekend? I know my wife now has a zero tolerance policy for being stranded. Either that or it would immediately become my car.

stickguy

PUs seem odd to me. They have huge discounts to move them new, but then don't seem to ever depreciate after that.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

PUs seem odd to me. They have huge discounts to move them new, but then don't seem to ever depreciate after that.

I think this is because the cost of entry to buy one new has absolutely skyrocketed. They need incentives to move them and most look to buy used.

28firefighter

stickguy said:

well that certainly sucks. And you broke Driver's record for early clutch failure on a VAG product.

I assume this means the Alltrack is gone by next weekend? I know my wife now has a zero tolerance policy for being stranded. Either that or it would immediately become my car.

+1 for my house.

breld

stickguy said:

well that certainly sucks. And you broke Driver's record for early clutch failure on a VAG product.

I assume this means the Alltrack is gone by next weekend? I know my wife now has a zero tolerance policy for being stranded. Either that or it would immediately become my car.

What was Driver's outcome? I don't recall.

And yes, I don't think my wife will have any more tolerance for such an event (and I don't blame her). But as much of a discount as we got on the Alltrack, they don't exactly hold their value. If VW (or the dealership) were to offer to take it back in at a decent value, then yes, I do believe there would be a punch.

breld

On the phone, my wife actually has maintained an incredibly cheerful and positive attitude. But she did remark that the last time she was in this stranded situation was in her early 20's in a Pacer station wagon.

corvette

I used to think that way, but my stance on "being left stranded" has evolved over the years to consider mitigating factors. e.g., an accident bad enough to require a tow = I don't want the car back. Working on the car and it died in my garage as a result of my not being able to get the serpentine belt back on = not a huge deal (my 2009 Altima). The Tahoe, I was able to make it home before it died, so I don't hold a huge grudge there, either.

corvette

The 24 month Tundra leases actually look to be an excellent deal even for someone who intends to buy and hold... Lease the current (ancient) model, then turn it in when the lease is up, and buy the completely redesigned model, which is due out as a 2021 model, I think.

stickguy

I seem to recall Driver was in the 40K miles range? out of warranty. Or maybe just out of the 12 month period for wear items, so they denied warranty coverage due to that (claiming it was driving wrong, not defective). I am sure he will supply all the details!

I assume you mean dealer taking it back on trade. since I am sure they will just fix it for you and not do anything else. Might be time to speed dial the Carvana machine again (though I would not be surprised if you already did).

breld

The reality is VW will likely be able to identify the issue and make an appropriate repair. But it'll be hard to eliminate the apprehension and fear of "when is it going to happen again."

stickguy

corvette said:

The 24 month Tundra leases actually look to be an excellent deal even for someone who intends to buy and hold... Lease the current (ancient) model, then turn it in when the lease is up, and buy the completely redesigned model, which is due out as a 2021 model, I think.

might be a hard sell to the wife, but if something she wanted (or would be satisfied driving for 2 years) fell into our laps on a good lease deal, I would do it. Cash out the equity in the RDX and invest it for a purchase in a couple of years. Either that or one of the rare deals where the lease incentives were so big, my spreadsheet makes it look cheaper to lease to buy out at the end.

stickguy

breld said:

The reality is VW will likely be able to identify the issue and make an appropriate repair. But it'll be hard to eliminate the apprehension and fear of "when is it going to happen again."

that is the part that doesn't bother me. If it really was a fluke, I would not expect it to happen again. So I would at least give it a 2nd chance. Unclear if the wife would trust it though. Probably depends on what it was, and if I could convince her it is not an indication of future events.

breld

stickguy said:

I seem to recall Driver was in the 40K miles range? out of warranty. Or maybe just out of the 12 month period for wear items, so they denied warranty coverage due to that (claiming it was driving wrong, not defective). I am sure he will supply all the details!

I assume you mean dealer taking it back on trade. since I am sure they will just fix it for you and not do anything else. Might be time to speed dial the Carvana machine again (though I would not be surprised if you already did).

Yeah, unless this happens a couple more times, I wouldn't think there'd be any actual buy back. But perhaps a generous trade offer.

And yes, I already have a Carvana quote.

suydam

breld said:

On a completely unrelated note (but very much related to cars)...

My wife and stepdaughter are currently stuck on I-70 in the mountains with a failed clutch on her 8K mile Alltrack.

In heavy weekend traffic, the clutch apparently went down and refused to return from the floor, leaving the two of them stuck in the middle lane approaching Eisenhower Tunnel.

State patrol showed up to help get the car to an emergency lot and they are currently waiting on VW roadside assistance to tow the wagon down to a dealer in Denver.

Man that’s tough. Stranded in such a situation, I wouldn’t forget that myself.

Michaell

breld said:

stickguy said:

I seem to recall Driver was in the 40K miles range? out of warranty. Or maybe just out of the 12 month period for wear items, so they denied warranty coverage due to that (claiming it was driving wrong, not defective). I am sure he will supply all the details!

I assume you mean dealer taking it back on trade. since I am sure they will just fix it for you and not do anything else. Might be time to speed dial the Carvana machine again (though I would not be surprised if you already did).

Yeah, unless this happens a couple more times, I wouldn't think there'd be any actual buy back. But perhaps a generous trade offer.

And yes, I already have a Carvana quote.

I've volunteered to drive the Alltrack after the repairs are done just to make sure everything works as advertised. Mrs. @breld can drive the V90.

breld

It's been 3 hours now since the breakdown occurred and still no tow truck. Wife and stepdaughter are patiently waiting on the side of their broken down 2019 VW watching the Mandalorian on her phone.

I am fuming.

28firefighter

breld said:

It's been 3 hours now since the breakdown occurred and still no tow truck. Wife and stepdaughter are patiently waiting on the side of their broken down 2019 VW watching the Mandalorian on her phone.

I am fuming.

Do you guys have AAA? I keep our membership active because I simply don’t have the patience for OEM roadside assistance.

Plus, you know, I’ve had a problem child car or two in the past...

breld

We don't have AAA, primarily since we have newer cars that have this "roadside assistance."

Understanding now that it can't necessarily be relied upon (we had a similar experience when my Land Rover wouldn't start a couple years ago), I will look into a AAA membership again.

Good suggestion.

Michaell

breld said:

We don't have AAA, primarily since we have newer cars that have this "roadside assistance."

Understanding now that it can't necessarily be relied upon (we had a similar experience when my Land Rover wouldn't start a couple years ago), I will look into a AAA membership again.

Good suggestion.

I wouldn't be surprised that AAA and the OEM programs contract with the same company.

We have an active AAA membership, but the lowest level. When the daughter experienced a shredded tire at oh dark thirty one morning on her way to work, we used AAA, but the tow radius was pretty low. AAA got it to the closest tire shop, which didn't have the tire we needed. Used MINI roadside to get it to the dealer, where we bought a new tire.

breld

To be somewhat fair, they are up in the mountains and not in the city (or any town for that matter). So I understand resources are scarce, but 3 hours seems a bit much.

The tow truck did just arrive - so it was about 3 hours 10 minutes...and now another 1 hour 10 minutes to get down to the dealership in Denver, where I will be waiting with fast food.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

Steve Elias said:

coworker has a porsche cayenne stickshift he will soon trade for a Taycan. it is the final model year that stickshift was offered in Cayenne... it needs a transfer case, dealer wants to swap it but i know there is a dude named Guenter somewhere in New England who can probably fix it for $200. coworker will sell it to me for the trade-in value if i want it when Taycan arrives. i just bought a GMC "CUV" for wifey but am interested in his Cayenne too. would it drive OK as a FWD with the transfer case removed? ;}

That will literally be the most expensive $200 you ever spend. Don't fool yourself into thinking that anything can be done on a Cayenne can be done for $200, maybe an oil change.

Well, if the transfer case is located at nor near the same place on the undercarriage as my Q7, it is not a difficult part to locate. However, I seriously doubt that you will be able to do it without spending upwards of $2,000 in parts. As for FWD only, it really depends on the issue. The transfer case receives power directly from the transmission, and then the drive shafts for front and rear distribute power from there. So, you might have no front power, no back power, or both. My estimation is going to be, "no," you can't simply disable it. But, read up on it, as sometimes you can disable the center differential by locking the clutch packs with a relay and solenoid; such designs typically are not meant to be long-term solutions.

xwesx

Steve Elias said:

Btw in another forum I saw a post from a tree branch which said it was minding its own business when a windshield came along and cracked it.

Hahah! I did the same thing to my plow truck a couple weeks ago: There was a tree that had bent double during the winter, and I just didn't notice it because it was pointing directly at me, no branches or anything to give it form. It was like a medieval joust coming in.... BANG! Poor old windshield didn't stand a chance.

xwesx

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

This is my first Korean car.

Had lunch with my son today. He said the same thing....”never thought I’d see you in a Kia”.

Deja vu all over again....resembling Honda and Toyota now compared to what they were in the ‘70s. Hyundai and Kia are executing from the same play book.

Wait; you have a Kia now? I only half-read the posts from the last few weeks...

xwesx

breld said:

The reality is VW will likely be able to identify the issue and make an appropriate repair. But it'll be hard to eliminate the apprehension and fear of "when is it going to happen again."

How did the failed clutch result in a stranding? Did it somehow get stuck in a position to disengage the transmission? If not, she could still drive and shift the car as long as she didn't come to a complete stop. It is tricky, but quite doable.

xwesx

breld said:

To be somewhat fair, they are up in the mountains and not in the city (or any town for that matter). So I understand resources are scarce, but 3 hours seems a bit much.

The tow truck did just arrive - so it was about 3 hours 10 minutes...and now another 1 hour 10 minutes to get down to the dealership in Denver, where I will be waiting with fast food.

The last time I needed a tow, it was about three hours before they showed up. It was about -20F at the time, so that seemed like a very long wait. Before that, which was a long time ago, we waited 13 hours for the truck to arrive. /sigh

breld

xwesx said:

breld said:

The reality is VW will likely be able to identify the issue and make an appropriate repair. But it'll be hard to eliminate the apprehension and fear of "when is it going to happen again."

How did the failed clutch result in a stranding? Did it somehow get stuck in a position to disengage the transmission? If not, she could still drive and shift the car as long as she didn't come to a complete stop. It is tricky, but quite doable.

For lack of better words, the clutch pedal was stuck to the floor and couldn’t be disengaged. So the car was effectively in neutral.

The vehicle is at the dealership and I’ll anxiously await their call tomorrow. I’m ready to let them know that my wife has been driving for 35 years and has owned more manuals than automatics - clearly this wasn’t driver error and while I understand the need to ask the question, I sincerely hope they don’t try to go down that road.

stickguy

I don't think so at such low miles. Especially since this sounds like a system failure, not a burned out disk that you could get from someone slipping the clutch all the time.

au1994

Congratulations, Q! That deal can’t be beat and I think it’s a nice looking car. For that money it looks like an M5.

There was a proposal put forward for Georgia to reinstate their EV benefits. Need to check if that passed.

mjfloyd1

I passed a Stinger GTS on a two lane road yesterday. I had not seen one on the road. It was definitely orange. 😁

nyccarguy

breld said:

On a completely unrelated note (but very much related to cars)...

My wife and stepdaughter are currently stuck on I-70 in the mountains with a failed clutch on her 8K mile Alltrack.

In heavy weekend traffic, the clutch apparently went down and refused to return from the floor, leaving the two of them stuck in the middle lane approaching Eisenhower Tunnel.

State patrol showed up to help get the car to an emergency lot and they are currently waiting on VW roadside assistance to tow the wagon down to a dealer in Denver.

OUCH! That stinks! I'm glad your wife and daughter are OK. Hopefully this gets sorted out quickly without any drama.

nyccarguy

I can't believe the Lexus dealer kept my Mom's 2016 Cayenne with over 80K miles. They gave my parents $23K on the trade in.

https://www.lexusofmtkisco.com/used-Mt+Kisco-2016-Porsche-Cayenne-Base+NAVIGATION+PREMIUM+PACKAGE-WP1AA2A23GLA05987

graphicguy

xwesx said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

This is my first Korean car.

Had lunch with my son today. He said the same thing....”never thought I’d see you in a Kia”.

Deja vu all over again....resembling Honda and Toyota now compared to what they were in the ‘70s. Hyundai and Kia are executing from the same play book.

Wait; you have a Kia now? I only half-read the posts from the last few weeks...

Yes....got a Stinger a couple of weeks ago.

@breld .....I’m fuming just reading about how your family is left stranded. As I’ve always felt, I don’t expect a car to be perfect. But, when one inevitably breaks down, I do expect the company who’s carrying the warranty (in this case, VW) to make an extra effort to get the situation resolved in a timely manner. My guess is VW is contracting with a tow company who’s the cheapest, not the best.

tjc78

@breld
Brutal!! Let’s hope the repair process goes smoothly.

corvette

Mechanic called already - I need new oil cooler lines. $571. Not nearly as bad as I had feared!

au1994

graphicguy said:

xwesx said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

This is my first Korean car.

Had lunch with my son today. He said the same thing....”never thought I’d see you in a Kia”.

Deja vu all over again....resembling Honda and Toyota now compared to what they were in the ‘70s. Hyundai and Kia are executing from the same play book.

Wait; you have a Kia now? I only half-read the posts from the last few weeks...

Yes....got a Stinger a couple of weeks ago.

@breld .....I’m fuming just reading about how your family is left stranded. As I’ve always felt, I don’t expect a car to be perfect. But, when one inevitably breaks down, I do expect the company who’s carrying the warranty (in this case, VW) to make an extra effort to get the situation resolved in a timely manner. My guess is VW is contracting with a tow company who’s the cheapest, not the best.

Agreed. It’s also a perfect storm of happening on the weekend and in a remote area but over 3 hours is not excusable.

As for the car, if it was a simple obvious fix, IE a random bolt fell out, I’d be ok. If the root cause could not be diagnosed, I would have to move on unless it was a complete financial bath.

laurasdada

Good luck with the VDub, breld.
Glad to see great ex-Patriot Mike Vrabel takin' names!
Going to Boston Int'l Auto Show Friday, looking forward to checking out the Stinger and Genesis G70. Wonder if the new Vette will be there, and, if so, approachable?
With the 70 degree weather, went for a brief car shop, Audi/Acura/Porsche dealer. Porsche had a blue Taycan in the showroom, no monroney, locked and dark. If only the Panamera were as right sized and sharply styled; even the sales dude I spoke with said that.
Sat in a Mahogany (brown, questionable color...) '19 Panamera; seat felt absolutely wonderful. MSRP of over $113k, on sale for $96k. Luxor beige interiior with Mahogany wood, inclucing the steering wheel, but that exterior color will likely keep it on the lot for a while. Mostly electronics, few buttons so interior is dark until powered up. Saw what appeared to be a daddy buying a Porsche for his teenage daughter; I'll guess a Macan and I'll guess it was his daughter!

jmonroe

breld said:

To be somewhat fair, they are up in the mountains and not in the city (or any town for that matter). So I understand resources are scarce, but 3 hours seems a bit much.

The tow truck did just arrive - so it was about 3 hours 10 minutes...and now another 1 hour 10 minutes to get down to the dealership in Denver, where I will be waiting with fast food.

Fast food? You should have been thinking more along the lines of a fast get away.

Good to hear help finally arrived. Yes, I have AAA just because I haven't heard too many good things about those road side assistance things. Yeah, they'll show up alright but when?

jmonroe

corvette

It took a while for Audi’s roadside assistance to show up when my parents shredded a tire, as well.

jmonroe

xwesx said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

This is my first Korean car.

Had lunch with my son today. He said the same thing....”never thought I’d see you in a Kia”.

Deja vu all over again....resembling Honda and Toyota now compared to what they were in the ‘70s. Hyundai and Kia are executing from the same play book.

Wait; you have a Kia now? I only half-read the posts from the last few weeks...

If you want to save time, next time read all of them but only half the words. That way you'll only go off half cocked, rather than being totally lost.

jmonroe

stickguy

Last year when I called Acura roadside assistance for my dead battery on the TLX, the guy got there quick. It was the AAA truck. It helps that I can walk to a AAA office where they happen to park the tow truck fleet.

I hav AAA still, since the RDX isn’t covered. And I use it for travel. And I never get around to canceling!

Sandman6472

Glad they finally came to tow the Alltrack. Hopefully an easy fix and then, back on the road. My wife also has a low tolerance for breakdowns, while mine isn't that bad. Still, a shame it had to happen on a Sunday so far from home.
Love that new Ioniq to be honest though not crazy about the split back window like in the Prius. But guessing one would get used to it in a short time frame. That interior shot was nice also. Not sure I'd go for the EV unit, the gas hybrid would be a great choice for me right now. Since my driving will be going down by 2/3, think I'd enjoy it. I'm using maybe a 1/4 tank per week now. Like that color, same as the Accent our daughter got last month. We like Hyundai/Kia products and am waiting to test drive the new Soltis just to see if I could live with one. After sitting in the Venue a couple of times now, I liked it but really need to drive one. Personally, really want to try the new 2020 Golf before I do anything. But, am finally ready to get into something new.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

I can't believe the Lexus dealer kept my Mom's 2016 Cayenne with over 80K miles. They gave my parents $23K on the trade in.

https://www.lexusofmtkisco.com/used-Mt+Kisco-2016-Porsche-Cayenne-Base+NAVIGATION+PREMIUM+PACKAGE-WP1AA2A23GLA05987

They REALLY like it! So much so that they plan on buying it a birthday cake in a year.

stickguy

Sneaky. Get someone in with sticker shock on an RX, then slide them over to be dazzled by getting into a Porsche for $20k less!

xwesx

breld said:

xwesx said:

breld said:

The reality is VW will likely be able to identify the issue and make an appropriate repair. But it'll be hard to eliminate the apprehension and fear of "when is it going to happen again."

How did the failed clutch result in a stranding? Did it somehow get stuck in a position to disengage the transmission? If not, she could still drive and shift the car as long as she didn't come to a complete stop. It is tricky, but quite doable.

For lack of better words, the clutch pedal was stuck to the floor and couldn’t be disengaged. So the car was effectively in neutral.

The vehicle is at the dealership and I’ll anxiously await their call tomorrow. I’m ready to let them know that my wife has been driving for 35 years and has owned more manuals than automatics - clearly this wasn’t driver error and while I understand the need to ask the question, I sincerely hope they don’t try to go down that road.

Oh, no. I don't doubt that there was a serious problem! I was thinking, by the description, that the linkage had separated or some other issue, like a loss of hydraulic pressure, that perhaps caused the pedal to fail. If the shift fork/clutch plate/etc froze and there was just no engagement, she was SOL out there.

xwesx

graphicguy said:

Yes....got a Stinger a couple of weeks ago.

Nice; congrats! Don't forget to update that signature line.

xwesx

jmonroe said:

xwesx said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

This is my first Korean car.

Had lunch with my son today. He said the same thing....”never thought I’d see you in a Kia”.

Deja vu all over again....resembling Honda and Toyota now compared to what they were in the ‘70s. Hyundai and Kia are executing from the same play book.

Wait; you have a Kia now? I only half-read the posts from the last few weeks...

If you want to save time, next time read all of them but only half the words. That way you'll only go off half cocked, rather than being totally lost.

jmonroe

I generously over-stated my effort there. I read through about two pages, then just set the other 20 or so to "mark as read."

corvette

Picked up the Tahoe. Got $45 off due to AAA discount. Fingers crossed that it’s fixed!

breld

Just visited the service dept at our VW dealership.

First, they let us know the clutch had failed and needs to be replaced. Yup, we figured that out on our own.

Second, the advisor stated the cost of the replacement is $3,200, to which my wife quickly replied, "covered under warranty," to which he quickly said, "no, it's considered a wear item."

breld

The second part of the conversation was all about meeting with his supervisor and the VW rep and seeing if something could be done as a "goodwill" gesture. And he encouraged us to call Customer Care so VW can get going on it too.

I think he could have started out with what the options are before blurting out that it isn't covered, but nevertheless, I thought worst case was that clearly it will be covered under warranty and then we'll have to make decisions on our comfort level with the car after the repair. I still think that may happen, but the worst case scenario is significantly worse.

suydam

Wow. That’s some kind of crazy. No clutch should wear that quickly!