PDA

View Full Version : I've Cancelled My Order for GT



glospete
30-01-2013, 01:49 PM
After all the misinformation from VW UK about emissions, memory seats, electric operation of passenger seat & lumbar support, Xenon/LED DRLs, etc etc I have given up and cancelled my order. I thought long and hard about this decision but I cannot be confident that my car will arrive with the spec that I ordered. This would have been my first VW car and I will certainly never consider one again for a long long time. I have written a long letter to Simon Thomas, the MD of VW explaining my dissatisfaction with his company. My dealer has been excellent during the ordering process but I feel he is trying to push water uphill trying to get accurate information out of VW.

Two days ago I did a "Message Us" on the VW website (because you cannot email them!) asking if Xenon lights were compatible with Main Beam Assist as it has been suggested in this forum that these two options are not. A young man phoned me the next day (very good) but he didn't even understand what I was talking about. He said "no you can't have both because there's no room for this option in the Xenon light (!!) and then tried to say that DRLs were the replacement for High Beam Assist. What hope have any of us got dealing with a bunch of people like this. Later in the conversation he suggested that I ask my dealer and I said that I thought that VW themselves should know but he then admitted that he didn't work for VW but a general phone enquiry company (=generic call centre I suppose?).

Anyway I wish the rest of you the best with your new Golfs - it is potentially a great car but unfortunately is let down by the company behind it!

cs2009
01-02-2013, 03:26 PM
What are you going to buy instead ?

glospete
01-02-2013, 03:48 PM
What are you going to buy instead ?

We went to Exeter yesterday (where all the car dealers are on one big estate - Marsh Barton) and viewed and test drove a few cars. My wife is currently favouring a real left field choice - an Audi TT !! We do have another practical car - a Santa Fe - so it's not totally crazy! And the price is similar to the highly specced Golf that I was going to buy. I am only hesitant because it's another car from the VW stable but I rationalise that it has been out for some years and Audi do SEEM to know what options are available LOL! But no firm decision yet.

The A3 is a sensible alternative to the Golf but it doesn't do it for me - I can't get excited about it unlike my feeling about the Golf. We also test drove a BMW 320d Touring which was lovely but that's too sensible at the moment!

Oh well back to the brochures ......

cs2009
01-02-2013, 04:51 PM
Audi have a severe image problem at the moment - multiple winners of Top Gear's Golden C0ck Award ! And when you see the way they generally seem to be driven these days, that award is totally justified. The new A3 does nothing to change that image either, IMO.

Other alternatives would be the new B-Class and the V40.

glospete
01-02-2013, 05:21 PM
Other alternatives would be the new B-Class and the V40.

Thanks for that - the V40 has certainly been reviewed well. I've not seen much about the B-Class but the new A-Class has been hammered for hard suspension and poor ride.

More brochures to study then ....

h5djr
01-02-2013, 07:30 PM
After all the misinformation from VW UK about emissions, memory seats, electric operation of passenger seat & lumbar support, Xenon/LED DRLs, etc etc I have given up and cancelled my order. I thought long and hard about this decision but I cannot be confident that my car will arrive with the spec that I ordered. This would have been my first VW car and I will certainly never consider one again for a long long time. I have written a long letter to Simon Thomas, the MD of VW explaining my dissatisfaction with his company. My dealer has been excellent during the ordering process but I feel he is trying to push water uphill trying to get accurate information out of VW.

Two days ago I did a "Message Us" on the VW website (because you cannot email them!) asking if Xenon lights were compatible with Main Beam Assist as it has been suggested in this forum that these two options are not. A young man phoned me the next day (very good) but he didn't even understand what I was talking about. He said "no you can't have both because there's no room for this option in the Xenon light (!!) and then tried to say that DRLs were the replacement for High Beam Assist. What hope have any of us got dealing with a bunch of people like this. Later in the conversation he suggested that I ask my dealer and I said that I thought that VW themselves should know but he then admitted that he didn't work for VW but a general phone enquiry company (=generic call centre I suppose?).

Anyway I wish the rest of you the best with your new Golfs - it is potentially a great car but unfortunately is let down by the company behind it!

Both VW and Audi use a call centre for their enquires. Generally they are quite useless. The only way to get a 'correct' answer from either is to get the salesman to talk direct to the sales teams and HQ. At the moment it seems some of the options, in particular with lights, are not yet approved for use in the UK.

J400uk
02-02-2013, 06:21 PM
Audi have a severe image problem at the moment - multiple winners of Top Gear's Golden C0ck Award ! And when you see the way they generally seem to be driven these days, that award is totally justified. The new A3 does nothing to change that image either, IMO.


I agree image may be a problem, but as a brand they have a really strong line up and not one bad car for sale. Maybe I'm slightly bias but its not hard to see the appeal IMO.

cs2009
03-02-2013, 12:10 PM
I agree image may be a problem, but as a brand they have a really strong line up and not one bad car for sale.

Well, except for the A3, which is an abomination inside.

J400uk
03-02-2013, 01:33 PM
Well, except for the A3, which is an abomination inside.

Nonsense, it offers the highest quality interior of any car in its class, what's not to like? And you can't use the glovebox mounted CD player line anymore either as we now have it confirmed that the Golf, Leon and Octavia are the same. It's a very popular car and deservedly so. WhatCar named it Car of the year for 2013 ahead of the new Golf as it now offers better value for money especially in SE Sportback form (which currently has free sat nav in case anyone considering buying).

cs2009
03-02-2013, 01:57 PM
Nonsense, it offers the highest quality interior of any car in its class, what's not to like?

There is absolutely no difference in interior quality (ie. quality of materials or standard of fit and finish) between the A3 and the Mk.7 Golf, but the design and ergonomics are very different. The A3 interior is a dreadful mix of incongruous styles - sort of Sony Playstation meets 1980s Ford Cortina !

And the Audi MMI is just totally awful. The whole touch screen revolution which has swept the majority of consumer electronics has apparently passed Audi by. Instead they are stuck in the 1990s with an outdated, discredited concept, where almost every operation requires navigating through nested menus using the twiddly knob ! It's just as well Audi don't make smartphones isn't it !?


WhatCar named it Car of the year for 2013 ahead of the new Golf

And Autocar ranked it 3rd behind the Golf and Focus.

J400uk
03-02-2013, 02:12 PM
And the Audi MMI is just totally awful. The whole touch screen revolution which has swept the majority of consumer electronics has apparently passed Audi by. Instead they are stuck in the 1990s with an outdated, discredited concept, where almost every operation requires navigating through nested menus using the twiddly knob ! It's just as well Audi don't make smartphones isn't it !?


Actually when you are driving the MMI is far more convenient (and safer) to use than a touchscreen. Its also means the screen is easier to see as its mounted on the top of the dash and saves you having to look down. There's a reason the big 3 German manufacturers (Audi, BMW and Mercedes) have stuck by these control systems.

cs2009
03-02-2013, 02:18 PM
There's a reason the big 3 German manufacturers (Audi, BMW and Mercedes) have stuck by these control systems.

Yes, arrogance.
The rest of the World, including VW (Audi's owner) has moved on.

Huftons
03-02-2013, 10:25 PM
One question. When you cancelled did the dealer return any deposit you'd paid?

glospete
03-02-2013, 11:10 PM
One question. When you cancelled did the dealer return any deposit you'd paid?

Of course! Because VW were unable to supply the car I ordered I received 100% of my deposit back. I have to say that my dealer was so supportive and had no beef about me cancelling. He understood and sympathised with the terrible situation. Am now awaiting response from VW CEO to my rather long letter of complaint. But the situation is (for me) not retrievable.

I see the full page ad for the Golf GT in the Sunday Times today and the car in the photo looks suspiciously like it's got LED DRLs .... Will they never learn?

G0rdon
03-02-2013, 11:19 PM
I see the full page ad for the Golf GT in the Sunday Times today and the car in the photo looks suspiciously like it's got LED DRLs .... Will they never learn?

Nope!!

big ironman
04-02-2013, 01:10 AM
Yes, arrogance.
The rest of the World, including VW (Audi's owner) has moved on.

The rest of the world might be moving to touch screen, but I have to say that (imho) for auto use the 'twiddly knob' is much much better and safer than touch screen. I've had the VW 510 touch screen for 3 years and whilst it's a good touch screen (hired a few Cars with Android touch Screens recently which were awful), my MB Comand is far less distracting with the knob than the VW was in terms of time taken with eyes off the road. Just moving to the Audi with the combination of the knob and 4 buttons and it's even better than the Merc.

I would think that the reason many manufacturers are moving to touch now is that a tablet is a lot cheaper than the systems used by the German manufacturers.

gamichea
07-02-2013, 03:18 PM
I see the full page ad for the Golf GT in the Sunday Times today and the car in the photo looks suspiciously like it's got LED DRLs .... Will they never learn?

Its just cheapskate. They use photos of LHD market cars with a small-print disclaimer tucked away somewhere. They even do it in their brochures as well and not just early editions. That said they are far from alone in this practice.

There is a simple solution to this sort of issue. Don't be an early adopter. Hold on for a year, preferably two. The extra info. then available on internet consumer focused motoring sites is a valuable extra tool in the prospective buyers armoury.

gamichea
07-02-2013, 03:35 PM
Nonsense, it offers the highest quality interior of any car in its class, what's not to like?

Quality is irrelevant if the design/style/ergonomics do not suit the individual. The design/style/ergonomics of the new A3 do not suit me. I am much more at home with the VW approach as I was with the Audis of the nineties & noughties I have owned. Design style is beginning to overtake design substance in Audi interiors.

h5djr
07-02-2013, 03:44 PM
Quality is irrelevant if the design/style/ergonomics do not suit the individual. The design/style/ergonomics of the new A3 do not suit me. I am much more at home with the VW approach as I was with the Audis of the nineties & noughties I have owned. Design style is beginning to overtake design substance in Audi interiors.

I agree completely. Over the last 15 years I have owned 8 Audi A3s and have loved them all. But I just don't like the interior of the latest A3 and much prefer the on in the Golf VII. But it's down to individual taste, some like the new A3 and some don't in the same way as some like the new Golf and some don't. As both use the same platform, engines, gearboxes etc and in terms of interior quality they are on a par so we have the choice. My next car will probably have to be an estate so I'm looking forward to seeing the new Golf VII estate. The front to back measurement of the luggage area on the new A3 is smaller than on my existing A3.

steve scott
17-02-2013, 03:51 PM
I came very close to refusing my car because of the xenon/LED issue but I ended up wondering what else would I buy... I wrote off the A3 because the spec is poor compared to the golf and its very expensive to get it up to the same level. BMW 1 series is great (had the older shape one), but expensive to fit up to the same spec and the engines don't perform as well as VAG's 2.0 TDi for power/CO2 (I needed sub 110g CO2). I liked the Volvo V40, but again the engines don't perform as well.

If BMW had a sub 110g CO2 150bhp 1 series, they'd have got my money instead but they are targeting sub 100g CO2 so power takes a hit too.

james_tiger_woo
18-02-2013, 11:57 AM
The V40 is nice... :)

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=156&t=1234868&nmt=The+New+V40&mid=103650

I've tested the Civic and Golf too and the Volvo, Civic and Golf have all been left wanting...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=178&t=1245238&mid=103650&nmt=Honda+Civic+1%2E6+Diesel

MK7 1.6tdi BMT SE mini review (http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?142368-MK7-1-6tdi-BMT-SE-mini-review)

It'll probably end up being the A3 as there aren't any other credible alternatives - The new Auris is just a no-no too - 1.4 90bhp diesel or a 1.8 Hybrid? No thanks.