VW build quality issues

[mak81]

Hi i am a newbee so forgive me for any faults,
I purchased my first new car (golf match 1.6fsi) in june 07. Since then it has gone back seven times to the dealer for warranty work. This including door rattles , dash high pitched vibrations intermmitent over uneven course tarmac,
brake thuds whilst braking when reversing to a stop, steering creaking noises when turning left slow speed/parking manouvers etc.

Since then they have replaced door panel drivers side, replaced door locks due to movement when closing doors (sounds like door closes twice) adjusted door strykers which then created a gap in the door, took the car back again to be adjusted again, replaced brake pad due to sticking, replaced console bushes due to creaking steering noises no effect!, booked the car again and replaced steering rack, no noises yet but have to drive it more.

After complaining the salesman informs me this is I quote ' in the know amongst us dealers about these teething issues' , . VW sells these cars on build quality and are letting there customers down. They should lower there prices or build better cars. The car still makes noises here and there and is noisey above 80mph on motorways. There is too much noise intrusion on bad road surfaces. You would expect more insulation in the doors and dash/ engine compartment for this kind of car.
If I knew about all these problems that people are having with there cars I would have not bought this car. So far it has not been a good experience.

from a very unhappy newbee,
mak81:(:mad::aargh4::zx11:

[adstalker]

I have a similar vibration in the top of the centre dash console.

Where was the vibration in your car? Did you get it fixed, if so what was the problem?

Would welcome any feed back.

Cheers
Anthony

[Wazza_G]

Mak, I'd contact your local councils TS department or CAB for advice first off.

Also you could try writing to the Director of Volkswagen UK a certain Mr J T Paul Willis.

The address for him is:

Mr J T Paul Willis
Volkswagen UK
Yeomans Drive
Blakelands
Milton Keynes
MK14 5AN

Do a nice polite concise letter with your complaint, include copies of all of your invoices & letters with the garage(s) you have been dealing with and put the "ball in his court" so to speak and see if you can get somewhere with that.

If not why not try:

BBC Watchdog, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS

Tel: 020 8535 1000

Maybe they can help you out, after all big companies VW don't like adverse publicity...

[mak81]

I have a similar vibration in the top of the centre dash console.

Where was the vibration in your car? Did you get it fixed, if so what was the problem?

Would welcome any feed back.

Cheers
Anthony
hi thanks for the feedback so far,

In reply to anthony,

The noise was coming from the top of the dashboard towards the driver side, at first to isolate the problem the technicians put some kind of padding behind and underneath the top tray (this seems to be a common problem with m5 owners. The technician said thats what vw germany gives them for this kind of problem, some parts behind the middle dash are 'push-fit' components. Just goes to show that vw are well aware of these problems , I don't know why they cannot just improve the build quality of these components ??.
After getting my car back from the dealers the problem was still there , this annoyed me very much as previously I actually went out with the tech from vw to show him which roads the noise appeared, he agreed this noise is not normal for this type of car, so it went back again for another week......
I don't know what they did but the noise has gone away, it comes back now and again over rough course tar. So I am not totally happy, I think VW has used cheap plastics here and there to save costs. These tend to vibrate now and again on bad road surfaces. They had loads of problems with the doors and seals when the car first came out 04, and they had to change the manufacture process with the seals, you probably would know that from reading from these forums.
I have also heard that the front doors are not insulated enough (cost cutting?) thats why there seems to be more noise intrusion into the cabin especially over rough tar roads and at high speeds. The mark 4 was much better built its doors closed with a thud and it did not have these trim and quality issues. If you want to know what a door sound should make try closing a toyota latests avensis doors , my friend has just bought one.
The car has seen more days with my local dealers than with me.
Anyway I hope you sort out your problem you have consumer rights. Don't give up.

mak81

[mak81]

Mak, I'd contact your local councils TS department or CAB for advice first off.

Also you could try writing to the Director of Volkswagen UK a certain Mr J T Paul Willis.

The address for him is:

Mr J T Paul Willis
Volkswagen UK
Yeomans Drive
Blakelands
Milton Keynes
MK14 5AN

Do a nice polite concise letter with your complaint, include copies of all of your invoices & letters with the garage(s) you have been dealing with and put the "ball in his court" so to speak and see if you can get somewhere with that.

If not why not try:

BBC Watchdog, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS

Tel: 020 8535 1000

Maybe they can help you out, after all big companies VW don't like adverse publicity...

Hi
I intend to write to vw about these issues, thanks for the info.

Vw GB has not even contacted me since I purchased my new car , they were supposed to contact me as advised by my dealer , some sort of feedback. My dealer contacted me after a few days to do ther own feedback. They are trying there best to sort out these problems. The problem is with the manufacture in the factory, I wonder if you can contact VW germany itself ? any feedback would be helpful...

mak81

[Frelon]

Hi mak81

Sorry to hear about your problems with your VW.

Fortunately I have not had any build or quality issues with my new Golf Plus but I wrote to VW Product Managers in Germany to give them my observations of my car after 10,000 miles of motoring. No complaints, just observations and recommendations you understand.

BIG SILENCE.......

Not even an acknowledgement. It really pi**ed me off! Now that is not the way to treat a customer who has just spent megabucks on one of their new cars.

So I wrote to Paul Willis with the same letter......another BIG SILENCE! These people are so arrogant.

There must be some minion who understands the feelings of the car buying public who can respond intelligently to this sort of communication.

COME ON VW YOU ARE LETTING US DOWN>

I wonder if anybody at VW HQ happens to pass by here?????:1zhelp:

[mak81]

Hi frelon,

thanks for the reply.

They gave me a courtesy car golf plus while my car was in the garage, I can say I was really impressed, it it alot sturdier than the golf because of the height feels it more solid over potholes etc. The doors look thicker as well , the only problem was the roof where you store your specs and things it was really loose , felt like the whole storage thingy was not fitted well , this was a '57' plate golf plus.

We did test drive the golf and the plus back to back but my wife prefered the golf. I wish VW let us have longer test drives such as all day , we only had 40min with each car.

I know how you feel , maybe I will be wasting my time, has anybody else been treated like this?, is this Vw service?. Will I be wasting my stamps???

I think VW have become complacent. Vw are not what they use to be whether they acknowledge this or not. They are going to lose more customers like this. I was going to upgrade to the mark 6 when it comes out but after this experience I will look somewhere else.

I think VW needs to wake up, the competition has caught up with their build quality and reliability.
They need to get their heads out of the sand.

I will still write to them and watchdog and I think you should do the same.

cheers mak81

[k9max]

I have had issues with my local VW dealer too, they're all the same - they're all over you like a rash until they've got your money, then they don't want to know. On one occasion I had just bought a 2 year-old TDI and decided to get alloys for it at the same time, so I was looking at cost of £11k (this was nearly 4 years ago). At that price I expected them to throw in a set of lockable wheel nuts for nothing, but to my horror not only did I have to pay for them, but they would have charged me £60 to have them fitted!!!! I wrote a letter of complaint to the local dealer's manager twice, and the only response I got was a garbled message on my answering machine. Where's customer service when you need it....Anyway, handy to know how to contact the director of VW UK, thanks for that.

[paul davey]

hi

i have a golf gt tsi 170, i had a similar rattling in dash board, took it to dealers they failed to fix it, in the end i found it myself. it was a part of the plastic behind the drivers side front wheel which was loose and rattling, 2 minutes fixed the problem.

[adstalker]

hi

i have a golf gt tsi 170, i had a similar rattling in dash board, took it to dealers they failed to fix it, in the end i found it myself. it was a part of the plastic behind the drivers side front wheel which was loose and rattling, 2 minutes fixed the problem.
Paul

Is there any chance that you can give a bit more info on exactly where the problem was and how you fixed it.

Chaars
Anthony

[paul davey]

antony.

behind the drivers side wheel there is a series of bits of moulded plastic to protect the engine bay from splash and debris. if you tap this with your hand and you can hear a vibration, this is where your problem is. mine had a plug which held 2 bits of plastic loose. i fixed it and now no more rattles. the noise was generally heard over rough roads or at slow speeds. i live in the midlands in ireland, all we have is rough roads.

hope this helps.

paul

[adstalker]

My car went into the dealers last week for a rattle in the dash. The rattle was occuring when I was on rough roads and when the rev counter was between 1200 and 1800 rpm, but predominantly at about 1500rpm.

Within 4 hours I got a call to say that the car was ready. When I picked up the car I asked what the problem was and what they had done. They said that it was a problem with the storage tray on the upper part of the dash in the centre and that they had put in some absorption material (found out later that it was some felt to help stop the tray touching other plastic parts).

I drove the car home only to find that it still had a rattle. I phoned up the dealers and they said that the earliest time that they could fit it in was today. Not very hapy considering they had not fixed the problem the firsts time and would not take it straight back in.

So today I had the car back in at the dealers. I took them 2 hours to find the problem, but find it they did. Apparantly it was the plastic trim that is at the bottom of the outside of the passenger side of the windscreen (the bit just under the top of the bonnet) that was causing the rattle. I am pointing to the part in the photographs. They removed it, cleaned out a groove at the bottem of the windscreen which had debris in it and refitted it, making sure that it was a good fit and secure.

1666

1667

When I went to the dealers to pick it up I took it out for a test drive with the mechanic who described what they had done to make sure that I was hapy with the job. To my relief, no rattle.

I have also been informed by the dealer that if the problem occurs again, they will order me a new peice of plastic trim and fit it for me. I asked them why they hadn't don that this time. Their reply - "the peice of trim was not damaged and just needed cleaned and refitted properly". It makes you wonder about the fit quality of all the other parts of the car.

I hope that this might be usefull to anyone else who may have a rattle.

Anthony

[mak81]

hi all,

Thanks for all the replys , I am not the only one then . I quote the senior tech at my vw dealer 'thats the first time I have heard that noise' . Absolute rubbish !!!. I have also discovered other build quality issues while washing and cleaning the car.

Underneath the side rubbing strips on the doors ( mine are colour coded ) the door panels go in when you press them I only noticed when I was cleaning the car. They look and feel like plastic!!. Just to make sure I tested my neighbours mk5 doors , they were the same. Anybody with some answers pls reply. ( more noticeble on the front doors )

There are lots of plastic trim on the outside and inside that move like the previous posts show ,cost cutting on the mk5 ??. So much for vw build quality. I guess I fell for the marketing, move over vw welcome skoda , which I think at present are building better cars. How times have changed........

mak81

[kaygolf]

Hi all - good news!! :biglaugh:
I had major problems at the end of last year which required the ABS Unit to be replaced at a cost of c£1500 when the car (owned from new) was only 6 days out of warranty. Had similar knockbacks etc from Paul Willis (now replaced I understand) and a refusal to budge from an offer of a 25% contribution towards the cost of the part. Correspondence went on for months. Eventually I contacted the SMMT (New Car Code of Practice Conciliation Service) of which VW are members.
SMMT asked VW to look at my case again, and miraculously (no further evidence etc was submitted) they offered to pay 80% and the dealers fitted it for free. (my final bill was £188)
My advice would be therefore to contact the SMMT (it's also free)
Customer advice line is 0870 7518270 and there's a very useful website.

[Alistair101]

Well, within a month of my new GT TDI 170 being delivered from the factory, I reported various rattles from the dashboard to the dealer, had them replace the steering rack due to a creaking noise coming from the steering column during parking, had the convience computer control module replaced because the passenger door mirror wouldn't dip when reverse was engaged and lastly the big central air vent (climate ac) replaced because this was found to be contributing to the rattling.

The parcel shelf in the boot doesn't clip in properly on one side and lastly the engine cover mountings are rubbish. After 2 services only 1 of the 4 lugs are actually holding the engine cover in place.

Not overly impressed with VW build quality and more than likely won't be buying another VW in the future.

[mak81]

hi ,

Vw's reputation on build quality had been shattered along time ago. Me and alot of other people who bought their new cars relied on the old adverts of VW reliabilty and build quality.

That is not the case anymore. Competion has caught up and Vw have got complacent. Whether they have problems in their factorys or have taken their 'eye of the ball' on their own cars as they have invested into their other ventures ie. skoda , audi, seat etc.

My personal experience and the excuses from the saleman have given me thev conclusion that Vw are like any other manufacture now, ie Ford , vauxhall etc. They should stop thinking themselves as being Bmw or mercedes or above the previous mentioned manufactures. They should lower their prices or build better cars.

I have also read that people are not getting replies to the complaints they have written to Vw. PATHETIC....:aargh4:

My only reply is DO NOT BUY THE M5 GOLF!!! OR ANY OTHER VW!!, Until Vw bosses wake up and get their heads out of the sand and see and read these forums there might be some change.

Other than that I will be changing my golf for an alternative.

I have heard good things about Nissans Quasqai.:biglaugh:

mak81

[BAINBRIG]

Hello all,
First post on the VW forum as I spend most of my time on the BMW Mini forum for the wife!
Anyway I bought a 1.6 FSI in June 2007, and booked it straight in for warranty work before we left the garage. One missing carpet screw missing in the foot well which you could not fail to notice (salesman could not see the hole) as soon as the door opened and worse still no rubber wiring grommet for all the wires passing from the drivers door to the body (saleman said it should be like that until we checked the other doors).Quality control in Germany? 4 hours later in the garage drinking large amounts of coffee I dare not mention my rattles in the dashboard.However, a year on they have all settled down.The only thing is a noisy steering wheel at slow speeds which I can live with.My wife had the same problemwith her Mini which had 3 new steering racks fitted under warranty and it is still there.
Now, my car has a easy life as it is only used for the dogs/cycles at the w/e.However, the alloys are already starting to blister, even though I clean them on a regular basis.
Anyone else got the same problems?

ps- the best thing I did for the car was I had the front,lights, mirrors,boot lip (for dog paws) coverd by clear VentureSheild.Already saved the front bumber when I hit debris on the M62.Any marks come off with meths.

[golfowner77]

Hi

I have a second hand Mark 5 and whilst I drive it I get this really irritating creaking/vibrating sound from the centre console on the passenger side. It stops if my other half puts her foot/leg against the plastic or if you pull up the handle looking thing on the left hand side.

Is it likely that all it is is two bits of plastic vibrating against each other, as its obvious there are a few of pieces of plastic there. Its not specific to any driving conditions or situations, it pretty much happens everytime i drive.

Has anyone experienced anything like this, and if so, will all it take to fix it is one of those double sided foam sticker things?

[knt]

I've been reading that the Golf mk 6 quality is even worse tne mk 5 as VW try to save costs building them, so don't hold your breath for that one.

[mak81]

hi knt,

It would be interesting to see where you read this info from? , as the originator of this post and for someone who has been following this issue for sometime the only source I know ie Autocar - who have only sat in the mk 6 not driven it have said the totally opposite ??.

The car is not available yet for these magazines to roadtest , but it will soon be only then we will find out how improved this car is .

The VW blurb says that they have adressed the mk 5 problems ie - trim issues better build quality , new door/ window seals to improve noise insulation, better windscreen mounts , better engine mounts etc , infact the head of vw build quality guy has said that the mk 6 is the quietest car in its class?.

Basically they have gone back to mk 4 standards, its not a mk 6 but more of a mk 5.5.
The cost saving was in the way the car was produced in the factory , better production methods and lead times etc. If you look at the mk 6 it has kept the same shape near enough, just changed the worst bits. Personally for me it is a bit of a cop out but VW dont want to lose their core customer base.

Like I said we have to wait and see.

mak81

[elPaulio]

Hi Mak81,

Having owned a Mk4 and Mk5 I would say that I could live with the slightly lower quality of trim for the advantage of having a car with a decent suspension set up, i.e. Independant rear suspsension. My biggest problem with the Mk4 was the handling, especially with the heavy diesel engine up front and crappy suspension at the rear.

Now I haven't read up on the Mk6 recently, but the last thing I remember reading was that they have saved cost on it by returning to the rear beam type suspension used in the Mk4 which to me is a step in totally the wrong direction.

The Mk5 was so good because it went back to the Golf roots of being a fun car to drive and I feel personally that this change will take them back a step!

I only hope that the Mk6 GTI is allowed to have the independant rear suspension for VW's sake!!

I'll get off my soap box now, and as I said, I haven't read up on it for a while so if any of the above is wrong feel free to shoot me down ;)

Cheers

Paul :biglaugh:

[descb600f]

The only comments I have seen are that they want to bring the new onw out because the MK5 is too expensive to make so I don't hold out much hope for you.

[GarJE]

It gives me a nice feeling inside, to think that VW made less profit on my car!

[w4s1m]

Hi
Jus wondering if any one could help or have had a similar prob.

I have a golf 07 plate tdi, and ive realised something leaks under the car am not sure if its water which has collected due to rain etc or do these car have a problem?
i mean do you guys have this problem i.e water collects and drops/leaks when you are parked up?

could someone help
thanks

[Frelon]

Believe it or not this is not a VW issue! All modern cars with air conditioning do it! You will find that it is a normal result of using your climate control. Look underneath most cars especially when it is hot and humid. You will see the tell tale marks there!!!!!

Relax and enjoy.

[mak81]

Hi Mak81,

Having owned a Mk4 and Mk5 I would say that I could live with the slightly lower quality of trim for the advantage of having a car with a decent suspension set up, i.e. Independant rear suspsension. My biggest problem with the Mk4 was the handling, especially with the heavy diesel engine up front and crappy suspension at the rear.

Now I haven't read up on the Mk6 recently, but the last thing I remember reading was that they have saved cost on it by returning to the rear beam type suspension used in the Mk4 which to me is a step in totally the wrong direction.

The Mk5 was so good because it went back to the Golf roots of being a fun car to drive and I feel personally that this change will take them back a step!

I only hope that the Mk6 GTI is allowed to have the independant rear suspension for VW's sake!!

I'll get off my soap box now, and as I said, I haven't read up on it for a while so if any of the above is wrong feel free to shoot me down ;)

Cheers

Paul :biglaugh:

Hi Paul

All that I have read is that they have kept the same rear suspension set-up as the mk 5, but have tuned it up.
I could be wrong it just depends on what source you read upon , again we have to wait and see.

mak81

[knt]

Hi mak81,

I've only read up on it @ msn and they had a small write up on it with pics.

Saying that mk5 was too expensive for them to manufacture, so I guess the people doing the write up got the rhought that VW would be cutting corners to make the mk6 more cost effective to produece than the mk5.

After seeing the pics of mk6 I'm not impressed at all by the new shape and would opt to get the VW EOS, Audi or Seat equivalent.


hi knt,

It would be interesting to see where you read this info from? , as the originator of this post and for someone who has been following this issue for sometime the only source I know ie Autocar - who have only sat in the mk 6 not driven it have said the totally opposite ??.

The car is not available yet for these magazines to roadtest , but it will soon be only then we will find out how improved this car is .

The VW blurb says that they have adressed the mk 5 problems ie - trim issues better build quality , new door/ window seals to improve noise insulation, better windscreen mounts , better engine mounts etc , infact the head of vw build quality guy has said that the mk 6 is the quietest car in its class?.

Basically they have gone back to mk 4 standards, its not a mk 6 but more of a mk 5.5.
The cost saving was in the way the car was produced in the factory , better production methods and lead times etc. If you look at the mk 6 it has kept the same shape near enough, just changed the worst bits. Personally for me it is a bit of a cop out but VW dont want to lose their core customer base.

Like I said we have to wait and see.

mak81

[mak81]

Hi mak81,

I've only read up on it @ msn and they had a small write up on it with pics.

Saying that mk5 was too expensive for them to manufacture, so I guess the people doing the write up got the rhought that VW would be cutting corners to make the mk6 more cost effective to produece than the mk5.

After seeing the pics of mk6 I'm not impressed at all by the new shape and would opt to get the VW EOS, Audi or Seat equivalent.

hi knt,

I kind of agree, the problem is vw are playing 'catchup' instead of leading.

Will the design last until the next upgrade ? , by then ford and others will be ahead again. The next ford focus upgrade in 2010 mk3 model will really push the golf mk6 or even surpass it again . From what I've read it will have standard sat nav and other equipment and even better build quality and handling.

The mk 6 should have been the mk 5 and the mk 5 should of been the mk 4 , if you know what I mean. The golf recently played catchup to the focus ie with the rear suspension setup, instead of leading. I think the present design is a cop out , to save money by using the same shell but modifiying it.

mak81 :o:(:confused: