Rattles and Squeaks. Why can't VW be more like Volvo?

[peteo]

Before someone accuses me of being on an anti VW rant, let me say that infernal and persistent dashboard rattles are not exclusively VW. Look on Google and Toyotas, Fords and Honda Civics appear on the first few pages.

But my 05 plate Golf 1.9TDI is a rattle trap. I would say it is bordering on the unacceptable. My Bora, a much older car, was a lot better.

A friend of our has a Volvo. It's an 06 plate with 30,000 miles. We get regular lifts in this car. It is completely, and I mean completely, rattle free. So much so I remarked on it last night and was told that the car had never rattled since day one and neither had her previous Volvo.

So it is possible to manufacture a rattle free car.

Can anyone explain why VW cannot do this? Our neighbours hired a Polo on holiday last year and reckoned it rattled more than their 11 year old Avensis. So much so, they got the hire car company to change it.

[Eshrules]

3 words

for god sake.

If you dislike vw so much and consistently find so many reasons to do so, why did you buy a second one? <big sigh>

I've been inside a toyota avensis and I'd sooner put up with a few rattles than a car that doesn't stop #


Edit - I've just remembered the common solution to all squeaks and rattles - turn the radio up

[SammoVWT]

Mines an old mk3 and i have 0 rattles, perhaps you were just unlucky?

[pon]

3 words

for god sake.

If you dislike vw so much and consistently find so many reasons to do so, why did you buy a second one? <big sigh>

I've been inside a toyota avensis and I'd sooner put up with a few rattles than a car that doesn't stop

Esh

Some people just are'nt happy unless they are moaning about something

[Krazy]

Out of all the dubs I've had, the vento was the only one that rattled or squeaked.

[MalcQV]

Steady fellas/lasses it is just an opinion. Not keen on rattles myself, the door or something has just started clunking on mine.

It will go this year, though because I need better economy. I am also sure it won't be VAG because there is nothing I like for the money there.

Mondeo man is looking favourable

[pon]

Mondeo man is looking favourable

Wonder where the phrase "Don't slam the door it's not a Ford" came from?

[peteo]

Why is it assumed that if someone complains about what seems to be an endemic problem with the Mk 5 Golf, it is then assumed that they don't like the cars? eshrules asks why I bought another one if I hated them so much. Simple reason. My Bora was pretty good overall.

VW have been slipping down the reliability ratings for some time now. Something has gone wrong at Wolfsburg. The high build quality and the bullet proof reliability has gone.

In a tad over 18 months, I have had the ABS sensor and associated bearing go at a cost of £285. I have had to have the wiring sorted underneath a passenger seat as it caused the airbag light to come on - this was £119. I have just had a front spring go at a cost of £213. The car rattles like mad and the turbo sounds like a police siren. Add in the shock of discovering that the handbook was wrong about cambelt changes (another £345) and I have lashed out £962 on non service items.

I have owned and run cars since 1971. This run of bills is a record for me.

You've only got to read these forums to see problems abound with this model. Going back to the OP, it is possible to make a car that doesn't rattle. Volvo do, VW used to and should make it their business to do so again.

[Eshrules]

Why is it assumed that if someone complains about what seems to be an endemic problem with the Mk 5 Golf, it is then assumed that they don't like the cars? eshrules asks why I bought another one if I hated them so much. Simple reason. My Bora was pretty good overall.

VW have been slipping down the reliability ratings for some time now. Something has gone wrong at Wolfsburg. The high build quality and the bullet proof reliability has gone.

In a tad over 18 months, I have had the ABS sensor and associated bearing go at a cost of £285. I have had to have the wiring sorted underneath a passenger seat as it caused the airbag light to come on - this was £119. I have just had a front spring go at a cost of £213. The car rattles like mad and the turbo sounds like a police siren. Add in the shock of discovering that the handbook was wrong about cambelt changes (another £345) and I have lashed out £962 on non service items.

I have owned and run cars since 1971. This run of bills is a record for me.

You've only got to read these forums to see problems abound with this model. Going back to the OP, it is possible to make a car that doesn't rattle. Volvo do, VW used to and should make it their business to do so again.

Peteo, if you cast your mind back to several months ago, when you were on your timing belt crusade, you promised me, in a PM, to stop your little crusades.

My main concern is that if you're genuinely this unhappy with the ownership of the car you currently have, get rid of it and try a different make/model, because for all the money and love in the world, you will never ever find a car that's perfect.

each car has it's faults, it's noises and it's attributed costs throughout it's lifetime.

I'm bemused that a spring cost you £213 but you can't class the timing belt as a non service item, it is exactly that.

In regards to the forums, you will see 90% of threads are issues, because that's (mainly) all people come on here to discuss/resolve, issues. You will rarely find posts made to the opposite effect, so it's not entirely fair or subjective to judge a models performance on issues raised on a forum.

In regards to the rattles point, I would (honestly, hand on heart) suggest you get your bum down to a vw or an audi dealer (seat or skoda too!), go for a test drive in a nearly-new and see how many rattles you spot. (I would expect very few if any)

you have to appreciate that used cars will have seen some wear and tear, they'll have had parts removed, replaced and moved around. Things will ultimately work loose and on a car that could be 6/7 years old, I'd be surprised if it didn't have a rattle.

Perhaps we can address your rattles specifically, if you can figure out whereabouts they're coming from?

[paul b]

I've 3 VAGs (2003 Audi A6, 2000 Skoda Octavia, 2004 VW Transporter T5 van) and none of them have the squeeks and rattles you would associate with cars of poor build quality.

The T5 does a bit of squeeking because the suspension top mounts are knackered, but hey, it's approaching 120k miles. It's allowed the odd mishap!

I've had Volvos, I can't fault them for build quality, nor can I fault my VAGs for that, so you may not get anywhere by changing. The interior on my VAGs feels like they were made to last, as does the interior on Volvos. You can see what I'm saying.

Maybe you should check the top mounts on your Golf, it's very easy to misdiagnose it for a dashboard squeek/rattle, who knows, you may have been barking up the wrong tree so to speak.

If you're so unhappy just buy a Volvo!