Vw, Bad?

[almightybmw]

my parents recently (feb) bought a new 4motion passat. if you look carefully at new VW's, you'll notice they look identical to Audi's. Sure, badge different here, stereo labeled something else, but they're the same cars, same engines, same drivetrains, same company. it's like ford and mazda. buddy-buddy. anyways, it's a very nice car, upto 120 mph, then the suspension get's soft in the corners. And the dealership we bought it from isn't in town. If you know anything about Alaska, we have 1 audi/vw dealer, and it's 370 miles away. They will pay for the truck to drive our car down there and back to be worked on. Any of you have dealerships that awesome, or do dealers just **** you?

oh yea, and german's like mazdas, LOVE them some parts...bloody expensive.

 

[volklover]

It is but isn't like Ford, mazda, lincoln, mercury
I think the Passat looks like a volvo but the Audi-VW has little differences when it comes to engines- Then you got the Tourag and Porsche Cayanne!
The audi had the same 1.8T but different turbo then VW and VW changed it to the same
The R32 was released and then Audi released their Audi TT with the 3.2L Quattro DSG

 

[norman]

Don't send him to VWvortex... just don't go there. Try www.club18t.com They are a bunch of people who have either the GTi or Jetta with that engine. Very knowledgable and adult attitudes and opinions there. I have an 03 GTi and have 25k on it with few problems. I had to have the gauge pod replaced because the tenths digit on the odometer would go out. No other problems with the car and I get about 32-33 mpg. The 1.8t is a great engine with lots of modding potential, chip it and you will go from about 180 hp to 220 for $500 not a bad deal. The only thing I will complain about is the suspention from a performance standpoint. It does not handle like other cars I have, I was spoiled with my mp3 though. It does ride very nice and that is what I purchased it for.

 

[volklover]

Yes stock suspension suck on Dubs.... get some coilovers and you will love your car- I've gone through a few cars(16) and will no longer mod with cheap suspension!
There are ALOT of immature folks on vwvortex but its probably the #1 site for dubbers

 

[TampaBlackMSP]

Wow, I'm impressed with the number of normal posts in this thread - usually the letters 'V' and 'W' spawn all kinds of BS nonsense responses from the immature dummies lurking here...'they suck!', 'bad', blah blah shut it.

Every car has it's good and bad points - there is just something about Veedubs though that can get you hooked - they have character and they're all so solid feeling (there is a difference with German cars) - one HUGE reason why I got the MSP was the fact that it didn't feel like a tin can when I drove it (unlike MANY other Japanese cars, and not at all like German cars).

This is one of many reasons why my next ride will likely be a Mk5 GTI (for those on this board that not surprisingly don't know, this is the newest upcoming model)...

 

[volklover]

I would have loved to buy an MSP but the wife wasn't hearing that since we have 2 kids and then she bought an Beetle?!?!?! Most Japanese cars are small and the interior is uncomfortable or just doesn't feel right. The Japanese cars are extremely well built and get good gas mileage
But heard terrible things about Mitsu. so I tend to stay away from them

The MSP is a great car for the price- WISH it was AWD!

 

[msubullyfan]

Volkswagen has one of the worst reliability histories over the last five years of ANY auto manufacturer -- I don't remember exactly where, but they're definitely in the bottom five.

I read a recent article about why this has happened since they used to be a class leader. Mostly the author traced it back to when VW was so much higher than everyone else, they rested on their laurels and made a corporate decision that they didn't have to be that much better than everyone else. So, for future models, they cut engineering costs and didn't do their homework as much during R&D. Then, the Americans all made strides in reliability and VW introduced a whole slew of new cars with less engineering $ poured into them. The result -- Domestics improved, VW got worse, and they swapped places in the reliability ratings.

Most people here would look at getting the VW Jetta 1.8T most likely. It's been a real POS regarding reliability. Here's what Consumer Reports had to say about it...

 

[msubullyfan]

Not sure what's with the negative bias around here.

I wouldn't necesarily call it negative bias. Every time I drive a Jetta, I want to buy one. But, I have seen people have MAJOR problems with the Passat and Jetta -- even a couple of people who unloaded them just to get rid of the headaches.

Yeah, I have two Mazdas, but I have nothing against VW.

 

[TampaBlackMSP]

Unfortunately the VW's that are not German built suffer the most - for those it seems hit or miss..

My '00 GTI 1.8T was brilliant - and German built, not Brazil, Mexico, etc....

I hope they get things turned around!

 

[TampaBlackMSP]

The MSP is a great car for the price- WISH it was AWD!

That makes two of us brotha!

 

[JunkPunch]

One of this things that bit VW was bad suppliers - coil packs and window regulators being the biggest culprits. They also had some electrical problems that seemed to be worked out at this point. This is shown in the chart above - Ignition problems were related to the coil packs. Most of the Power Equipment problems were related to the window regulators. Also, it has NOTHING to do with being built in Mexico or Germany - the problems were parts problems, not manufacturing problems. VW screwed up by a) using those parts in the first place, and b) waiting too long to admit there was a problem and do something about it.

The biggest drawback to VW is their dealers (service really) suck, big time.

 

[TampaBlackMSP]

Well, I'm still partial to German built dubs, that's just me. But it's true, supplier problems...like I wrote before, hopefully they're sorted out - at least by the time another VW is in my driveway!

 

[JunkPunch]

My 2003 Jetta Wagon was built in Germany (wagons are still built there for some reason). I have to say I'm glad it was, even though I'm not sure it really makes a difference.

 

[TampaBlackMSP]

Cool, Jetta Wagon - I saw a very nice one last week - looked like a subtle factory body kit, nicer wheels, etc. Very clean...good choice, don't see too many of them on the road. (2thumbs)

 

[Stealth5]

my friend had the corrada (assembled in germany) and it was awesome, no problems with it except a gasket was rotten so it lost oil very slowly

 

[element.8]

seems that vw has been dumping too much money and time in to that retarded ass phaeton to give a s*** about the other cars.


all my friends with vw's (2 jetta's and a cabrio) have had them in for service at least four times a year, if not more.

 

[Natey]

...I have seen people have MAJOR problems with the Passat and Jetta -- even a couple of people who unloaded them just to get rid of the headaches...

(hi) That'd be me.
Also, in case anyone's counting, my Jetta was made in Germany.

 

[Stealth5]

is the new gli made in germany?

 

[Jackal14075]

the Wolfsburg edition is not being made in germany anymore as far as I know. It'll be joining the others in mexico.

 

[Mikey444]

is the new gli made in germany?

No, there made in Mexico.