Just passing through...

[shreddedmeat]

Hi all,

Just a couple of pics of 'the replacement', with some observations from the first few months of ownership and 1500 miles




So far, I have retrofitted VW PDC (Cobra), and cruise control. The latter was incredibly easy compared to the A2 - a genuine 20 minute job! The parking sensors however seem to have a mind of their own, beeping erratically as soon as you engage reverse - would be grateful for any troubleshooting tips on that?

My plans for next year are to fit an RNS-510 (think touch screen RNS-E) and an MDI interface, although will have to budget around servicing and insurance.

Now for what we're all interested in here - running costs! So far I am averaging about 32MPG with mixed driving (the temptation to use the performance is difficult to resist though) meaning I have traded about 10MPG for 125hp, which I am ok with; however it runs so well on V-Power that the extra cost of that has to be factored in. The less said about the £260 VED bill at the end of this month, the better . One thing I wasn't anticipating was the larger tank which has spread the extra cost a bit by reducing how often I fill up.

Bad bits - Unfortunately VW customer service has left a very sour taste in my mouth. The front wheel arches and the tailgate around the handle are rusting. Despite this being a known and officially recognised design fault with MK5 Golfs (and others), and despite VW having previously repaired this free, they are flat out refusing to authorise a repair under the 12 year anti-corrossion warranty, beyond 50% goodwill. My two local dealers aren't interested and basically act like I'm inconveniencing them when I complain.

I won't bore you with the details as to how they arrive at the 50% limit (unless someone really wants to know) but the long and short of it is that I am now looking at legal action against VW UK for failure to honour their warranty. This is fairly untrodden ground for me - has anyone experienced the small claims court process before?

Cheers

 

[murdo]

Hi Sam. Nice to see you posting on here again.

Sorry you are having some issues with the Golf. I'm aware of the wheel arch problem as this has happened to my friends Eos and my cousin's Passat which also had rusty door bottoms and seam rust on the tailgate. Both are 2007 MY( the latter owned from new and full VWSH)

David dug his heels in after being offered 50% on the Passat just like you have and eventually they paid 90% of the repair leaving him a ~ £300 contribution to pay. He still wasn't satisfied at that, but he got fed up with the conflict. I think there was some talk of the car being 'improved' as there were some dings and stonechips on the replaced panels.

If you want I'll ask him if its Ok to give you his email address and you can maybe get some tips off him on how he increased the dealer policy offer. I would imagine that firm, fair and persistent is the key.

If your car has history of careful maintenance and the paintwork is original I fail to see how they wouldn't fix it. I think the arches are classed as edge damage though, so they say that's a paint defect and therefore not covered by the 12 year warranty. Regardless, I'd keep at them.

PS - I wouldn't go legal route, I think they would win that one due to the policy wording and would argue that it isn't 'perforation' I did consider this myself when I had 2 doors repainted on the A2 and they offered a 70% contribution, but they paid the full bill on that one due to customer loyalty.

Good luck.

 

[Birchall]

One thing I wasn't anticipating was the larger tank which has spread the extra cost a bit by reducing how often I fill up.

You really are trying to "think positive" aren't you? I am not sure how a larger tank can spread the cost !!!!

I think you are missing your A2 more than you are admitting to !!!!

But the draw of the extra BHP was too strong I guess?

Good luck with the replacement, I wonder if you would ever consider another A2 (yes?)

Steve B

 

[shreddedmeat]

You really are trying to "think positive" aren't you? I am not sure how a larger tank can spread the cost !!!!

Haha, perhaps subconsciously I am Steve! The larger tank just means I'm at the forecourt a bit less often than in the A2, so there's a greater chance that payday falls between each visit I had been expecting to stop for fuel as often as I had been in the A2. Takes the sting out of it a bit.

It's not just the draw of the BHP though, more the all round driving experience that attached me. Ok, it might not be as sharp as a Renaultsport or the grunt of something like an S3, but it's enough to really put a smile on your face on a B road.

And yep, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another A2, although would go for a TDI next time probably.


Murdo, thank you for your offer, but I am unsure where further persistence will get me. I have been at it three months now, with both the dealers and VW UK. I'll try and give a very brief overview of my case:

From what I can gather from GTI owners clubs, someone at VW (an accountant, probably) decided in roughly June this year that the absolute maximum they were willing to pay for this problem was 50%.

Now, the crux of VW's argument is that this isn't a warranty issue as the cause of the rust is due to 'external influence', and I will agree with that. The problem is, this 'external influence' is actually the wheel arch liner, which is partly made from open cell foam, and holds water. The liner 'rubs' against the inside of the panel when the car is moving, and thus the panel corrodes. This is a known design fault, explicitly acknowledged by VW in an internal repair document that ended up online. Up until recently VW would pay 100% goodwill because of this. Frankly, I don't buy the 'external influence' argument on that one.

As for the tailgate, that's been rejected because of 'edge and seam', but that isn't stated anywhere in the warranty criteria in the handbook.

Plus I have been fed a load of rubbish about me 'being the third owner', and 'not being their customer', when ironically I used this particular dealer group all the time with the A2 and other cars! What a slap in the face; obviously they aren't concerned about keeping me as a customer. VW have also taken issue with the fact that they haven't serviced the car for the past few years, as if that would make a difference - plus if this was treated as a proper warranty issue, legally they wouldn't have a leg to stand on in that regard.

And on top of this, we aren't talking about a badly looked after car here. The milage is about 37500 over 7 years, and it has been serviced every year without fail - sometimes as frequently as every 6000 miles. The final insult is that I have spoken to several people in similar circumstances via owners clubs and have had the bill paid no questions asked, as recently as October.

I am currently looking into others who have opened court proceedings for this issue, and it seems that it isn't unknown for them to relent when the papers are served - presumably it's more cost effective than sending a lawyer to represent them at the hearing. To be honest, even if it got to that stage, I'd rather blow the £50 or so on court fees than give VW £600 to fix my car.


Anyway, sorry for the rant...

 

[URBAN]

not only do you have to cope with rubbish mpg you now have to deal with rust!! neither really a problem on the a2, but i have to admit a soft spot for these mk5 gti,s , and having owned all the previous 4 versions i do get tempted to stick one in the garage for fun days in the summer.