the truth about vw. . .

[abdrury]

i just bought a vw, and LOVE it. i enjoy working on it, and "personalizing" it to no end. i haven't had any problems, but i read so many consumer reviews about vw's,(new, not really old) practically falling apart on some people. on the other hand, so many ppl like myself praise vw's religiously. whats the deal? do some ppl just happen to get a "bad apple," or do all vw's require a little tlc to stay in shape? is it something to do with assembly, you think? i am not doubting the quality and engineering of vw, but am confused why so many ppl have bad experiences. if any vw experts know a thing or two concerning this matter, some enlightenment would be great. thanks

[giftcard999]

get ready to buy a tranny for it and the check engine lite will be your best friend soon i worked on vw for awhile and all i did was swap trannies and do check engine lites.

[danm22486]

maybe some people drive their nice cars like goddam tanks or race cars, or just driving like idiots and treating their car like crap. i like my vw and it doesnt have any problems

[ex42_25]

My family has owned only vw's for the last 17 years I Have a bora My mother has a Tourag and my dad has a phaton all three are imported from Germany

[184692]

Originally Posted by ex42_25

My family has owned only vw's for the last 17 years I Have a bora My mother has a Tourag and my dad has a phaton all three are imported from Germany

Um...I'm not sure about this until I see some pic

[noodle32]

I've had the same model for four years now and I have to say that they are very reliable - but without good maintanence and at least some knowledge of how a car works - the car will either give you one big prob every now and then or a whole bunch of probs all at once - but I guess this is true for just about any car - but they're one of the few cars that are easy (esp. old school VWs) and generally inexpensive to maintain, reliable and will run forever if treated well (in my personal opinion - at least 300,000+ miles though I've heard much more still being driven)

[lglm8]

still have my 70 van i bought new... easy to work on, simple to drive, just stay in the slow lane.. :>)

[lauralikewhoa]

You make it sound like ONLY Vokswagen has issues with certain cars (not models, mind you) it puts out.

Go in the Chevy or Ford (ha!) section and see how many oddles of threads there are about each and every model they make. Cars are like children, they are the product of how you treat them. Treat your baby right and they'll love you forever.

[Boss San]

I run my '86 GTi pretty fuckin' hard a couple times a week, and for every
one thing I fix, two more are soon to break. Getting under your own car, fixing things on it, what you do with it.
Your car is part you, part machine, and when you put the two together it creates a bigger gestalt.

[VWVixen]

Every make has its problem.

[Doug Rodrigues]

Regardless of what brand name any particular vehicle is, they're all nothing but a machine. From my personal experiences, Japanese made machines outlast all others.

*Presently own a Mercury Mountaineer (great machine), a Ford motorhome (@8 MPG) , a Geo Metro and a Nissan Pickup both trouble free. Have previously owned an air cooled VW Bug (developed loose heads), GMC pickup (nothing but constant trouble and parts failures), Ford pickup (very little trouble), Datsun sedan (350,000 miles and only the clutch replaced when sold) approaching 400,000 miles on the original engine that still passes the smog test! Also previously owned three Corvettes (two purchased new) which were pieces of trash because of very poor quality construction and design. I also used to make my living doing engine machining: cylinder reboring, cylinder sleeving, crankshaft grinding, etc., etc. The parts measuring the best quality workmanship was always Japanese. Ask anyone working in an engine machine shop who they think has the best quality workmanship? Sadly, it isn't the American companies.

[Fecal Extrusion]

Originally Posted by VWVixen

Every make has its problem.

...better the devil u know!...

*The car's design is perfect! The implementation isn't always
perfect because imperfect humans assembled it imperfectly.*

As long as you treat your car right it will treat you right.

"Mechanically" the car will give you years of enjoyment...
as long as you - don't crash it, don't shift hard, don't apply torque
at the wrong times, keep fluids fresh and at proper levels,
and don't OVERWASH (like DAILY)
(bad for brake assemblies! ...and hose/sprayer water gets in
more unprotected places around the car than rain, so be careful!)

"Electronically/Electrically" you may encounter occasional issues...
No 2 people really have the "exact" same story, unless their
cars are a few serial #'s apart.
There is alot of electronics (computers/modules) scattered
about the car, and alot of the components are interconnected AND
interdependant. As long as these components stay healthy (cold/cool,
well connected, DRY and weatherproofed, and equally healthy wiring
harnesses) they "should" all (Ha!) give you years of reliable operation.

and remember, cars just don't like moisture.

--------------------------------------------------------------
If your car is 1996 or newer
...And you, are technically inclined, just GET TO KNOW YOUR DEVIL!
buy the service manual, and an OBD-II scan tool so you can 'talk'
with your car and find out why it misbehaves when the Check Enine
light comes on. ...and reset it too! I mean c'mon! your car costs
thousands, I think you could spare a hundred bucks or so to
buy an OBDII scan tool at your local auto-store (AutoZone
PepBoys CanadianTire). It will pay for itself quick!!! see below***

...or even MAKE YOUR OWN (if u r electronically inclined)
see... http://www.planetfall.com/~jeff/obdii/
for the interface circuit. If you do make your own and just want
the OBD-II cable, you can buy it at www.scantool.net
(I have made and successfully used this tool!!!)

and the Windows software (to talk to your car) is FREE at... http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/index.html
(you can also buy the full product there sftwr+hdwr
...if u have the cash)

www.scantool.net also makes a complete OBD-II solution, but also
offer free software for their tool, which you are also welcome
to make for yourself if electronically inclined. and willing to buy
the kit, or make yourself.
(I have made and successfully used this tool!!!)


*** It will pay for itself quick!!!
...in MOST cases...
You will know what goes wrong before the dealer/mechanic,
and if you know what's wrong, you can also decide the urgency
at which you need to have the issue taken care of.
"AND" your dealer/mechanic can never...
- lie about what's wrong to you,
- charge you to reset the Check Engine light
- (if you "TELL" your mechanic what's wrong and what to fix)
he can never charge you for the 'computer diagnostic'
-------------------------------------------------------------

holy crap i've typed long enough...
hope something here helps someone, sometime, somewhere...

[Doug Rodrigues]

Hey, that was good general information that truly applies. Also, thanks for the web sites too!