Hello all,
Based on research and my attraction to the Golf, I purchased a new 2010 Golf TDI DSG last year. I was happy with the performance and fuel economy, and had bought into the brand loyalty and pride of ownership - lots of washing, waxing, cleaning, and keeping the vehicle garaged when not in use.
However, after 5 trips to the dealer over the past 8 months for faults my passion is starting to wane. That is why I am posting this - to get a reality check and see what others have to say.
My initial experience was with TPM hell. The tire pressure light would come on, and I would spend all my loose change on gas station air compressors, 3 different tire guages, and several trips to a tire shop, which used a fancy guage to determine that, yes, my tire pressure was correct for all 4 tires. The dealer cleared the warning light without any real explanation. 4 months later, same drill. Which tire is low? Is my guage defective? Does the gas station air hose have problems etc. Then after some days of frustration back to dealer. Warning light cleared again by dealer, with no part replacement or explanation. Concurrently they flashed my computer for a recall of another sort.
Currently my car is at the dealer with an undiagnoseable "check engine" light. Second one in three weeks. They have had my car for 2 days, and do not have an ETA for when I will get my car back. I was given a loaner car from a rental agency (the rental car has a faulty key and is a gas guzzler - all they had available for the dealer) so I am spending lots of money on gas for a large car. Not exactly why I bought a VW Golf TDI. I am hoping to get car back by the weekend, but dealer said they have no idea how long it will take to work with VW North America to fix the problem they cannot diagnose.
Should I just take the car back from the VW dealer and drive with check engine light on? How many more times should I go back to dealer if they fix and it goes on again? Any predicitons on if the TPMmonitor will start acting up again? The lemon law her in Massachussets is only good for first year, and I am into second year of ownership.
I am not feeling good about the TDI, and I have spent a good deal of energy defenending to myself that these little problems are just teething, but I have owned the car for over a year. Should I expect 2-3 weeks of downtime per year of ownership if I own a golf TDI? Is this normal to drive a German car?
Reading this forum I have seen others with lots of other problems like O2 sensers. Is this a car I would want to have a single day after the warrantee expires? What would this week long troubleshooting cost if the car was not under warrantee? Is VW under any obligation to keep fixing these troublesome cars after the warrantee expires, when the check enging lights and TPM lights continue to glow?
Any advice or reassurance would be appreciated. I have never had this level of recurring defects with the used honda civic I previously drove (over 3 years not one fault, and just regular maintenance). I have the feeling that this model of car is really not that reliable, and it is not just a one off for me.
Thank you
Albert
Based on research and my attraction to the Golf, I purchased a new 2010 Golf TDI DSG last year. I was happy with the performance and fuel economy, and had bought into the brand loyalty and pride of ownership - lots of washing, waxing, cleaning, and keeping the vehicle garaged when not in use.
However, after 5 trips to the dealer over the past 8 months for faults my passion is starting to wane. That is why I am posting this - to get a reality check and see what others have to say.
My initial experience was with TPM hell. The tire pressure light would come on, and I would spend all my loose change on gas station air compressors, 3 different tire guages, and several trips to a tire shop, which used a fancy guage to determine that, yes, my tire pressure was correct for all 4 tires. The dealer cleared the warning light without any real explanation. 4 months later, same drill. Which tire is low? Is my guage defective? Does the gas station air hose have problems etc. Then after some days of frustration back to dealer. Warning light cleared again by dealer, with no part replacement or explanation. Concurrently they flashed my computer for a recall of another sort.
Currently my car is at the dealer with an undiagnoseable "check engine" light. Second one in three weeks. They have had my car for 2 days, and do not have an ETA for when I will get my car back. I was given a loaner car from a rental agency (the rental car has a faulty key and is a gas guzzler - all they had available for the dealer) so I am spending lots of money on gas for a large car. Not exactly why I bought a VW Golf TDI. I am hoping to get car back by the weekend, but dealer said they have no idea how long it will take to work with VW North America to fix the problem they cannot diagnose.
Should I just take the car back from the VW dealer and drive with check engine light on? How many more times should I go back to dealer if they fix and it goes on again? Any predicitons on if the TPMmonitor will start acting up again? The lemon law her in Massachussets is only good for first year, and I am into second year of ownership.
I am not feeling good about the TDI, and I have spent a good deal of energy defenending to myself that these little problems are just teething, but I have owned the car for over a year. Should I expect 2-3 weeks of downtime per year of ownership if I own a golf TDI? Is this normal to drive a German car?
Reading this forum I have seen others with lots of other problems like O2 sensers. Is this a car I would want to have a single day after the warrantee expires? What would this week long troubleshooting cost if the car was not under warrantee? Is VW under any obligation to keep fixing these troublesome cars after the warrantee expires, when the check enging lights and TPM lights continue to glow?
Any advice or reassurance would be appreciated. I have never had this level of recurring defects with the used honda civic I previously drove (over 3 years not one fault, and just regular maintenance). I have the feeling that this model of car is really not that reliable, and it is not just a one off for me.
Thank you
Albert