Can VW End Its Skid?

[Breez]

Originally Posted by bockegg

It is not the Mexican plant. I live in PA and when the New Stanton plant was here the quality was dismal. I had a '81 Rabbit (New Stanton, PA), a '82 diesel jetta(Wolfsburg, Germany), a '84 GTI-Germany, a '85 Jetta(Germany), a '86 Quantum(Germany), and a '94 Audi 5000S (Germany). Let me tell you that the quality, build and reliability of the German and American cars were not the best. I switched to other brands from '85 until 2003 when I purchased a NBC.

Also, the worst reliable car I've ever owned was a 2002 Mercedes ML 320 and it was built in Alabama.

Mike

Thats good to know, Thanks for sharring your information. I like this thread, there is always something to learn. My Jetta had really nothing wrong except the windows, and that was made in Mexico.

I just got frustrated because I know my mothers volvo was imported from sweden and its a great car, no problems.

And my best friends Hondai was from the US and seems to be quite sturdy. (we will see as time goes by.)

I had just read somewhere that the plant (s) in mexico had quality control issues. Is it true that the Passat and others are made in Germany? I got the impression from the dealer that it was the beetle and Jetta that were made in Mexico.
In my case I have always owned "german" cars. I had a 1995 5.25i BMW, until 1998 when I got my dream car, Jetta and now my beetle.

I guess what bothers me about VW, is that when little stuff happens, they need to step up to the plate and just take care of it (but instead they just make you pay for a costly repair)... admit that there is a problem, for example with the windows, and then instead of replacing it with the same plastic clip, retro fit a better quality peice so that customer can tell his/her friends that not only does the car drive like a dream, but that VW takes great care of you. (or they can do quality in the first place, especially with little parts... argh.

[bockegg]

You are correct. The Mexico plant does have its problems, but the overall problem lies with globalization, outsourcing, and ultamately the VW management. Mercedes has major problems with the quality of the plant in Alabama. I was stung with my 2002 Mercedes.
I still like the way VW and german cars feel and I probably will stay with a German engineered car.
I also have a 26 year old Classic Mercedes (Germany) and it starts every time I turn the key. All the parts, windows, locks, clock, etc. work perfectly.

[bockegg]

[QUOTE=Breez]In my case I have always owned "german" cars. I had a 1995 5.25i BMW, until 1998 when I got my dream car, Jetta and now my beetle.

I love the Jetta but didn't you take a step back going from the BMW 525 to the Jetta?

[Breez]

Originally Posted by bockegg

I love the Jetta but didn't you take a step back going from the BMW 525 to the Jetta?

Good point. My mother owned her own small company and was using it as a company car, it was a 3 year lease... She ended up not really needing to use it, so I was "glad" to help take it off of her hands and not make car payments. I finally got my dream 1998 GLX VR6 2.8L Jetta, and was nutty about it.

Yes, it was a small step down, and I could tell a small difference... but as this thread posts keep saying, it was "german" hence, it drove like a dream. My GLX had heated seats like the 5.25i, a Bose stereo system with cassette and 6 disk cd, a integrated aftermarket car phone (hehehe, that was hawt to have the deactivated car phone for the past 6.5 years) and most of the similar bells and whistles I still enjoyed. Its not like it was a GL... so it wasn't too much of a step down, and I ALWAYS had wanted a Jetta III. (It was the last year of the III style, and I heard rumors that the GLX VR6 2.8 wasn't going to continue being made in the new body style) wow, that still seems like yesterday. (I do remember going to the dealership and seeing all these crazy beetle waiters, talk about a long order waiting list!!!)

Now-a-days I always talk about beemers and veedubs, so I complain sometimes, but I don't know if I could leave the family. (maybe volkswagen knows this and keeps stringing me along LOL, since I replaced 6 darn windows...) and a stupid brake sensor on the beetle.

So I went from a 5.25i, to a Jetta, to a GLS Beetle... my ego has been shot down a little bit, but this .org thing has me pumped up about "BB" and I am very excited to spend the next few years with her

[Breez]

Originally Posted by bockegg

You are correct. The Mexico plant does have its problems, but the overall problem lies with globalization, outsourcing, and ultamately the VW management. Mercedes has major problems with the quality of the plant in Alabama. I was stung with my 2002 Mercedes.
I still like the way VW and german cars feel and I probably will stay with a German engineered car.
I also have a 26 year old Classic Mercedes (Germany) and it starts every time I turn the key. All the parts, windows, locks, clock, etc. work perfectly.

I can't agree with you more, your point about globalization etc...

My close friend had a 1970's Mercedes and its still going strong... excellent points

[EvilinaDM101]

Originally Posted by Breez

So I went from a 5.25i, to a Jetta, to a GLS Beetle... my ego has been shot down a little bit, but this .org thing has me pumped up about "BB" and I am very excited to spend the next few years with her

YAY!! Don't ya just LOVE this place!!

[kingofgrills]

Every car manufacturer has its host of problem cars. VW is no different than the others in that regard. My 2000 NB Turbo has been great so far. It has 45,000 miles now, and I've changed the MAF once, an oxygen sensor, and a cup holder. That's it. The car has held together extremely well and is rock solid.

It gets great gas mileage for a performance car, delivering 25-31 mph, so there's no complaints there. That's right in line with my '84 GTI and '90 Corrado, which is typical of VW's 1.8 liter power plants. By contrast, my Durango delivers 11 mpg, so I'd take my VWs gas mileage any day.

My wife's family swears by Volvos, and only buys those, but I cannot tell you how many problems they've had. I think the dealership should keep a service bay roped off just for them.

Every car manufacturer has their host of problems - Mercedes, Volvo, Porsche, Ferrari - you name it. I think it's helpful to do plenty of research ahead of time, so you have reasonable expectations. Even doing that, however, will not fully save you from potential problems. Oh, and never by the first model year of a car. That usually never bodes well for reliability.

[bockegg]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

Every car manufacturer has its host of problem cars. VW is no different than the others in that regard. My 2000 NB Turbo has been great so far. It has 45,000 miles now, and I've changed the MAF once, an oxygen sensor, and a cup holder. That's it. The car has held together extremely well and is rock solid.

It gets great gas mileage for a performance car, delivering 25-31 mph, so there's no complaints there. That's right in line with my '84 GTI and '90 Corrado, which is typical of VW's 1.8 liter power plants. By contrast, my Durango delivers 11 mpg, so I'd take my VWs gas mileage any day.

My wife's family swears by Volvos, and only buys those, but I cannot tell you how many problems they've had. I think the dealership should keep a service bay roped off just for them.

Every car manufacturer has their host of problems - Mercedes, Volvo, Porsche, Ferrari - you name it. I think it's helpful to do plenty of research ahead of time, so you have reasonable expectations. Even doing that, however, will not fully save you from potential problems. Oh, and never by the first model year of a car. That usually never bodes well for reliability.

You are right. It is largely chance, although reliability is with the Asian automakers. I got the first year 2003 NBC. Everyone I know with '04 on up has problems with the top and with the flaps. Luckily not me. I also got the 1st year ('05) new Jeep Grand Ch. Limited. So far so good.

[straycat]

I have an '06 TDi Beetle...I havent found anything out there better. I also own a Boxster which I bring out of the garage and "wring out" about twice a week...but , for everyday use my Beetle will match anything on the road. Although I have a great respect the Japanese vehicles, I prefer what I have.
my Beetle gets 51mpg...my Boxster gets 25-28 depending on how hard I push it. My neighbors Corolla does not do much better milage wise than my Boxster...but it is a matter of choice , nothing more.
this is merely one opinion and I am sure there are countless others.

[SilverSportNOLA]

From looking at what the drivers complaining about their Dubs drive I notice a trend. Almost all had a 2.0. I luv mine ... but it's all in what you want to get out of a car. What else can you get a few months old for 15K and add another 2K to 7K and have something that will out run and out drive cars for twice the price that are marketed as Macho Cars. If you want your 2 door to give you the ride of a DeVille .... you better get the DeVille. I do agree ... VW has priced themselves out of a lot of markets, they might learn from Toyota, they already have the Audi ... so drop the Pheaton and Tourag and create a line like the Scions and bring us the Polo, I would personally love to see one of those with a VR6 mod.

[Alan From NYC]

Originally Posted by SilverSportNOLA

... VW has priced themselves out of a lot of markets, they might learn from Toyota, they already have the Audi ... so drop the Pheaton and Tourag ...

According to recent comments from Saturn, the car people, not the planet, VW's marketing niche is now "low end luxury."

They droped the [sic] Pheaton from North America, reasoning that we're not ready for a VW with a Mercedes price tag. The [sic] Tourag is sellling, so it stays. Besides, VW wants very much to be on the SUV bandwagon.

Audi has accordingly moved upscale.

Toyota, which began it's history in the US by making econoboxes, has, over four decades, expanded it's lineup to appeal to car buyers of just about all markets except for midlevel luxury. They created Lexus for that. Toyota is successful because of this and because Americans are convinced that Toyotas are pretty much bulletproof.

[Beetlebomb]

The issue of Time Magazine dated 10/30/2006 has an article about VW's problems and future plans entitled "How VW Can Get Hot Again," for any of you who are interested. It starts on p. 61.

[skimble]

With the recent models looking good so far, I have high hopes for VW. As much as I wanted a new GTI, I just couldn't get past VW's reliability, and I ended up with a Civic Si. When it's time to shop for a replacement for my Hondas, maybe they'll have shown a dramatic turnaround in quality.

[71beetle]

VW has to get this. People in the USA take the J.D. Powers auto survey's seriously. If J.D. Powers sinks you on quality issues, you have a really big problem here selling cars.

[seano1]

It’s strange how may people look completely past the actual content of the article. I suppose most people assume that VW is doing as well in Europe as they are in the US and that it’s model lineups is basically the same. This is not the case. In Europe VWs are cheaper, both overall and compared to other makes, then in the US. They have more engines available that get better mileage. Biggest of all the don’t have the reliability problems.

If you actually look at the numbers VW isn’t doing bad. Profit 62% up, shares up 7% this is good performance, especially for a large company in a mature market. Their high-end cars may be the most profitable, but that not unusual. The author of the article tries to spin it as if the union and Lower Saxony are driving VW out of business when they'er are in fact doing great.

[Beetlebomb]

Originally Posted by 71beetle

VW has to get this. People in the USA take the J.D. Powers auto survey's seriously. If J.D. Powers sinks you on quality issues, you have a really big problem here selling cars.

I completely agree with you on this!

[from Margaritaville...]

Originally Posted by 71beetle

VW has to get this. People in the USA take the J.D. Powers auto survey's seriously. If J.D. Powers sinks you on quality issues, you have a really big problem here selling cars.

Consumer Reports has a considerable following which weighs on market share...

Just imagine how many more vehicle VW would sell here if their ratings were actually as high as the many Asian imports...

This is NOT rocket science. Stop re-inventing the wheel...

[Beeble]

Originally Posted by Alan Margosian

Consumer Reports has a considerable following which weighs on market share...

Very true. Visited a friend I hadn't seen in a while last weekend and he asked if I still liked my Beetle. I told him I loved it. He asked if I had had a bunch of electrical problems with it. He not only read the CR report, he still remembers it a year and a half later and believes that all VWs are electrical nightmares.

I did mention that the security LED on the driver's door lock doesn't blink. I don't think CR mentioned that....

[Hambug]

Just be thankful VW's aren't like the Yugo's of years past. I remember the Yugo commercial where they had their car suspended in a machine, turned it upside down and shook it while the narrator said: "See, nothing falls out of this year's model"

[Danbike]

Go take a look at the story.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070906/...n_america_dc_1