Here's an interesting article on VW
and its problems. Like the author, Jerry Flint, I too grew up with Volkswagen. I had a '62 VW sunroof, which was a great car. I also had an '84 VW Quantum, which was an awful car...
In fact, it was so bad, I have never owned another VW since.
Flint sites three problems the VW failed to address: (1) VW has for the most part, ignored the truck mark here in the USA. (2) The quality was/is lousy on many models, and as a result, VW has earned the reputation of being a problematic brand. (3) VW has not had much success in selling the Golf here, which in other markets, is a hot seller.
Flint sites three problems the VW failed to address: (1) VW has for the most part, ignored the truck mark here in the USA. (2) The quality was/is lousy on many models, and as a result, VW has earned the reputation of being a problematic brand. (3) VW has not had much success in selling the Golf here, which in other markets, is a hot seller.
tryan says:
04:28 AM, 02/28/06
Mr. Flint is a bit disillusioned and obviously jaded - especially if he thinks the Golf looks like a "$12,000 cheapie". I guess he hasn't spent much time in either a Golf or a real $12,000 cheapie to effectively compare the two.
He failed to mention one of VW's biggest problems in the US - Customer Service. It's absolutely horrendous at most dealerships and It's one of the reasons that the Phaeton failed so badly (though, it's certainly not even close to being the only reason for that sinking ship). You will not earn alot of repeat customers if you treat them badly when it comes time to service the vehicles - plain and simple. Quality Control is needed here, and how.
Another thing that he touched upon with his comment on how expensive the Touareg is, is VW Brand's penchant for moving upmarket in a hurry. VW Corporate should have put a stop to this immediately. When you have a brand such as Audi in-house, it just doesn't make sense. Look at GM and what overlap contributed to there, it's just not a viable long term plan. Especially considering theat VW doesn't sell even close to the volume that GM does. I've been a proponent of clear brand division lines, and in this case, VW Brand should serve as an entry level german automobile. It's job would be to bring people into the VW/Audi house and step them up the ladder, eventually crossing over to the Audi brand when/if finances allow.
He mentions that VW should bring a cheaper SUV to market - does this guy even read the news? I can't count the number of times the VW Marrakesh has been talked about....even though it is just a bit late to the party.
Overall, VW's quality is on the up, they certainly have some of the best finished cars in their market segments right now, but competition is gaining fast and companies that rest on their laurels will find themselves watching from the sidelines as more aggressive manufacturers push the envelope and come out with increasingly better products (Hyundai, for example).
kurtamaxxxguy says:
09:44 AM, 02/28/06
For some reason, VW (and to a lesser extent, Audi) had decided the American market was not important, eventually treating it with arrogance and ignorance, delaying or ignoring product introductions, and providing haughty, inconsistant "service". What vehicles they do import are little changed from europe models, and thus have trouble coping with unique American driving conditions such as frostheaved, potholed roads.
Some of VW's engineering's truly fine (their engines and drive trains, especially), and some of the cars are attractive and offer well detailed interiors. Is that worth the quality and service headaches?
For a lot of enthusasist publications who don't have to live with the car every day, it is. For average joes like me, not so.
Will VW change? If they are profitable with their current system, why would they? Perhaps being a "niche brand" here is enough.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
04:32 PM, 02/28/06
Should also add other reviewers at the car connection link here raved about the GTI, then criticised it for being slightly Americanized.
Why?
Our roads are not the same! If VW can fine tune American GTI's to play nicer on __our__ roads (as GM did with the Saab_based Malibu), isn't that a good thing?
alfasmith says:
09:43 PM, 02/28/06
I love my VW Passat on the open road, BUT - it took the dealer 4 times to fix the rear power windows (replace plastic part with metal), engine suddenly ran very rough on I-5 in Seattle ( I thought I had blown a head gasket - turns out it was some master computer control or something - $450 later), VW supposedly now recommends synthetic oil and a larger filter (reduce chances of "sludge" damage), and now - after a dealer installed battery - my alarm goes off at iregular times for no reason. I like the new hardtop convertible, but if they can't engineer a power window I see a lot of tops stuck in the half-way open position. My wife has had zero problems with her Acura TSX - what brand do you think I will buy when I replace my Passat?
mykl says:
03:30 PM, 03/10/06
My Toreg is a great unit why doesn't a group get together to let VW know that the Toreg eats tires I have 30k on a 2004 and I am on my third set of tires. My dealer is great but VW America has no use for the customer, they listen and spout policy, VW sticks with the story that there is no problem with the tire wear. I have spoken to a number of Toreg owners who have the same problem. Does anyone know about a design flaw
kte1 says:
11:07 PM, 03/15/06
Guys (Girls) be careful pointing to the dealers for everything. I know, some aren't great but that's the minority. VW has acknowledged that they need to make some changes and Dr. Bernhard has North America squarely in his sites. Things are changing and fast. The new Jetta and Passat (and now GTI & GLI) have been excellent and very trouble free. The EOS was delayed to prevent any issues for the customer. They are making great strides.
Believe me when I tell you that most dealers want to offer tremendous service but weren't getting support - that's changing and every day it gets better.
By the way.....There's a HUGE difference between a Golf anf a $12k cheap car. Drive both, it's obvious.