Consumer Reports & VW

So, like everyone else here I am craving a MKV...As with everything else, I research the hell out of it & try to make an informed decision. As such, I've perused Consumer Reports & see that they give pretty lousy ratings to VW...In fact, not one VW is recommended. Does anyone else give credence to any of their ratings? I'm curious to know why this is...Is it due to customer treatment at the dealership? Or, is it due to overall reliability? Or, does Consumer Reports just have it out for VW? I am curious to hear your opinion.

I'm concerned too. I have heard too many stories firsthand with horrible VW quality as well as service experiences. Family members with Jettas bought back as lemons, 2 friends with New Beetles that were nothing but headaches nearly all the time. Miata guys who used to have VW's and have sworn them off.

It scares the beejesus outta me. However, there are a couple things that I think may make me take the chance. First is that I also have friends with Audi A4's. While not requiring no maintenance, their cars have overall been quite troublefree. CR I believe also gives Audi better marks than VW's. Also, the Passats have been rated much more reliable than the Jetta/Golf/Beetle. The tie the Audi and Passat have is that they're made in Germany and not the Mexican factory where all the lemons seem to stem from.

Add in that the GTI has been on sale in Europe for awhile now, and these cars come from the same factory, and I feel a little bit safer about it.

Plus I'd like to think that as VW redesigns its lines, that it has learned how dearly its poor quality is costing them, and that changes are being made.

Or maybe I'm just trying to rationalize this whole thing because I like the GTI so damn much.....hope I'm not setting myself up for something terrible. I've had nothing but Mazdas my entire driving career, and while not a top-tier company in reliability, mine have been nearly bulletproof, and any fixes required were cheap and I did myself in about an afternoon of wrench time. If I can get that from the GTI, I'd be happy. But I can't deal with cars being in the shop for ages.

Troll said:

As such, I've perused Consumer Reports & see that they give pretty lousy ratings to VW...In fact, not one VW is recommended. Does anyone else give credence to any of their ratings? I'm curious to know why this is...Is it due to customer treatment at the dealership? Or, is it due to overall reliability? Or, does Consumer Reports just have it out for VW? I am curious to hear your opinion.

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CR information is very biased because they get their information from subscribers. People who subscribe to CR are not interested in cars other than for transportation. So, for them any little issue is a problem. Like disc brake screak is "bad brakes" and a failed bulb is "electrical problem".

I have owned and driven a 2000 GTI for over six years. It has never left be stranded or failed to start. I have had no significant issues in all that time and have spend zero $ on any non-wear and tear repair. Hard to consider it as not reliable.

Jerome81 said:

The tie the Audi and Passat have is that they're made in Germany and not the Mexican factory where all the lemons seem to stem from.

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I think you hit the nail on the head with this statement. I will probably make the plunge at some point for the GTI as well (5 door). I have heard that repairs on the Audi/Passat are expensive. An episode of Car Talk mentioned that the ball joints go bad on these cars (They have 8 count em' EIGHT) ball joints and the repair bill is typically $3000. Its cost like this that have me leaning towards a 6 speed instead of the DSG.

AlphAZender said:

I think you hit the nail on the head with this statement. I will probably make the plunge at some point for the GTI as well (5 door). I have heard that repairs on the Audi/Passat are expensive. An episode of Car Talk mentioned that the ball joints go bad on these cars (They have 8 count em' EIGHT) ball joints and the repair bill is typically $3000. Its cost like this that have me leaning towards a 6 speed instead of the DSG.

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Aren't ball joints suspension components? I don't think the tranny matters.

But I'm not car repair expert.....

Yes, for all intents and purposes, balljoints are suspension pieces.
I think what he might have been getting at is if it cost 3 grand to replace all the balljoints the DSG (a new technical marvel) will be insanely expensive to replace should it fail.

I'm beginning to think that the technology in these little cars is more impressive than the space shuttle. Hell, you can change the steering feel (loose or firm or somewhere in between) by changing settings in the computer!!

Yeah the ball joint is part of the suspension that basically allows the wheel to pivot up and down mostly.... transmission wont matter there

the_saint said:

Hell, you can change the steering feel (loose or firm or somewhere in between) by changing settings in the computer!!

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what settings are those!?

NorthGTI said:

CR information is very biased because they get their information from subscribers. People who subscribe to CR are not interested in cars other than for transportation. So, for them any little issue is a problem. Like disc brake screak is "bad brakes" and a failed bulb is "electrical problem".

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I don't know if you have basis to back up this argument. The people you want to hear from are the ones who will report the rattles, squeaks, failed bulbs, etc. Enthusiasts tend to "ignore" these things and if they only asked us, no car brand that we like would ever have a reported problem.

Say what you will, buy CR is an extremely powerful influence on many buyers, and if you sit at the bottom of the ladder, you will lose sales.

I just got the new CR and guess who is on the bottom....Mercedes Benz!

The media in general is a double edged, fogged up, opinionated pile of poop. JMHO. Funny how certain car magazines publish the same winners of contests year after year. The Ford Focus was plagued with recalls and problems but it made Car and Driver top 10 many years. I know one doesn't have much to do with the other, but either way, both are authorities on cars. I'm a Chrysler service advisor, and I know full well which cars have what problems. Automobile manufacturers buy parts based on price and failure percentages. Funny thing is, even while I was at Ford, the same stuff failed model year after model year. So, as in love as I have been with GTI's, I called a former VW service advisor friend of mine. He scared me off from the 1.8t's because of what he said what an inherent service engine light misfire problem. That's not something I want to deal with and I trust his info.
All of that being said, I know there is no perfect car and consumers these days are complaining about anything and everything in hopes of getting something for nothing. I listen to them every single day I should know, so take those surveys with a grain of salt. We get surveyed and way more pissed off people send in surveys than do the happy ones. I'm willing to take a chance and get a new GTI based on the driving experience, warranty, looks, and practicality regardless of the "supposed" track history. It has a 4yr/50 b-t-b warranty and 5/60 drivetrain. Not much to worry about there, but the inconvience of constant service repairs will wear on you.

earthtoandy said:

what settings are those!?

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Not sure....I saw it on VWVortex. You might need that VAG COM doohicky :iono:

Jerome81 said:

I'm concerned too... Or maybe I'm just trying to rationalize this whole thing because I like the GTI so damn much.....hope I'm not setting myself up for something terrible. I've had nothing but Mazdas my entire driving career, and while not a top-tier company in reliability, mine have been nearly bulletproof, and any fixes required were cheap and I did myself in about an afternoon of wrench time. If I can get that from the GTI, I'd be happy. But I can't deal with cars being in the shop for ages.

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Yes, I think you ARE rationalizing... (but so am I)

I am in the same boat. I'm planning to buy a GTI because I cannot forget the sweet growl of the engine and the nice farting sounds the exhaust makes when you shift. But, I'm totally weary of the possible QA issues...

I cruised the VW forums and it seems like most VW owners just live with the issues. It's almost like they've accepted them! Many even downplay them saying that it's not a big deal... Things like missing lumbar knobs, wrong (non-GTI) scuff plates, rattling sounds from the door, air leaks in the window sills, paint flaws on the body, etc... All of these which I would consider unacceptable in a brand new car.

Nevertheless, I'm planning to take the plunge because I find the car so compelling. I hope I don't re-live my Dad's VW nightmare. (I'll rationalize this by saying that that was over 10 years ago.)

Or you could put your name on the list comitting to buy the Civic Si without seeing or driving it. I just called my Honda salesmanager friend who told me they're getting two a month and they're pre-sold. It fires him up just like us that they get a hot product and limit production which forces many people away, like me. With the GTI, you have an awesome, and I mean awesome all around car in excessive availability which gives you the upper hand in price and being able to test drive and choose. I like that.

The german cars of the past were renowned for their bulletproof build and reliability but somewhere in the mid-to-late nineties it all went wrong. In the quest to save money, the quality suffered. I remember that Mercedes got some real stick with all of the problems that their cars suffered, and this was pretty much across the entire range. Now they are realising that the customer simply won't put up with it and I believe that the quality is slowly returning.
With regards to VW, the ones that I have owned in the past, have always been very reliable and only needed to go to the shop for normal wear and tear items. I used to drive 750 miles a week in my Mk3 GTi and it never missed a beat.