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No car is perfect in this world …. and invariably, all cars will break down. It’s not a question of IF, merely a debate on WHEN. And so when my 1.4l TSi Golf broke down in the middle of nowhere, I was not surprised, particularly when its a mechatronic issue considering 8 out of 10 Golf TSi problem is related to this problem. The mechatronic, a component related to the VW DSG dual clutch gearbox that does the job of replacing your left foot in a manual transmission is notorious to go bonkers and it’s a worldwide issue … it’s so well documented that VW had to even issue a statement of apology to the people of China (read about it HERE).
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As is with every vehicle breakdown, it’s important to keep calm, move the vehicle to the emergency lane and call for assistance. In this case, VW has a 24 hour hotline and a tow truck was commissioned to the location I was at. Under the terms of warranty, I am to have the car towed to the nearest authorized service centre but since I was far from any SC, anyone would do. Made a few phone calls to a couple of friends who’ve had the same issue, searched online (this is where being a member of a car club comes in very handy) and everyone reports almost every SC can rectify this well known issue within 2-3 days, subject to parts availability. Since it was a Sunday, all SCs were closed and I couldn’t check if any one of them had the parts necessary to expedite the repair. Consultation with the sales advisor verified that his SC can do the job within the stipulated period IF they had the parts. So in the end, I decided to have the car towed to where I bought it; Old Klang Road.
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It’s a rather long story but let me just skip the boring part and highlight the following:-
- The car was not moved from the spot where I left it for more than 24 hours citing appointment is full & needs to be taken cared of first
- No one from the service centre called me to update me on the progress of the car (I made 2 personal trips to the SC to see what’s going on)
- The staffs ignored my sharing that it’s a mechatronic issue saying procedures needs to be followed. I wonder how difficult it is to plug in a VAGCOM (VW diagnostic device) to confirm the faulty component
- After wasting 1 1/2 days at the SC, they finally “verified” that the fault is related to the mechatronic
- And they have no stock. Their Singapore counterpart ALSO has no stock and needs to order from elsewhere. Needs “more than a week” to repair. Based on feedback found online, the expected waiting period for parts ordered from Germany is 3-4 weeks.
- No offer of a courtesy car is ever mentioned (I later found out from my SA that the arrangements for a courtesy car is done by the sales department but since I opted to have the car towed away to get it done elsewhere, the offer was quite pointless. Still, would have been nice if the service advisers shared that this was a possibility that can be arranged subject to availability)
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I immediately called Volkswagen Hotline to have the car towed to another FA Wagan Jalan 222 where they promised to complete the repairs within 3 days.
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Naturally, I am quite upset over the whole ordeal and after having a few days to cool off, I looked at the whole issue objectively and came to one conclusion:-
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Veemer Motors Service Centre is unfit to be an authorized service centre for Volkswagen.
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There are a few reasons for this conclusion. As this is a “business rant”, let’s look at the facts:-
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1. Veemer’s primary weakness is space. Take a look at the picture above …. how many bays do you see? There are only FOUR. There is absolutely no space for expansion. I can understand why their appointments are so packed but to the point where they can no longer handle last minute emergencies like breakdowns is not very professional.
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2. There are no safety demarcation of each bay. I’ve worked in a factory and been to my fair share of service centres but this borders to gross negligence in terms of ensuring cars are safely parked and …
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3. … most importantly, staffs are working in a safe, designated area. Without demarcation, everyone is just working based on “estimates” of where their working zones are. You will also note that lighting is not particularly bright & its fortunate that the ceiling is high & ventilation is acceptable otherwise it gets stuffy inside and I have to wonder about the quality of the work done if the workers are not working in a conducive working environment.
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4.The Golf mechatronic issue is a well known problem. In some companies I’ve worked in, OOS (Out Of Stock) situation are viewed very seriously as it jeopardizes consumer confidence of the brand. In this case, clutch packs and mechatronics are 2 most common claimed items. To have it run out of stock and asking customers to wait 3-4 weeks for replacement parts without the use of a courtesy car is absurd. I am not familiar with the warranty claim structure of VW but if other SCs can have sufficient parts in store, why not this SC? Is being small an excuse for not carrying sufficient parts and causing great inconvenience to the customer?
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5. Not many people know that Veemer Motor’s service centre is not recognized by all car insurance companies in Malaysia. I had the unfortunate experience of being hit by a car and had to claim against that party. MAA, one of said insurance company who represents the guilty vehicle does NOT acknowledge Veemer as part of their panel and I had to move elsewhere. This was shocking to me! I guess it’s fine if you’re claiming your own insurance company (I do not believe the sales advisers are dumb enough to recommend a company that does not acknowledge Veemer’s SC) but if you’re claiming against another, do check first if Veemer is on their list of workshops.
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I have always believed that the business of selling cars is governed by 1 rule: Sell the Experience (wrote about that HERE) and I must commend Veemer’s sales department for training an excellent group of sales advisers (the SA who sold me my car took the effort to meet me on Sunday night for me to pass him my key so that he can go to the SC early next morning to get things moving …. even when he was not on duty to save me the hassle of taking leave on Monday morning! Kudos to you, Sam!). Where most sales branches have one or two great sales advisers, I have heard no less than 3 excellent SA recommendations from Veemer being praised from various automobile forums and blogs. This, of course translates to more sales for them … which then taxes their capacity in their “under-the–tree-workshop”
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The Veemer Service Centre, where only half of this building is the service and storage area while the center covered area in the middle is the waiting and reception. Even now, you can see there is virtually no space at all to park cars that are done/waiting for service.
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The area that’s directly beneath the tree on the right where additional cars are being kept. You would never imagine that this is a prominent Volkswagen service centre had I not told you, would you?
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In all honesty, I question Volkswagen Group Malaysia’s tolerance for such an appalling workshop standard for a prestigious, world renown brand as Volkswagen. From an exterior view of haphazardly modifying a residential bungalow into a permanent service centre to improper management of spare parts inventory, especially common breakdown items, to a lack of empathy shown to customers, you cannot find another Volkswagen Service Centre in Malaysia as badly set up as this. I had even requested to meet the service manager and when the receptionist tried to call him, he pushed the deed to a junior service adviser who was earlier assigned to me. Seriously, if there is a customer who’s willing to fork out his own money rather than continue to leave the car in his centre, I’d damn well want to give my personal apology to him if I was the manager (doesn’t solve anything but at least it will show some sense of responsibility)
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No doubt, the owner(s) and management of Veemer may not have as much cash as FA Wagan and Wearnes (the same, I believe for other countries where there are bigger, deeper pockets dealers around), small, single outlet dealers like Veemer can provide a more personalized service to all of its customers. Small automobile dealers worldwide remain viable by having greater understanding of its customer’s needs and responding faster to customer’s demands compared to the larger players. In this respect, Veemer has done splendidly in the sales department …. only to fail miserably in the after sales side …
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… and whether you like it or not, it’s the after sales that builds fans or creates antagonists.
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P.S: My car’s mechatronic was subsequently replaced in FA Wagan Jalan 222 in 1 1/2 days (I had to pay RM150 for the towing charges as VW does not cover towing from SC to SC so take note). This further contrasts the poor service provided by Veemer. I do hope that Volkswagen Group and VGM will look into this as the brand is gaining traction here in Malaysia. With such a competitive market (Peugeot has stricter standards in appointing Sales & Service branches especially with the recently opened 3S centre in the heart of Kuala Lumpur HERE is a testament to their aggressive business outlook), VW must be as good, if not better …. and any weakness within the operation chain must be rectified so to ensure the brand lives up to its reputation. VW is not cheap in Malaysia and with owners paying a premium for it, higher expectations is only natural. At this point, even Proton can be better than Veemer.
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Latest update as of 12 Oct: Got my Golf back today. Surprised to note that Volkswagen Group Malaysia has opened a file about my complaint and sent 3 of their staffs to interview me to find out more about what happened. After listening to my accounting, they are surprised to note the following irregularities:-
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1) Veemer did not follow up on a customer’s car that has been towed. SOP states that the service centre must call the customer for updates once the car is accepted by the SC.
2) Veemer had very recently obtained mechatronic parts from VGM so they should be well aware that VGM has sufficient parts in their office in Malaysia. Why an OOS answer was given to me is what they wish to find out.
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The expansion and compliance of safety guidelines of SCs to VW standards is handled by another department. They have also promised to refund the towing charges.
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With this development, I am impressed at the speed in which the principal responded to this complaint. I do hope that they take this matter serious enough to apply pressure on dealerships that fail to conform to the corporate identity of VW. Companies like Peugeot has been known to apply a “buck-up or buck-out” method in dealing with its service centres and from what I have seen how VW deals with recalcitrant dealers such as the now defunct VW Cars/Cartrade (in 2006, the VW distributorship was given to CarTrade and after years of countless complaints to VW about the exceptionally poor service shown by CarTrade, VW booted them out in 2009) I have no doubt VGM can and will come down hard on dealers that are uncooperative.
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44 Comments
good to hear that angry bird is back …!!
Kenneth, well all i can say is, you are not alone. No, I don’t have a VW, I drive a hyundai and HSDM has been horrid in terms of service. Hyundai makes fantastic cars, but the service spoils them. Take mine. My 2012 i10 1.25CVVT went for a 5k service, they adjusted the idle rpm wrongly and actually gave the keys to me. You wouldn’t belive the car STALLED in the showroom parking lot. Was furious and went to the service office. Guess what the guy said ITS NORMAL. Please, I have had auto cars at home, none have stalled ever. Plus my Hyundai never stalled before. They had to keep it revving all the way into the service bay, and retune it. Very disappointed. I guess all these SCs still cannot beat your regular friendly mechanic.
I am having major issues with HSDM Glenmarie as well. Diagnostics tell them that my battery voltage is low. I tell them that I’ve researched online and the fault lies with the battery positive cable but all they do is to sand away from carbon from the terminals, spray from lubricant on them and send me their bill.
WTF!
Ouch!
VGM need to address their after sales program as is just demand more than supply.
New dealers are not expanding fast enough and agreed that stock of regular parts is crucial to maintain customer confidence.
I hope the engine misfiring, clucth pack and mechatronics have a permanent solution.
I also bought from Veemer but my SA (Aaron) was absolute crap. It’s no wonder he ranks so low on the sales charts. I wrote a complaint to the Sales Manager and he never bothered to personally reply my letter. He just asked Aaron to fix the problem. That tells me a lot about his professionalism.
Usually, birds of a feather flock together so I assumed (rightly after reading your post) that their across the road service centre would be equally crap.
i am wondering, your remark seem to be targeting an individual.
You had it done at Glenmarie SC cos you hv not able to sent in to Veemer SC
What has it got to do with the salesman sales performance!! ??? Hey dude,
Dont you think this is more of a personal attack.
dude, weren’t you aware that Veemer’s service centre is in such an environment prior to purchasing your Golf from them esp since it’s located more or less directly opposite their showroom? whenever I visit a showroom, I also check out the service centers as well.
On another note, this issue occurred even though you have had the DSG software upgrade right?
Actually, I don’t since I didn’t bother to go check out the SC. When I purchased my car, I was under the impression that:-
1) As a global brand, VW should have certain standards that every other SC must comply. Clearly, a mistaken assumption on my part
2) Any VW vehicle can visit any authorized SC for service so if I elected not to go to Veemer, I can go elsewhere. It’s emergency cases like mine on a weekend that prevents me from confirming their capacities/capabilities prior to towing over. Hence the purpose of this article is to share my findings & help others to avoid my distasteful experience.
3) At the point of purchase, some sales branches may offer free service coupons that’s only applicable at their own SCs.This forces customers to go to that particular SC … best make appointments prior to going over for servicing (and this is especially true for Veemer as you are now well informed of their lack of service bays)
And yes, the mechatronic failure occurred AFTER the DSG update … but I was under the impression the DSG update’s primary purpose was to minimize/eliminate juddering. So mechatronic failures may still happen.
Fair enough, hope things work out for you.
the update isn’t a full-proof against mechatronic failure.
That’s true …. however, the folks at VGM assured me that the change of parts will be the permanent solution. Apparently the mechatronic have undergone 2 revisions since it was first discovered to be an issue and those who have changed reports no recurring issue.Unfortunately, since the mechatronic is an asymptomatic anomaly, most people will only discover it AFTER they’re struck by it. Not sure if VW has devised a means to do early detection before that happens. Clutch pack replacements however can be detected early and rectified. Also said to be a permanent solution.
The cause of these 2 component’s premature failure is not clearly explained but lots of speculation hovers around the original factory-supplied manufacturers of those components did not conform to the standards set by VW. The replacement components come from another manufacturer, it seems.
Kenso,my 2010 Golf Tsi suffered same fate as yours at 28k mileage.Just done 2nd service,changed clutch pack &battery(under warranty) 2 weeks back.Towed to FA Wagen,Jln 222.(Bought car here). This seems to affect lotsa Vw.Tow guys says he towes at least 2 Vw daily!!.Sigh!!
Yup … happens pretty often but some say as the source (factory) depletes the less durable components, 2012 onward vehicles should see a stop to all these complaints. No hard evidence to back this claim though so each to his own
I’m sorry but i would somehow differ to what you’ve gone through. You seem to just the point of smaller workshop being unable to cope. Have you consider that they have good workmanship therefore they often have more than expected turn-ups?
It is not their fault that they do not keep stock or ran out of stock on certain parts. It would be better for you to give them the benefit of the doubt rather than making straight judgements.
Personal friends of mine have complained from head to tail about the other SC you went to. Perhaps, its purely coincidental? I’ve heard stories about various service centres, from good to best to “must go”.
these ranges from,
– an express 1 hour service turned to be 6hours or more.
– out of parts, thus car left there for weeks.
– waiting to be repaired/replacing parts but car driven out and noone knows where is the car
– can sent in but for 1 whole day, couldn’t even find someone to actually spend time glacing at the issue
– excellent service from SC
– quick response
– concise explanation on the procedures
– polite and courteous treatment
– bad attitude
– rude and simply brush off our issues
There are various cases, hope you do not judge something base on one issue but i applaud you for sharing your experience.
Hi, thanks for dropping a few words on your thoughts. As I have reported with the attached pictures, what is shared is based on facts encountered during my experience there. Of course, this may or may not be what everyone has to go through and as you yourself have said, feedback from various sources about various SCs yield different results. Judgement is reserved by the readers such as your good self. I have attempted, in my best capacity to isolate my own opinion.
I just passed by OKR this morning and I notice they may have a new SC being developed (under construction), just beside existing Veemer SC. I hope this will solve the issue of capacity in providing services for more VW cars.
Cheers.
Unfortunately, the scenario described in your post is a frequent occurance for most consumers in Malaysia. Volkswagen group were probably delighted to have Veemer as they landed their footprint onto Malayisan shores but probably offered little encouragement or incentives for it to become a better representation of what they expect from a service centre. As you mentioned, Nasim/Peugeot embarked on a ‘clean-up’ exercise but did you also notice that it took them almost two years to review what they had, the exercise being done after they started building their own service centres. You can offer 47 bay service centres or whatever, but if procedures are not followed yet alone implemented, and no resource money is spenton training, it still becomes a shitty service centre.
The Volkswagen issue with the DSG is like Peugeot’s problem with the THP engine, both parties know there are design flaws and yet seek to pacify customers with a work around software upgrade, industry speak to avoid those costly mandatory recalls. The Chinese authorities upped the ante with VW , resulting in VW offering a 10 year warranty on the transmission, is that available to VW owners in Malaysia yet?
Like most maintenance functions at dealerships, they take a back seat to sales, just a shame that senior gurus running the dealerships can’t see the wood for the trees! Poor service practices and reputations ruin second hand values and distort markets in addition to pissing off a loyal customer base! Not a great way to do business.
Well, not exactly fair to compare Malaysia with China where VWs is as common as Proton here … only, their market is probably a zillion times bigger than us. Imagine the Managing Director of China tells the CEO of VAG that the Chinese authorities are breathing down his neck on reliability issues vs our dear Mr Ricky Tay saying the same thing to Mr Martin Winterkorn … I bet HQ in Germany is more sympathetic to the pleas of China. Malaysia? Getting the same arrangements as China? Snow haven’t start to fall in Kuala Lumpur yet.
With the current automotive pricing, most VM cars are considered as high end luxury cars, and thus the consumers would expect both quality of product and quality of service befitting the price range and brand image.
While there are no such thing as a perfect car with 0% faults, as long as the repair service is prompt and effective, I would not mind the minor faults (like the well known issue with the Golf TSI). I am unsure of the same problems also apply to the rest of VW’s product line that share the same transmission such as Scirocco? Passat?
I’m still considering getting a VW car, but I’m withholding the purchase until VGM sets a consistently strong service standard and commitment.
Kenso, what was the mileage when your mechatronic unit failed?
Been reading numerous DSG failures in forums esp in 2010 and 2011 cars. Im guessing that 2012 stock cars onwards would already use the revised clutch pack and mechatronic units?
Mine was around 22,000 km when it happened. My unit was purchased in May 2011. The DSG gearbox itself did not fail …. it’s the component related to it that’s the culprit. Hopefully 2012 units has all their mechatronics and clutch packs replaced with the new revisions
Kenso, what was the other parts being changed during your mechatronic replacement? Did they change the so called Gear Oils (about 2 liter) that cost RM258 and this was charged to you as said not within the warranty coverage?
My Golf TSI was early-2012 made but having the same problem as your case, gear stayed at D2.
Thank you.
As far as I am aware, only the mechatronic component was changed. Nothing else and nothing was billed to me. However, they did mention that the entire transmission needs to be removed to reach that component and if they had to drain the ATF during the process, then it’s not due to my request that they did it.
My comment here is applicable to all brands.
http://forum.autoworld.com.my/index.php?showtopic=105086&st=0
i understand your feelings and dissapointment.. as a customer of veemer OKR, and also owner of golf 1.4tsi. not withstanding what i want to mention later, i’m very impressed by veemer sales department. thought that the service department would have an equal work ethics / response but to my horror, NO!
recently my car has severe juddering after the update service campaign even at high gears (5th, 6th, 7th) while accelerating..brought to veemer OKR and the first thing they answered was (sorry sir, we do not deal / handle your case if you do not have prior appointment, and those with appointment will be served first). well i told them this is a major issue and felt my car is going to breakdown anytime soon. after a while only the SA would come and entertain me and enquire bout the problems. fine after waited for about 45 mins, she came back and said they needed a thorough check and asked me to come again after 3 days.
so i went again after 3 days, and the same SA who entertained me just acted don’t know and as if i’m not there. she just took a cup of coffee and walked into the office room and sat down there. that’s all. check with the receptionist, i said the SA asked me to come again today, same reply, they will only entertain if i have prior appointment. at that time i was like WTF!! she asked me to sit and wait, so i waited, then i believe the manager came over and explained to me that they have arranged for clutch pack change for my car on 21st november. then i told him that you guys didn’t know what’s happening to my car just 3 days ago, and now you already have arranged for a clutch pack change when i come again today. what sort of service is this?!.. isn’t that their duty to contact me or advise me beforehand instead of asking me to go over to the centre again for a thorough check??
and finally, this happened in early september.. scheduled for a clutch pack change on 21st november. waiting period of more than 2 months. he said just don’t drive too harsh / fast. the car won’t break down. too bad, the problem now is getting worse with huge vibrations / shocks when changing gears. i don’t know about other centres, but OKR is definitely leaving VW a bad name (service&maintenance wise).
Hi Humms, I hope that your car’s issue can be resolved soon.
Have you escalated the matter to VGM at info@volkswagen.com.my?
Alternatively, you may also try to arrange for an appointment at another SC to see if they can get the clutch pack replaced sooner. To the best of my understanding, Veemer may already have the clutch pack (got this info from another friend who is also changing clutch packs there) but as they have such limited resources and the work to replace the clutch pack is almost as extensive as a mechatronic change, they have to work strictly based on appointments. Customer convenience? Better luck finding it elsewhere …. but they might arrange for a courtesy car for you to use while the car is being repaired. No harm asking.
you guys can also complain on VW facebook page, let more ppl know about the issues..
ken, are you overseas or something. there has been no new articles from you for awhile now.
Sorry mate,
The reason for the lack of new articles is due to many:-
1) Major exhibition up north over the weekend that not only occupied my day time, it generated sales leads that needs immediate follow up
2) Moving to new house which practically takes up all my subsequent weekends. Gosh, din know I had so much junk
3) Falling sick in the process of moving house … staying up till late night to write articles was a no-go
4) Lack of internet connectivity at new place (Unifi just got set up again so hopefully this is the end of it)
Hopefully everything should be back to normal by this week …. I’ve got 3 cars that have been tested but not written …. feel really bad about the delay. So sorry
kenso, i also had the same problem as yours. my 30k mileage 1 year golf tsi broke down my side of the road and was towed to wearnes sg besi on friday night. saturday morning got a call from them and they said that they cant confirm the problem until monday when they hav more time to spend on the car. On monday evening they confirm that its the mechatronic and would need time till wednesday to obtain the part and then fix it to my car. collected my car yesterday (wednesday) evening.
at least wearnes sg besi had the part and I didnt hav to wait long (took 5 days to resolve). I even ask them how much the mechatronic would cost if I would need to replace it again after my 5 year warranty over. It would cost rm7k for the part and not including labour.
my 2nd gear juddering issue is still not rectified. this issue was first reported to them after first 15k service and till now, their response is waiting for VGM to come back to them on what needs to be done. I am guessing, i need the clutch pack as well for my car. But again, if we would need to replace that part again in future, all these is going to leave a deep hole in our pocket.
I guess it happens to every car make in Malaysia. My boss 7 series suffered the same from Auto Bavaria. The car is good. It’s always the SC that spoiled the ownership experience.
am now waiting for my mechatronic as well. you are right, i was told no available spares and have to wait for over a month before i can have back my golf! sob sob sob
Which SC did you go to? Got courtesy car?
Does this DSG problem affect other models such as polo, jetta and passat? They’re using the same gearbox. I’m on the polo, hoping and praying that mine will be problem free.
The DSG issue is more widely documented on the Polo Sport and Golf 1.4TSi. The Golf GTi which uses the wet clutch 6 speed DSG does not have the same issues. Surprisingly, both Passat and the CC also uses the dry clutch 7 speeds but don’t hear much complaints from those owners.
Does jetta has similar issue? SA keep saying that the issue is resolved for 2013 but i’m still skeptical. Anyone can verified this?
Golfs even got *****rating from Jeremy Clarkson. but if they continue to breakdown like that and the SCs are not helpful, how to buy one? 🙁
Jeremy Clarkson’s reviews are more entertainment than factual nowadays.
Hi Ken,
Do you have the channel to lodge complain other than the info@volkswagen.com.my ?
1.4 TSI engine completely shut down while cruising, strong juddering, now sitting in dealer compression test for engine failure.
Thanks
Unfortunately, I don’t. Those that I know of experiencing problems just keep making a lot of noise at the dealership and to VGM on a daily basis to get things going
Ok. Thanks..
You still using your MK6?
Actually those victims none concern about the safety at all?
I think not only veemer, the vw after sales of all dealers got the same slow not care attitude
Yes, still using the Mk 6. So far no issues since the last one reported here.
Sadly in most cases, it takes the loss of life before manufacturers perk up and do something more serious. The case in Australia has gained worldwide fame:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-02/coroner-vw-volkswagen-road-accident-melissa-ryan/4859790
I sure hope we don’t have to see deaths before something happens here. As it is, VGM has issued a letter to all affected owners to bring their cars in for their mechatronic to be replaced. When I called Veemer (now known as CNB) guess what? Sorry, I cannot give you an appointment before we don’t have any parts. So why bother issue recall if no parts?
Hi Ken,
Ya I’m aware of the Aussie case.
That’s why we will not compromise our safety for their faulty product.
I think that’s problem when a company channel 99% of their budget for front line sales dept which made them super pro when sales is concern but not after sales…
By now only we regret that we been enjoy superior after sales from other brand which won’t exist in VW workshop…
I need to have the car towed to the closest authorized service center, but since I was far from any SC, any one would suffice. I reached out to a few friends who had experienced the same problem, and I also searched online.