Too embarased to get my car fixed..

[StottyEvo]

Allyc85 said:

Well I seem to have blown the exhaust off of the turbo...

Could explain your boost issue

[Greg_D]

I know it's a wild stereotype, but it was also true that i had an open appointment with my local alfa dealer every friday to get whatever had fallen off/failed over the week repaired (GTV v6)

it was a total lemon of a car, but the company car lease company were picking up the bill so i didn't care as the dealership wasn't very far from my house (got very used to the breadvan demo) it ended up north of £18k over 9 months in repairs...

It never missed an appointment

And they weren't embarrassed that it was necessary, so no, keep chucking it at them and make them fix it.

My xc60 is also about to get it's 4th gearbox in 60k as well (made of chocolate and any significant towing seems to finish them off) so it isn't just alfas that are useless

[Allyc85]

StottyEvo said:

Could explain your boost issue

The noise was bloody epic! Stupidly loud with loads of turbo whistle and backfires! It was also the sound of my bank account being emptied again!

I'm in a mk1 Ford Ka for the next couple days, just a tad different to a Golf Gti!

[FredClogs]

I thought this was about doing a stty DIY job and having to go to a mechanic and explain what you did and that you're a dick and can he please fix it.

It isn't so I'm keeping schtum.

[Mr2Mike]

renrut said:

Isn't Teutonic reliability a bit like hens teeth?

It's a bit like having a "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury"; an oxymoron.

[surveyor]

My first company car was a 1.8 Laguna II - new in 2001. It was actually a lovely car, but was a bit of a nightmare.

6 weeks old recovered due to bust power steering
Next service - held overnight due to needing a new power steering hose (particularly annoying as the dealer just washed his hands of the fact that I needed the bloody thing to go home...). After I had managed to get a car from them for the night, they then called to tell me the wrong hose had turned up - quickly followed by a we do have a car for you....
Power steering fluid still fluctuated in level... Eventually solved by a new reservoir
I left for a while and was given the car when I came back.
Fuel economy had dropped in the mean time.
Service - nothing wrong.
booked it back in - nothing wrong.
booked it back in - air filter knackered. economy fixed.

Life went on. at one point the Fleet Managers took it back, and ran it for a while. It spend two weeks at the dealers having all sorts of stuff done, including gearbox.

I counted 18 visits to dealers.

I left the firm. The parting shot being someone scraping it on the final day outside the office.

[Flooble]

SuperchargedVR6 said:

And for balance, in the 2 years I've had my 2007 MK5 GTI:

1 x Passenger mirror indicator lense / bulb (£22)
1 x Snapped rear spring (£50 and an hour of my time)
1 x Rusty wing replaced FOC

OMG, what a turd. I really must sell it immediately before it's plague rubs off onto me.

Well compared with a 2005 Nissan I have as a spare for tip runs and the like you are ahead of me by a bulb, spring and wing. The last two years it has needed ... petrol. I did change the oil and filters last year too.

At least you got the wing replaced free though so customer service isn't dead.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Allyc85 said:

Has anyone been so frustrated/embarrassed to get their car fixed because it's been in the garage so many times in 6 months? My Golf has been in 3 times for a clutch issue (Was the master cylinder) a full service, tyres then it's Mot and now it has what seems like a boost/wastegate issue and I really can't face going back again already..

My sister never seems bothered when bits fall off her Fiat, although she does alternate between me or the AA to recover her, last nights job was a stuck in starter motor causing a rattle & burning smell, then wouldn't start, also found that the exhaust had fallen off and there was hardly any oil in the engine!

Garage will be happy for the work assuming you're a good payer and don't own a car that's impossible to work on?!


ETA: I also owned a brand new Vauxhall Vectra for 6 months that spent 5 and a 1/2 of those months at Vauxhall, I think I totted up 15 AA recoveries under the Vauxhall Assistance and had a selection of Enterprise rentals to abuse drive. After it's fourth driveshaft they swapped the gearbox but left the subframe bolts loose, which lead to me having the service manager checking every single bolt under the car with me, in his suit! Think he was far more embarrassed than I was!!!

Edited by Petrolhead_Rich on Tuesday 28th June 21:07

[405dogvan]

I'm not sure about embarrased, but as someone who made 24 visits to (6 different) Honda dealers in 18 months, I can tell you I was fking sick and tired of it (esp as I wasn't given a replacement car for most of them)

I think this might be a bad habit tho - people put-off maintenance and then things go boom and bills go sky-high - so think of the free coffee (and if there's none, change dealers) and get in there!

[Monkeylegend]

405dogvan said:

I'm not sure about embarrased, but as someone who made 24 visits to (6 different) Honda dealers in 18 months, I can tell you I was fking sick and tired of it (esp as I wasn't given a replacement car for most of them)

I think this might be a bad habit tho - people put-off maintenance and then things go boom and bills go sky-high - so think of the free coffee (and if there's none, change dealers) and get in there!

Especially as you have a Peugeot.

[Allyc85]

One new exhaust downpipe ordered, car should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. Then it will be up for sale..

[stanglish]

Have you thought about trying a lease? How much has the car cost you since you have owned it?

[405dogvan]

Monkeylegend said:

Especially as you have a Peugeot.

My 'dealer' now is in an old farmyard full of interesting cars - no coffee but low costs due to donor cars everywhere - always wear wellies and be prepared to get dirty to save even more ;0

[Ciaranrb5]

I have had 5 VW's
Mk2 16v need a new distributor in 12 months
Mk3 VR6 a new exhaust and new ball joints owned 3 years
Mk5 golf gti new brakes and 2 coil packs owned 3 years
Mk5 gt tdi a spring owned 3 years
Now own mk7 Passat tdi owned since new 3 years no issues

This is why I like VW's. Some well a lot must just be unlucky.

I would buy another and reccomend to anybody,

[BuzzBravado]

Ciaranrb5 said:

I have had 5 VW's
Mk2 16v need a new distributor in 12 months
Mk3 VR6 a new exhaust and new ball joints owned 3 years
Mk5 golf gti new brakes and 2 coil packs owned 3 years
Mk5 gt tdi a spring owned 3 years
Now own mk7 Passat tdi owned since new 3 years no issues

This is why I like VW's. Some well a lot must just be unlucky.

I would buy another and reccomend to anybody,

yeah, sounds like you were onto a winner there.

[Allyc85]

stanglish said:

Have you thought about trying a lease? How much has the car cost you since you have owned it?

Well it had a new turbo last June, which was £900 and with all it's other issues and servicing/tyres it's up to £2300 for the year....I've owned it for 2.

[Flooble]

BuzzBravado said:

Ciaranrb5 said:

I have had 5 VW's
Mk2 16v need a new distributor in 12 months
Mk3 VR6 a new exhaust and new ball joints owned 3 years
Mk5 golf gti new brakes and 2 coil packs owned 3 years
Mk5 gt tdi a spring owned 3 years
Now own mk7 Passat tdi owned since new 3 years no issues

This is why I like VW's. Some well a lot must just be unlucky.

I would buy another and reccomend to anybody,

yeah, sounds like you were onto a winner there.

Be fair, in 12 years he has only had to have Distributor, Exhaust, Ball Joints, Coil Packs, Coil packs and a spring. That's only one breakdown every two years.

[anonymous-user]

I have owned two Audis, a 1997 A6 1.8T and a 2003 A4 1.8T Cabriolet. In 23 years of mostly driving cheap sheds these are the only two which have had any serious issues. They both eventually had engine troubles and once the problems start my advice is to get shot as it will be problem after problem. They are horrible to work on and once you get past the nice interior and sort touch dash they are poorly made and poorly thought out with regards to taking the thing to pieces.

Going back to the topic of this thread, my ex wife owned a brand new Fiat Punto and that ended up having 4 clutches fitted due to judder until I couldn't face getting it "fixed" again. The cycle was clutch would judder, report it to the dealer and they would book it in for a replacement. Replacement would be fine for a few months and then slowly but surely it would judder again. In the end I just drove around the judder and ended up selling the hateful piece of crap.

[Allyc85]

Adjusted the steering wheel height at the traffic lights and now the airbag light is permanently on. Someone shoot me..

[Poisson96]

Unleaded, match and retreat