Phabulous Phaeton (hopefully)
Discussion
Well I’m 6 months and approx 6k miles in now. Car on 69k miles.
A list of issues and resolutions would make for an interesting read but unfortunately I’ve no probs to report.
So no Bork bills yet!
I have had a mild remap which has improved step off and of course acceleration and maybe mpg a bit. Long term ave 31.5 mpg.
Does change gear more now though,I guess a result of a keener throttle response which I’m now adjusting to.
Have to say the 4wd was handy in a muddy field on bonfire night. Loads of wheel spinning cars trying to get up a wet hill whilst the 21” wheel shod tank just cruised up. Bodes well for winter although I would like some better tyres on.
Speaking of winter. The heated seats are the best I’ve had. So quick to get warm/hot. Brilliant. As is the heated steering wheel which I always thought was a limp option but appreciate now I’m old lol.
In fact the whole HVAC system seems very good, as publicised at launch,dealing with various conditions easily.
So all good up to now and hopefully will continue to be so through the coming winter.
Just to add. The car is not really an eye catcher. However I have had a few comments particularly when clean.
A list of issues and resolutions would make for an interesting read but unfortunately I’ve no probs to report.
So no Bork bills yet!
I have had a mild remap which has improved step off and of course acceleration and maybe mpg a bit. Long term ave 31.5 mpg.
Does change gear more now though,I guess a result of a keener throttle response which I’m now adjusting to.
Have to say the 4wd was handy in a muddy field on bonfire night. Loads of wheel spinning cars trying to get up a wet hill whilst the 21” wheel shod tank just cruised up. Bodes well for winter although I would like some better tyres on.
Speaking of winter. The heated seats are the best I’ve had. So quick to get warm/hot. Brilliant. As is the heated steering wheel which I always thought was a limp option but appreciate now I’m old lol.
In fact the whole HVAC system seems very good, as publicised at launch,dealing with various conditions easily.
So all good up to now and hopefully will continue to be so through the coming winter.
Just to add. The car is not really an eye catcher. However I have had a few comments particularly when clean.
TyrannosauRoss Lex said:
milu said:
Lovely car, but in my opinion those wheels look s
t on it. As long as you enjoy it that's the main thing I guess.Good job I’m not a young snowflake.
I do like them but am willing to admit that the 10 spoke or whatever they are alternative Bentley wheels may look better.
bolidemichael said:
I should add that the size being relative to the body make them seem out of proportion to me. My opinion isn't a valuable as yours, in this regard, as your motor is your satisfaction. However, this being a forum and all, the pictures invite comment and with comment comes opinion.
Yeah I’m up for comments. It’s all part of the fun. I’ve always been a wheel tart.
It’s a big car actually so in the flesh they don’t look big really
In fact most guess at 20”
I think some 911 Porsche are running 21” now!!
Bit of an update. Has it bankrupted me yet?
Gladly not!
8k miles since purchasing and all good.
Before Christmas I had an ‘Exhaust Workshop!’ message come up. Wouldn’t stay cleared so I had it plugged in. Seems an exhaust temp sensor had failed.
Well finally got it in my favourite garage this week for a minor service.
Good and bad news. The wires to the sensor had been chewed by our local friendly mice so car not to blame. However next autumn means even more vigilance required on the anti rodent front!
Sensor out of stock at VW so mechanic repaired for now.
The previously mentioned oil sweating on engine and diff may be sorted too. The rear diff drain plug seemed to be at fault so that’s been replaced.
And weirdly it seems my oil filler cap on engine wasn’t sealing very well either resulting in a leak that was running down the engine and looking like something else. So hopefully the new cap will sort that too.
All in all happy days.
Gladly not!
8k miles since purchasing and all good.
Before Christmas I had an ‘Exhaust Workshop!’ message come up. Wouldn’t stay cleared so I had it plugged in. Seems an exhaust temp sensor had failed.
Well finally got it in my favourite garage this week for a minor service.
Good and bad news. The wires to the sensor had been chewed by our local friendly mice so car not to blame. However next autumn means even more vigilance required on the anti rodent front!
Sensor out of stock at VW so mechanic repaired for now.
The previously mentioned oil sweating on engine and diff may be sorted too. The rear diff drain plug seemed to be at fault so that’s been replaced.
And weirdly it seems my oil filler cap on engine wasn’t sealing very well either resulting in a leak that was running down the engine and looking like something else. So hopefully the new cap will sort that too.
All in all happy days.
QBee said:
I have had similar rodent problems.
I have found that simple and cheap ultrasonic rodent scarers do the job.
Just needs a mains power socket to plug into and then they an be placed inside/outside the car.
There are plenty of choices on Amazon or EBay
Yep I have one in my garage plus traps etcI have found that simple and cheap ultrasonic rodent scarers do the job.
Just needs a mains power socket to plug into and then they an be placed inside/outside the car.
There are plenty of choices on Amazon or EBay
Then outside in the Phaeton I have a battery powered one under the bonnet.
Seems the warm exhaust was too attractive though. Mechanic found a small bait box on the undertray!
Update:
Just shy of 12 months ownership now, with today being MOT day.
Straight pass with a verbal mention of front brake pads required soon.
So 10,100 miles in my time and no break downs or major repairs. Just the few bits already mentioned.
29.6 long term average mpg. I’m ok with this but a bit more would have been nice. Some owners seem to get better motorway mpg than I can manage (35 ish) so maybe overall average would be better too. I don’t suppose the gangsta wheels help lol
Just about to insure for another year. Coming in at circa £300 with just 2 yrs ncb on this policy but I am old!
It’s a pity the VED is in the £600 bracket, otherwise this car has been a reasonably inexpensive daily driver.
Hopefully I’ll get more use without any issues therefore dispelling the idea that these cars are problematic
Just shy of 12 months ownership now, with today being MOT day.
Straight pass with a verbal mention of front brake pads required soon.
So 10,100 miles in my time and no break downs or major repairs. Just the few bits already mentioned.
29.6 long term average mpg. I’m ok with this but a bit more would have been nice. Some owners seem to get better motorway mpg than I can manage (35 ish) so maybe overall average would be better too. I don’t suppose the gangsta wheels help lol
Just about to insure for another year. Coming in at circa £300 with just 2 yrs ncb on this policy but I am old!
It’s a pity the VED is in the £600 bracket, otherwise this car has been a reasonably inexpensive daily driver.
Hopefully I’ll get more use without any issues therefore dispelling the idea that these cars are problematic
Another minor service
I’ve sort of settled on 6k oil changes. Will see how I get on with that. Might be over kill.
Everything nice and dry underneath so previously mentioned bits are sorted.
However the front pads and discs were ready so they’ve been done. Around £220 for parts. Could well have been original discs since now on 75k miles.
A bit of a faff with some drop links too. They were flagged up last time and are slowly failing.
Throughout the day today my mechanic had SIX different sets delivered by various motor factors. All had bolt holes approximately 2mm too small.
So maybe dealer or TPS to get the right ones. Ran out of time today.
The front tyres are wearing too quickly on the inner edges because I’ve lowered and there is no camber adjustment.
I’ve considered Powerflex adjustable bushes but am a bit concerned about squeaks from these if I fit. Would appreciate feedback if anyone has experience. Otherwise it’s either lift the car a bit or stump up for tyres. I can of course just drive it in the higher suspension mode which may be the answer when commuting etc
Overall still a good buy so far
I’ve sort of settled on 6k oil changes. Will see how I get on with that. Might be over kill.
Everything nice and dry underneath so previously mentioned bits are sorted.
However the front pads and discs were ready so they’ve been done. Around £220 for parts. Could well have been original discs since now on 75k miles.
A bit of a faff with some drop links too. They were flagged up last time and are slowly failing.
Throughout the day today my mechanic had SIX different sets delivered by various motor factors. All had bolt holes approximately 2mm too small.
So maybe dealer or TPS to get the right ones. Ran out of time today.
The front tyres are wearing too quickly on the inner edges because I’ve lowered and there is no camber adjustment.
I’ve considered Powerflex adjustable bushes but am a bit concerned about squeaks from these if I fit. Would appreciate feedback if anyone has experience. Otherwise it’s either lift the car a bit or stump up for tyres. I can of course just drive it in the higher suspension mode which may be the answer when commuting etc
Overall still a good buy so far
Bit of an update. Not done quite so many miles in it recently. Up to 78k now
Still nothing major gone wrong
I seem to have a slightly clogged washer bottle, it’s very slow on screen but fine on headlights. A clean out probably required.
A big improvement in tyre wear this period. Primarily because I have increased the tyre pressure to around 42psi. Kind of full load pressure. This seems to have stopped the inner edges going along with damage to inner sidewalls.
I’ve never had a car that is so hard on tyres if they’re not up to the job/properly inflated. Over the years I have generally run my tyres a bit under because I prefer it. However it’s not an option on this car. No problem now I know.
So no big spending on the big VW up to now.
See what the winter brings
Still nothing major gone wrong
I seem to have a slightly clogged washer bottle, it’s very slow on screen but fine on headlights. A clean out probably required.
A big improvement in tyre wear this period. Primarily because I have increased the tyre pressure to around 42psi. Kind of full load pressure. This seems to have stopped the inner edges going along with damage to inner sidewalls.
I’ve never had a car that is so hard on tyres if they’re not up to the job/properly inflated. Over the years I have generally run my tyres a bit under because I prefer it. However it’s not an option on this car. No problem now I know.
So no big spending on the big VW up to now.
See what the winter brings
Couple of smallish jobs
Thought I’d get ahead of the game with PAS pipe as mentioned at the beginning of the thread
Have it sorted before it pops
Also had a leak in the windscreen washer pipe somewhere so losing all the fluid
PAS pipe was easily sorted. A good clean up and check, then rust proofing etc seemed sufficient
However whilst the car was up in the air my mechanic had a poke round various other pipes(I was present)whereupon a rub along a metal coolant pipe caused an immediate leak!
It runs just above the under tray and obviously gets wet. It wasn’t particularly corroded but had a few spots, one of which went straight through. Lucky it hadn’t gone while I was out and about I reckon.
Anyway the pipe was available from VW. Came next day,£115 + vat so not too bad.
As for the washer pipe. Having removed various bits inside the wing to gain good access a dead furry friend was discovered near the air box so its getting the blame for the split washer pipe. Little gits!
So the Phaeton continues to be relatively trouble free. Tyres are still behaving now they’re well inflated. And the benefits of 4wd are appreciated in the winter months.
Thought I’d get ahead of the game with PAS pipe as mentioned at the beginning of the thread
Have it sorted before it pops
Also had a leak in the windscreen washer pipe somewhere so losing all the fluid
PAS pipe was easily sorted. A good clean up and check, then rust proofing etc seemed sufficient
However whilst the car was up in the air my mechanic had a poke round various other pipes(I was present)whereupon a rub along a metal coolant pipe caused an immediate leak!
It runs just above the under tray and obviously gets wet. It wasn’t particularly corroded but had a few spots, one of which went straight through. Lucky it hadn’t gone while I was out and about I reckon.
Anyway the pipe was available from VW. Came next day,£115 + vat so not too bad.
As for the washer pipe. Having removed various bits inside the wing to gain good access a dead furry friend was discovered near the air box so its getting the blame for the split washer pipe. Little gits!
So the Phaeton continues to be relatively trouble free. Tyres are still behaving now they’re well inflated. And the benefits of 4wd are appreciated in the winter months.
No. The mice thing can be a pain.
Strangely they don’t seem to go near my van which is parked next to the car.
I guess I pull up in the evening and the lovely cosy engine is too much for the odd mouse to resist.
My Aston in the garage has been fine up to now. There has been the odd mouse in there but usually gets caught by the traps.
Thing is, how can I go about stopping or catching them outside on the drive? Yes I can poison but that’s not an instant fix of course.
All part of the game I guess
Strangely they don’t seem to go near my van which is parked next to the car.
I guess I pull up in the evening and the lovely cosy engine is too much for the odd mouse to resist.
My Aston in the garage has been fine up to now. There has been the odd mouse in there but usually gets caught by the traps.
Thing is, how can I go about stopping or catching them outside on the drive? Yes I can poison but that’s not an instant fix of course.
All part of the game I guess
Sold now
Had it 2 years and 20k miles. Pretty much trouble free.
Had a coolant pipe replaced and had regular services including front brakes.
Occasionally I had an Exhaust! message on screen which relates to an errant signal from the swirl flap control. Would reset itself and didn’t drive any differently.
Sad to see it go. Especially since a Vauxhall insignia tourer is its replacement. To be fair to the VX,it’s a nice low mileage car and ideal for my current needs but is not in the same ‘quality’ league as the Phaeton. Will see if it’s actually cheaper to run( fuel aside)
Had it 2 years and 20k miles. Pretty much trouble free.
Had a coolant pipe replaced and had regular services including front brakes.
Occasionally I had an Exhaust! message on screen which relates to an errant signal from the swirl flap control. Would reset itself and didn’t drive any differently.
Sad to see it go. Especially since a Vauxhall insignia tourer is its replacement. To be fair to the VX,it’s a nice low mileage car and ideal for my current needs but is not in the same ‘quality’ league as the Phaeton. Will see if it’s actually cheaper to run( fuel aside)
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