VW quality nose dived since early 90's?

[MJK 24]

There's a few people on here with new VW's and quality issues so what do people think of the build quality these days?

Parents have a 2 year old Passat that seems exceptionally well built (German built). However, we've had a new Passat for 2 weeks as a courtesy car and the quality isn't comparable in any way.

Friend has a new Touran that's literally falling apart.

Another friend has a Mk3 Golf that's comprehensively failed it's MOT on rusty sills and floorpan.

And all the while my C reg Scirocco just keeps on going without fuss or complaint. Doesn't break down, rattle, rust or fail MOT's. No rust (none, anywhere) on a 1986 car is impressive. A Corrado owning friend is suffering a bubbling bonnet on an M reg 8v he's owned from new.

[agent006]

Same with audi, 1996 is about hte last time they made a really well engineered ar.

[MJK 24]

los angeles said:

They are near the bottom of the J.D. Power reliability Survey here in the States. (Checks www.edmunds.com) They are in the company of Mercedes and BMW. The German marques are going through a bad time in their aim to sell a car to every family in every country in the world.

lol at your last sentence!

I think the perceived quality of a new VW may be high from just sitting in it compared to an old one. They just don't seem to have the 'bomb proof' thing going on anymore. Switches operate in a cheaper fashion, interiors look scruffy after a few miles and all the while the fancy damped grab handles and gloveboxes convince the uninitiated that they're in something that's top quality!

[roop]

In 1999 I sold my then 6 year old Fiat Cinquecento (base spec, not even an S or SX)with 101,000 miles on the clock. It had a bunch of stone chips on the front but had no rust on it *anywhere*, it was immaculate thanks to a fully galvanised body (shell and all panels). I replaced it with a 1996 Golf GTI which after just a year of ownership (ie: 4 years old) started to rust. How did VW get away with no galvanisation (bar bonnet and front wings I think) on what was a £14k+ car new when Fiat fully galvanised a £5k car...? Piss take IMO.

Having said that, I am currently selling the CTR to be replaced with an Audi A2.

[zax]

roop said:

In 1999 I sold my then 6 year old Fiat Cinquecento (base spec, not even an S or SX)with 101,000 miles on the clock. It had a bunch of stone chips on the front but had no rust on it *anywhere*, it was immaculate thanks to a fully galvanised body (shell and all panels). I replaced it with a 1996 Golf GTI which after just a year of ownership (ie: 4 years old) started to rust. How did VW get away with no galvanisation (bar bonnet and front wings I think) on what was a £14k+ car new when Fiat fully galvanised a £5k car...? Piss take IMO. Having said that, I am currently selling the CTR to be replaced with an Audi A2.

If I understand correctly the CTR isn't galvanised at all. It's made me think a little more about replacing it as it gets older...

[t0ny99]

los angeles said:

I agre, MJK. I'm not an opponent of plastics in cars - there is good plastic and there is bad plastic. Bakalite was once thought of as cheap and nasty when compared to metals or wood - now its very collectable and expensive too. The manufacturers are, in the main, resorting to poor grades for the parts we can't see. The fault can all be placed at the feet of their most recent chairmen; each made a decision to increase production and profit margins, and the only way to do that was to downgrade quality: cheaper plastics, engine parts, assembly ... cars as fashion accessories. Personally, I think we are on the threshhold of a revolution in car design and materials: we will always demand comfort, of course, but soon we will have cars made of sterner stuff, less complicated, less reliant on hundreds of bits of plastics held together by other bits of plastic, and the odd screw.

I could be a pedant, and point out that Bakelite is not a plastic, but I'll refrain (it's a thermoset). Damn, I did it.

Getting back to the point, jumping in the new Passat my very first impression was that interior materials had been specced to a budget; that it had been built down to a price. Much as I dislike my A4, it feels extremely well put together, as did my old Bora, and both are leagues ahead of the Passat where material selection for the 'contact points' are concerned. First clue? Feel the door cards of the Passat, they're like rejects from '90s Rover 200s, flexible and thin, with a shiny, heavy grain pattern akin to contempory Peugeots. Then again, it's a big lump of car for the money, I suppose you can't cut it both ways.

[jimmyfish]

my aunt has a mk5 golf tdi superb car but its now 9 months old its done 10.000 miles its had 3 front screens an exhaust ,wheel bearing,and a drivers seat

[silverback mike]

I have an H reg passat which is built very well, also, my wifes car is a V reg Bora V5- which seems equally as good.

However, I was poking around the new passat at the nearest dealer yesterday and must admit it felt very cheap inside. But the new golf gti didn't I can honestly say my H reg passat felt stronger. Obviously it wasn't, but just felt that way.

[DennisTheMenace]

jimmyfish said:

my aunt has a mk5 golf tdi superb car but its now 9 months old its done 10.000 miles its had 3 front screens an exhaust ,wheel bearing,and a drivers seat

Now compare that to my company hack a ford focus its done 30k in 9 months of hard driving ,not just motorways and its had tyres and thats it still feels as solid as the day i got it . VW Audi are living off the old image they make solid dependable cars and nowadays that is not the case , stack the new focus up against the golf and its better built and feels more solid .