Car woes – do they all explode when the warranty expires?

Sorry, bit of a rant, my 3.5 year VW Touran is about to have cost me £ 2200 in abnormal repairs since it went out of warranty 6 months ago, new air bag ECU (the original filled up with water due to poor placement), cam belt sensor and a sensor on the exhaust both failed, that all cost me £1k and now it needs a new steering rack because a sensor has failed on the steering assist motor (which seems to be a common problem), another £1200 and I know that’s discounted from the dealer. It had 4 out of six services with main dealers but VW don’t want to know, I’ve spoken to them and local dealer (whose been fairly helpful) has also tried.

Apparently there’s also a really common fault on the ABS/EPS system as well which requires a new ABS pump at £1500 which we’ve not fallen foul of yet but seems very common.

After getting absolutely hammered with the previous cars (2 Renaults) I’m feeling rather kicked in the nuts by European car manufacturers.

I’m really hacked off, really like the car, ticks all the boxes for what we need, just can’t afford to keep forking out a grand every three months to keep it on the road.

Seriously, honestly, it sounds like a fair candidate for “not fit for purpose” to me.

I’ve had (An liked) many VWs in the past, but I simply wouldn’t go near any VAG product at all any more…

I think youve got to be more savvy these days owning a car out of warranty.

Dont use a main dealer for the fix work, take it to a specialist.

Be paranoid about what they tell you is wrong, and what itll cost.do your own research on parts prices etc.

Learn how cars work in more detail, so you know if youre being bent over.

If you dont undrrstand something the garage tell you ask questions until you do understand, take it elsewhere if it sounds like bull.

Take out an extended warranty, either manufacturer or 3rd party.

Be prepared to let things that dont stop the car from working as a car stay broken.

I had a Peugeot a few years ago; ran out of Manufacturer’s Warranty on the Saturday, and the Greabox failed on the Monday…

After a few heated exchanges with Peugeot, they agreed to pay for 80% of the parts costs (i forget how much now…). Needless to day, i got rid of it pretty quickly after that, and got a VW instead.

I’ve just changed the VW (9 years old) for a Skoda, as it was starting to cost too much money. Within the space of a year it needed a new Cat, new Brakes, new Shocks/springs, CV Boots… No individual part was a major issue (except the Cat), but together they added upto more than the car was worth.

I had a Peugeot a few years ago; ran out of Manufacturer’s Warranty on the Saturday, and the Greabox failed on the Monday…

Peugeot are a nightmare. My 308 was under warranty with full dealer service history and they refused to repair engine oil leaks as, according to them, it was meant to be like that.
After a bit of an argument they agreed to fix it. The repair involved huge amounts of silicone applied to anything that looked like it might possibly be the cause of the leak!
When I questioned the quality of the repair the dealers basically told me ‘tough luck’
Needless to say there was a very heated discussion with their useless customer service team followed by letters threatening court then they changed their minds and agreed with me that their repair was shocking!

I’ll not be buying another Peugeot and can’t be bothered with newer cars anymore so I’ll stick to stuff I can repair myself.

Get either one of this Skoda, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi or Mazda.

It had 4 out of six services with main dealers but VW don’t want to know, I’ve spoken to them and local dealer (whose been fairly helpful) has also tried.

Most manufacturers have a Goodwill budget that they give the dealers access to, but if you ain’t got a Full Service History with a Dealer then you can kiss goodbye to any assistance.

My old Land rover was on it’s second Gearbox 🙁

The **cking things was only built in 1971

OP

1. Don’t use the main dealer. Plenty of clued up VAG specialists around.
2. There is a repair kit for the ABS pump problem. A new pump/modulator is not required.
3. Post your location and I may be able to point you to a competent independent.

Hth
Marko