GTI Build Dates - Anyone got one yet?

[mcmaddy]

Couple of you tube clips show that engines and shocks aren't fitted by hand. why would a pp build be any different for engine and shocks? it's been said over and over on here and by countless dealers that in general car built on a Monday is sat at dockside waiting for a boat by the latest Friday of the same week. I can't see them half building one for gryzor and then realising something's holding them up. more VW rhetoric to wind us all up 

[Jimble]

Source? I don't think I've mentioned anything that isn't well known already?

I didn't know GTI/D's were made on a different line? And i also didn't know the PP car had the shocks fitted by hand.

[DorsetDave]

Should be the day when my build date is confirmed. All I've got is this:-

"Thank you for visiting our vehicle delivery tracker. We are making some improvements to the content you see at each stage, so the vehicle delivery tracker is currently unavailable.

Please check back in a few days. We apologise for any inconvenience."

 

[monkeyhanger]

I think some people think their GTI/GTD is a Ferrari. A top end Transit Tourneo has just as complex a build as a Golf, the end result might not be quite a pleasure to drive, but no less complex - especially when you factor into the equation custom fleet builds that differ from main spec because BT, Dynorod, British Gas etc require a non standard interior like tooling racks etc.

Their list of optional extras are no less complex than VWs offerings - eco tech, quick clear windscreens (as standard on the bottom spec!), rain/light sensors, complex entertainment satnav...the list goes on. You can even specify your tyres, such as Goodyear mud and snow, Goodyear allweather, Continental allweather, 3 brands of summer tyres etc.

How much manual intervention do you think a GTI gets over a standard Golf? It's not a hand-built Bentley, but all Golfs will have some manual fitment, there are some tasks that robots will struggle to do from a limitation of access - most of the internals will be manually fitted with air tools on all Golfs.  Almost everything you can fit (or that is standard fit) to a GTI/GTD is speccable on a lesser Golf, from a tooling point of view there is nothing uniquely required for the GTI/GTD. Different grilles and trim are screwed on the same way as lesser models, using the same fixing points, as are the "unique" seats, steering wheels and gearsticks.

I used that as an example as I used to work at the Ford Transit plant and saw all of the processes in detail, modifying lines to accomodate more efficient layouts for the workers, new robots etc. All car plants are complex because their product is complex - just down the road from me is Sunderland Nissan, the most efficient car plant in the world, a centre of excellence in the automotive industry.

Are GTI/GTD really built on a different line to the other models? Haven't seen anything to indicate this, and from a production point of view it would be massively inefficient for such a low volume model variant which shares probably 95% of it's components with a GT to have it's own line.

[matchboy]

They're not built on a different line GtG.  That doesn't make sense whatsoever.  Its just more VW BS.

I think we all need to accept that anyone who has a BW32 and onwards is looking at yet another delay, at least a week possibly two.  Brilliant service for a £30k car.

[Bill_the_Bear]

I didn't know GTI/D's were made on a different line?

Yeah I thought they were on the same "line".  I had heard that the sunroof is on a separate line.  I think we're really talking about branches of one mega line though.

[matchboy]

I couldn't resist calling VW Customer Services.  They confirm that I still have a BW of 33 ie. Monday.  He said it will not change once its given a slot.  Now given others experiences I'm not going to jump up and down with joy just yet, however this does show that if there are any delays because of a build up of cars not built in BW32 this hasn't shown up on VW UK's systems as of today.

[ChrisJL]

I couldn't resist calling VW Customer Services.  They confirm that I still have a BW of 33 ie. Monday.  He said it will not change once its given a slot.  Now given others experiences I'm not going to jump up and down with joy just yet, however this does show that if there are any delays because of a build up of cars not built in BW32 this hasn't shown up on VW UK's systems as of today.

Good to hear this from my perspective as I'm a 33'er as well!
Could be like you say that perhaps the problem just isn't reflected at their end yet.

However that line "it will NOT change once its given a slot". That makes me wonder if, say a car is delayed for some reason and its build is partially complete, that makes me wonder if that car then isn't just continued as soon as possible, but rather it has to wait until the next available free "slot" so other orders arent impacted.

Possible theory I guess, but then if your that unlucky person, and your part comes in the next day, you then have to wait until the next free assigned slot!? I know I'd want it doing the moment whatever was the issue was resolved, not wait yet again for the next free slot...

[matchboy]

Yes, if you've been the one delayed you'd want the next batch pushed back to fit yours in; alternatively if you're in the next batch you don't want to be pushed back!

Fingers crossed it will sort itself out and everyone will get their cars built in the week they've been confirmed; the wait is long enough without adding a factory delay into the equation!

[tommygund]

Finally moved to build week confirmed! AT LAST!