GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk5 => Topic started by: Pete Smith on 15 April 2008, 18:56
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Hi,
New to the forum. Hope to stick around. Let me tell you about my first experience of VW.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2353/2388511380_00b8a5f6ef.jpg)
Purchased a Golf GT Sport (4 months old, 1.1k on the clock) about three weeks ago from the local Ford garage (it was taken as a trade in from an old women who could get used to the power, and I got it dirt cheap. When I bought it, I looked all over and checked just the front tyres (on a fwd with 1.1k on the clock.. I guess thats all you would do).
The other weekend, I washed it and found the rear tyres to have some seriously illegal uneven tyre wear. The inner edges of both rear tyres are bald.
I took it straight to Ford, who got it on the ramps and suspected that the rear camber is out. (I heard this is a common problem). They sugested I took it to VW so they could have a look at it. I asked Ford if they had changed the tyres at all (and no they haven't) I also checked the locking wheel nut key, and that also looks brand new and unused.
Well, VW weren't much use at all. The fact that a brand new car has major major tyre wear doesn't matter to them. I would have to foot the bill for wheel alignment check and if they where out, VW would pay for the allignment check and help to put money towards tyres. But surely it is a manufacturing defect? How can camber be out on both wheels after 4 months of driving 1.1k miles..
So back to Ford I go. Ford are phoning VW customer services in the morning for me.
I can see this been a right pain in the ******* ****.
Anyone else had a similar experience?
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VW won't care mate, they never sold you the car so couldnt care less I would reckon!
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Hi Pete
Welcome to the forum, firstly.
I personally would take this to another VW dealer if you aren't getting anywhere, its still under warrenty and as such VW have a duty of care to deal with this under its warrenty. The rears are adjustable so possibly a decent alignment could sort this issue out, you should even push for replacement tyres (I would).
Let us know how you get on.
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Welcome to the forum Pete :cool:
I've not heard of this being a common issue. IMO it is rare.
I have a few suspiscions based on your initial post
1. The old lady who sold it couldn't get used to the extra power - this smacks of a possible accident - have you checked the car through - inside the boot well is a good place to look.
2. You say the wheels and bolts look as if they haven't been touched. - again this could be the case if one or both were replaced after an accident - say hitting a pavement.
3. Got it dirt cheap - again it sounds a little too good to be true.
I hope I'm on the wrong track, but you do need to check if you haven't already :nerd:
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Welcome to the forum Pete :cool:
I've not heard of this being a common issue. IMO it is rare.
I have a few suspiscions based on your initial post
1. The old lady who sold it couldn't get used to the extra power - this smacks of a possible accident - have you checked the car through - inside the boot well is a good place to look.
2. You say the wheels and bolts look as if they haven't been touched. - again this could be the case if one or both were replaced after an accident - say hitting a pavement.
3. Got it dirt cheap - again it sounds a little too good to be true.
I hope I'm on the wrong track, but you do need to check if you haven't already :nerd:
First thing I checked was damage around the spare wheel floor. The wheels are clean - but got tar on them, they do look 1.4k old. Car was cheap as the garage where selling it back to VW finance the next day. I jumped in and bought it at the price they paid for trade in (+£300). It was quite legitimate.
The car felt right, the paint is factory, and the car is otherwise immaculate.
I know what you're saying, but I don't think this is the case! (Hopefully)
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Have heard of uneven rear tyre wear due to dodgy bearings.
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But surely not after 1.4K? Seems to be quiet on the road too (non of the grinding bearing noises).
I'm lost as what it could be apart from ill setup camber.
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ok , heres my 2p
It is possible for the tyres to be that bald if the camber is that bad
However , I cant see how a car would leave VW that badly misaligned.
So either
1: It did leave VW that way
Long shot but are the suspension delivery blocks still in?
Does the car handle OK , because if the rear camber is that bad , you should be able to get oversteer VERY easily and downright dangerous in the wet.
If not then maye its not out at all
2: It didnt and the wheels are off another car.
Check for susp blocks first , then Id get it into an alignment place for a check for your sanity.
If it IS the camber then Id be looking for something missed as its on both sides!
Are you sure the mileage is genuine? I would also attempt to contact the previous owner with an open ended 'How did you find the car question?' and see what they say.
thats quite a lot of miles for only 4 months for an old lady?
hth
JohnO
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I'm certain the mileage is genuine. The car smells brand new, the front tyres are brand new, the rest of the car is completely spotless with no stone chips, marks etc. The engine bay looks brand new, I can just tell that the miles are genuine if you understand me.
Where would the the suspension blocks be? As I wouldn't say that it handled great - but my old car was a go kart Fiesta Zetec s, so thought it was just the trade off of having a bigger car.
Thanks for the help anyway! Much much much appreciated.
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I'm certain the mileage is genuine. The car smells brand new, the front tyres are brand new, the rest of the car is completely spotless with no stone chips, marks etc. The engine bay looks brand new, I can just tell that the miles are genuine if you understand me.
Where would the the suspension blocks be? As I wouldn't say that it handled great - but my old car was a go kart Fiesta Zetec s, so thought it was just the trade off of having a bigger car.
Thanks for the help anyway! Much much much appreciated.
Youll see them quite clearly if you peer in to the wheel arches at the suspension.
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I'll have a look later, thanks again.
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Hi
Are you saying this has done only 1400 miles? and the rears are shot?
I had the GT 170 when they first came out, did 18k in 12 months and had the fronts replaced twice.
I did have a problem to start with in so much as it felt wrong at the rear going round islands, turned out to be a tyre fitted the wrong way round from new, so they turned the tyre round but damaged the rim, on getting the car back I inspected the replacement rim only to see that it was tanished, they'd just swapped it off the demo! I never used that dealer again!
Anyway I can see the rear setup wearing a tyre out in 1400 miles when it took 7k to wreck the fronts on mine. the rears where never changed and they looked only about half worn after 18k.
Sorry to say this but in my mind there is something wrong somewhere and my best guess would be your dealer isn't telling you the truth!
If they thought it was going back to the finance company then i would say they had another used car in stock which needed front tyres and yours was the donor!
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I asked the Ford garage I bought it from, and they said they hadn't swapped it. Almost laughed at me, saying that it is just something that they wouldn't do as it wasn't cost effective to them.
Ford will pay for allignment they said, so if they had just swapped over the tyres, then they wouldn't volunter to pay for that I guess.
I'll get to the bottom of this.
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I asked the Ford garage I bought it from, and they said they hadn't swapped it. Almost laughed at me, saying that it is just something that they wouldn't do as it wasn't cost effective to them.
OK so the ford dealer makes a sell on a used car, the customer wants it this afternoon or something like that, while being preped for delivery, they find it needs front tyres but they can get them or they want to retain a bit more profit, any how they now have to disappoint the customer or find the solution, wait a minute says the sales manager I've got that golf that going back to the finance company, nick them off that. Cost to him an hours labour max at an internal rate at that. Remember they are paid base on the profit they make and you'd be surprised by the lenghts some people will go to for a little extra profit
Just my thoughts based on my experience running a dealership ;)
Hope you get to the bottom of this problem and start enjoy a fab car :)
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Cost to him an hours labour max at an internal rate at that. Remember they are paid base on the
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Make that about 20 mins. I can change all 4 tyres without a ramp or air tools in less than an hour. If the style of alloys was the same then it woulddnt take that!! Just swap the wheels over.
Also, in my opinion, the rears would have to be a million miles out to scrub both down to the canvas and i cant imagine you woulddnt have noticed.....
I think that you should get a 3rd party (AA perhaps) to do a vehicle check to make sure all is OK. If the car is dodgy it will save you money in the long run, if its OK then you have piece of mind
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Surely these have been hasty replacements for another customer...or indeed someone in the garage! Things get swapped around ALL the time in garages, cars with things such as roof racks, bottle openers...good unmarked alloys...etc all get changed.
Prolly some sckuzzy grease monkey on minimum wage in the garage or one of the sleazy suits in sales taking the car out at weekends and got the tyres swapped with a mates..
Seriously this kind of corporate robbing goes on all the time...how many of you lovely people have some post it notes from work on your desk top now...or a pen...or like me are typing this on the company time!! :)
Get the car checked out though, NO WAY it should run through a set of rears in that time!
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"sleazy suits in sales" fits them perfectly methinks....!
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I hope VW_Sales doesnt see that :shocked: :lipsrsealed:
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(http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/5602/16042008389copyhd2.jpg)
Camber out? Or am I looking too much into it?
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I hope VW_Sales doesnt see that :shocked: :lipsrsealed:
He's excluded from the comment ! :shocked:
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(http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/5602/16042008389copyhd2.jpg)
Camber out? Or am I looking too much into it?
NOPE not from where i'm standing ;)
Looks fine and really camber is not going to scrub them out, not in 1400 miles any how.
Example: I used to run a mini(Yer yer) with -4.5 camber on the front and that only mis shaped the tyre.
Hi
Are you saying this has done only 1400 miles? and the rears are shot?
I had the GT 170 when they first came out, did 18k in 12 months and had the fronts replaced twice.
I did have a problem to start with in so much as it felt wrong at the rear going round islands, turned out to be a tyre fitted the wrong way round from new, so they turned the tyre round but damaged the rim, on getting the car back I inspected the replacement rim only to see that it was tanished, they'd just swapped it off the demo! I never used that dealer again!
Anyway I can see the rear setup wearing a tyre out in 1400 miles when it took 7k to wreck the fronts on mine. the rears where never changed and they looked only about half worn after 18k.
Sorry to say this but in my mind there is something wrong somewhere and my best guess would be your dealer isn't telling you the truth!
If they thought it was going back to the finance company then i would say they had another used car in stock which needed front tyres and yours was the donor!
This was a GT TDi so heavy than your to :)
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RESULT - Ford are taking the car off me, fitting new tyres and then carrying out an allignment check and/or investigative work into what is wrong with it.
Can't believe VW's negative attitude towards this issue. Their unwillingness to investigate problems (that may "waste" valuable labour time) is downright disgusting. Especially when things like suspension geometry is covered under the first 6 months of the warranty.
Next car I buy will be a Ford!
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I'd make a call to VW Customer care and give them a chance to put this right. I have been surprised by how much they do try to resolve issues like this. One phone call and 5 mins of your time may work out beneficial for you both.
Telephone: 0800 711 811
Next car I buy will be a Ford ? :sick:
I honestly think there's more to this story than the garage are telling you. I did 3 years in a tyre/exhaust fitter and have never seen wear on the rear of a front wheel drive car so bad with so little milage.
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Sorry, but this is seriously suspect, regardless of the make/model of car. I am assuming that the front tyres are the same brand/batch as the rearsy ?
Simple truth is the buck stops with the selling dealer - Ford v VW is not an issue. I would strongly suspect that serious negligence may have occurred or else some 'individual' connected with the seller has had the original tyres away. It is unlikely that this has anything to do with VW, although I agree that the initial response of the company is very poor. This issue impacts upon the company, brand and model, so they should be interested in getting to the bottom of it. What would the tyre manufacture say ? I would nevertheless report this to Trading Standards and/or SMMT - they have a code of conduct for members.
Wonder if an employee of the selling dealer drives a VW :rolleyes:
Glad you have some satisfaction - I would have seriously kicked off with this. Go for the jugular :shocked:
Cass
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So simple to prove the tyres, obviously you make sure they are all the same make, whisch I guess you have, then each tyre has a manufacturing date code stamped on it. 4 digits '4307' this indicates week and year of manufacture. ie week 43 2007, All tyres will be the same on a new car...or at worst out by a week or so, its only on exotic tyre sizes you can get some difference, but on mass produced same size wheels they will be the same from the factory. The chance of a dealer swapping old tyres with the same code are nearly non existent. And again if the codes are well prior to car build date, that would give another clue on a new car.
Simple way to put the tyre agrument to bed one way or another
Also Pete, welcome to the world of VW Customer Dissatification, you'll get used to it if you hang on to it.
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So simple to prove the tyres, obviously you make sure they are all the same make, whisch I guess you have, then each tyre has a manufacturing date code stamped on it. 4 digits '4307' this indicates week and year of manufacture. ie week 43 2007, All tyres will be the same on a new car...or at worst out by a week or so, its only on exotic tyre sizes you can get some difference, but on mass produced same size wheels they will be the same from the factory. The chance of a dealer swapping old tyres with the same code are nearly non existent. And again if the codes are well prior to car build date, that would give another clue on a new car.
Simple way to put the tyre agrument to bed one way or another
Also Pete, welcome to the world of VW Customer Dissatification, you'll get used to it if you hang on to it.
Ahh yes the date code...completey forgot about this one! This will definatly put the whole tyre dealer problem in touch...
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Sad I know, but I need to get out more :nerd:
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Sad I know, but I need to get out more :nerd:
lol Im 'in' to tyres. I get asked loads about them at work so im getting a bit of a saddo aswell!! :grin:
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Sad I know, but I need to get out more :nerd:
lol Im 'in' to tyres. I get asked loads about them at work so im getting a bit of a saddo aswell!! :grin:
Ha, fit the darn things for 3 years, including JCB, tractor, forklifts etc, that'll soon take the novelty off them! Going out to a punctured JCB in winter to change a wheel, not fun :embarassed:
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Right Come On Pete Smith....Lets Be Avin' You! as some mad Norfolk tart that makes tarts said... :wink:
Are the tyres the same make, build etc? a bit of examination and then please spill the beans...this will definitively prove their history I reckon.
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has the car been hit up the chuff ?
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Forgot to mention, the date code is only on 1 side of each tyre, so maybe Pete has got his head stuck under the sill trying to read the inside sidewall.....sorry Pete, forgot to warn you of that :cool:
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Tyres are Dunlop SP Sports O1A all round.
Will check date stamps at the weekend.
I had a look for them when I first found the problem, but couldn't see much.
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Problem solved.
The guy who originally owned the car, bought the car through his company for his wife. I found his company name on the V5, searched on google, and found his email address. Sent him an email, and he asked me to phone him.
The story goes - he bought four Golfs of the same type, one for himself, one for his wife, one for his brother and one for his sister who all work in the company. His wife wasn't using hers, so rather than letting it sit there he traded up. Because the Ford garage gave him such a low trade in, he swapped the wheels over with his Golf that had done 12k.
Ford are currently changing the tyres for me (and checking the allignment still).
Just goes to prove shouldn't always be taken at face value.
Although I do feel a little stupid now, I wasn't to know :P
Aside from that, he said the car drove perfectly, he'd never had any problems with it, and that I had bought a sound car (big sigh of relief!).
Now I can get on with getting it all detailed and back to brand new again :D
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A good result, nice one.
Nick
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Great result. I didn't believe they were worn down with only 1400 miles on the clock. :laugh:
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I wouldn't let on to the dealer though. Let them squirm a bit and replace the tyres as they said :wink:
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I wouldn't let on to the dealer though. Let them squirm a bit and replace the tyres as they said :wink:
Yeah I didn't mention it when I dropped it in this morning ;)
We'll see.
Thanks a lot for the help though lads, I'll get some new pics on here soon.
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Nice one Pete, good to see a logical explanation, guess you must be checking round the car for any other bits he cannaballised :grin:
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Result - now all you need is a car with new tyres and the dealer standing the bill :smug:
I'd want the same brand/batch all round though :wink:
Cass
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:smug:
2: It didnt and the wheels are off another car.
Great to see it turned out ok :cool: puts yours (and ours ) minds at rest
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Thats all good then :smiley:
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Seriously well done, and great detective work mate! :smiley:
Whoops.............then I guess I better retract my earlier statement...... "Prolly some sckuzzy grease monkey on minimum wage in the garage or one of the sleazy suits in sales taking the car out at weekends and got the tyres swapped with a mates!!"
But I won't .... :evil: :evil: :smiley: Although this time it was the seller that did the dirty for a change I know for a fact that this kind of thing goes on only too well!! how many of us didnt get their wee bottle opener in the centre console (not that its much use but thats not the point), this kind of theivery happens so all should be aware of it.