The camera saga

[mullermn]

Hopefully writing this down will be like therapy!

Back at the end of June I ordered my GTI with a reversing camera in it. What I didn't know, and neither did the dealer, was that VW had taken it off the order system that same weekend and I shouldn't have been able to order it.

Once they realised they phoned up and said I couldn't have it. I objected and said that wasn't good enough as VW were still talking about it on the website and I put a legitimate order in through their ordering system and they accepted it. After some talking with the sales manager my dealer agreed to have the camera retrofitted at the dealership's cost once the car was delivered. Obviously it wasn't ideal that someone was going to be pulling the car apart just after it had been built, but it was a good attempt to put things right by the dealer.

So, then the car was delayed a few times (as per everyone else)  but finally it arrived and was supposed to go in for the camera fit before I picked it up. The day it was supposed to be fitted I got a call from the dealer saying that VW had sent a defective part and it couldn't be fitted. I said I wanted to collect it anyway, so he arranged that it would go back in for a retrofit as soon as we could arrange a time after collection.

On collection the dealer agreed to not only fit it for free but also discount the cost of the original factory fit camera as a token of goodwill because of the hassle; at the same time he also gave me £300 of accessories, free gap insurance, a full tank, free Autoglm treatment and the originally agreed trade in price on my old car (which was a pile of crap, so that was effectively a discount). I didn't get a discount up front as I couldn't get any significantly different numbers online after finance was taken in to account, so they had plenty of margin to trade with; but still, signatures were on paper at that point so they didn't have to do any of that.

Today was the big day - car went in this morning, I got the dealer's automatic diesel sirocco for the day (which made me very glad I don't own one - you could pick gears at random and spend more time in the right gear than that gearbox did) and I was hoping for that to be the end of it.

Except I got a call this afternoon from the dealer, saying he'd just spoken to the company doing the fit and apparently the camera won't work - it's just not compatible with the media system in the GTI, apparently. Not much further explanation at this point, but he was very apologetic and has offered £600 cash as that is apparently what it would have cost the dealer to get the camera fitted.

I think I'm so unsurprised at this point that I can't even be bothered to be pissed off. I'm not sure what to do though; I would be within my rights to reject the car and take my money back, or reject the car and try and get them to replace it with one of the correct spec, but I'm not sure if I can be bothered to go through the wait again. The dealer does seem to be trying to be helpful (but he is quite young and TBH I'm not sure that a more experienced person wouldn't have seen some of the irritations I've had coming and prevented them) and I like the car I've got, and aside from the unimpressive DCC I seem to have gotten away without any other issues that some people have had.

I was always planning to get winter tyres and a set of wheels to keep them on, so so far my favourite option is to get the dealer to supply some 17" alloys with winter tyres on. Sticker price will be well over £600, but I'm assuming those prices have significant margin in them so wouldn't cost them that much.

Anyway, just a rant really - but if anyone has any ideas I'm interested!

[dippy_x]

Reverse camera was the first option I specced and I would have been major pissed if my car was delivered without it. 

That said, 9 times out of 10 I forget its even there.  When you reverse the parking sensor display covers most of the reverse camera display for the first 5 (odd) seconds before it disappears and by then I've usually finished my manoeuvre. You still need to look out of your windows to check things properly.

If I was to spec my car again I wouldn't be overly bothered by not having it - though I would still add it as its fairly inexpensive and is cool to look at (when I remember).

I think you would get more mileage out of winter tyres.

Does that help?

[Mark V GTD]

I got a call this afternoon from the dealer, saying he'd just spoken to the company doing the fit and apparently the camera won't work - it's just not compatible with the media system in the GTI, apparently.

I think you need more info about the exact nature of the problem. Does the fitted media system have a video in capability (that was often an issue with the Mk'6 s the RCD510 could be delivered without video in and if so you needed a new head unit if you wished to rero fit a camera...

[DougL]

I would also forget the camera and take the winter wheels option... much more worthwhile. Why do you really need the camera anyway?

[mullermn]

I've never had a camera before, so I guess I can live without it again! I think the winter wheels are sounding like the best idea - have to see if the dealer will go for that.

Thanks for the feedback.

[CraigW]

Get a grip of yourself. Talking about rejecting the car because you didn't get a silly reversing camera  .

Seems to me you've done pretty well with all the goodwill gestures the dealer has already given you.

[2014GTi]

I'd agree, the reversing camera isn't something which you should reject the car over.
I was lucky that my dealership added the reversing camera as soon as it came back on the ordering system (October) but was happy to order the car knowing that I may not get this option.
You have got a very healthy goodwill gesture and should forget about the camera and enjoy the car.

[mullermn]

None of the goodwill stuff would have happened if VW had supplied a car on time to spec, which you would think was bread and butter stuff for an auto manufacturer 

Realistically I'm not going to make that much fuss over this. The guy has tried to make amends, if he'll sort the wheels instead of a refund then we'll call it quits. The car is excellent otherwise.. so much fun to drive.