Picked up a 63 reg MK7 GTI - Sharing my awful story so far

[RCWL92]

Hi all,

I just wanted to share my story with you guys and to get it off my chest. I've been lurking here for a while.

Picked up my 63 reg plate golf GTI yesterday from the dealers after them saying the car is ready with the 142 check and the service done ect.

So I arrive at the dealer at 7pm and leave with the car at 8pm and oh boy this is where things go wrong.

I drive 10 minutes and the engine dies, engine is very grumpy and smoke is everywhere in the back, can't accelerate at all and EPC warning light and the Catalytic converter warning light comes on. sh!t. Time to ring the dealer and ask what the hell is going on. They're closed and the phone is on voicemail. Great. Time to put in use the AA VW 1 year free policy I got and they came in 40 minutes who have been wonderfully helpful and were amazed about my story so far.

They had no idea what was going on, they said the code they read was that cylinders 1/4 weren't firing IIRC and was checking spark plugs and fuel leaks and then at the final check disconnected the fuel pump and poured some fuel out and then said this might be diesel in the car. Great...

Then I get taken home by the AA and then they took the car to my dealer this morning with me.

Got to the dealer and the salesman I dealt with said they were sorry and they'll look at it. I get the keys to a diesel passat and got lead out of the dealer and on my way I go in 10 minutes.

Friends and family are wondering why I didn't go mad and rage at them but I'm just not that kind of person and I left the dealer unhappy. Pretty dreadful so far.

For what it's worth, I did enjoy the 10 minutes I got to drive the car and I am waiting on a response from the dealer and pondering how something this ridiculous could happen to me... 

[Willfield100]

Hi, sounds like the dealer or salesman is a right numpty! I know that if it was petrol in a diesel the complete fuel system including fuel lines, injectors and pump would need to be replaced.

I don't think it's quite so critical on petrol engines but I would still phone a vw dealer and ask them what the repair would be if you put diesel in your gti, as they're quoting for a potential job they won't cut corners and will quote for the job as the repair manual says.

I'm not saying they will but the dealer at fault might just try and fix it on the cheap as it's their fault.

[barrym381]

Hi, sounds like the dealer or salesman is a right numpty! I know that if it was petrol in a diesel the complete fuel system including fuel lines, injectors and pump would need to be replaced.

I don't think it's quite so critical on petrol engines but I would still phone a vw dealer and ask them what the repair would be if you put diesel in your gti, as they're quoting for a potential job they won't cut corners and will quote for the job as the repair manual says.

I'm not saying they will but the dealer at fault might just try and fix it on the cheap as it's their fault.

not true on the petrol being in a diesel that you would need to replace all those bits have done plenty were its just a fuel out have even just added more diesel to dilute petrol as only it only got 2l of petrol  and dealers not cutting corners we all need to visit your dealer then  but if it was me this happened to the salesman would be on his knees or he would be taking the car back

[Willfield100]

Just speaking from experience, I used to just drain the fuel and flush it through when at an independent garage. Now I work at BMW and I no what our repair procedures are. It's mainly because of the fine tolerances in the HP pump and the petrol not having the lubricating properties diesel has.
I have experienced what dealers get up to behind closed doors so it's just about knowing what they "should" be doing so the wool is not pulled over anyone's eyes.

[RCWL92]

For those who wondered what happened next here's a update:

The car was fixed! Well, for a day.

Dealer said the car's fuel injectors failed and it had to be replaced, diesel was not put in the car and it was all good to go.

So I picked it up and then there was a fuel leak which lead to the cabin smelling like petrol and I had to put the windows down to keep fresh air in the cabin. So I drove it for less than a day and I had to take it back to the dealer. At this point I've bought the car for 2 weeks and I've driven it for less than 3 hours successfully.

They diagnosed that there was a fuel leak in the pipes and it was fixed and ready to go. Since I've picked it up, the car works reasonable but the suspension is squeaking when going over bumps but I'm so tired of bringing the car back to the dealer I'm just going to drive it for a while and since it isn't a huge problem I want to enjoy the car for a bit.

I did email my complaints to VW Customer Services however I got nothing for my poor experience other than my car being fixed, very poor but I'm not going to bother arguing.

The car is by far the best I've driven so far, though it is my most expensive purchase to date. I came from a GT86 and it is very pleasurable to be in a car that has refinement again. Also I've been pretty impressed with the MPG when I try to be economical yet the power is there when I want it.

[th3_f15t]

That's some rotten luck right there! Personally, I'd of pushed VW into taking the car back as it clearly wasn't fit for sale and would of insisted on money back, but that's just me. May be worth trying again and linking to this thread to show you're going public, right now I don't think VW would want any extra bad press!

The suspension squeaking may go with a bit of use though, could just be from lack of use over the past few weeks... Keep us posted on this.

[joe6]

That's some rotten luck right there! Personally, I'd of pushed VW into taking the car back as it clearly wasn't fit for sale and would of insisted on money back, but that's just me. May be worth trying again and linking to this thread to show you're going public, right now I don't think VW would want any extra bad press!

The suspension squeaking may go with a bit of use though, could just be from lack of use over the past few weeks... Keep us posted on this.

Hate to mention this but some early ones suffered from rear damper problems.

[Restlessnative]

For those who wondered what happened next here's a update:

The car was fixed! Well, for a day.

Dealer said the car's fuel injectors failed and it had to be replaced, diesel was not put in the car and it was all good to go.

So I picked it up and then there was a fuel leak which lead to the cabin smelling like petrol and I had to put the windows down to keep fresh air in the cabin. So I drove it for less than a day and I had to take it back to the dealer. At this point I've bought the car for 2 weeks and I've driven it for less than 3 hours successfully.

They diagnosed that there was a fuel leak in the pipes and it was fixed and ready to go. Since I've picked it up, the car works reasonable but the suspension is squeaking when going over bumps but I'm so tired of bringing the car back to the dealer I'm just going to drive it for a while and since it isn't a huge problem I want to enjoy the car for a bit.

I did email my complaints to VW Customer Services however I got nothing for my poor experience other than my car being fixed, very poor but I'm not going to bother arguing.

The car is by far the best I've driven so far, though it is my most expensive purchase to date. I came from a GT86 and it is very pleasurable to be in a car that has refinement again. Also I've been pretty impressed with the MPG when I try to be economical yet the power is there when I want it.

At least you're getting better MPG than my GTD!.