Got my new GTI! Few niggles to report though :(

[zeb]

I have to say I am very impressed with the Mk V GTI. Its diamond black, leather, 3 door with DSG. The DSG is silky smooth and the torque is great, a fantastic all round package of a car! However, had it a few days now and started to pick up a few faults already:

1) 6 CD player not working - No problem VW have ordered a new one for me

2) Steering rack making grinding noises when turning to the left - Yes that old chestnut! No problem... everyone else has had the same issue and VW should replace it... I think.

3) There is a flap on my driver's side bottom Leather seat which seems to have come away from underneath - has a broken plastic bit on the end. Not a major issue and it should get fixed up.

4) Drivers side door does not shut flush and is out of kilter with the lines of the back of the car. Passenger side door is fine. Now..this worries me a bit, can it be simply rectified by VW??

Cheers

Zeb 

[paulm007]

TBH Zeb, I would be spitting feathers if I had just paid 20k plus for a car with those things wrong, especially the door!   

Why does it not fit?  Has the car had a knock??

[zeb]

Nope the car hasn't had any knocks it just seems to be a manufacturing defect. Mind you it doesn't casue any wind noise or anything but just looks annoyingly out of line with the rest of the body. I just hope there's a fix for this sort of thing?? Whether it needs realignment by some method or a new door altogether I'm not sure?? Anyone know how this might be dealt with by the boys at VW?

[The Doc]

FFS 

[illyun]

My boot was out of alignment with the lights when I bought my Mk5 GTI. I showed the dealers within 2 days as I intend on part-exing and don't want them accusing me of having it accident repaired.  If I wasn't going to part-ex it I would have been livid ahving paid £21k + in cash    I was still annoyed though 

[zeb]

Did the alignment issue get repaired on your boot? I'm scouring the net to find out how bodyshop guys fix these door alignment problems. I'm just hoping it can get fixed and, if not, I wonder if I can demand another car or my money back! I did buy this as an approved used car from VW dealership so I don't know what recourse I may have if they can't fix the door?? I know if it was new factory order I could easily demand another, but the same may not apply for used cars. It still has 2 years warranty left so they can keep trying I guess

[illyun]

They offered a 'fix' which would be done in-house but then said that it would probably make the situation worse... They said that it may be hard to shut the boot if they went ahead with their proposal... so really they didn't offer anything of substance.  If I was planning to keep the car, I would have insisted on a proper resolution but because it isn't very noticeable - one end of the boot sticks out past the rear lights while the other end sits below the rear lights - I couldn't be asked with arguing.

[paulm007]

Is this common??  Is there a build quality issue with the panels on the MK5??

[zeb]

Well, its not the first time I've heard of misaligned door's on the Mk V's. I did read a review by one chap who had both doors misaligned as well as other problems and rather the dealership offering to repair these they simply offered another new car. I have since spoken to a friend who used to be a mechanic and he mentioned that they simply manipulate the door hinges and with a lot of trial and error to put the misalingment right.

Car goes in for the 16th June so we'll see if they can do the trick!

[The Doc]

My R32 has its fair share of faults:

Factory:

Drivers wing sits proud of the door - in my opinion the whole wing needs lowering to match properly......





Various parts of the internal door handles had not been put together properly so I fixed the ones I could myself leaving this one that I couldn't do......



Burred screws on the door panels.........



Instrument cluster was squeeking so I removed the ill fitting trim panel to find the clocks had not been screwed in - not just loose but no screws!

Trim for cluster just does not fit properly - I have TRIED a lot!











Dealers:

Various longish scratches on the drivers sill





2 Small scratches on the lower O/S/R bumper



1 long scrape on the O/S/R exhaust valance



1 scuff on lower N/S/R of bumper




I know the dealers did these as I inspected the car when it landed ie Pre PDI and valet.

I'd get 'em fixed but the dealers just seem to fix one problem and cause another - Case in point my last GTi - The rear parcel shelf was wonky so they fixed it but chipped paint of the rear bumper as they did it! 

So now I just live with the faults that dont bother me too much and hope that the next one will be better 

If it helps all dealers VW AUDI MERC PORSCHE RALLIART and others seem to be crap in the service area - there simply isn't enough attention to detail. 


The funny part is that my van is PERFECT so if you seek VW perfection don't buy a 31k Golf, buy a 15k Caddy!

I still totally love it though