ot: not a complaint, just an observation VW dealer service

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by awdwon

I'm beyond frustrated with my local VW dealer and VW in general. My wife and I bought a brand new 2018 Tiguan and it's been a legit POS. Riddled with recalls and problems since we got it. $180 for an oil change, $175 for 3 wiper blades (can't buy them from a parts store and took the dealer 6 weeks to get them in !!!). I'm in Canada BTW so parts and prices are a bit inflated compared to the US.

I have a 2018 Tiguan SEL Premium and while I sort of regret it st the moment, it’s been dead reliable with zero issues since I brought it home last fall.

What’s been the issue with yours?

I’m probably moving this summer and when I do I may well sell the Tiguan. I know I’ll take an eye watering hit on depreciation tho.....

I always have service done at the VW dealership. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive but generally I’ve been satisfied with the results.

I have a high mileage GTI and it has always been VW repaired and serviced. Never stranded me or let me down.

[R3awak3n]

I usually replace my windshield wipers but not gonna lie, got them done a the dealer last time because i really needed them/car was already in for service. I don't remember how much it cost but don't think was a crazy amount.


As far as VW goes, its like every other car brand. If you get unlucky you gonna get a bad one.

My sportwagen has been excellent, very impressed so far. It just hit 35k miles, its not even 2 years old, I have had 0 problems. I am super happy I did not get the pano sun roof though, so many problems with those. yikes.

[saab2000]

I dislike sunroofs of all types and especially despise the giant panoramic sunroof on my Tiguan. Alas, the variant I got is not available without it and the options I wanted can’t be gotten on lower level trims.

I fear for that day mine malfunctions or leaks. It’s guaranteed to creak at some point.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by saab2000

I dislike sunroofs of all types and especially despise the giant panoramic sunroof on my Tiguan. Alas, the variant I got is not available without it and the options I wanted can’t be gotten on lower level trims.

I fear for that day mine malfunctions or leaks. It’s guaranteed to creak at some point.

On paper the panos sound awesome but are unnecessary, add a bunch of weight and when they leak they are a nightmare for sure. At least 1 time a day on the fb sportwagen forums someone complains that their sunroof is leaking.

[bcroslin]

I called around a few months ago to the european-specific shops for an oil change for my GTI and turns out the local VW dealer was the lowest price. It cost about $100 for an oil change and tire rotation. Seeing as the GTI gets synthetic every 10k miles I'd say that's a deal.

[cmg]

so an oil change and tire rotation for a $100 with a coupon is a bargain? The coupon was the hook. you know Walmart sells oil and filters right? Wow, i'm out of sync with the rest of the world.

[biker72]

Although none of my current vehicles have tires from Discount Tire, they will still rotate my tires for free. I have done business with them in the past.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by cmg

so an oil change and tire rotation for a $100 with a coupon is a bargain? The coupon was the hook. you know Walmart sells oil and filters right? Wow, i'm out of sync with the rest of the world.

Maybe so but ever since my 2000 Beetle, DIY oil changes w/o a way to lift car wasn't possible..Not possible to climb under the 2000 Beetle , my 2014 JSW or 2017 GSW ala my 1967 SqaureBack, my 1973 VW Bus, or 1987 VW Syncro Bus, to change the oil..

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Well, duh..I smashed into a pothole and killed a tire..Went to a Discount tire to get the same tire..no have..4WD, so to the dealer..$234 for the rather standard Conti tire..Kinda like buying a DA rear der at LBS vs online..yes?

That's not a terrible price if mounted/balanced for a 17" or larger Conti. Are your other three tires relatively new? You don't want a big difference in tread depths side to side...

We just experienced a slow leak in one of our winter tires (Q7/AWD). Local tire shop found a screw embedded in the tread, said it was too close to the sidewall to patch.

Then...they found that the winter tires I'm running (Nokian R2) have been superceded and are NLA. So they offered to sell me four new tires.

Um, no.

Putting the summer tires on today (Conti DWS06 all season) and will look for a single matching winter replacement over the next six months... If I don't find one, I'll buy two of the newer model (R3) next November.

Oh well...

[GScot]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

That's not a terrible price if mounted/balanced for a 17" or larger Conti. Are your other three tires relatively new? You don't want a big difference in tread depths side to side...

We just experienced a slow leak in one of our winter tires (Q7/AWD). Local tire shop found a screw embedded in the tread, said it was too close to the sidewall to patch.

Then...they found that the winter tires I'm running (Nokian R2) have been superceded and are NLA. So they offered to sell me four new tires.

Um, no.

Putting the summer tires on today (Conti DWS06 all season) and will look for a single matching winter replacement over the next six months... If I don't find one, I'll buy two of the newer model (R3) next November.

Oh well...

I suspect your Audi has a fairly good allowance for tire diameter mismatch as I've found in a couple of hazzard lose of tire incidents that our S5 is content with something like 3/16" to 1/4" diameter. I had to have a rim straightened last Summer and while visiting the shop noticed they offered tire shaving to match existing tires for AWD vehicles. Seems like the cost range was $25-$35 on top of mount and balance fees.

[ScottW]

I might understand $100 for an oil change & tire rotation for those who lack the tools, working space and/or physical capability, or if your car has an 8-qt dry sump and runs on unicorn blood that's small-batch column distilled by Bavarian virgins. But >$50 for wiper blades?!?! Y'all ride bicycles so I have to believe you're still physically capable of lifting the wiper arms off your windshields and undoing a couple of plastic clips.

Wipers = Bosch Icons or GTFO. Over the years I've tried and rejected others for various reasons be it performance, durability, or cockamamie attachment schemes. A pair is usually $20-25 shipped from Amazon. If any of you paying $100 for wiper blade service happen to live around the beltway in northern VA, hit me up for a price quote.
Also, a coat of Aquapel twice a year will do wonders for visibility.

[Big Dan]

Honda dealer wanted $169.00 for the filters.....

nuts.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by GScot

I suspect your Audi has a fairly good allowance for tire diameter mismatch as I've found in a couple of hazzard lose of tire incidents that our S5 is content with something like 3/16" to 1/4" diameter. I had to have a rim straightened last Summer and while visiting the shop noticed they offered tire shaving to match existing tires for AWD vehicles. Seems like the cost range was $25-$35 on top of mount and balance fees.

Yea...years ago I had to have a tire shaved to match the others on the car. Painful to pay extra to have life removed from the tire...

Now I generally like to have five full size matching wheels and tires, and rotate them every season so that all five have similar wear. The fifth would be kept as the spare in the car.

With spare tire wells getting smaller, it's more difficult to do so. And performance summer tires (wider than stock) won't fit in many spare tire wells. On my B5 A4 avant, I have to deflate the summer tire setup to get it in/out of the wheel well. You might think that this negates the value of a spare tire (Since I autocross this car, i have a portable tire inflator in the car...)

I have two cars with space saver spares. One has a full size spare in the trunk, above the space saver (sigh!), the other gets too much use for hauling stuff so i can't spare the space...

Probably should take this conversation over to AudiWorld or Quattroworld...

[ScottW]

Originally Posted by GScot

I suspect your Audi has a fairly good allowance for tire diameter mismatch as I've found in a couple of hazzard lose of tire incidents that our S5 is content with something like 3/16" to 1/4" diameter...

Audi spec unless it has changed recently is probably all 4 within 4/32" of tread depth.
The spec on my Subaru is a bit tighter... 1/4" circumference which when divided by pi works out to 0.08" of diameter, which is less than 1.5/32" of tread depth variance. In the grand scheme of new vs. used tires it's a fairly small margin.

If you order a replacement tire from Tire Rack they can shave it for you before shipping. Otherwise, try to find the shop in your area that does tire shaving themselves. Anyplace else will either try to convince you to buy a new set of 4, or at the least will charge you for the convenience of having them take it to the shop that actually does the shaving, which also means an extra day of down time for your car. If you don't know which shop this is, ask the racers or track day guys in your local sports car clubs.

[GScot]

Originally Posted by ScottW

Audi spec unless it has changed recently is probably all 4 within 4/32" of tread depth.
The spec on my Subaru is a bit tighter... 1/4" circumference which when divided by pi works out to 0.08" of diameter, which is less than 1.5/32" of tread depth variance. In the grand scheme of new vs. used tires it's a fairly small margin.

If you order a replacement tire from Tire Rack they can shave it for you before shipping. Otherwise, try to find the shop in your area that does tire shaving themselves. Anyplace else will either try to convince you to buy a new set of 4, or at the least will charge you for the convenience of having them take it to the shop that actually does the shaving, which also means an extra day of down time for your car. If you don't know which shop this is, ask the racers or track day guys in your local sports car clubs.

Yep. 4/32 tread depth which is 1/8 inch, double that to 1/4" for diameter difference. Diameter was a misleading way of stating it as unless you have the tire on a machine that can measure it tread depth is the most accessible.