Faults:

The day that the car was scheduled to be picked up, it was not prepped, and little dents on the trunk that the sales person stated would be taken care of before the car was picked up, were not fixed. The front bumper was also hanging off, which the service tried to fix that day, but were not successful.

The radio was not working when the car was picked up. They replaced a fuse.

(All of the following happened five days after the car was picked up).

1. It started to leak oil.

2. The air conditioner did not work.

3. The alarm system did not work.

4. The radio would constantly lower itself.

5. The check engine light came on.

6. We noticed that the antenna was bent when the car was purchased.

7. The clutch did not always shift into gears properly, it sometimes wouldn't "catch".

8. The dealership had promised that the dents in the trunk and the front bumper would be repaired when the car was brought in.

9. The glove compartment was also broken at time of purchase, so one was ordered for us

The car was picked up six days later.

1. When we arrived at the dealer, they told us that they had to put the car back together, and for us to come back in an hour. We arrived early, and saw somebody racing our car at speeds over 60 mph, coming from the opposite direction of where the service center was.

2. The only problems fixed in those six days was the antenna (it just needed to be replaced), the glove compartment, and the alarm.

3. When the car was being driven home, we noticed a dragging sound. We looked under the car and saw a large plastic part of the car hanging off. It was also drenched in new oil.

4. When the windows were rolled down, the driver's side window would not roll up.

General Comments:

The sales people were not helpful at all. Nobody was willing to help us with this car. However, the day the car was picked up, we were unhappy, and almost didn't purchase the car, but of course the sales people were more than willing to say anything to make us happy.

When we called to have the car towed after it had already been there for 6 days, we were told that our roadside assistance expired in May of 2001; impossible, because the car was purchased in August of 2002. Because the dealership refused to accept the tow (even though we had paid more for 2 years of roadside assistance), the leather seats are now destroyed because it rained heavily during the night (we had covered the window, but that did not work).

It was put in our contract that we would receive a loaner car. When we called the service to arrange this, we were told that this was "unheard of" and that "nobody gets a loaner car".

This car has been nothing but problems since day 1, and the dealership has done nothing to help. Their horrible attitudes have made the situation worse.

Faults:

RT side sunvisor light stayed on and was repaired under warranty at 3,315 Km.

Driver side tan colour leather seat absorbed dye from black t-shirt during drive on hot, summer day.

RT side sunvisor light continued to stay on so the complete sunvisor was replaced under warranty at 9,871 Km.

Front driver side Goodyear Eagle LS 195/65/15 tire deflated quickly and broke apart at 20,000 Km during acceleration on expressway.

Mass airflow sensor malfunctioned at 20,000 Km.

EGR Purge Solenoid replaced under warranty at 20,000 Km.

Mass airflow sensor malfunctioned at 33,021 Km.

Glove box door replaced at 46,500 Km.

Mass airflow sensor malfunctioned at 46,500 Km.

Faulty mass airflow sensor replaced free of charge at 49,867 Km.

O1 diagnosis procedure repaired free of charge at 49,867 Km.

Rear brake pads and rotors replaced at 49,867 Km.

Rear calipers repaired at 49,867 Km.

Ignition coil pack failed at 53,522 Km.

Tension spring for driver side seat elevator fell off at 55,103 Km.

General Comments:

The VR6 5-speed has great torque, acceleration and handling when all electrical and mechanical components are operating properly.

Unfortunately, the mechanical and electrical components are of sub-standard quality for the North American climate.

For example, rear brake pads and rotors on a front wheel drive 5-speed manual car should not wear out at 49,867 Km. or before the front brake pads and rotors!

Volkswagen should increase the comprehensive warranty from 40,000 Km to 60,000 Km, regardless of date of purchase, for this vehicle.