VW Amarok Review, For Sale, Interior, Colours, Specs & Models

Volkswagen Amarok Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Volkswagen Amarok here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• The tailshaft of my 2014 VW Amarok is wobbling

  It sounds like you’re chasing a problem that is a bit elusive. If your initial suspicions were that the centre bearing was worn, what makes you think the rear universal joint is now the problem? You could spend a lot of time and money replacing things that, ultimately, don’t fix the problem.

  The best advice is to take the car to a transmission specialist who will be able to diagnose what’s really going on and replace or repair those things. Even if the universal joint is worn out, replacing it can be a bit tricky as you have to maintain the driveshaft’s original alignment to avoid introducing new imbalance dramas into the equation. It’s not, therefore, as straight-forward as it looks on paper.

  But don’t rule out a damaged, bent or unbalanced driveshaft as this can also cause the sort of symptoms that a worn universal joint can contribute.

  Show more Show less
• Is the 2016 VW Amarok diesel a good second-hand buy?

  While some cars are known lemons and should be avoided at all costs, the vast majority of cars and utes are okay as second-hand buys provided they’ve been serviced and maintained properly. And that goes for all makes and models, not just the VW Amarok. The point being that a well-maintained Amarok might be fine with 200,000km on board, while a neglected one will be junk by the time it has covered half that distance.

  That said, the current crop of modern turbo-diesel dual-cab utes are mostly tuned pretty highly which means that by 200,000km or so, many of them will be showing a bit of wear. This might be most apparent in the intake system, the turbocharger, emission systems, transmissions and many other hard-working parts. Again, it all depends on how they’ve been maintained and how they’ve been used. I’d be budgeting for at least some repairs on an Amarok with that many kilometres under its belt. At which point, of course, it all comes down to the purchase price.

  Show more Show less
• 2013 Volkswagen Amarok diesel engine failure

  It’s always worth contacting a carmaker’s customer service division in a case like this. I agree that 136,000km is far from a reasonable expected lifespan for a modern more vehicle of any sort. But exactly how Volkswagen Australia will view the matter will depend on the car’s service history and how it was used.

  You might have some luck and perhaps financial assistance in getting the Amarok fixed, but VW could also point at the age of the vehicle and the fact that it’s way out of warranty. But, again, if you don’t ask, you’ll never know. Don’t bother pursuing this at a dealership level, either, go straight to head office.

  Show more Show less
• Noisy pulley-belt in 2015 Volkswagen Amarok

  It sounds like there’s not much left to change in terms of belts and pulleys on your vehicle. But did you change the relevant tensioners at the same time? Tensioners run on bearings which can start to seize up over time and kilometres, often contributing a squealing noise that is easily confused with belt-squeal. Also, simply changing the pulley on, say the alternator or the air-con compressor, will not cure the noise if it’s being caused by the alternator or compressor itself.

  Other things to check include the correct belt tension and the alignment of the belt (is it running truly between the pulleys, or attempting to run slightly sideways?) Don’t rule out a coolant leak that is getting on to the rubber belt and causing it to squeal.

  Show more Show less