Volkswagen Golf Problems

We couldn't agree more. The dealer who did the pre-delivery should be sacked, and VW's attitude to its customers needs to be improved. The brand is being trashed by stories like yours.

Oil contamination of the wiring loom is a common problem with the DSG gearbox, one that VW is well aware of, but I'm guessing that the dealer has guessed at the cause of the problem and arrived at the wrong conclusion. I would refuse to pay for the work done in arriving at that diagnosis. Why should you pay for their incompetence? With respect to the gearbox itself, I would ask VW to cover the costs. They will possibly make you an offer of part payment, it's then up to you to accept or reject it. You are correct in believing the gearbox should last more than 71,000 km, but from the evidence we have it doesn't seem to. Your case should be a warning to anyone considering buying a VW with the DSG gearbox.

Patience and persistence is the only way ahead for you. There are problems with the DSG, but VW seems to prefer to stonewall owners when they strike trouble with it instead of being pro-active and fixing it. Keep reporting the problems, keep demanding they be fixed, and consider legal action if it isn't fixed.

We put your complaints to VW and received this response from a company spokesman:

"As Simon has mentioned, he had two warranty claims on his vehicle, one in June 2010 and subsequently in March 2012. The diagnosis of a misfiring concern has been isolated to the fuel-injectors, which were scheduled for installation this week. All the work has been covered under warranty."

As you can see from the response VW feels that it has met its obligations by repairing your car under warranty, and for them, it seems, that is the end of the matter. But I agree with you that having spent a good deal of money on a supposedly quality-built car it is very disappointing to find you have to regularly take it back to fix what are quite serious problems. Waiting a long time for parts is also a regular complaint we hear from VW owners. In my view the company just doesn't get it.

You're a member of a large and growing club of disgruntled DSG owners. We have received lots of reports about DSG gearboxes malfunctioning, and we know VW has issued at least one service alert about oil contaminating the gearbox wiring and ECM, but it would appear that VW isn't the most responsive company when it comes to complaints from its customers. I can only suggest that you maintain the pressure on the dealer/company, and perhaps consider legal action.

Before replacing the transmission I would have returned to the dealer armed with the information from your mechanic and asked them to check it themselves to confirm that the auto is shot as you have been told. It does seem to be too soon for auto trans troubles to set in. If the dealer confirmed that the auto does need replacing you would have some ammunition to approach VW with, but without that you don't have much of a claim. I am also guessing that the car has done 120,000 km or so, which would reduce any claim you might make further. I would doubt that you would get far with VW on this.

It's impossible to say without seeing the car, but it's unlikely to be a faulty connection. It's more likely the controller.

That's a lot less than the VW dealer quoted you, and speaks volumes for the value of independent mechanics.

Yours is a hard case because the car is out of warranty, you've used a non-factory mechanic, and fitted secondhand parts. All of that stacks up against your claim for compensation, although I can understand your frustration.

When we put your questions to Holden we were told that the diesel oil filter costs so much is that "it is designed to assist in the Cruze meeting Euro 5 emission standards. It contains a glass-fibre element, which is significantly different, and more expensive, than elements constructed from more commonly used materials." Holden wouldn't comment on the pricing, which does seem exorbitant to us, preferring to say that dealers set their pricing independently of the company and competitively in relation to the local market. As for the oil Holden told us that "Dexos is the Holden recommended oil, but dealers are currently not compelled to use that oil. If they elect not to use it then they have a responsibility to ensure the product they do use meets the Dexos specifications." Castrol Australia recommends its Magnatec MP 5W-30 for the Cruze diesel and says it is Dexos2 compliant.