Volkswagen Problems

With your budget you would be looking at a 2010/2011 VW Beetle, which had a regular automatic transmission and not the troublesome DSG that was fitted in later models. That’s a big tick for the Beetle. The Citroen C3 is a decent car, but an orphan in the sense that there weren’t many sold and you won’t find a dealer on every corner. As for the BMW, they’re too expensive to service and repair if you use a dealer, and they have too many niggling issues that spoil the great driving experience. The Subaru Impreza is well worth looking at, but my pick of that bunch would be the Volvo C30.

That's not remotely unusual. It's not about soft-compound pads but actually about soft-compound brake discs, which are essential with anti-lock brakes and without asbestos in brake pads. Your Amarok is also big and heavy so, even if you drive gently, it's not going to be easy on brakes. You could look into DBA replacement disc rotors.

If you've had to top-up the coolant twice in four weeks I'd suggest that your problems haven't been fixed and that you should take the car back to whoever supposedly repaired it and have them do the job properly. As for a "safe" option I can't really recommend one, except to say that I would avoid the DSG gearbox. The only "safe" option is to buy another brand, and in that case I would suggest a Japanese brand, such as Mazda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, all of which have a good record of reliability.

Until this week I would have said the Passat was fine but I've just run into a problem with a VW test car. I would now punt for the Liberty, which has just been updated and gets The Tick.

The Golf is a better car and the advantage for the Hyundai is a longer warranty. Both get The Tick. My pick is the car I prefer to drive, which is the VW.

Three weeks have passed since your car was towed to the dealership, which is more than enough time for VW to get back to you with a resolution. The resolution must come from VW via the dealer, so keep the pressure on at dealer level, while at the same time stay in contact with VW. If the response isn't to your liking when you get it you'll have to attempt to negotiate a resolution that is more to your liking. You could consult the Consumer Affairs people in Victoria, but I doubt they would be of any help. You could also seek advice from a solicitor, but again I doubt that you would get any satisfaction there. The best course of action is to negotiate with VW and stare them down.

I wouldn’t hesitate to do the trip in the Golf, it’s generally a reliable car and I wouldn’t expect it to give him any trouble on the journey. If he’s concerned he should join an automobile club like the RACV and take out roadside assistance. Membership covers all of Australia with reciprocal rights in other states, like South Australia or the Northern Territory. The space-saver spare is good enough to get him to the next town where he would be able to get help, as long as he doesn’t drive over 80 km/h. I’m not aware of anywhere he could hire a full-sized spare for the journey, but he could buy one if he’s that concerned about it.

It’s a common problem. A friend of mine has one and she has taken it back to the dealer so many times to have it fixed that she has lost faith in the car and VW. Every time she has taken it in they have updated the transmission software or adjusted it, but the problem has never been fixed. My reading is that VW is saying that it is acceptable and aren’t planning to do anything more about it. Go above the dealer and speak directly to VW’s customer relations people and let them know that you will not be fobbed off.

The i40 is a good choice; it ticks most of the boxes. It’s well equipped, well built, reliable and durable. You could also look at wagons like the VW Passat, Ford Mondeo and Mazda 6, but it’s hard to go past the i40.