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Hi. I have a 2004 VW Golf (new shape). The valve body has just had to be replace at an alarming cost of $3500. It seems the bulk of this is the cost of the part. Inquiries has led me to believe the initial valve body was made of a poor quality metal and the transmission workshop tell me they are changing several of these parts a week as it was a poor design on the intial model. Since then the Golf valve body is being made of a more durable metal.
Do I or should I have any come back with the manufacturer/NZ VW agents. If the original design was faulty, shouldnt they replace or wear part of the cost.
Your thoughts appreciated.
Cheers
Mary
Yes, this a fairly common problem with these vehicles but VW are not the only manufacturer with transmission issues as their cars age. I’m sure the transmission company who did your repair can also tell you about other common and expensive problems on a host of other makes/models.
For those who are comfortable driving a manual vehicle they can escape some pretty horrendous repair bills at times regardless of what make/model they drive. The European vehicles however have developed a reputation as being particularly high risk more so because of the cost of repairs more than anything else.
As our vehicle fleet in New Zealand continues to age and the mileages increase, the chances of having to spend money on a automatic repair at some stage is pretty high. And the reality is some automatic repairs are starting to cost as much as a cars total worth in some cases. I have to say your $3500 spend is very reasonable in comparison to most automatic repairs.
Automatic transmissions are being asked to do and more these days with electronic controlled gear changes creating a silky smooth shift pattern when the car is new, but a potential financial nightmare as natural wear and tear and age sets in.
Most manufactures monitor mechanical issues (warranty claims, demand on parts and customer complaint) and often introduce what they call countermeasure parts during a vehicle’s model life to help reduce ongoing failures. In the eyes of the manufacturer this is not an admission of a manufacturing defect, more so an enhancement of a particular part.
Assistance programmes when cars are out of warranty, are often based on past customer loyalty (a long service history within the franchise network) and the age and mileage of a particular vehicle. A car sold new in New Zealand would also in most cases get preferential treatment over a used import.
At seven years of age I suspect there would be no assistance offered on your vehicle regardless.
In any case, I strongly suspect to qualify for any out of warranty goodwill the car would need to go to a VW dealer for diagnosis and repair.
One of the biggest worries is when people look at buying these sorts of vehicles in the private market. They never really know whether the seller is genuine or simply passing on their problems to a unsuspecting buyer and saving themselves thousands of dollars in upcoming repairs. For this reason a bit of research before purchase and a pre purchase inspection is vital.