by "LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
Published 06/27/2017 at 10:29
by "LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
Published 06/27/2017 at 10:29
Tags: VW GTI
; GTI
STARS: 0
. . . my warranty.
On my way to work this morning I passed 18,000 miles, halfway through my basic warranty. I’ve owned the 2016 VW GTI for 13 months. At least the powertrain warranty is 5 years/60,000 miles, I’m only 30% through that.
The most annoying thing I’d like to get fixed, if possible, is the warm-weather rattle from the driver’s door, which I thought I got rid of, but which is back. I am going to leave the fairly quiet cold-weather squeak in the sunroof alone.
Other than that rattle, I’m still very, very happy with my purchase. In the past, I would already be thinking about purchasing other vehicles after about a year (then I would not do anything because I can be stubborn), but that is not the case here.
And I know that the main limitation with the car is the driver, because my autocross competitor with a virtually identical set-up is consistently 2% faster than me (sometimes 4%). Otherwise it will carry almost anything I want (including easy dog access to the back seat), accelerate as fast as I like, and will return great fuel economy as a daily driver.
I guess I hope that I put the miles on so quickly that any reliability issues are more related to time rather than use, and maybe I can avoid the more dramatic possibilities. The car is worth the risk for me, though.
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
06/27/2017 at 10:41, STARS: 2
I have never owned a car with a warranty.
"P5guy now GTIguy" (p5guy)
06/27/2017 at 10:42, STARS: 1
Good to see that you like the car, I’m hopefully putting an order in on one as soon as the 2018 order guide is available.
"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
06/27/2017 at 10:48, STARS: 0
I have usually owned my vehicles long past warranty, and this one is moving very quickly in that direction.
"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
06/27/2017 at 11:03, STARS: 0
I have mentioned in other posts that I feel that the steering wheel buttons layout is not intuitive or easy to operate purely by feel, even after a year. By contrast, my wife’s Mazda3 is great in this regard, and even my old Prius was quite good. But that is a small quibble.
The “turbo lag” when it is in a high gear with low revs on the highway, and I want to accelerate, is annoying (DSG). Basically, I have to expect it, or kick it into sport mode to get the revs up and the turbo happy.
Everything else meets or exceeds my expectations so far. Well, lug bolts are an annoyance, but a wheel hanger resolved that.
"Rico" (ricorich)
06/27/2017 at 12:23, STARS: 0
Here is my suggestion. Take full advantage of your warranty - even for minor squeaks and rattles. Since it’s all covered under warranty and you don’t have to pay out of pocket I always recommend getting your Service Advisor AND who is working on your car a case of beer.
In the past when I would take my Benz in for rattles or other minor issues that many people just simply “put up with” I would sometimes bring a couple of cases of beer, leave it in the trunk and let my SA and the tech know it was for them. (God am I now the 1% complaining about rattles in my Benz!?!!?)
I know some people might think what’s the point in that but the thing is rattles/squeaks are some of the most annoying reasons people bring their cars in and I know first hand that techs loath dealing with these types of jobs. I try to incentivize it a bit by being super nice and providing something that they’ll appreciate.
That said, they will likely apply extra felt or foam to the door to stop the rattle. The the squeak you mention in the sunroof likely just means they need to apply a little extra grease to the rails. Either way, get it done under warranty before it runs out and you’ll have to chase down these fixes on your own.
"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
06/27/2017 at 12:40, STARS: 1
I intend to get the door addressed. I’ve seen stories of folks seeking to get the sunroof addressed and having things get MUCH WORSE, which is why I plan to leave it alone. If it is really bad this winter, I may reconsider, and should have warranty left to deal with it.
"P5guy now GTIguy" (p5guy)
06/27/2017 at 19:25, STARS: 1
I did have some trouble with the steering wheel controls on my test drive but I thought it was because I wasn’t used to it. You’re right about Mazdas though, my paerents have current gen models and the controls are very easy. As far as the lag goes, I’m getting a manual so I won’t have to worry about the delay.
"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
06/28/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 1
Right, but even with a manual you will have to downshift to get the revs up to have the turbo in an active mode, unless you expect to keep it above 2k rpm all the time. But above 2k rpm, there really isn’t any turbo lag.