VW warranty arguement

Mr_Mink

Hi

I bought a VW Up a year ago from New. In May it went in for it's first servicing at 10,000 miles. I had noticed a wobble in the steering wheel under braking at 50mph+ and casually mentioned it whilst handing in the car. The dealership hadn't looked into it on return of the car but it wasn't bothering me so I didn't pursue it further.

In early July I then took it in to be looked at as the wobble had gotten worse. After looking into it, the dealership told me that the brake discs were warped (mileage is at 13,000 at this point) and that it was a wear and tear issue so I was responsible for the cost of repairs. I duly went into a rage meltdown at the thought of having to shell out for replacement brakes at the front and argued that this should be covered by the warranty as there is no way it could be wear and tear after only a year. After much back and forth they offered a 20% contribution and told me that their hands were tied by VW warranty. During these early stages I also noticed that during the servicing the brakes were supposedly checked as one of the tasks for servicing but nothing was mentioned to me.

I have just gotten off the phone to a representative from VW UK (whom I had complained to a week ago) and have been informed that the dealership have reported that the car had been driven too hard and therefore this was wear and tear and there are no mechanical issues with the car. Now I know this car is not driven hard because I am the only driver and I am very gentle with it (60 mpg and pristine condition tyres support this).

I am now at a point where I'm not sure where to go, VW UK are standing by the dealership's investigation and I don't trust the dealership as they missed something that should have been picked up during the servicing (also, this servicing had an oil change and after 1 month I had already used nearly oil in the engine leaving me to suspect if the oil was even changed). My position is that there is either a mechanical problem causing this or they have used low quality components on the car because I have had several cars from new and used from Mazda and never had a single issue (guess what brand I'll be going back to).

If anyone could advise where to go from here or to just accept my fate and buy new brakes (not from VW but from a company that builds brakes that can last more than a year) I would be grateful.

GolfBravo

Warped discs? On a VW UP? Really? Is this their diagnosis?

It takes some very serious thrashing to actually warp a disc. And warped discs cause the steering wheel to wobble AND the brake pedal to pulsate under braking.

Swap the front and rear wheels around, maybe it's just a wheel balance issue.

facade

The discs don't warp, what happens is debris from the tree-hugger-friendly brake pads becomes ingrained into the disc surface, and gives rise to the teeniest weeniest lack of uniformity. Over time with repeated gentle braking round town, there is enough build up to cause our modern super sensitive steering systems to make this into a serious wobble.*

To cut a long story short, "They all do that, Sir!" and it is a wear & tear problem. If you get new discs under warranty, Result!

My Nissan is exactly the same after 6000 miles on new discs & pads that I fitted myself when I bought it- because of the wobble braking at speed.

I just hold the wheel with both hands braking from 60 plus and take no notice.

*I believe it is resonance in the steering column, if I twang the wheel (ignition off) it oscillates at what appears to be the same frequency. I was thinking of fitting a heavier steering wheel.

You can get the discs skimmed but replacements are cheap enough not to bother.

Mr_Mink

Ah, I had feared I would be in a no-win situation with them. Well, looks like I'll have to put up with a wobbly wheel (oh, the brakes do pulsate too so I'd say they are indeed warped) and get rid of the car in a few months. Bit of a shame, it could have been the best car I've owned but the attitude of VW is shocking when I compare it to my experiences with both Mazda and Honda and this has ruined the car, plus of course it's falling apart after a year.

facade

They aren't warped, they have debris on them that makes the surface undulate.

Not even race cars and high performance 'bikes warp the discs. They do crack, and can distort of not fitted properly, but they don't warp from braking. I've had discs glow in the dark, and they don't warp (as in the metal twists)

fivetide

Mr_Mink wrote: »

Ah, I had feared I would be in a no-win situation with them. Well, looks like I'll have to put up with a wobbly wheel (oh, the brakes do pulsate too so I'd say they are indeed warped) and get rid of the car in a few months. Bit of a shame, it could have been the best car I've owned but the attitude of VW is shocking when I compare it to my experiences with both Mazda and Honda and this has ruined the car, plus of course it's falling apart after a year.

Bit dramatic. They've offered 20% and it is wear and tear as others have said.

The car is hardly "falling apart" unless there are other factors?

Certianly nothing worth going "into a rage meltdown" over and losing money on the value of the car if it is otherwise sound.

Mr_Mink

fivetide wrote: »

Bit dramatic. They've offered 20% and it is wear and tear as others have said.

The car is hardly "falling apart" unless there are other factors?

Certianly nothing worth going "into a rage meltdown" over and losing money on the value of the car if it is otherwise sound.

To be honest, their attitude is what has wound me up the most. That and the fact I have never had any problems like this with a car before.

I had missed out other problems for a bit of direction with the car, but generally it has been a bit of a disaster. I had to wait 2 extra months on top of the expected delivery date. They then didn't settle my old finance for over a month which pushed me into arrears with the old finance company (who fortunately were very understanding). The car, when it did arrive didn't have the correct dash specified. After 3 weeks I finally managed to get an apology out of the dealership and was told that nothing can be done about it. There is this brake issue. The oil has successfully nearly run out within the past month after being topped up during servicing. A heat plate within the engine is also apparently very loose and could fall off soon.

I intend to minimise losses though which is why I'll be waiting for a few months but I just dread to imagine the future maintenance costs for this car if this is what it's like after only 1 year.

facade

I'm with you, get rid :mad:

I find that once I've decided enough is enough, even if the car transmuted into solid gold I'd still sell it at a massive loss just to feel better

That said, VW's do use a lot of oil which is not usual, and go through brake discs as fast as other modern cars.

I've known 3 people with recent VWs, all 3 did about 1000miles to the litre of oil, and it isn't cheap Aldi stuff they use either :eek:

TradePro

VAG brake discs are made of chocolate.

Go back to a Japanese brand my friend.

Funky_Bold_Ribena

Stick with Mazda; done over 100,000 miles in mine in 3 and a half years - just new tyres, 2 lightbulbs and one bearing in all that time. Brill.

Westmead_Fan

Stick with Mazda; done over 100,000 miles in mine in 3 and a half years - just new tyres, 2 lightbulbs and one bearing in all that time. Brill.

until you get a car that has problems then trying to get some parts like common failure on a MX5 brake caliper over £200 + vat for a new one.

cars do drink oil, some more than others & are you sure on your last service your brakes were inspected properly with the wheels off & brakes cleaned because dealers don't usually do that without charging extra & if there was a problem that should have been found at the time.

one vehicle or garage don't represent all the others