Date:         Thu, 9 May 1996 19:36:58 -0500 
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         vwbus@TCPBBS.COM
Subject:      VW's Problems was: Re:EV Catalytic Converter


SY>Let me guess.  The guy's name is something like R. Knox.  If so he's on a
SY>real rampage against VW for percieved "wrongs" that VW & dealers have done
SY>him.  He'll blow the slightest thing way out of proportion.  He'll even
SY>expound on subjects that have no basis in fact.  Also, he loves to quote an
SY>"Advertising Age" (the world's automotive authority??) article from 3 years
SY>or so ago that details VW's lack of US sales.  I think that half this guy's
SY>life is dedicated to attacking VW.

Well let me interject, this guy is likely real correct.  Lets see VW
sales
fell from 100's of thousand to well under 100k in the early 90's.  This
is
fact you can get from VW itself.  And VW and dealers have wronged
lets see every single Wasserboxer owner ever.  I myself am very
dedicated
to attacking VWoA and more specifically the way VW has let their dealer
network fall into a dissaray of often obnoxious, badly trained, idiots
characterised generally by totally poor service.  I have 200 surveys
filled
out a year or so ago by vanagon list, corrado list, and rec.autos.vw
readers
to largely back this claim up,  and these filled out by people like me
who
LOVE VW's and would never drive any other car.  Personally though, the
Corrado is the last new water pumper I will ever buy unless they really
turn the dealer network around (like dump em all and start anew).  I
mean
how about 17 services on my mom's '90 Passat auto tranny (a box with
known problems admitted in tech bulletins) in the 6 years we have owned
it, only finally to break once again 3 months out of warranty, it now
shifts
up 1,2,3,D and back down D,3,2 everytime you brake, REAL disconcerting
to drive a car that downshifts as you brake.  Funny thing car never had
a
problem until we let our local incompetants perform a recall in '92. 
How
about a guy I ran down to ask if he wanted to sell his Q syncro, a
vehicle
I desperately seek to own again.  His was beautiful 60k miles, no
problems
except local dealer had just replaced O2 sensor and told him they could
not
reset the dash indicator light without dissasembling the entire dash to
the
tune of 4 hours labor.  I reset it for him with a BIC pen in 30 seconds
in a
parking lot, in the way you reset the light on every single FWD VW ever
made.  I mean total dealer service staff STUPIDITY, and to fault VW you
are usually paying $45+ and hour for this stuff, since most VW dealers
were "rewarded" with at least Audi and maybe Porsche dealerships in the
70's scheme of things and have to keep all their service costs in line.
 This
was one of VW's fatal errors in the US I personally believe as the
snotty attitudes
it has left dealers with today largely don't jive with a typical VW
owner of
yore.  Most dealers realized they could bust their nuts selling 10 VW's
or 3
Audis and chose the latter.  I mean the dealer at home now has a SATURN
lot
he put in where once 50 bugs and busses used to sit.  Now I know that
the German economy hit the dumps in the early 90's and anything built
there
was incompetive (EV, Corrado, Passat (to an extent)) but even building
all that
they are now in Mexico with appealing prices and finally maybe having
worked
out Mexican quality control, unless they get dealers in line it will be
for not.
Heck the worst error ever was shutting down the PA plant, you want to
know
what VW could sell by the 100's of thousands today, a VR6 EV made in PA
selling for under the cost of a Grand Caravan, (or maybe a Sharan as
some
people will never like the brick shape).  Course VW could never make it
work,
the parts (stamped in Charleston WV BTW to my shame) never quite fit
like
german, the interiors and build quality never quite snuff, and most
importantly
they didn't seek the import tax breaks and con the American public
"sheep" into
the fact they were buying an AMERICAN MADE vehicle.  That was left till
3 or
4 years later in Ohio? with those ingenious Japanese selling us at the
time cars
of nearly 80% Japanese content made by American workers and telling us
how wonderful it was.  Admittedly after they got their foothold the
content is
changing but I'd bet that the final VW's off the US lines were far far
more US
content than early Honda.  Oh BTW talking of wonderful VW quality check
out
the guys WWW page about his early Passat problems (this time with the
nearly
equally problematic early Passat/Corrado G60 box of much tech bulletin
fame
as well)  do a Yahoo for VW Passat, you'll find it.  And anybody that
thinks that
10 yr/ 100k is going to save em better wake up to the world of VW
electronics,
a/c, other, prices etc. and you'd be suprised just what isn't part of
your "drivetrain".
Hmmn, and mom and dad after 30 years of VW only ownership are trading
the
Passat on an Outback Legacy, "sheep" they may be but they are paying at
least
$5k less than the Passat wagon we priced and would have to wait for and
are
getting more features plus a proven 4wd system and the dealer is
throwing
in Subaru's 7/70 so for the first time in 30 years their primary driver
will not
be VW, a not uncommon story for people like them.  Of course they will
still
take out the '77 Westy this summer for vacation.

Anyway enough tirade for the day, and all this about cat convertes too,
sorry.

John
vwbus@tcpbbs.com