Volkswagen

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Volkswagen comes and goes. Thanks to some very creative styling, it had been in one of its "up" periods but the company's disgraceful refusal to deal with defective ignition coils in half a million of its cars should put VW back on the blacklist for anyone concerned with auto safety and corporate responsibility. Nor has its delayed admission of engine sludge problems done much to win it any plaudits.

Automan has some advice -- but scant consolation -- for VW owners.

Patrick of Harwich MA (5/19/05):
Thanks to the fabulous engineering at Volkswagen USA, my 2001 VW Jetta 1.8 Turbo has been in and out of VW dealerships like salmon up the stream during mating season. As an honest man or woman you are lost to these salesmen and corporate (types) at VW. I have seen a water pump recently kill the timing belt and the cylinder head, some 15,000 miles before the water pump should ever have to be replaced. I've seen the all-too-often problems of the repeated check engine light, windows, and anything but expected performance out of my VW Jetta.

If not for one great dealership (Hyannis Volkswagen), my experience with VW service would be horrendous to say the least. First of all, VW service is $65+ an hour for labor, but who is really getting paid this money? Twenty bucks an hour to the techs, 15 of those dollars to healthcare and all the goodies, 10 more for overhead, while leaving 20 dollars plus to the pockets of the greediest and could-care-less-about-their-customer "businessmen" in the world.

I used to say I love my VW, now all I can say is I hate it and I hate the company. Advice: never, ever, buy a VW. Why pay $20,000 to drive one off the lot plus another $10,000 grand to "service" it before it reaches 50,000 miles? To all those folks out there in my predicament, and I know there are thousands of you, my heart goes out to each and every one of you.