Hi all,
In November 2019 I took receipt of my new car from Lex Autolease.
Its effectively a company car organised through my employer who use lex exclusively for their staff cars.
Its a VW Passat Estate R-Line with a few optional extras including larger 19” alloys, Lapiz blue paint and a few other bits.
The engine is the 1.5 Tsi Evo with the 7 speed dsg.
The problems started about a month after ownership.
Cars these days are basically big computers and it seems the one in mine was pretty poorly from day one.
the software for the infotainment was knackered. The screen would lock up regularly, not turn on at all, the sat nav simply wouldn’t work and the radar cruise system regularly reported faults and issues.
the car would also sometimes activate the emergency breaking system even when there was nothing in front of me making the driving experience quite scary sometimes.
So, in it went to VW Weybridge who said it needed a load of software updates which were carried out. A day later I picked the car up from them thinking all would be alright.
Same issues persisted if not worse….. much worse.
So I Took it back, they kept it for two days and then said it was a ‘software issue’ that needed a patch by VW uk and that I would just have to live with it for now.
By this point I was bored and just gave up. I had been in so many courtesy cars and wasted so much time I just ran out of will power.
Over the next year the issues got worse, a speaker blew and the infotainment was all over the shop.
to make things worse, the gear box stared making some unusual noises when changing from 3-4 - like a whining noise and what was worse still, when pulling away up hill from a standing start the engine would clatter and the car would judder. It was horrible.
Eventually it got so bad I sent it in to my more local VW garage in early November 2021 where it STILL remains.
The list of warranty work the mechanics discovered that was required to the car (at less than 20,000 miles) was extensive but the highlights were:
New discs, callipers etc to the front due to warping as a result of a fault with initial manufacture
two blown speakers in the front passenger side door
an entirely new engine management module
An entirely new suite of cameras to the front
an entirely new radar system
extensive software fixes for the infotainment and associated systems
and…….. a complete removal and replacement of the entire gear box as the original was completely knackered and was shedding metal into the sump.
There were other things but I’ll be here all day typing this.
the car developed a litany of serious issues in such a short time that even the master technician at VW (a lovely bloke who knows his stuff) has never seen anything like it.
The VW garage I’m dealing with have been really great - lovely staff, lots of updates and helpful advice. But their hands are tied. As soon as they have the parts they have fitted them including the new gear box etc.
the issue is the computer module that goes in the glove box. It’s the cars brain and without it, the car isn’t going anywhere.
It was supposed to arrive from VW Germany on the 15th December but has been put back and back continuously.
Currently the date is the 2nd Feb but I fully expect this to be put back yet again.
I’m genuinely beginning to lose my rag- not with the staff or the garage - it’s not their fault - but with the ‘situation’.
I can’t shout at VW in Germany because I don’t speak German, don’t even know who to contact and frankly don’t think it will make any difference. The delays are probably as a result of the chip shortage world wide.
So, when I do eventually get the car back, if there are still any issues do I have any rights to say ‘enough - I don’t want this car anymore’?
I assume I would need to reject it through Lex but do I have any rights on that front?
The whole thing is frustrating and I’ve lost all confidence in the car.
I just want rid and will go for a 5 series next. Which will probably explode.
In November 2019 I took receipt of my new car from Lex Autolease.
Its effectively a company car organised through my employer who use lex exclusively for their staff cars.
Its a VW Passat Estate R-Line with a few optional extras including larger 19” alloys, Lapiz blue paint and a few other bits.
The engine is the 1.5 Tsi Evo with the 7 speed dsg.
The problems started about a month after ownership.
Cars these days are basically big computers and it seems the one in mine was pretty poorly from day one.
the software for the infotainment was knackered. The screen would lock up regularly, not turn on at all, the sat nav simply wouldn’t work and the radar cruise system regularly reported faults and issues.
the car would also sometimes activate the emergency breaking system even when there was nothing in front of me making the driving experience quite scary sometimes.
So, in it went to VW Weybridge who said it needed a load of software updates which were carried out. A day later I picked the car up from them thinking all would be alright.
Same issues persisted if not worse….. much worse.
So I Took it back, they kept it for two days and then said it was a ‘software issue’ that needed a patch by VW uk and that I would just have to live with it for now.
By this point I was bored and just gave up. I had been in so many courtesy cars and wasted so much time I just ran out of will power.
Over the next year the issues got worse, a speaker blew and the infotainment was all over the shop.
to make things worse, the gear box stared making some unusual noises when changing from 3-4 - like a whining noise and what was worse still, when pulling away up hill from a standing start the engine would clatter and the car would judder. It was horrible.
Eventually it got so bad I sent it in to my more local VW garage in early November 2021 where it STILL remains.
The list of warranty work the mechanics discovered that was required to the car (at less than 20,000 miles) was extensive but the highlights were:
New discs, callipers etc to the front due to warping as a result of a fault with initial manufacture
two blown speakers in the front passenger side door
an entirely new engine management module
An entirely new suite of cameras to the front
an entirely new radar system
extensive software fixes for the infotainment and associated systems
and…….. a complete removal and replacement of the entire gear box as the original was completely knackered and was shedding metal into the sump.
There were other things but I’ll be here all day typing this.
the car developed a litany of serious issues in such a short time that even the master technician at VW (a lovely bloke who knows his stuff) has never seen anything like it.
The VW garage I’m dealing with have been really great - lovely staff, lots of updates and helpful advice. But their hands are tied. As soon as they have the parts they have fitted them including the new gear box etc.
the issue is the computer module that goes in the glove box. It’s the cars brain and without it, the car isn’t going anywhere.
It was supposed to arrive from VW Germany on the 15th December but has been put back and back continuously.
Currently the date is the 2nd Feb but I fully expect this to be put back yet again.
I’m genuinely beginning to lose my rag- not with the staff or the garage - it’s not their fault - but with the ‘situation’.
I can’t shout at VW in Germany because I don’t speak German, don’t even know who to contact and frankly don’t think it will make any difference. The delays are probably as a result of the chip shortage world wide.
So, when I do eventually get the car back, if there are still any issues do I have any rights to say ‘enough - I don’t want this car anymore’?
I assume I would need to reject it through Lex but do I have any rights on that front?
The whole thing is frustrating and I’ve lost all confidence in the car.
I just want rid and will go for a 5 series next. Which will probably explode.
