Register of unhappy Polo purchasers awaiting delivery...

[Corey_R]

Hey guys.

I thought I'd pop in and share some of my experience.

I ordered a Golf R on the day it was released in Australia (June 12, last year). I then received it exactly 6 months and 1 day later (December 13th).

From day one the (very honest) sales guy explained to me that the "ETA" would be 6 months, but that this ETA is only based on their experience from recent orders of similar cars from the factory that my car would be coming from. i.e. they've ordered plenty of Golf GTI's over the past year and they guess how long it will take based on that. No body, not any dealer, not VGA, not even VW HQ can tell you when your car will arrive until a production slot is allocated. Even then, they can only give you an estimate as Volkswagen does not control the shipping companies, the shipping ports, the compliance companies, customs, quarantine, or the weather (yes, the weather can cause details).

The other thing is that it took almost 2 months before a production slot was allocated for my order.

Neither the 2 month wait for a production slot, nor the 6 month wait for the delivery was "news" or unexpected for me. I've been around these forums (as a silent observer for a year or so before joining up) for a few years, and so it was all expected.

The other point is that orders are not processed strictly on a first come first served basis. Whilst generally that is the case, think about the practicality. Car production is based on a "just in time" delivery of parts (i.e. parts come in as needed, there is not a big warehouse full of a months supply of parts next to the factory). So if you ordered a DSG Polo, and 3 weeks later someone ordered a Manual Polo, but then there is a shortage of DSG's, the manual orders well get brought forward to keep the production at full capacity. So you may end up receiving your car 3 weeks after that manual person (6 week longer wait). This exact situation happened with the Golf R last year.


If there wasn't a production problem?
4 months would be the "average" minimum wait for a car coming from Germany, even if production capacity was sufficient.. Yes, I know that the Polo GTI isn't made in Germany, but they appear to be put on a train and loaded to ship from Bremerhaven. The 4 months wait would be a few weeks for allocation, a few weeks for production, ~2 months for transport (this can vary by weeks depending on route and weather), and ~3 weeks for compliance/dealer delivery etc.


It's not an Australian problem. There is more than one problem as well.
The problem that Volkswagen have is that the world-wide demand is just out stripping production capacity. This is not an Australia only problem. Even the suppliers are having issues, which is why the Wolfsburg factory is being shut for a day etc. It's also why Volkswagen are investing 50 billion Euro with the majority going to expansion of production in Germany.

Whilst I understand peoples frustration, there is going to be much more pain involved before things get any better. As you can imagine, it's very difficult to spend 50 billion euro (~$70 billion Australia) in a day. Hell, it's it's only going to take $5 billion to rebuild QLD. That should put into perspective the scale of what needs to occur here.

What is an Australian specific problem (I think) is that some dealers are out-right lying to customers to make sales or "steal" sales from other dealers by putting "ETAs" on contracts which they know cannot be met. This isn't a new thing, but it's just made even worse by the current situation.


You have a choice, but you don't really!
In the end, what it comes down to is that the Volkswagen product right now is great. As you guys have said in your posts above, we all have a choice to go and purchase something else, but we won't, because nothing else is as good! It's not like we're some elite group of people here - many many people are realising this same fact too, and the problem is just getting worse.


My final words are this.
Get off this site for 6 months and come back later!
Don't take that the wrong way. It's for your benefit not mine!
It's the same advice that I gave all the "original Golf R crew", and they all ignored me then too! But seriously, when you're all sitting here discussing this topic for which there is no solution, you're just making yourselves and each other unhappy. The internet is terrible for that aspect. Too much information is bad. Ignorance is bliss! So get off the internet, go get another hobby for 6 months, and then come back to track your car's progress on the boat to Australia and start discussing the topics like "what accessories" you're going to buy and mods your going to do and roads your going to drive then!

All the Golf R crew who have received their cars have now put the 6 month wait into the very depths of their minds and have forgotten about it due to how awesome their cars are, and I'm sure it'll be the same for all you guys - but your could save yourself some agony anyway.

You'll be much happier if you take that advice.... but I doubt anyone will

[markwid]

Well said Corey.

[geeza]

exactly - just do the time or buy another car

[barrenjoey owl]

Well said Corey.

Can this thread be closed now?????

[VW Convert]

As you can imagine, it's very difficult to spend 50 billion euro (~$70 billion Australia) in a day.

Bet my missus would give it a good shake!

But seriously, what Corey is saying is right, demand planning on a global scale and the logistics involved are incredibly complex and are also carried out on a long term basis not week to week or month to month but year to year and decade to decade. Don't forget also that only 2 years ago we had the GFC (from which much of the world is still emerging) and at that time, production plans the world over went out the window. Car, bus and truck manufacturers and importers suddenly found themselves having to lease acres of land to store surplus vehicles to the extent that one major European manufacturer was very much on the brink of extinction when sales were less than 30% of forecast. Who could blame them for being conservative in production planning, it takes big balls to decide to invest 50 billion of shareholders money.

[themmc]

More than four weeks since order and VW still haven't given a BUILD date.

[dribs]

More than four weeks since order and VW still haven't given a BUILD date.

Probably won't get it until for another 1.5 months, thats provided if their efficient.

Similiarly, I ordered my Golf in September and didn't get a confirmed build date until second week December.

[gavs]

More than four weeks since order and VW still haven't given a BUILD date.

Wait for a couple of weeks, the build allocations were due around the start of feb for each dealer so if yours is ok for 2nd qtr production, the dealership should let you know.

Corey, what you are saying is correct. We have sent off letters to head office in Germany and to VWA and we have finally gotten some answers after some rather hefty digging with no help from VWA until they were probed so deep they could feel us in their nostrils. The main purpose of this thread was for me -as the thread starter- to garner positive support from other watercooled members (with a few exceptions) in relation to finding out answers to 3 questions:

1) When will my car be built?
2) Why can't you give me an answer to the above question?
3) Why can't you push for more Australian deliveries?

Since sending letters and getting other parties involved, I have been able to obtain answers to all these questions, in some extent, yet I do not believe that the answers are in all cases, the truth. If production is currently at maximum capacity and Australia's orders maxed as well, how can they fit another 30 cars into a production line that, by definition, cannot take any more production?

[Corey_R]

If production is currently at maximum capacity and Australia's orders maxed as well, how can they fit another 30 cars into a production line that, by definition, cannot take any more production?

You can't. It's called damage control. They're bumping other peoples orders in order to fulfil the people who seem to be causing, or capable of causing, the most stink...

[pologti18t]

You can't. It's called damage control. They're bumping other peoples orders in order to fulfil the people who seem to be causing, or capable of causing, the most stink...

Squeaky wheel syndrome... Hopefully "their" cars arrive with missing options - lol