Warranty problem - 2018 Alltrack Wolfsburg

[ToomanyVWs]

I bought mine as a 1500km demo from Beachside VW at Frankston, Vic. I was quite happy with them, and very happy with the car, except that I cannot stop fumes getting into the cabin when following a smoky vehicle, even in recycle mode. It's not a problem for me, but my wife gets very sick from such fumes. We bought a Golf GTI Mk V in 2006 and she was so impressed with the air conditioning system that she has since bought a Mk V1 and the a Mk V11, all GTI's and all new. I have bought a few larger VW's in the same time, and they all have had faultless cabin sealing.

The car has now had 3 visits to 2 different dealers to look at the fumes problem. At the 2nd visit to the 2nd dealer, they took the problem more seriously and discovered an air leak in the firewall around the air conditioner expansion valve. They did not fix the problem though, as it will take some time to correct, and they have to get approval from VW Australia to fix it under warranty, because VW reimburse them for warranty work. That was over 3 weeks ago, and we haven't heard back from them. Of the 6 new VW's we have had since 2006, we have only had one warranty issue, a faulty turbo on wifey's 2016 GTI 40 year special, and that was replaced, probably at great cost, without hesitation.

What has been your warranty experiences?

[ope126]

I bought mine as a 1500km demo from Beachside VW at Frankston, Vic. I was quite happy with them, and very happy with the car, except that I cannot stop fumes getting into the cabin when following a smoky vehicle, even in recycle mode. It's not a problem for me, but my wife gets very sick from such fumes. We bought a Golf GTI Mk V in 2006 and she was so impressed with the air conditioning system that she has since bought a Mk V1 and the a Mk V11, all GTI's and all new. I have bought a few larger VW's in the same time, and they all have had faultless cabin sealing.

The car has now had 3 visits to 2 different dealers to look at the fumes problem. At the 2nd visit to the 2nd dealer, they took the problem more seriously and discovered an air leak in the firewall around the air conditioner expansion valve. They did not fix the problem though, as it will take some time to correct, and they have to get approval from VW Australia to fix it under warranty, because VW reimburse them for warranty work. That was over 3 weeks ago, and we haven't heard back from them. Of the 6 new VW's we have had since 2006, we have only had one warranty issue, a faulty turbo on wifey's 2016 GTI 40 year special, and that was replaced, probably at great cost, without hesitation.

What has been your warranty experiences?

Interesting problem you have there...

You have had many wonderful VW's without issue, it is a shame you have only joined this group recently and a small problem has arisen.

There are ways / channels to go to get your concerns actioned.
Have you thought about lodging a case with VGA?

Here is a link to the best cabin filter VW Group make; Superb Cabin Filter Replacement

Fits the Passat too...

Either way, great car. Happy with mine, I hope yours will be back the way you like it soon too...

[achk]

I have a 2017 Passat 206TSI. Warranty period is up next week! I've had a leaky water(coolant) pump replaced and also the battery replaced. I'm going to go an extra two years with carsales extended warranty. After that, I will probably sell/trade the car (fingers crossed the ID4 will be available then in AUS).

[ToomanyVWs]

Thanks folks. I'll keep you posted.

[FarQ]

got another year to run on factory warranty for my 2017 alltrack wolfsburg (feb2021). then the eric 5 year warranty insurance kicks in, so i'm covered until feb2026...been trouble free so far other than internal cracks on the discover media pro unit which was replaced.

[206Harvard]

What has been your warranty experiences?

A few issues, all fixed without question on a MY17 206 wagon, cracked internal door grab, cracked washer bottle, battery and lately electric tailgate struts.

[doc_777]

Out of both our passats, my wife’s is the only one that has needed any warranty assistance. One of the little “teeth” in the front cup holder dislodged a couple of days after she picked it up. Then, it developed a small metallic rattle in the steering wheel centre - some kind of plate was replaced.

[ToomanyVWs]

Still no action on my warranty problem with 2019 Passat Alltrack. At VWA's insistence, the Bendigo dealers compared my car's firewall ability to withstand fumes leaking into the cabin with the same model owned by another customer that came in for service. That car passed the test no problems. VWA was told of the results about six weeks ago, but still no response from them. I hope they hurry up, as there is a cold blast of air hitting my legs which will be quite unpleasant in mid-winter.

[ToomanyVWs]

Still no action on my warranty problem with 2019 Passat Alltrack. At VWA's insistence, the Bendigo dealers compared my car's firewall ability to withstand fumes leaking into the cabin with the same model owned by another customer that came in for service. That car passed the test no problems. VWA was told of the results about six weeks ago, but still no response from them. I hope they hurry up, as there is a cold blast of air hitting my legs which will be quite unpleasant in mid-winter.

It's now 11th May, still no authorisation from VW to proceed with repairs. If it's unfixable at a reasonable cost, have I got a lemon on my hands? Pity, it's a great car otherwise, but no use to me if my wife (my frequent co-driver) is unable to drive in it due to her chemical sensitivities.

[tek199]

I think its time to deal with a dealer in writing.

Carsguide has an article on this here

In summary:
Choice, advises the following steps:
• Contact the dealer and the Australian head office of the car company
• Make sure you put all your communications in writing
• Mention the Australian Consumer Law and consumer guarantees
• Mention "major failure”