VW on the ropes again

Electric could be the only thing that would stop me driving stick. As much of a greeny as I am, I have ulterior motives, I'd just love to leave ricers at the lights.
 
hifiandmtb said:
Exactly. We'll soon being looking at ICE history, thinking "WTF were we doing!!!".
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You would sure as hell not have it approved if it was invented today!

Diesel fumes alone apparently cost the EU health system many billions of Euros a year. Its nuts having such a massive amount of combustion devices disseminating fumes all over the place...
 
Yeah, just burn brown coal to create electricity and concentrate the fumes in one spot.

Whatever happened to the hydrogen fuelled car?
 
Hydrogen is another form of battery. I just don't believe it stacks up against modern/future electric battery technologies (energy to manufacture hydrogen, transporting it around is very problematic).
 
floody said:
On the ropes? LOL.
VW are the Apple of the automobile industry. None of this will do anything to dissuade their fanboys/fangirls.
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Maybe. My mates that have been sucked in for VW lease vehicles aren't coming back for more.

Each time this stuff hits the press, even more depreciation (even worse than for the Jeeps and Disco's a few dabbled with earlier).

Eg, late 2102 TDI Passat with trimmings, $58K new, $17.5K trade in in earlier this yr with only 50,000k on clock (and it was in fact the reasonable 6sp DSG, not the 7sp POS). That's depreciation against the odds.

He has replaced it with a Subie Outback (which was what he had prior to Passat).

"The Amarok 4x4 is one of just a few VW models not to undergo a serious sales slump in 2013, following an unprecedented barrage of bad press around a recall of some dual-clutch models...." motoring.com.au

Now Amarok features in recalls.

There will always be fanbois, but there is an overall move away based on resale figures, for us mainstream players.

VW have invested in Diesel over electric for the future. I guess time will tell....


wesdadude said:
Electric could be the only thing that would stop me driving stick. As much of a greeny as I am, I have ulterior motives, I'd just love to leave ricers at the lights.
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Maybe for now, but:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/top-10-fastest-electric-cars-in-the-world.html/?a=viewall

And no chance of stalling at the lights or missed shift :)
 
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slippy said:
Yeah, just burn brown coal to create electricity and concentrate the fumes in one spot.

Whatever happened to the hydrogen fuelled car?
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The efficiencies (and ghg emissions) of a power station + transmission + EV (even with brown coal) are better than an ICE + distribution + refining + extraction etc. Even in Victoria, you are not worse off driving an EV.

Its also a fruit load easier to replace a few power stations than a million cars.

As mentioned, hydrogen is a battery - not a fuel. You lose a lot of energy by converting electricity into H2 and then back into electricity in a fuel cell. But - it does have a better energy density than a battery pack (which is more than adequate for the very vast majority of private car use) so may find application in heavy freight.
 
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Still sort of considering a new Caddy though... Petrol obviously. Suspect though I might stick with Renault and get a Kangoo.
 
floody said:
On the ropes? LOL.
VW are the Apple of the automobile industry. None of this will do anything to dissuade their fanboys/fangirls.
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:cheer2: OH HAI! You rang?

I am from a VW family, learnt to drive in a '72 superbug, currently own a 2010 TDI golf (manual, thank you very much) and none of our VW's have ever had problems. Also lease a TDI Eos, two more older bugs and a kombi. Admittedly, we've never dabbled in the DSG pond, but I like the aesthetic of driving too much to entertain that or the additional $400 service charge every year.

Don't agree with the holding value comment so much, but the MK6 (my model) was more expensive to manufacture than the current (MK7s). When I bought mine, it was nearly cheaper to buy brand new, but couldn't get the manual in Oz post 2010. Every Golf owner who was selling theirs that I spoke to was upgrading to a Jetta or an Amarok. However, they are holding value in the current market last I checked. Bought mine at 4 years old with 24,000k on the clock (owner lived in Fitzroy) for a touch under $20k. He's currently 2k short of totally mine!

Haakon said:
VW share price crashed 20%.
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Just wait until they start supplying Red Bull's F1 engines :wink:
 
I just hope it dents the future prospects of fucking diesel... Very anti social fuel to use, an example of economy at any cost - that cost being the rest of holding our breath and changing lanes if we don't get to the recirculation button in time (yes even you in your new VW leaves a trail of stink...).
 
hach_bee said:
none of our VW's have ever had problems.
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You have either been very lucky, or don't keep your cars very long.

If you hold on to them long enough, pretty much all cars have problems eventually. Its just that with VW it takes a month to get a stupid basic part and costs 5x what it does for a Japanese or Australian made car.
 
slimjim1 said:
You have either been very lucky, or don't keep your cars very long.

If you hold on to them long enough, pretty much all cars have problems eventually. Its just that with VW it takes a month to get a stupid basic part and costs 5x what it does for a Japanese or Australian made car.
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Not in the internet age.

My brother is dealing with his partner's VE Commode - low kms and needing a very expensive timing chain replacement. Have to doubt VW support could be worse than Holden!!
 
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slimjim1 said:
You have either been very lucky, or don't keep your cars very long.

If you hold on to them long enough, pretty much all cars have problems eventually. Its just that with VW it takes a month to get a stupid basic part and costs 5x what it does for a Japanese or Australian made car.
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Or I just look after my cars.... my mirage in seven years only ever had a timing belt change as the most expensive type of service. I don't skimp on servicing or anything else. It's a far better quality car than the plastic things I have to drive when I get work rentals! (Barina, i20, cerrato)
 
schred said:
Was the DSG issue like the the young lady that got run over by a truck when her golf dropped dead on the motorway? VW denied it from memory then claim was settled out of court, and a recall a few weeks later. If so that's shady as hell.
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It is believed that vw stopped but that car wasn't a dsg. The press was all over it saying it was a dsg issue but in that case it wasn't.
Dsg has been a disaster for every manufacturer that has brought it out. From Ferrari to Ford, Merc to VW, they've all had issues. Some just handle it better and have better PR people. I know it has cost one manufacturer billions of $$$ in warranty repairs worldwide for just one model of dual clutch boxes. It's been a total disaster on a grand scale.

As for cheating emission laws? It's been going on forever? Every ridden a dirt bike? Not a single road registered dirt bike sold in the last 20 years would pass emission tests but they all have compliance plates. No different in cars.
 
hach_bee said:
:cheer2: OH HAI! You rang?

I am from a VW family, learnt to drive in a '72 superbug, currently own a 2010 TDI golf (manual, thank you very much) and none of our VW's have ever had problems. Also lease a TDI Eos, two more older bugs and a kombi. Admittedly, we've never dabbled in the DSG pond, but I like the aesthetic of driving too much to entertain that or the additional $400 service charge every year.

Don't agree with the holding value comment so much, but the MK6 (my model) was more expensive to manufacture than the current (MK7s). When I bought mine, it was nearly cheaper to buy brand new, but couldn't get the manual in Oz post 2010. Every Golf owner who was selling theirs that I spoke to was upgrading to a Jetta or an Amarok. However, they are holding value in the current market last I checked. Bought mine at 4 years old with 24,000k on the clock (owner lived in Fitzroy) for a touch under $20k. He's currently 2k short of totally mine!



Just wait until they start supplying Red Bull's F1 engines :wink:
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I'm glad to hear you look after your cars. But the simple fact is that servicing European cars costs more just because people will pay more. There isn't an additional $400 of work involved.
 
Haakon said:
This. Every time I do an oil change, change a timing belt, change a clutch or a transmission solenoid, deal with the cooling system, find an oil/exhaust/coolant leak, or stand at the petrol pump sucking in fumes I dream of an electric car...
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And when you run out of energy just 2km from home you'll be yearning for an internal combustion engine.
 
hach_bee said:
Or I just look after my cars.... my mirage in seven years only ever had a timing belt change as the most expensive type of service. I don't skimp on servicing or anything else. It's a far better quality car than the plastic things I have to drive when I get work rentals! (Barina, i20, cerrato)
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I went on the VW website but I couldn't find the model called 'mirage'?:boink:

Also mirages are quite plastic.
 
pistonbroke said:
And when you run out of energy just 2km from home you'll be yearning for an internal combustion engine.
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Why? If it's run out of stored energy it's still not going anywhere.

Roadside assist vans will eventually just have fast charge packs - like the jerry can they currently carry. Or just walk the 2km and have the towie collect your car...

Non issue.
 
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