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Buying into the Volkswagen myth
I always wanted a Volkswagen: I thought that they were the best car short of a Rolls - Royce. I bought this 1993 Vento 1.4 litre in 2000: it had low mileage for the year, and was in perfect condition - perfect condition in every way other than how it would ‘misbehave’ at random, that is. It actually broke down on a clearway on the way back from the trader I bought it off, on the day I bought it! Okay, I know there’s not much kudos in admitting that I bought it off a ‘Trader’ - this guy was set up in a mews in Phibsboro ( Dublin ). On the other hand, where do these guys get the cars? - exactly, from the trade. It looks like a bagged myself a prime example of a jinxed car that had been passed around the trade for a long time before I came along.
This was my first car, and I was as proud as could be of it. I was soon to hate it more than I have hated anything in my life. Imagine how much of a complete plonker one feels broken down in the middle of a ‘yellow box’ with predictable moron behind leaning on the horn. I didn’t have to imagine: I felt this way so much with the Vento that I almost came to enjoy it. It would drive perfectly for days, and suddenly begin losing power in bursts - at all speeds. When the power would return it felt like trying to drive in a gear too high. It would often just cut out after a round of this, and die completely. Nothing would work: it would be as though the battery had been removed. After about 10 minutes, it would spring to life again and drive perfectly.
In between the cut - outs I would begin to like it again. It certainly had a ‘solid’ ambience, and I like that sort of thing. The interior was nice if too dark for my liking, and the boot was too high: very awkward for trying to judge the dimensions when reversing when you can’t see them! It was also seriously underpowered: overtaking was not an option. I sent the car in and out of Volkswagen dealerships thinking ( remember I was new to all this ) that they were the best people to fix it. Wrong. In the space of less than a year, the two Volkswagen dealerships - between them - robbed change out of the ashtray, put a massive dent on the side of the car, and scammed me of almost £2,000 and then nicely told me to get stuffed when I complained. On Christmas eve 2000, it did me a favour: it went on fire. Though I didn’t feel it at the time, it was the best thing that could have happened. By this time it was alternately refusing to go into gear as well: that took a week and cost £350 in a Volkswagen main dealer ( “That’d be the Clutch” ) with the result that it wouldn’t go into gear again on the very day I collected it from them.
My last drive in this heap of junk involved a stop for refuelling, then a 70 mph drive on the Motorway. Luckily my route meant that I had to come off the Motorway, and onto a slower road with traffic lights. Thank God, I got a red light. As the lights went green and the car in front drove off, I realized that the smoke I thought was coming from his car wasn’t, but rather was coming from the engine bay of mine. I pulled into a Bus stop and calmly began reading the instructions for my fire extinguisher. Why, to this day, I will never know ( at this point flames were licking up from under the bonnet and it was turning purple with the heat! ). I hopped out with the extinguisher, and quickly realized that it was completely useless: there was so much space in front of the engine that it had no effect through the grille ( I knew better than to lift the bonnet at this stage ).
It was all over in about 10 minutes. The local fire brigade - DunLaoghaire - were at the scene in double - quick time, doused it, and a tow truck was ordered via bystander’s mobile phone. To add insult to injury, the tow truck cost me £80. When it was eventually plonked in my driveway it certainly became something of a talking point in the neighbourhood. Most thought that it had been stolen and vandalized! I wrote several letters to Volkswagen in Wolfsburg ( Headquarters, Germany ) expressing my dissatisfaction with the service in Ireland. After all, these were quality - conscious Germans and Volkswagen is a quality car, right? All they did was forward my letters to Volkswagen in Ireland, who didn’t care less either. I remembered for a finish talking to a cocky and ignorant young twit in V.W. Ireland who informed me: “We sold a lot of Beetles, so we must be doing something right”. That just about sums up Volkswagen’s attitude: running on past glory rather than product / service today. It would be a bit like Ford refusing to fix a Mondeo because they sold a lot of Model T’s! Both VW dealerships either a/ treated me like a leper for not buying a car from them ( but happily charged a fortune for ‘repairs’ which I doubt were ever carried out ), or b/ tried to sell me a newer car. Incidentally, a friend bought his Golf from one of the very same VW dealers at the time, and he had to have a blazing row with the service personnel in order to get them to make a minor adjustment to the engine - a week after he bought it! To be fair to Volkswagen in Germany, they had other things on their minds at the time - like hiring prostitutes on the company expenses. I would never touch Volkswagen ever again. They are not a bad car, they are ordinary and average, but the service I saw was sub - standard in every way. Sure, cars go wrong: that’s why you take them to the people who are supposed to have the expertise to fix them. My Volvo has nothing in common with Volkswagen, and thank God for that! As the slogan goes: “If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen” ( indeed ... I wouldn’t be writing this .... I’d be dead! ). A car that the maker’s won’t fix is useless, and can really make your life a misery. Stepping from that heap and into an ultra - reliable Volvo was as close to motoring nirvana as it gets. PS: It took 3 months to get the Insurance money from Quinn Direct, whom I promptly dropped. I moved to AXA and then began to feel patriotic ( Quinn being Irish ) but discovered that having a claim meant I was barred from moving insurers again for 5 years ( thanks again Volkswagen! ). I am still with AXA nearly a decade later, claims free ( Volvo’s don’t tend to ignite ), and I have no intention of returning to Quinn Direct whom as far as I am concerned can go and commit a certain act ... with themselves.
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Copyright 2000 - 2009 Anthony Halpin. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited. contact me: v480s@hotmail.com |