Volkswagen Reviews

I've been dealing with coolant loss issues since shortly after purchasing the vehicle. While it was under warranty, Volkswagen replaced the water pump and gasket. When the coolant loss continued, I was told the solution was a coolant flush and a new coolant formula because the original coolant molecules were supposedly so small they were slipping past fittings. That explanation sounded questionable then and sounds even worse now. What's interesting is that while the vehicle was under warranty, Volkswagen had no problem acknowledging there was an issue. Parts were replaced. Repairs were performed. Service records were created. Everyone agreed there was a problem. Now that the warranty has expired, the story has completely changed.

Despite continued coolant loss and multiple trips to the dealership, I'm told the problem "cannot be recreated." Apparently coolant just disappears on its own now. Meanwhile, I'm buying coolant every few months like I'm enrolled in Volkswagen's Coolant-of-the-Month Club. Of course the dealership can't recreate the issue during a brief service visit. The vehicle loses coolant gradually over time. They aren't driving it daily like I am. They aren't the ones constantly glancing at the dashboard wondering if today is the day the low-coolant warning light comes back on. They aren't the ones carrying a jug of coolant in the back of the vehicle because experience has taught them they might actually need it. I am.

I've had to add coolant during extended trips because the warning light came on while I was away from home. When you're traveling with your family, the last thing you should be worried about is whether you'll need to stop and add coolant just to continue your trip. At this point, driving the vehicle means constantly monitoring for warning lights and keeping coolant in the vehicle because I never know when I'll need it. That's not normal ownership, and it's certainly not what I expected from a vehicle that has had documented coolant-related repairs since it was under warranty.

The most frustrating part is that coolant doesn't simply disappear. If I'm continually adding coolant year after year, there is a problem. The fact that the dealership can't recreate it during a short inspection doesn't change the reality I've been living with. To make matters worse, there are class-action lawsuits involving coolant system issues on Volkswagen vehicles, including complaints involving coolant loss and related engine concerns. When I contacted Volkswagen Customer Care hoping for assistance, I found out that "Customer Care" is little more than a middleman whose job appears to be agreeing with the dealership.

I provided repair history showing Volkswagen had previously acknowledged coolant-related problems while the vehicle was under warranty. It didn't matter. The response was essentially, "If the dealership can't recreate it, there's nothing we can do." As frustrating as the coolant issue has been, my experience with Onion Creek Volkswagen's service department was even worse.

After a brake service, a caliper bolt on the front brake assembly was left loose. During a family road trip, that bolt eventually backed out and fell out completely without my knowledge. Near the end of the trip, the vehicle started rattling and making increasingly severe noises. By the time I was able to get it inspected, the sound was awful. The vehicle ultimately had to be towed in for repairs. Think about that for a moment. A critical brake component was not properly secured after service. My wife, my children, and I were traveling in that vehicle. We were fortunate the situation didn't end much worse.

When I finally got the vehicle back, there was also a scratch approximately two inches long that wasn't there when I dropped it off. Nobody mentioned it. Nobody documented it. Nobody apologized. It felt like the plan was to wash the vehicle, park it outside, and hope I didn't notice. The look on the service writer's and service manager's faces when I pointed it out told me everything I needed to know. They immediately acknowledged it and assured me it would be addressed. Then nothing happened. No follow-up call. No scheduling. No repair. No accountability. That pretty much sums up my experience with Volkswagen and its dealership network over the last several years.

Problems that are acknowledged under warranty suddenly become impossible to find once the warranty expires. Customer Care sides with the dealership regardless of documentation. Serious service mistakes happen. Accountability seems nonexistent. Promises are made and forgotten. Volkswagen built its reputation on engineering and customer loyalty. Somewhere along the way, both seem to have been abandoned. The company that once earned generations of repeat customers now seems more interested in explaining away problems than solving them. The vehicles may still look good sitting on the showroom floor, but the ownership experience has become a constant battle of excuses, finger-pointing, warning lights, and unresolved issues.

If I'm not buying coolant for Volkswagen's Coolant-of-the-Month Club, it seems to be time to replace another battery. In all my years of owning vehicles from various manufacturers, I've never had batteries fail as consistently as they have in my Volkswagens. I've yet to have a Volkswagen battery make it even halfway through its warranty period before needing replacement. At some point you stop feeling like you own a Volkswagen and start feeling like you're sponsoring one.

Owning this vehicle shouldn't require carrying coolant in the back, watching the dashboard for warning lights, wondering if the latest repair was done correctly, or budgeting for another premature battery replacement. Yet here we are. Volkswagen and Onion Creek Volkswagen didn't lose a customer overnight. They lost one poor decision, one ignored concern, and one broken promise at a time. After years of dealing with coolant issues, warranty runarounds, poor customer support, vehicle damage while in service, premature battery failures, and a brake repair mistake that could have put my family's safety at risk, I can confidently say my Atlas will be my last Volkswagen.

What concerns me most is that my warranty expires soon, yet a major engine-related issue diagnosed under warranty remains unresolved. Instead of receiving reassurance, I was simply told to keep checking the oil level and continue waiting. The lack of communication, follow-up, and urgency has been unacceptable. I expected much better customer service and support from Volkswagen. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Moran Volkswagen in Sterling Heights, MI to anyone.

For a company of this size, this level of customer care is unacceptable. Customers should not be ignored when dealing with repeated recalls and safety issues on a new vehicle. I completely lost trust in Volkswagen. Between the dangerous problems with the ID.4 and the terrible customer service experience, I will never buy another Volkswagen again and would strongly warn others to think twice before purchasing one.

On 3 April the Finance Manager stated he cancelled $7750.00 of those add ons. As of today, the 18th, we were told the check (we were give a copy of) was not mailed until the 10th of April by REGULAR mail. The new Volkswagen Tiguan Sel Turbo R torn us within two days. It literally died on the road and almost got us hit in the back. We could not move it and called the dealer salesman and they did not even know how to shift the car in neutral to get it moved.

The car was turned in to the dealership for service and they would not provide us a loaner car. We had to go out and buy another dependable car (chevy) because this brand new VERY EXPENSIVE Volkswagen is a pile of crap. You can hear the brakes grind and rub. You can feel every single bump in the road. The Android Auto cuts out frequently while listing to your music via your phone. The control panel is not something that should be legal to install in a car; we are not even supposed to text and drive and operating the huge screen is a nightmare and I imagine someone is going to die doing so if they haven't already. PLEASE PEOPLE DO NOT BUY A VOLKSWAGEN. ESPECIALLY FROM GURNEE VOLKSWAGEN.

Once they diagnosed the problem and got back to me I Googled it. It is a very common issue!!! So, I asked the dealership why a common issue is nothing they had seen before? They said that this is common, but not like this. (I assume this is because they have new service people in there literally EVERY time I go?) I think asked why a "Very common problem" isn't recalled and fixed. They didn't have an answer for that either, so I Googled it again. Basically the answer was something to the effect of, if it doesn't cause crashes or immediate harm they consider it a maintenance issue. So, knowing this will likely happen at 60k miles they set their warranty at 50k. Boom, problem solved (for them).

This says to me that even the company knows that their product is crap and they dodge any responsibility to consumers. This was fortified by their rating here. This is my second experience with a VW and they have both been poor!! (and thy have been 30 years apart). Buyer beware!! The dealerships definitely also feel shady (in my opinion).

If you enjoy the remote start option, then I hope you enjoy migraines. The staff and technicians at VW has also become masters in delusional beliefs, since each problematic issue your vehicle may experience is non-existent and resolved by a mere dealer car wash. In conclusion, I would strongly urge and recommend anyone that is considering a VW to buy/lease ANYTHING else. It will save you so much money on headache medication!