VW reviews vs customer comments

I was a VW fan for a long time. First it was the VW Beetle (old model) influenced no doubt by the Herbie movies. Then it was the VW Hippie camper van. They were so cool, they still are. In the UK, I took a ride on my friend's Golf and was quite impressed by the power and handling. I have also taken part in a few of their social media advertising campaigns in the UK.

Once I got back to Malaysia, I was seriously considering the VW Jetta. However, the news of the emissions scandal suddenly came out. I was shocked that this reputable German company had acted unethically. Though they have admitted cheating, they have left consumers with many unanswered questions. And this included not just the Volkswagen diesels models but their sister brands, Audi and Porsche as well.

Talking to other VW owners here in Malaysia, they were not that concerned with the emission scandal as it did not really affect them. However, I started hearing accounts of bad service, new cars breaking down, faulty parts and expensive parts and service. Some even told me never to buy a VW car. This was really surprising for me as I thought the brand had a good reputation in Malaysia.

I noticed that they have opened up a new big VW 3S centre in Semenyih, on my way to work. The reviews of the new Vento Turbo on various car blogs and sites have generally been positive and I was considering giving it a test drive. I wonder whether the Vento is assembled here in Malaysia or is imported from India where they are now produced.

Anyway, I was curious to see what the visitors to their Facebook page had to say about the new car. There were hardly any positive comments though I must say that who ever is in charge of their Facebook book page is very patient and is doing a good job of replying to the comments.

Take a look:

I have not given up hope but I am going to have to give them a pass for now.

Proton Wira upgrade - progress update June 2016

I had made several plans but as they say, the best of plans of mice and men often go awry.

First of all, there was an issue with my hand brake. It was getting loose and so I went to my nearby Proton service centre, Senaxis Sdn Bhd and got it fixed. They changed a few things including the brake pump (RM79.50) and brake fluid (RM10.60)as well - I was not sure why they needed to do that. They also replaced a faulty brake lights (RM21.20). All together it cost me RM111.30 including GST.

Anyway, I later discovered that the brake was still not working and decided to go to my favourite mechanic - Paul who owns Pusat Perkhidmatan Kereta Pelangi  at Sunway Damansara Technology Park. He fixed the brake in a couple of minutes and I also changed the radiator cap.

While I was there, I talked to Paul about the terrible vibrations when ever the car as at the traffic lights or idling anywhere. According to him I needed to change the engine mounting. So I decided to leave the car and get it done.

When I picked it up two days later, the car was so quiet it felt just like a new car. The damage was RM461. This includes RM285 for the mounting set and RM150 for  labour. Bloody GST was RM26.10.

I then got the power window fixed as well - one issue that has plagued Proton cars for a long time.

Also realised that the two rear tyres were nearly bald and replaced them at a nearby tyre shop - Wah Hoe Tyre services. 2 Continental tyres + balancing and alignment cost me a total of RM339.20. Was a bit annoyed as they changed me more because I used my credit card. Apparently if you  pay cash, I can get it about 10% cheaper. I wish they had told me earlier.

In total I have spent a total of around RM1000 on my car alone, so all the upgrades I had planned have to be pushed forward to the next month,

Rejuvenating an old car - repairs on a Proton Wira 1.3 M

Different people buy cars for various reasons - for many a car is an extension of their self image - representing their lifestyle. Almost everyone I talk to has a dream car - one they aspire to even if they cannot afford it. However, there are also a lot of people for whom a car is just a machine useful to get from point A to point B. My dad happens to be one of them. He has been driving the same Proton Wira 1.3 manual transmission hatchback for more than 8 years now and asked him whether he wanted to update to a new car. He was not really keen.

He calls luxury cars, houses on wheels because with the price of some of the cars, you can actually buy a house.

He is really fond of the car and I am not surprised. The car has only done 127,800 Kms and recently had timing belt in the engine changes. He proudly mentioned that the car has not broken down even once and starts up immediately.

However, I was sure that the aging car was bound to have some problems and this was confirmed when I recently had it serviced at the local Proton Edar service centre near my house (SENAXIS Sdn Bhd). One of the tyres needed to be changed immediately as it was nearly bald. They also pointed out that several parts need to be replaced and even suggested that it be better to actually buy a new car. However, my dad was not having any of it - his reasoning was that the estimated total cost of the repairs was about RM1000 but to buy a new car would cost at least RM45000 for the Proton Persona 1.6 M version. This was because he does not want a small car and does not like the look of the Saga. I guess he does have certain preferences.

Anyway we decided to go ahead with the repairs and overall a total of 27 parts were replaced (big and small) and the overall damage came to RM1642.80 including tyre allignment (RM40), labour (RM250) and 6% tax (RM15).

The major parts included:

1. Insulator assys x2 = RM188.24
2. Rubber bump x 2 = RM151.56
3. Link control assy LH and RH = RM127.53 x 2
4. Shock absorbers assy RR, RH and LH = RM102.12 x2
5. Strut FR suspension LH and RH = RM185.07 x 2 (the costliest parts).

Other minor parts included rubber bumps, pads, tyre nuts, bushing coils, rubber stabilizers.

I know that official car service centres are more expensive but I choose to go there because I wanted genuine parts.

Do you think we could have got them cheaper elsewhere?

Anyway, I think we have extended the life of the old car for a few more years.