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Old 5th August 2014, 22:01   #61
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by rpunwani View Post
What was the outcome of your visit to have the car repaired?

Any particular reason for the sensor to fail so often??
Haven't been able to send the car yet as my Honda is also in the workshop after a minor shunt. Will send the VW once the Honda is back.

This sensor has been known to fail and has happened to a number of owners on this forum too. It seems the part is too fragile for Indian usage conditions. Though one would expect VW to develop a permanent solution after all the complaints. Will have to wait and see how it turns out after the repair.
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Old 9th August 2014, 19:01   #62
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Was involved in a minor number nudge last evening :(

I had stopped in the left lane on the road due to traffic. The right lane was for making a right turn. All of a sudden I see the front left side of this BEST bus literally 2 cm from my right side ORVM. I freaked and tried to signal to the driver not to move his bus - he started racing the engine in sheer desperation.

Involuntarily I tried to move a bit in front to save my car and nudged the taxi in front, which nudged a Toyota Camry ahead. Result was that the bus driver darted away, no damage to the taxi or the Camry.

I was left with the number plate bent and the parking sensor left of the number plate missing. I suspect that it has fallen into the bumper crevice - when the Parking System is put in use, I get a continuous beep from the front area (basically showing the sensor is very close to an object).

Have scheduled an appointment for Wednesday - hope it can be fixed quickly
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Old 13th August 2014, 11:34   #63
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Fixed an appointment for the 14th of this month, with the VW workshop to have the car sent in for repairs mentioned in the earlier posts. Had decided against claiming insurance for the bodywork as I would lose my NCB.

Lady luck clearly had other ideas.

I get a call from my driver while at work, telling me that the front windshield is damaged. Turns out something fell on it while the car was on the move. So I guess I will end up making a claim for the body damage as well as for the broken windshield. I just cannot believe the bad luck my car has had over the last 2 weeks!! :(
Attached Thumbnails
2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!-photo-1-2.jpg  

2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!-photo-2-2.jpg  

2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!-photo-3-2.jpg  

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Old 13th August 2014, 12:54   #64
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

OMG, that is soooo sad :(

You will in all probability have to claim for insurance. Maybe worthwhile to do the math before claiming from insurance.

Gave the car today for fixing the parking sensor. Have also claimed a warranty issue regarding the AC in the car. Lets see what the diagnostics tell. Will let you know after I get the car back.
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Old 14th August 2014, 10:47   #65
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

I got the car back from the Service Centre.

They checked out the AC system and told me that there is nothing wrong. Anyway, its on record that I have a warranty complaint regarding the AC.

Got the parking sensor refitted (not a perfect job), they told me that some bracket inside the number broke and hence the sensor could not be fitted properly.

When I took delivery of the car, I inspected the underbody and found one screw not fitted properly. A closer inspection revealed that the technician had not fitted the underbody guard properly. Had to take the car back to the garage & had to lift the car to fit it properly.

Finally had to shell out Rs. 1460/- for it.
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Old 17th August 2014, 18:25   #66
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Did Pune - Mumbai this afternoon, drove at max. speed of 90 km/hr all through - the car returned an average of 19 km/l - door to door.

Last month we did the same, but limited speed to 80 km/hr, got an average of 21.6 km/l.

The Passat continues to surprise me
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Old 17th August 2014, 18:51   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fordfreak View Post
Lady luck clearly had other ideas.

I get a call from my driver while at work, telling me that the front windshield is damaged. Turns out something fell on it while the car was on the move. So I guess I will end up making a claim for the body damage as well as for the broken windshield. I just cannot believe the bad luck my car has had over the last 2 weeks!! :(
Hey fordfreak,

I think its for good that if something had to fall on your car it was on the glass area. Similar hit on the roof would have left an un-repairable dent.
Anyway I would closely watchout for the updates on your glass replacement. I want to see what kind of Job VW does on their windshield replacement.

Why I say this is that I once a Swift's windscreen being replaced, Apparently there is no easy way to remove the old windscreen and has to be kicked out from the inside. Was a painful sight. I am sure VW has a better way.

Anyway all the very best and keep us posted.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rpunwani View Post
Did Pune - Mumbai this afternoon, drove at max. speed of 90 km/hr all through - the car returned an average of 19 km/l - door to door.

Last month we did the same, but limited speed to 80 km/hr, got an average of 21.6 km/l.

The Passat continues to surprise me
Your car is a Gem rpunwani. I have a manual and the general notion is that Manuals are more fuel efficient still I never get those numbers. Infact, I have tried maintaining a constant speed on highways (90-100) and reset the trip meters but still the avg. is somehow close to 18-19 at best. The moment I rev that engine, the numbers come down to 17. Although 17 is easily achievable on a Highway with avg speed hovering about 100.

Last edited by Vid6639 : 17th August 2014 at 22:08. Reason: merging posts. Please use edit option when posting within 30mins on the same thread.
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Old 18th August 2014, 08:00   #68
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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Originally Posted by Crazy_Bean View Post

Your car is a Gem rpunwani. I have a manual and the general notion is that Manuals are more fuel efficient still I never get those numbers. Infact, I have tried maintaining a constant speed on highways (90-100) and reset the trip meters but still the avg. is somehow close to 18-19 at best. The moment I rev that engine, the numbers come down to 17. Although 17 is easily achievable on a Highway with avg speed hovering about 100.
Dear Crazy_Bean,

Thanks, IMHO I believe that all VW Passats are gems. For a car of this size and weight to provide such fuel consumption is thanks to the advanced engine technology in the car.

I must add that air temperature, ambient conditions, road condition, etc will also contribute to the fuel economy. After sufficient Mumbai - Pune trips, I find that the best fuel average is when the car is driven between 80 - 90 km/h. Having a car like this does prompt you to drive faster, specially when you see crazy guys in Alto's & i10's doing 130+ speeds.

Cheers
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Old 24th August 2014, 18:54   #69
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Here are some long awaited photos of the Star Mats that I bought for the Passat. I apologise for the mats being dirty, tough to keep them clean during the rains :(

The mats cost Rs. 3200/- and can be ordered online from www.carmatsindia.com
Attached Thumbnails
2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!-img_2202.jpg  

2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!-img_2203.jpg  

2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!-img_2204.jpg  

2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!-img_2206.jpg  

2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!-img_2207.jpg  

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Old 24th August 2014, 19:06   #70
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by rpunwani View Post
Here are some long awaited photos of the Star Mats that I bought for the Passat. I apologise for the mats being dirty, tough to keep them clean during the rains :(

The mats cost Rs. 3200/- and can be ordered online from www.carmatsindia.com
I have the same mats in beige. Exact same fit and finish. The transmission tunnel mat dosen't fit, How did you manage to fold it so neatly, Its thick rubber. Also the driver mat keeps sliding due to absence of the Dead pedal cutout and clutch pushing it tangentially on every gear change.
To fix this I have manually cut out the MAT for the dead pedal and it fits perfectly now. Will post pics when can.
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Old 24th August 2014, 19:12   #71
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crazy_Bean View Post
I have the same mats in beige. Exact same fit and finish. The transmission tunnel mat dosen't fit, How did you manage to fold it so neatly, Its thick rubber.
Dear Crazy_bean,

It was a bit of a struggle, but as you can see, I folded the rear part of the transmission tunnel mat (the one I got was not as hard as the main mats) because the front side has the contour. Should not be difficult

Please post pics of the driver's side mat, I will do the same after seeing what you did.

Last edited by rpunwani : 24th August 2014 at 19:13.
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Old 28th August 2014, 12:23   #72
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Dear Fordfreak,

Did you get the windshield fixed? If yes, could you please share your experience ?

BTW, the Long Term Fuel Economy gets reset if you are on the screen and hold the OK button for approx. 5 seconds. I just reset mine before I went to Pune last time. A great tool to check long distance averages.

Cheers
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Old 28th August 2014, 15:42   #73
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by rpunwani View Post
Dear Fordfreak,

Did you get the windshield fixed? If yes, could you please share your experience ?

BTW, the Long Term Fuel Economy gets reset if you are on the screen and hold the OK button for approx. 5 seconds. I just reset mine before I went to Pune last time. A great tool to check long distance averages.

Cheers
Hi rpunwani

Still haven't gotten my car back.

The workshop took my car on the 14th of August. A holiday on the 15th and then the weekend on 16th & 17th ensured that the car didn't get surveyed until the 18th!

Apparently when the surveyor arrived on the 18th, the car had been kept in some corner of their stock yard which was slushy and muddy. Hence, he could not survey the car. The survey was finally completed on the 19th. Insurance took ages to give the approval, so the car was sitting there all the while.

The service adviser didn't seem to be the most pro-active types. It took me 3 phone calls to him (over 3 days), for him to send me an estimate on the paid jobs to be conducted! I got a call from the dealership asking if the SA had given me all the details on time (I narrated the entire experience to them till then), after that he seemed to follow up more. He didn't know if the sensor fault was covered under Extended Warranty and thus took another day to check up on this. The speed at which they seem to work can surely drive anyone mad.

I also got a call from VW's Mumbai office asking if I was satisfied with my experience. The lady on the line thought my car had been in the workshop since the 25th (while actually it had been there since the 14th). She was surprised when I told her I still hadn't got my car back. Sheepishly she said that we will call you back once you get your car.

There was the option of having it delivered to my house, but in-case I am not satisfied with any part of the work done, it would be too late to do anything then. And besides, I am not comfortable with any workshop driver touching my car after hearing numerous stories about their antics. I will probably have my car back with me on Saturday or Monday. Hopefully they have done a good job fixing everything.

The windshield was repaired under insurance, the sensor fault was covered under Extended Warranty, and the remaining body work cost around 27k. The paid jobs included the damage on the rear-left quarter panel and painting the front+rear bumpers.

Overall the experience of dealing with the service center has not been satisfactory. But I just hope they have done a good job on the car.
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Old 8th September 2014, 13:24   #74
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

Apologies for not updating the thread about the repair progress. I was travelling and didn't have access to the internet.

So basically, I got my car back on the evening of 2nd September. No surprises, the car wasn't properly cleaned. The cherry on the cake though, was the fact that the workshop guys forgot to install the rear number-plate lights!

I only got to see the car at home once I got back from work. My driver informed me that there was some new warning light glowing on the dash (one which he hadn't seen before). The fault warning on the MID said that the rear number plate lights were not working. Upon checking, I noticed that the slots for the lights were empty! I found the lights stored in a plastic packet in the boot.

I got on the phone to the service adviser and then the service in-charge and gave them a piece of my mind. I have never been so angry at anyone before nor have I shouted so much at anyone for anything. The workshop sent a technician over to our residence the next morning to have the lights fixed.

I didn't get a chance to drive the car in daylight since I was flying to China that night itself. Once I returned, I got to see the car under the sun. The condition of the new windshield was appalling! It was covered in scratches and oily marks. My driver had tried cleaning all this over the last 3 days, but it had no effect. Basically, they had installed a faulty part. I spoke to the service in-charge and his senior. After a bit of arguing (nothing heated or discourteous), they agreed to come and inspect the car at my residence.

The service in-charge arrived on time this morning to inspect the windshield. He has accepted the problem and agreed to have it changed. He has clicked pictures from various angles and marked out the problem areas as well. He told me that the process will take another 10-15 days since the glass will apparently be sent from Germany and also that they need to complete some sort of complaint formality with Volkswagen. I agreed to give him the time as long as he sorted out the problem. I need to give this guy (the service in-charge bloke) credit since he has been fairly proactive in dealing with my case. The service-adviser who was initially looking after my car clearly had no clue about what was happening nor on how to get things done systematically. Whenever I spoke to him, he seemed to be fumbling for answers and making up excuses. Simply unacceptable. The service in-charge seemed to be much better informed and dealt with things in a better way.

I just hope this ordeal ends soon. I cannot use my car at night as it is hard to see anything if the lights of an on-coming car fall on the windshield. I am amazed that they didn't bother checking the work done on my car despite my car lying at their workshop for 19 days. And also the fact that they didn't check the quality of the new part being installed, was shocking. How can someone continue installing a part despite them noticing that it was not up to the required standard??!!

This entire experience has left a very sour taste and has shaken my confidence in the after-sales service of Volkswagen. I have faced issues with the service at Honda and Toyota as well, but the manner and speed in which they had it sorted was incomparable.

Volkswagen manufacture some fantastic cars, but if their service is so poor, I don't know how they expect customers to stick around. I chose the Passat over a 3-series and a C-Class as it offered great value. I do not regret buying the car even for a second and love it very much. But I don't know if it would have been better to pay more for a BMW/Merc and get less features, but have a far superior service experience and not have to deal with issues like this.

I hope this chapter ends soon and I get to use my car the way I used to.

Cheers,
fordfreak

Last edited by fordfreak : 8th September 2014 at 13:30.
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Old 9th September 2014, 09:42   #75
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re: 2012 Volkswagen Passat Highline - The beast finally comes home! EDIT: Now sold!

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Originally Posted by fordfreak View Post
The workshop sent a technician over to our residence the next morning to have the lights fixed.

I didn't get a chance to drive the car in daylight since I was flying to China that night itself. Once I returned, I got to see the car under the sun. The condition of the new windshield was appalling! It was covered in scratches and oily marks. My driver had tried cleaning all this over the last 3 days, but it had no effect. Basically, they had installed a faulty part. I spoke to the service in-charge and his senior. After a bit of arguing (nothing heated or discourteous), they agreed to come and inspect the car at my residence.

The service in-charge arrived on time this morning to inspect the windshield. He has accepted the problem and agreed to have it changed. He has clicked pictures from various angles and marked out the problem areas as well. He told me that the process will take another 10-15 days since the glass will apparently be sent from Germany and also that they need to complete some sort of complaint formality with Volkswagen. I agreed to give him the time as long as he sorted out the problem. I need to give this guy (the service in-charge bloke) credit since he has been fairly proactive in dealing with my case. The service-adviser who was initially looking after my car clearly had no clue about what was happening nor on how to get things done systematically. Whenever I spoke to him, he seemed to be fumbling for answers and making up excuses. Simply unacceptable. The service in-charge seemed to be much better informed and dealt with things in a better way.

This entire experience has left a very sour taste and has shaken my confidence in the after-sales service of Volkswagen. I have faced issues with the service at Honda and Toyota as well, but the manner and speed in which they had it sorted was incomparable.

fordfreak
Dear Fordfreak,

I am shocked to hear of your experience regarding the rear number plate lights and the windshield.

I truly believe that you should escalate this to VW headquarters. Unfortunately, most car dealers are only interested in selling cars and the service/repairs are given a low priority in their scheme of things. I agree that service/repair is not as remunerative as sale of cars - however it is the service that makes or breaks a brand. Case in example - Maruti & Mahindra. Both companies have a huge repeat customer base purely because their service is very good. They also make sure that their shop floor technicians are trained properly and QC checks are carried out. This is something I found lacking in VW. Last time I gave my car for the parking sensor repair, the bottom guard was not properly fitted. In the normal course, it would have gone unnoticed. However, as I am a car enthusiast and an engineer I check everything before I leave the workshop.

How can someone fit a scratched windshield as a replacement?? I request you to get to the bottom of this only to make sure that this is never repeated with any other customer.

I would also like to acknowledge the approach of the service-in-charge who has taken the right decision to have the windshield replaced at no extra charge.

Please do keep us updated, cheers
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