I have had the GT Tdi for three weeks now and can not fault it apart for one thing. The clutch peddle. Sometimes and it does seem to be increasing in frequency, when I have been on a spirited drive and change down through the gears between 2 and 3rd the clutch peddle seems get 3/4 of the way through the return travel is slow to go the rest of the way. It doesn't happen from cold, the bitting point is where you would expect it to be for a 5 year old car with 70k on the clock and there is no sign of slipping when you change down. The DMF is bloody loud thou when it is cold but quietens down once the car is up to temperature.
My initial thoughts are Concentric Cylinder or DMF but am leaning more towards the former as altho the DMF is noisy when cold there isn't too much vibration or shudder, it could however be both that are causing the fault.
The car was bought from a garage in Croydon and altho I was assured they would cover the reasonable cost of repairing any mechanical faults excluding wear and tear they are simply not interested, if fact their last comment was "what do you expect for a five year old car with 68k on the clock, if you wanted a new car you should have paid for one" as you can appreciate this has really got my back up. Under the Sale of Goods Act I have attempted to reject the car, offer them the opportunity to inspect the car and use a garage of their choosing to repair the faults but they have failed to reply to my letters/emails.
The drivers side seatbelt mechanism also needed replacing as the "seatbelt not fastened" buzzer would go off when you went round a corner or moved the seat. As the fault was most likely with the crash sensor I chose to buy the part from VW as I wasn't comfortable (safety feature and all that) buying second-hand and because of this was accused of being a "rich mug" by the owner of the garage as I could have got one from a scrap yard for less.
The dealer was initially informed of the issue the day after I bought the car and I have kept communication to email ad letter to ensure I have an audit trail should I have to kick off litigation but despite sending them three letters and two emails they have only contacted me once my phone. The person went nuts when I told them I was recording the call :)
I would like the garage to accept liability but it looks like that is not going to happen with out a fight!
Am I being reasonable in wanting;
Dealer to reimburse the cost of the seatbelt mechanism £55
Dealer to pay for a replacement DMF and Concentric Cylinder
Dealer to contribute more than 50% of the cost of labor
I will pay for a new clutch plate and fixing kit.
Trading standards have been fairly helpful but are limited to offering advice only so it looks like the only option left is litigation.
