BMW 520 TOURING OR VW TIGUAN 190

[PTA]

Good to know - I hope they wire mine up right =D

my dads buying a 17 plate Touareg today I think. looks to be a reliable car compared to the RR Sport!

This is my second Touareg. Have had no problems on either in over 60,000 miles of ownership except an EGR problem caused by the car being off the road for a while whilst I was ill. Easily sorted by a quick blast up the motorway!
Brilliant for towing.

 

[RogerL]

Nope. I have a Touareg. Received excellent service from our local dealer.

My local dealer has generally been ok but the Service Advisors do try it on with charges and upselling unnecessary work - I had one big problem with the sunroof and it needed that local dealer's service manager to fight my corner with VW Customer Service to get a like-for-like courtesy car , which he did willingly.

Not all VW dealers have a Touareg Master Technician so can struggle sometimes.

 

[Beachball]

Snap I'm excited to start towing, as I also own a Tig 18 Plate 190 DSG R Line =) get her doing some miles , would I be right in thinking t the "knob" needs leaving in "sport" mode when towing?!!!

I have read a few videos of people complaining regarding the 150 vs 190 TDI model, i have driven both and the 190 DSG 4 Motion is like driving another car...

Having owned numerous cars over the past 6 years (8 in total), i would never buy another BMW, the engine parts they are now using are ridiculously cheap plastic housings on various parts and cost-cutting vs 15 years ago when things were metal casts etc, my E92 320D Coupe cost me over 5k in 1year of ownership to keep on the road and this was very common amongst BMW owners, not to mention the N47 Engine did the rounds all over the internet/watchdog for literally "blowing up". BMW shimmed any responsibility and quitely fixed it on the later models.

I wouldn't ever recommend anybody a BMW, their customer service is embarrassing.

Hi i have not tried it in sport mode yet but a lot on here says it great so let me know how it feels

 

[Beachball]

VW customer services are the worst I have ever used in 40 years of driving.

Actually i cannot say that this about volkswagen customer service parts he went out of his way to help me this week i needed some Wheel Alloy Paint he got the body shop to mix me some up and it is nearly a match . .great .

 

[otherclive]

Last year I was walking back from town and decided to call into the local VW dealership to book my Superb in for a service. Went over to the counter for service and said I would like to make a service booking. The young lady told me that they couldn’t arrange bookings directly and I would have to ring their bookings line. I asked her if she could do that be she said no, but did give me a business card with the service booking line number. On my way out I binned it. The car was serviced elsewhere.

But when we decided to renew our runabout we were keen to ensure that a local franchise was close. The Kia dealer is only 10 minutes walk and VW 15-20 minutes so both were options. But we went for the Kia on account that they gave good service on our Sorento and friends still reported favourably. So when Kia required a service I was pleasantly surprised when the service agent said “ would you like Charlie to collect and deliver it as he walks along your road to and from work”. I declined but what a lovely gesture.

 

[BryanC123]

Last year I was walking back from town and decided to call into the local VW dealership to book my Superb in for a service. Went over to the counter for service and said I would like to make a service booking. The young lady told me that they couldn’t arrange bookings directly and I would have to ring their bookings line. I asked her if she could do that be she said no, but did give me a business card with the service booking line number. On my way out I binned it. The car was serviced elsewhere.

But when we decided to renew our runabout we were keen to ensure that a local franchise was close. The Kia dealer is only 10 minutes walk and VW 15-20 minutes so both were options. But we went for the Kia on account that they gave good service on our Sorento and friends still reported favourably. So when Kia required a service I was pleasantly surprised when the service agent said “ would you like Charlie to collect and deliver it as he walks along your road to and from work”. I declined but what a lovely gesture.

Very similar with my partners Hyundai service, they picked the car up and dropped off and washed (1 hour 30 round trip) and this included a price match against an independent.

All these main dealers are generally franchised, so everybody will have different experiences

 

[ProfJohnL]

Car dealer's are not too far removed from caravan dealer's in so far most a independent businesses that have signed an agency deal with the manufacturer or importer . Whilst the manufacturer will try to ensure there is consistence of services between dealerships, there is some latitude for the business to make local variations.

It must also be remembered the size of the dealership might mean some aspects of service or maintenance cannot be undertaken buy all dealers, and of course it takes time to ensure that all technicians have received the necessary specific training to deal with some of today's vehicles.

A nephew of mine who is a time served and well qualified auto mechanic decided to change jobs. His new employer has had to send him on specialist training courses for the brand of vehicles he sells and that has taken three years of at least one course per month.

 

[otherclive]

Car dealer's are not too far removed from caravan dealer's in so far most a independent businesses that have signed an agency deal with the manufacturer or importer . Whilst the manufacturer will try to ensure there is consistence of services between dealerships, there is some latitude for the business to make local variations.

It must also be remembered the size of the dealership might mean some aspects of service or maintenance cannot be undertaken buy all dealers, and of course it takes time to ensure that all technicians have received the necessary specific training to deal with some of today's vehicles.

A nephew of mine who is a time served and well qualified auto mechanic decided to change jobs. His new employer has had to send him on specialist training courses for the brand of vehicles he sells and that has taken three years of at least one course per month.

Prof
Thats interesting and sort of tells me that I should not buy a car from a dealership that has recently changed franchise or perhaps I should wait for 18+ months or more. 😱

 

[Dustydog]

Driving comfort is important, but I seriously doubt that the height of the vehicle is defining factor. Its got to be more about the shaping of the seat and personal preference.

After twenty years we gave my wife’s MX-5 to my son as a family heirloom. Sitting on the “floor”at our ages was just too much for the knees and backs😢. SUV every time now for me. But agree it is a very personal thing and you have to reflect your daily needs too. For us SWMBO has Kia Cee’d that does everything other than tow.

 

[xtrailman]

Nope. I have a Touareg. Received excellent service from our local dealer.

So did I before it closed, but the dealer isn't VW CS is it.

 

[otherclive]

After twenty years we gave my wife’s MX-5 to my son as a family heirloom. Sitting on the “floor”at our ages was just too much for the knees and backs😢. SUV every time now for me. But agree it is a very personal thing and you have to reflect your daily needs too. For us SWMBO has Kia Cee’d that does everything other than tow.

I must admit that our second car a Kia Rio is quite low and being tall I have to drop the seat right down before getting in. Once in it’s got bags of room. But if I were to develop back problems it would be a nightmare. So whilst Prof has a point about height and comfort as one gets older and less mobile a low car can be a distinct disadvantage. Some years ago Ford spent a lot of effort in Focus development to ensure that the elderly, less mobile could get in without discomfort. They even developed “ elderly people” suits that showed the younger development teams what it was like having limited mobility. But of course the suits didn’t inflict pain!! I don’t know whether such effort went into the current Focus. It certainly didn’t in the MB A class or Honda Civic both targeted at younger drivers.

 

[PTA]

So did I before it closed, but the dealer isn't VW CS is it.

No. But former colleague broke down on M6 heading for Portsmouth to catch ferry. They provided a BMW X3 (!) as a replacement...and got him there in time.

 

[Dustydog]

On the VW dealer front, with thanks to Roger L, Johnsons Solihull have been brilliant sorting out my HVAC problem causing wet feet and floor in the front. No charge, free courtesy car, full social distancing in place, and a full valet. Not all doom and gloom😀

 

[RogerL]

On the VW dealer front, with thanks to Roger L, Johnsons Solihull have been brilliant sorting out my HVAC problem causing wet feet and floor in the front. No charge, free courtesy car, full social distancing in place, and a full valet. Not all doom and gloom😀

What did they do to fix it?

 

[Dustydog]

What did they do to fix it?

You were right Roger. VW had issued a Technical Bulletin to all dealers. Clearly a large number of Touregs have suffered the same problem.
The plug on the end of the condensation exit pipe has a mechanism that only lets water out and not dirt in. It has been redesigned to avoid future dirt ingress. I am told this fix should last for the life of the vehicle!

 

[Beachball]

On the VW dealer front, with thanks to Roger L, Johnsons Solihull have been brilliant sorting out my HVAC problem causing wet feet and floor in the front. No charge, free courtesy car, full social distancing in place, and a full valet. Not all doom and gloom😀

That great news Dusty