The new Mrs Arragonis-mobile

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Any rattles on that new Prius? On Priuschat, many complain of rattles on the gen III, but I wonder if they improved after the 2012 model year.

I'm in the market for a Prius, but I have no tolerance of cabin rattles and creaks. If I could pinpoint the noises and easily eliminate them, I wouldn't mind too much.

The main rattles are from the tailgate and the 'bridge' where the gear lever is.

The tailgate ones are pretty standard and can be removed by adjusting the rubber mounts in the boot. It might mean you have to slam harder though. And they come back.

The bridge can be sorted by forcing the rear end of it upwards and pushing rubber pieces into the gaps.

There is one above the radio but under the speedo. I never found it as I this is a company car so I couldn't take it to pieces. From the web I think it is something in the wiring loom.

There is no cure for the road and engine noise except another type of car. Also no cure for the carp seats. Sorry.

[jcp123]

VWs used to be a bit better in terms of quality in this side of the pond...parents had a pair of VWs leased new in 2000 and they bore out the reputation of the day, hit or miss. Dad's Passat was utterly and entirely bulletproof for the 5 years and 60k miles we had it, loaded up as it was in V6 4motion wagon form. My Mom's Beetle 1.8t on the other hand...let's just say they're glad that our dealer had a service department which went way above and beyond.

VW now is really just a toy for those with a bit of money. Your repair bills will be constant and high.

[Ecky]

Is 60k miles considered good for not needing repairs? So far as I can tell, looking at the dealer records, all that has been done to my Insight in its 160,000 miles is that it's had the oil, spark plugs, battery and tires changed.

Granted, it's probably noisier than Mrs. A would be happy with.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Is 60k miles considered good for not needing repairs? So far as I can tell, looking at the dealer records, all that has been done to my Insight in its 160,000 miles is that it's had the oil, spark plugs, battery and tires changed.

Granted, it's probably noisier than Mrs. A would be happy with.

For a VW, yeah that is pretty good. We had to put the Beetle in three times for warrantee work. Technically the last time it was 200 miles out of warrantee but the folks at the service dept. were kind enough to get it fixed either through goodwill or by falsifying the mileage on the claim lol. Lots of loose trim pieces, a hatch release solenoid that went bad, a busted window regulator, a vacuum hose which mysteriously disappeared, that kind of stuff.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Granted, it's probably noisier than Mrs. A would be happy with.

Probably, also not big enough to put her sales demo stuff into when carrying 2-3 other people too. Me I'd love one, I was about a week off buying one last summer...

Originally Posted by jcp123

For a VW, yeah that is pretty good. We had to put the Beetle in three times for warrantee work. ...

As tapped earlier Mrs A's previous Octavia ran from 15K to 99K in 3-4 years with nothing other than regular servicing which is impressive, especially the way she drove it

My main issue is the dealers and service centres here. Luckily under EU law if we use an independent and they service to the same spec (e.g. correct spec oil on the bill, OE spec filters and so on) then the makers warranty runs on. We have a couple of local VAG independents which we used for the previous Skodas we have had and my Audi. Costs haven't been too bad for normal servicing, less than the main dealers though and you know the work has been done.

[jcp123]

We luckily didn't need to shop around. Stevens Creek VW Audi was awesome. No idea if they're still as good, a lot can happen in a decade but I'd go back to them in a heartbeat.

[Arragonis]

Well it has announced the need for fresh oil after 3K miles...

...oh but 12 months old.

I might give it that new oil, or reset the service warning.

[redpoint5]

I'd follow the schedule for the first couple oil changes on a new vehicle.

In my TSX, the oil change advisory comes on after about 6k miles. I reset it and go 12k before changing.

You should at least adhere to the minimum service interval in the owners manual to preserve the warranty.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

You should at least adhere to the minimum service interval in the owners manual to preserve the warranty.

What he said.

[Arragonis]

Agreed, just had a chat with Mrs A and it will go in next Monday - it's too new and nice to scrimp on a small-ish bill.

On the same basis we are doing a "round Britain tour" this summer with the Audi instead of the Octavia - The Audi likes longer runs - it can't match the MPG of the Octavia but has more space for luggage (a week away) and enough stone chips already to not worry about avoiding any more.

The Octavia has one mark on it. Just one.

Arrgh.