What is an Allroad and why can't even McGuyver keep one running?

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Earlier VWs were seen as more dumb-proof and some buyers of newer models are still influenced by family traditions, but even no-frills models catering to the Latin America such as the Gol have had some trouble with oil specs in recent years.

The cheapest oil I could find that meets VW's 507.00 spec is

Valvoline - 881167-CS European Vehicle Full Synthetic XL-III SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil

Purchased in bulk (3 x 5qt containers) it was $90 ($6 a quart). A basic 5W-30 synthetic blend is about $12-15 for a 5 QT bottle ($2.50 a quart)

[Xist]

How much does it cost to properly maintain a German car overall? Is the oil change indicative?

[Fat Charlie]

There are tons of kinds of oil, and they're all different. The fewer vehicles in your market that take that exact oil, the more expensive it's going to be. Synthetic will be more expensive, and rare synthetic will be even higher.

My dad likes to lease Audis. He had a light out once and he asked the writer how much the whole job would have cost him if it hadn't been covered. The writer just laughed at him.

I do recall peanut bulbs (194/168 and what have you) on a BMW not being replacable, instead being hard wired into the body wiring harness. Not one I had to deal with, but the shop that called me was complaining about the last car he had to deal with.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Xist

How much does it cost to properly maintain a German car overall? Is the oil change indicative?

To just do the schedule maintenance it isn't much different. The oil is expensive but the change interval is 10K miles. A comparison for the last two cars I've owned for an extended period of time:

2003 VW Jetta TDI 0 - 120K $2,751
2005 Toyota Prius 0 - 120K = $1,572

The big difference there is that I paid a mechanic to do the timing belt change on the TDI @ 100K miles which cost $1232. The Prius has a timing chain and I did all the work myself.


The problem is that plenty of people just won't pay the extra $30 to use the proper oil in the VW.

Then there are the people that are loyal to a brand of oil. "I've used Castrol GTX 10W-30 for 30 years on all my cars ....." You see this even with fleets that are running thousands of vehicle. The vast majority of US trucking fleets still run their semis on 15W-50 CK-4 oil instead of the 10W-30 FA-4 oil recommended by the manufacturer.

[Xist]

So, German cars are reasonable as long as you invest in regular maintenance.

What about Fiats?

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Xist

So, German cars are reasonable as long as you invest in regular maintenance.

What about Fiats?

The only German car I've owned a long time was that 2003 TDI. I sold it after 10 years / 245K miles to a friend of the family. It is still running today

After about 200K miles stuff on the interior started breaking - pretty common for any car that has been heat cycling in the Alabama sun for years.

My brother had similar luck with a Jetta sedan TDI of the same vintage.


My 2014 Jetta Sportwagen is too young to have issues. To date the only repair was the sunroof seal - replaced under CPO warranty. (I hate sunroofs)

[RedDevil]

Dutch summers must be brutal too then as the interior of my '86 Deasel single cam Rabbit started crumbling like crazy in just, err, 18 years...
By then it had 390.000 km on the odo, and I switched off the engine before rolling to a stop so I would not have to exit the car in a cloud of black smoke.
Then a fairy coughed on the front bumper, and everything caved in like a soufflé in a hail storm. The headlights were facing each other.
I pulled it back in shape with my bare hands, then drove it to the wrecking yard well aware that the crumpling zone actually started at my ankles.

The VW was the worst car I ever owned by a margin, even though it got the highest mileage. But the stories... I once got it jump started by two policemen. By the time it finally ran they were sweating and cursing.
That sloshing sound in the boot, fuel? No, window wiper fluid. It had a big tank under the bonnet and it emptied itself rather quickly - into the boot...
I did not know whether it was green or black when I first saw it. It was my then girlfriend's car, she drove it for 1500 km a year - a diesel, mind you - and obviously never ever washed it. When I did it turned out to be white. We're married now and the Rabbit is gone. Life is good

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

What about Fiats?

Fiat is quite underrated in most Latin American markets, where models such as the Strada became more relevant after being rebranded as RAM 700. You might know Brazil has some of the harshest road conditions, and there is a lot of Fiats all around the country. Ultimately the Fiat Uno turned out to be as popular as the Beetle used to be in rural areas.