VW Touareg - anyone running one?

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LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#3138095 3-Oct-2023 08:27

If bought it would be a daily driver and might be used for towing a trailer tent or caravan from time to time.
Off road capability might or might not be used but wet grass can be a challenge in some vehicles!

All speculation at the moment.

Considering this if we have a 6+ months stint at one go.
For much shorter term we would probably hire.

In 2010 when we were in NZ for 4.5 months we bought a car at Turners then put it back through as we flew out.

Handle9

11387 posts

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#3138096 3-Oct-2023 08:33

If it’s for a relatively short period of ownership there’s no way I’d touch a euro.

Get something NZ new (not used import) and with a service history. It’ll hold its value for six months and it’s far less risky and easy to deal with issues.

shk292

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#3138391 3-Oct-2023 18:29

I had a diesel biturbo AWD passat for a couple of years and my costs were very similar so wheelbarrow's. Also some random ones like a boot that refused to open (about $500 for the local independent specialist to fix) and an engine management light that neither the main dealer nor independent VW specialist could diagnose or fix. That fault was still there when i traded it in
The only way I'd buy a VAG vehicle now would be if it were covered by manufacturer warranty and service plan

rp1790

738 posts

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#3138577 4-Oct-2023 07:42

LittleGreyCat:

In the UK we have a 2009 VW Touareg (facelift version of the first series).

It does us very well - far more comfortable than a pickup truck (such as Ford Ranger, VW Amarok) and also tows 3,500 tonnes and has decent off road capabilities.

We have a trusted small local garage which maintains it and apart from a few glitches, it has been our main driver from end 2016/start 2017.

Should we ever get to the stage of buying a car in NZ it would be good to have a car you trust and know.
However I have no idea how easy they are to maintain in NZ.
I see some prejudice against European cars, and assume that spares will be more expensive and less readily available.
The thing I have no feel for is how many garages are willing and able to maintain European cars.

So I am asking if anyone here has direct experience.

Failing that, running other VW vehicles (probably can of worms territory).

I used to have, some time ago, a 2004 Toureg (10yrs old when I bought it) and absolutely loved it. Took it offroard with the local Wellington club and it was an amazing car to drive, on and off road. Until the brakes needed to be renewed, then a headlight went out, the handle for the handbrake broke off and a number of other little things. Everything was super, super expensive to get fixed, even if not using a dealer. In the end, I had to cut my losses and run.

Years later I bought an Audi Q5 (Diesel), best car I've ever had but the same thing, lots of little things started to go wrong some very big ones with the diesel system. Luckily I had a vehicle warranty. Lesson learnt, if you can't afford a brand new European car you can't afford a secondhand one...

Still....if I won Lotto I'd probably buy a new SQ5 :-)

andrew75

145 posts

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#3138589 4-Oct-2023 08:48

Whats the transmission in these? I have a dual clutch in my current car (Ford Mondeo) and never again -- great transmission to drive with but they are super fragile and expensive to maintain with regular required servicing and if it ever breaks not fixable and end of life of the car. Never again.

Nudibranch

86 posts

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#3138601 4-Oct-2023 09:25

We have a 2017 Touareg V8 7P II for towing. So far very happy with it.

The air suspension compressor packed in 2 weeks after purchase. Was pleasantly surprised to learn the original owner sprung for the extended warranty so it was covered luckily. I wouldn't buy one without the highest mechanical breakdown insurance. Autosure Extreme in NZ.

While under warranty we took it to one of the largest dealers in Auckland. Every time I had to deal with them, it was like being in a Black Mirror episode. Glad now to take it to a trusted European specialist. Parts are $$$ here though.

Would only buy from a dealer though for such an expensive vehicle.

Feel good about having a late model variant. I don't know for sure but I feel like they may have ironed out the main issues during the model run.

You could have a look on Trademe to get a gauge on 2nd hand prices. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/volkswagen/touareg/listing/4297439599?bof=rqupDPsC

Found it difficult to find a vehicle with the required towing capacity that wasn't a Ute and the Touareg was comparable to a late model Toyota Prado at the time.

Also, during my research I noticed there are some differences in different countries about what is installed in factory. There seemed to be something in the U.K about an upgraded engine fan to keep it all cool if the towbar was ordered when new and people running into overheating issues if they retrofit the towbar later. Couldn't really get a straight answer but didn't sound like that sort of thing was an issue here in NZ. I think our towbar was dealer fitted here in NZ under license and pleased to see the towball downforce rating is sufficient.

Would recommend the late 7PII V8

Wheelbarrow01

1723 posts

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Chorus

#3142891 5-Oct-2023 01:11

andrew75:

Whats the transmission in these? I have a dual clutch in my current car (Ford Mondeo) and never again -- great transmission to drive with but they are super fragile and expensive to maintain with regular required servicing and if it ever breaks not fixable and end of life of the car. Never again.

I'm not sure about the first generation (other than it's a 6 speed auto). My second generation (7P) Touareg has the 8 speed ZF 8HP auto which has been bulletproof so far (250,000kms).

They put ZF's into dozens of makes including luxury brands (Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Aston Martin etc). The general perception is that they are very reliable, reasonably low maintenance as well as being nice to use with smooth and responsive shifts. My ZF's party trick is that it can shift from say 8th down to 4th gear without having to pass through the gears in between, thus greatly improving response times eg when overtaking.

The current generation Toyota Supra runs a ZF 8HP if that's any indication (there's no way Toyota would put a dog transmission in their flagship sports car).

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halper86

547 posts

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#3143029 5-Oct-2023 11:05

Have you looked into Skoda’s?
They’re beginning to get more and more common each year at camping grounds for towing boats and caravans The owners rave about them, they aren’t my cup of tea though (i’m a hard jap lover) but would you be open to looking.
I went for a ride in a Kodiaq, 2.0 turbo quite powerful for what it was, smooth and tows a breeze according to owner.

Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3143091 5-Oct-2023 11:54

halper86: Have you looked into Skoda’s?
They’re beginning to get more and more common each year at camping grounds for towing boats and caravans The owners rave about them, they aren’t my cup of tea though (i’m a hard jap lover) but would you be open to looking.
I went for a ride in a Kodiaq, 2.0 turbo quite powerful for what it was, smooth and tows a breeze according to owner.

We've had a 2020 Kodiaq for the last 2 years and it's been great. Handles really well, lots of space, 7 seats and no mechanical issues. Drove from Auckland-Southland return for Christmas break 2021/22 and had zero problems. However, it's neither an offroader or a heavy tower. We've towed a trailer with rubbish, bikes etc, but nothing like a boat.

Batman

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#3143103 5-Oct-2023 12:32

Wheelbarrow01:
The current generation ~~Toyota~~ BMW Supra runs a ZF 8HP if that's any indication (there's no way ~~Toyota~~ BMW would put a dog transmission in their flagship sports car).

Ftfy

https://youtube.com/shorts/txBDvTIIcuM

samjaynz

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#3143114 5-Oct-2023 13:11

I've got an 07 V6 petrol Touareg as a secondary vehicle (skiing, tip runs, towing, taking the mountain bikes out, dog transport etc).

Horrendous on fuel, especially at current prices but I only fill it once every few months.

I've owned it for three years now, and it's probably averaged ~$2000 per year in repair and maintenance costs per year. Some of that is stuff I paid for that wasn't necessary for warrants, e.g. I had all the brakes and discs done because while they passed a warrant it felt a bit slow to pull up to a stop. It's currently having a fuel pump replaced.

It's left me stranded twice (once when a wheel locked on due to a failed speed sensor - had to be transported back from Queenstown, once when the fuel pump failed necessitating the current repair).

Fuel cost aside, when it's working I do love it. Incredibly capable, can go anywhere (we had some flooding in our subdivision last year and while everybody in their little cars was stuck I could just back out the driveway and drive through with water up past the door sills), very comfortable and genuinely nice to drive. My in-laws have an MG SUV, one of the fairly recent ones, and I'd rather drive my Touareg any day of the week as long as somebody else was paying for the petrol.

Maintenance bills can be cut down on by being handy and also buying parts from overseas ... e.g. fuel pump is $1500 from the dealer for a VW official part, or you can score an aftermarket one for about $500 landed into NZ, or $200 from Amazon for a cheap Chinese knock off part if you're brave.

For me, the measure of a purchase is always whether I'd buy the same thing again given the opportunity. I would buy another Gen1 Touareg (I don't really like the later ones although wouldn't mind a 2nd gen TDV8 R-Line) but I'd:

Buy a V8 petrol as I think the extra power would outweigh the marginally worse fuel consumption
Buy a nicer example from the outset with better service history. Mine was a trade-in special and it became clear quickly that the previous owner just hadn't maintained it properly. Car cost me $7000 and it's probably had the same again spent on repairs and maintenance in three years. I wish I'd spent $12-15k which at the time would have bought a much nicer example, NZ new with better history and lower KMs.

It's not worth much more as a 'going concern' than it is as a $1 reserve clearance sale, so I'll just keep using it until it dies to the point I can't justify fixing it or am not able to repair it myself, then I'll sell it off for scrap/parts on TradeMe.

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