VW Touareg - anyone running one?

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LittleGreyCat

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#309237 1-Oct-2023 03:30

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).

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Mad Scientist
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#3137245 1-Oct-2023 06:56

As all cars there are good ones and there are lemons.

There are certain things that are prone to failing in each line or even batch of cars - usually poor design or poor material (or both).

The thing with WAG (and most Euros) is they allegedly over engineer and over complicate things such that if a repair is needed the labor costs are high as you have to strip half the car to get to a $2 plastic piece for example.

I think Google is your friend to find what these weak points are in each model.

For a while I was researching the 2023 Touareg with RWS and adaptive suspension. I didn't find anything too incriminating but couldn't justify the cost and didn't want a diesel.

Batman

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#3137246 1-Oct-2023 07:01

Re garages.

In the big cities you will have indy garages that specializes in European cars. But not small towns.

Make sure you don't use 3rd party parts for Euros unless you have researched that particular manufacturer, they may save you a few dollars today but it will bite you down the track.

LittleGreyCat

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#3137249 1-Oct-2023 07:23

Batman: Re garages.

In the big cities you will have indy garages that specializes in European cars. But not small towns.

Make sure you don't use 3rd party parts for Euros unless you have researched that particular manufacturer, they may save you a few dollars today but it will bite you down the track.

I guess this is one big difference.
In the UK (and Europe) car manufacturers use many common parts and good quality third party parts are available. Presumably due to the enormous size of the market.
So parts are not a major issue.

NZ does not, as far as I know, manufacture vehicles at the moment but imports a lot of used vehicles from Japan so I assume that the supply of spare parts for these are far more plentiful (although our daughter bought an imported used Audi from Japan so I assume that counts as a European car).

I suppose the big issue is the number of similar vehicles a mechanic will have already encountered.

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#3137251 1-Oct-2023 07:45

LittleGreyCat:

The thing I have no feel for is how many garages are willing and able to maintain European cars.

What part of NZ are you looking for? There’s at least two good Euro car independent servicers on the North Shore - they have the correct diagnostic gear and brand-trained techs. They charge a lot less than the VAG dealerships.

I’m sure there’s others in the rest of greater Auckland. As mentioned above, much less likely in smaller centres.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

LittleGreyCat

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#3137258 1-Oct-2023 08:35

Any plans would be applicable to the whole of NZ as we would be travelling.

Mind you, we travel in the UK and have all our work done close to home.

So no idea whereabouts we would want service.

Lias

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#3137743 2-Oct-2023 13:42

Not direct experience but a relative is an expat brit and has learned through painful experience what most of NZ already knows.. Don't buy European cars in NZ unless you have a very healthy bank balance. He brought himself a VW (not the same model however) and has not had a good time with the maintenance and repair costs for it. You've already made the assumption that parts will be more expensive and harder to find.. that's very true, but also european car mechanics are much the same.. rarer and costlier. I've heard anecdotally that you are looking at 50-100% price increases versus say Japanese/Korean and some quick research seems to support that. As an example from one of the big chain stores I wouldn't ever entrust my vehicle to anyway, a basic service for a European car is ~76% costlier versus a service for other makes.

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alasta

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#3137819 2-Oct-2023 14:20

Volkswagen actually have fully transparent service pricing and fixed cost service plans. Of course this is just routine servicing so I guess they could still screw you on things like replacement brake pads, but overall their pricing seems reasonable.

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johno1234

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#3137839 2-Oct-2023 15:16

alasta:

Volkswagen actually have fully transparent service pricing and fixed cost service plans. Of course this is just routine servicing so I guess they could still screw you on things like replacement brake pads, but overall their pricing seems reasonable.

Can't click through to the page that covers what is included, but assume it's your usual interval items such as oil, filters etc but not anything discovered to be faulting such as DPF or EGR.

johno1234

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#3137841 2-Oct-2023 15:23

Lias:

Not direct experience but a relative is an expat brit and has learned through painful experience what most of NZ already knows.. Don't buy European cars in NZ unless you have a very healthy bank balance. He brought himself a VW (not the same model however) and has not had a good time with the maintenance and repair costs for it. You've already made the assumption that parts will be more expensive and harder to find.. that's very true, but also european car mechanics are much the same.. rarer and costlier. I've heard anecdotally that you are looking at 50-100% price increases versus say Japanese/Korean and some quick research seems to support that. As an example from one of the big chain stores I wouldn't ever entrust my vehicle to anyway, a basic service for a European car is ~76% costlier versus a service for other makes.

This is always the traditional wisdom. However in our household over the years we've often had one Asian sourced car (typically Subaru or Toyota) and one euro (typically VW) and I can't say I've noticed a major difference in costs. Oil is oil, brake pads and the like are commoditised. The biggest difference is the astronomical cost of work done at a dealership vs independent.

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Wheelbarrow01

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#3138056 3-Oct-2023 00:52

I have a 2011 Touareg V8 TDi. I bought it late 2019 and get it serviced once a year at Volkspower in Christchurch. Here's a list of my costs over the past 4 years:

Nov 2020: full service & WOF: $534.18

April 2021 - New battery including fitting and battery management reset: $960.69

May 2021 - 2 x new tyres 275/45 R20: $798

Oct 2021 - Full service & WOF: $727.28

Nov 2021 - Diagnose faulty O2 sensor: $163.88

Dec 2021 - Supply & fit new O2 sensor: $121.33

Nov 2022 - 2 x new tyres 27545 R20: $830

Nov 2022 - Supply & install front & rear brake pads (Brembo): $1091.88

Dec 2022 - Full service & WOF: $578.23

TOTAL $5805.47 (average of $1451 per year to date)

I just remembered that back in August I replaced the right rear wheel speed sensor - this is a common VW fault which triggers about a dozen warnings on the dash making you think there's a MASSIVE issue (warnings include transmission failure, ABS failure, park brake failure, headlight failure, parking sensor failure, cruise control failure). After watching a video on how easy it is to fix yourself, I shelled out the princely sum of $43 with Amazon for an aftermarket sensor and the triple square socket needed to get the brake caliper off to access it. It took less than 15 minutes to replace it and reset the fault code and it's been fine ever since.

I note the big ticket items (brake pads, tyres & battery) will not need to be touched for quite some time now, so the service coming up should be a low cost one. But I guess this does show how pricey VW items and servicing can be.

Having said that, I was just quoted over a grand to get the cambelt & waterpump done on my runaround 2005 Hyundai Getz - a car probably only worth $2k. I ended up buying the parts online from an Australian retailer for $148, watched a YouTube video, and did the work myself in under 4 hours last week. I am no mechanic but the car still runs so I did it right (it's an interference engine so if I did it wrong it would have suffered catastrophic failure upon the first start).

Prior to the Touareg I owned 3 Ford Rangers and a Focus. None of those were cheap to service or maintain either. $700+ batteries are par for the course these days, and I remember the cambelt on my PK Ranger being well over $1500 including labour. And the scheduled services were always $650+.

I have the need to tow boats, caravans and sometimes heavy trailers all over the South Island, and nothing can do it as well or as comfortably as my Touareg can. I probably wouldn't go back to a Ranger now if you paid me - not even the new V6, which is still 66kW and 200Nm down on power compared to my Treg (250kW, 800Nm), but weirdly the Ranger still uses more fuel.

My advice is: If you don't do regular heavy towing, or you're not traversing skifield access roads in winter, I think you'd be mad to own a Touareg. But I do love mine!! The first generations do have a proper low range gearbox with locking diffs, and combined with the adjustable airbag suspension they are surprisingly formidable off-roaders - that is another strong use case.

The first generations were also widely available in Japan and there are thousands of Japanese imports here, and getting parts really isn't a problem - some wreckers have dozens of them in stock (possibly because some owners can't afford to fix major problems so they just get written off).

LittleGreyCat

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#3138064 3-Oct-2023 02:37

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/user_public.asp?user_id=70001 thanks for the comprehensive reply.

I note you have the V8 (twinge of jealousy there) which makes things a little more expensive.

A lot of advice says Ford Ranger is the go to all terrain vehicle so I note your experience.
Reading about ride quality is what made me consider another Touareg.

I am now wondering if a late first series like our current one would be a possibility.
The Touareg forum at https://www.mytreg.com/forums rates the first series as the strongest but they are getting a bit long in the tooth.

You don't realise what facilities are taken for granted until you start looking at stuff like this.

Handle9

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#3138066 3-Oct-2023 03:58

Batman: Make sure you don't use 3rd party parts for Euros unless you have researched that particular manufacturer, they may save you a few dollars today but it will bite you down the track.

Or they may be way better than the OEM part. I’m looking at you 2.0l water pumps and thermostats.

Handle9

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#3138067 3-Oct-2023 04:07

OP what are you actual wanting to do with the car? Use it for touring for a couple of months and sell it again or is it a daily driver?

Incidentally a 3500 tonne towing capability for a Toureg is truly impressive ;)

I’m guessing you mean 3500kg.

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#3138084 3-Oct-2023 07:47

I would not get a Toureg based on my experience with a VW Polo from new in NZ, but wheelbarrow's post above is the best.

Check out the Toyota Fortuner and the other ute based oversized 'estate cars', I have the 2020+ facelift model of that but the earlier 2015+ ones the only issue has been the DPF filter which can or has already been replaced under warranty. Faultless off road, big towing capacity and great resale value being essentially a Hilux. Similar car from Mitsubishi which also not sure if got released in UK is Pajero Sport, and also the Ford Everest. Not sure if I would want one as a daily driver if living in the city without also owning a cheap/electric runabout in the family too.

I do quite like the Tourag though, but may as well get a used Porsche Cayenne as they both seem to depreciate at the same rate and based on same platfrom - Porsche Off Road (@955safari) • Instagram photos and videos does some impressive tracks on his in NZ

GV27

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#3138086 3-Oct-2023 08:00

I had a Tiguan Allspace 7 Seater with AWD as a daily driver through work. Great spec for the price level, really enjoyed it but I struggled with the stop-start system (having come from a pure EV). I believe there's a new version coming down the line in 2024 so you might have some luck with finding one in a good spec for a wee while yet. I'm not sure they'd be considered a 'run-out' model yet.

(Disclosure: I work for an automotive dealer that carries VW and I never took down anything more challenging than a gravel driveway).

I wouldn't be buying any non-EV from any brand without a service plan, and I would push the boat out as far as I can afford to up-front. This is based on my experience with a Mini that I bought from Japan myself and ended up having to get my hands dirty on a regular basis to keep it functional. It is still off the road.

If OP wants to use it for a few months and then sell it, he's probably better off renting one using a subscription for a couple of months.

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