Government to probe 'killer' Volkswagens

[SS_01]

Originally Posted by burnz

your argument is flawed.

if he was tailgating she would still be alive, just pushed up the road.
the speed difference 20Kph approx. (zero reaction time).

if he was well back, the speed difference would be 70Kph approx. (reaction time dependant)

Did you look at the golf??? It was pushed, if he had of cleaned it up at 70km/h difference the golf wouldn't have had majority of the vehicle left! Yet, amazingly, 2/3rds of the vehicle was still intact.

The other thing to note, is that the Golf that Melissa unfortunately lost her life in, is a Mk5, and these were the very first Golfs to use the DSG transmission in question.

Anyway, this has been done to death, and as someone else said, only two people actually know what happened that day, and one isn't alive to tell her side of the story. Meanwhile, the Australian media is trying very hard to discredit an exceptional company and vehicle brand that is following protocol to the T as enforced by head office.

Either way, this continuing to run on and on and on has actually drummed up more business for the dealers than you can believe. Free advertisement as it will, regardless of good or bad has brought people to the dealers, and the guys I use to work with are enjoying a very favorable month. It will be interesting to see if that is represented australia wide, or just with the network i am still in touch with. If the trend is to be believed though, this talking is further helping Sales of Volkswagen in Australia.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Did you look at the golf??? It was pushed, if he had of cleaned it up at 70km/h difference the golf wouldn't have had majority of the vehicle left! Yet, amazingly, 2/3rds of the vehicle was still intact.

The other thing to note, is that the Golf that Melissa unfortunately lost her life in, is a Mk5, and these were the very first Golfs to use the DSG transmission in question.

Anyway, this has been done to death, and as someone else said, only two people actually know what happened that day, and one isn't alive to tell her side of the story. Meanwhile, the Australian media is trying very hard to discredit an exceptional company and vehicle brand that is following protocol to the T as enforced by head office.

Either way, this continuing to run on and on and on has actually drummed up more business for the dealers than you can believe. Free advertisement as it will, regardless of good or bad has brought people to the dealers, and the guys I use to work with are enjoying a very favorable month. It will be interesting to see if that is represented australia wide, or just with the network i am still in touch with. If the trend is to be believed though, this talking is further helping Sales of Volkswagen in Australia.

at the end of the day, passive and active safety toys are geared for a frontal impact....

my other post was in relation to...
just that some post put the blame on the truck driver and not at golf/ the driver/ or vic roads..

[OLDFORDNUT]

Originally Posted by Danny

That's exactly what I thought. You're not wrong there.. I don't believe for a second that the engine going into limp home provides enough engine brake to make the car stop fast enough such that a truck can't stop in time to avoid hitting it.

I don't think the brakes went on on their own, that just wouldn't happen at all.. I reckon there's been some sort of driver error both in the GTI and the truck.

a car might only lose speed slowly if you put clutch in or put auto in neutral so it coasts to a stop ,this is totally different to car losing all power whilst in gear where it will slow dramatically and might shock lots of drivers who dont react quickly to such things and dont quickly put clutch in or select neutral.when on freeway if you back off even for a second with alll cars only 50 metres or so apart at 110kmh you will cause a multi car panic attack with brakes locked up all around ,

[SumoDog68]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Did you look at the golf??? It was pushed, if he had of cleaned it up at 70km/h difference the golf wouldn't have had majority of the vehicle left! Yet, amazingly, 2/3rds of the vehicle was still intact.

The other thing to note, is that the Golf that Melissa unfortunately lost her life in, is a Mk5, and these were the very first Golfs to use the DSG transmission in question.

Anyway, this has been done to death, and as someone else said, only two people actually know what happened that day, and one isn't alive to tell her side of the story. Meanwhile, the Australian media is trying very hard to discredit an exceptional company and vehicle brand that is following protocol to the T as enforced by head office.

Either way, this continuing to run on and on and on has actually drummed up more business for the dealers than you can believe. Free advertisement as it will, regardless of good or bad has brought people to the dealers, and the guys I use to work with are enjoying a very favorable month. It will be interesting to see if that is represented australia wide, or just with the network i am still in touch with. If the trend is to be believed though, this talking is further helping Sales of Volkswagen in Australia.

Golf involved was a manual .

[SumoDog68]

Double post .

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by OLDFORDNUT

a car might only lose speed slowly if you put clutch in or put auto in neutral so it coasts to a stop ,this is totally different to car losing all power whilst in gear where it will slow dramatically and might shock lots of drivers who dont react quickly to such things and dont quickly put clutch in or select neutral.when on freeway if you back off even for a second with alll cars only 50 metres or so apart at 110kmh you will cause a multi car panic attack with brakes locked up all around ,

+1, and lets look at it another way.

How quickly do cars decelerate when fools flip off cruise control as they approach a speed camera. Now multiply that by the effect you have described above when loosing all power.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Anyway, this has been done to death, and as someone else said, only two people actually know what happened that day, and one isn't alive to tell her side of the story. Meanwhile, the Australian media is trying very hard to discredit an exceptional company and vehicle brand that is following protocol to the T as enforced by head office.

More like they sat back and did nothing when recalls were issued in numerous other countries. I see a company who tried to sweep problems under the rug in the hope no one noticed. And this is a good company?

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by KIWI-1

+1, and lets look at it another way.

How quickly do cars decelerate when fools flip off cruise control as they approach a speed camera. Now multiply that by the effect you have described above when loosing all power.

No matter how quickly a car coasts or be it petrol or diesel compression brakes to a dangerously slow speed, it will not match the deceleration of braking. Even a total lock up due to seizing will actually take longer to stop than controlled braking manouver. If you hit the car in front you who slowed you were too bloody close or not paying attention.
Yes the VW may have slowed without brake lights but no way it slowed as quickly as with brakes, the following drivers should be prepared that any car may slow for unseen reasons, like animals, children, obstructions, or driver changing their mind.
I don't see any excuse for the rear vehicle hitting one in front when following (I acknowledge last minute lane changes or similar as being the exception)

JP

[SS_01]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

More like they sat back and did nothing when recalls were issued in numerous other countries. I see a company who tried to sweep problems under the rug in the hope no one noticed. And this is a good company?

You can see what you want to see, and that is entirely up to you.

Having worked with the company, I have an understanding of what VGA have to go through before they can issue things like recalls in Australia.

[monte.b]

Seems to me that the front wheels were falling off territories in the early days ,no recall on them was there ,and didnt they have a rear brake hose problem too ,no recall ,we need to be careful here as ford dont have a real good name on recalls

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Having worked with the company, I have an understanding of what VGA have to go through before they can issue things like recalls in Australia.

My engineer friend in Germany has, from direct experience, some very deeply unflattering (and unprintable) things to say about VAG's management style! I wouldn't put any car company on a pedestal. Which brings us to ....

Originally Posted by monte.b

Seems to me that the front wheels were falling off territories in the early days ,no recall on them was there ,and didnt they have a rear brake hose problem too ,no recall ,we need to be careful here as ford dont have a real good name on recalls

Yeah, lived through that and survived - including taking an automotive engineer friend for a memorable wobbly ride down the F3 in Sydney (wondering if we'd be killed any minute) as we tried to get to the bottom of the issue in the face of a deafening wall of silence from Ford. Ford came to the party eventually but it took an uncomfortably long time.

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Having worked with the company, I have an understanding of what VGA have to go through before they can issue things like recalls in Australia.

Maybe, but Melissa Ryan died 2 years ago.

[SS_01]

Originally Posted by new2ford

My engineer friend in Germany has, from direct experience, some very deeply unflattering (and unprintable) things to say about VAG's management style! I wouldn't put any car company on a pedestal.

I didn't say the Management style was great, rather that I have an understanding of what has to be done within the company.

Every Company has area's that can be improved, but the way VW generally go about things is very good.

Originally Posted by KIWI-1

Maybe, but Melissa Ryan died 2 years ago.

Yes she did, and yes, it was very unfortunate, but these troubles have only really been brought to attention in the last month or two. One incident isn't enough to start a mass recall, and as far as VW would of been concerned, it would of looked like a one off incident. Most of the people now voicing a similar issue with their cars, probably haven't even reported the issue to their local dealer yet, cause they didn't even know that there was an issue until it was brought into the media.

For Instance:
A friend of mine Ellie, has a 2010 VW Polo Comfortline, 90tsi, and she has shuttering from the clutches in her DSG, which she wasn't even aware of until i told her to take it to the dealer to get it rectified under warranty.

So how can a company do anything about something they are unaware of? Australia being such a small market overall, with little info being fed back to VW, I believe they can be forgiven for thinking that the models sent to Australia weren't affected.

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by ss_01

yes she did, and yes, it was very unfortunate, but these troubles have only really been brought to attention in the last month or two.

ymbj!!!

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by SS_01

I didn't say the Management style was great, rather that I have an understanding of what has to be done within the company.

Every Company has area's that can be improved, but the way VW generally go about things is very good.



Yes she did, and yes, it was very unfortunate, but these troubles have only really been brought to attention in the last month or two. One incident isn't enough to start a mass recall, and as far as VW would of been concerned, it would of looked like a one off incident. Most of the people now voicing a similar issue with their cars, probably haven't even reported the issue to their local dealer yet, cause they didn't even know that there was an issue until it was brought into the media.

For Instance:
A friend of mine Ellie, has a 2010 VW Polo Comfortline, 90tsi, and she has shuttering from the clutches in her DSG, which she wasn't even aware of until i told her to take it to the dealer to get it rectified under warranty.

So how can a company do anything about something they are unaware of? Australia being such a small market overall, with little info being fed back to VW, I believe they can be forgiven for thinking that the models sent to Australia weren't affected.

Problems with the DSG's in local cars have been widely known for a long time, as in years. VW Australia would certainly have known.

[SS_01]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Problems with the DSG's in local cars have been widely known for a long time, as in years. VW Australia would certainly have known.

Known between enthusiasts yes, reported on Forums, yes, not necessarily reported to VW.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Known between enthusiasts yes, reported on Forums, yes, not necessarily reported to VW.

No. I am not a VW enthusiast, nor on their forums either. A colleague of mine had DSG problems, his VW dealer certainly knew about it and not just from the problems with his car, others I have read about more than once in the Fridays Carsguide etc.

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Known between enthusiasts yes, reported on Forums, yes, not necessarily reported to VW.

Surely VAG have a field evaluation process that would potentially uncover such issues?

[Rodge]

VW have known about these problems for years. It appears they have been trying to save money and avoid a recall down-under. Bunch of Rat Bags in my opinion.

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Known between enthusiasts yes, reported on Forums, yes, not necessarily reported to VW.

So if Volkswagen didn't know, who the hell represented them when they were taken to VCAT by Ross Gulliver 2 1/2 years ago?

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by SS_01

Known between enthusiasts yes, reported on Forums, yes, not necessarily reported to VW.

YMBJ!!! (again)
...
But none of that knowledge would help Ray, as his car ground to a halt on a Point Cook roundabout with his wife and three-month-old son Joss as passengers. The Hilux smashed up the rear of his beloved Golf. ''It was a pretty nasty smash,'' says Ray.
The Ray family car was tested twice after its sudden loss of power and diagnostic tests at Essendon Volkswagen showed nothing was wrong. Then suddenly, last week, the dealer rang Ray and said they knew what the problem was - it was the mechatronics unit.
...
Because it rarely showed up in diagnostic tests and was intermittent, there was often no proof of a fault. Melbourne man Graham Whiteman, whose petrol Eos (DSG) lost power dozens of times - and once in the Burnley Tunnel - was told by Essendon Volkswagen his situation was ''unique''. But at least eight other motorists with the same problem told Fairfax Media they took their cars to Essendon Volkswagen.
...
Some dealers blamed their customers' driving or, in the case of diesel vehicles, the quality of fuel. Volkswagen was also careful with its language - the diesel injector issue was not a recall but a ''campaign''. According to a 2011 memo obtained by Fairfax Media, Volkswagen Australia told dealers to ''please reinforce the correct description of this action'' - a DSG software modification - ''as a vehicle update, NOT a recall''.

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/no-recall-failure-to-act-20130607-2nvis.html

[mickcoz]

Originally Posted by OLDFORDNUT

a car might only lose speed slowly if you put clutch in or put auto in neutral so it coasts to a stop ,this is totally different to car losing all power whilst in gear where it will slow dramatically and might shock lots of drivers who dont react quickly to such things and dont quickly put clutch in or select neutral.when on freeway if you back off even for a second with alll cars only 50 metres or so apart at 110kmh you will cause a multi car panic attack with brakes locked up all around ,

Try taking your foot off the accelerator in a current falcon or territory with the zf auto and see how fast it slows down. For an even faster slow down try reducing the cruise control speed by 20 km which is just two slightly long presses on the decel button.

Sent from my MZ604 using Tapatalk 2

[jpblue1000]

Just came across the coroners report (november 2013)for this Melbourne incident as reported:
http://www.caradvice.com.au/260114/v...woman-coroner/
or
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-1...issues/5093666

A Victorian coroner has ruled there were no systematic safety faults with the Volkswagen Golf being driven by a woman who died in a crash in Melbourne in 2011.
Coroner Heather Spooner said there was no evidence that the 2008 Volkswagen Golf of 32-year-old Melissa Ryan suddenly lost power, suggesting it was more likely that she was distracted by a hands-free telephone conversation she was having at the time of the crash.
Ryan died in January 2011 when her Volkswagen was hit from behind by a truck and crashed into a barrier on the Monash Freeway.
Ryan’s family believed a defect with the car that caused it to suddenly lose power was responsible for her death, and called on the coroner to investigate the issue after approximately 300 other Volkswagen owners made similar claims of losing power in their cars.
Reports from the Federal Government’s department of infrastructure and industry and Volkswagen Group Australia found no evidence of faults with the type of vehicle Ryan was driving, leading the coroner to her conclusion.
Spooner recommended VicRoads consider a complete ban on using mobile phones when driving and suggested the development of in-vehicle technologies that prevented drivers from using phones while behind the wheel should be a subject of further research.
Ryan’s family expressed disappointment with findings, saying they believed too much emphasis was placed on her telephone conversation and the report of the police major collision unit, which did not attend the crash scene, and hoped for a more comprehensive review of the complaints from other Volkswagen drivers.
Volkswagen Group Australia today acknowledged the coroner’s findings that found the vehicle did not contribute to the cause of the accident.
“Our sincere thoughts and sympathies remain with the Ryan family in what are tragic and very distressing circumstances,” Volkswagen said in a statement.
Volkswagen reiterated that there was no correlation between Ryan’s car, which was equipped with a manual transmission, and the recalls affecting Volkswagen vehicles with dual-clutch DSG automatic transmissions

JP

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by stevz

One would think that if you were driving down the freeway at 100 and your engine cut out the car would simply keep rolling, but in these cases it seems like there is a braking force applied as well, so there is a lot more to this than what meets the eye.

Well one may think that, but that's not how it works.
While competing in Sprints at QR in my BF F6 some years back, the 6 speed ZF cried enough and went into limp mode just as I was approaching the final corner before pit straight. I had just overtaken a Porsche and was still well before the braking markers when it went into limp and decelerated quickly. I check the rear-view and saw a Porsche rapidly approaching my backside ... fortunately the driver was awake and had to swerve violently to avoid a collision.