[Bekahb]

Right I had too mant problems with my first UP i recieved it in july it was in the garage for 5 weeks after having the car for a month or so... they fixed all the problems after weeks of it being in the garage. however ordered me a new car to be built...I recieved the new UPat the start of november and within 2 days of having it... it was back in the garage again!

only a small problem with the radio but still another problem. 2 trips a mechanic took my car from my work to the garage to try fix it.. in the end they ordered me a new radio and fitted it.

after a month of having the car i have done 1000 miles now..

Onmy way home from work i had travelled abut 3 to 5 mins down the road and the Coolant light started flashing at me i continued to drive home and it was still flashing at me.
when i got home the coolant water is fine it is on the max mark also icheckedthe temperature of the car and it was the normal 90degrees..

Has anyone else had this on there car or knows what it is please as i really do not want to have to go through the trouble of going to the garage again lol.

 

[yapmaul]

That's definitely one for the garage. Don't forget if you're worried about driving it you can just call out the RAC. Hope they sort it fast.

 

[StormTrooper]

Hi, did you get the problem sorted? My Up! has started flashing, have checked the coolant level and all is okayso no idea...

Doesn't seem to do it all the time - need to call the garage but working all the time at the moment.

 

[Bekahb]

I am going into the garage this morning and they are going to see what's causing it They said on the phone its probably the cold weather however it still shouldn't flash up a warning light!

i will let you know how this problem is resolved tonight!

 

[HHGTTG]

I think that peeps here are experiencing the inadvisability of buying a car far too early in its production life. What is the point in buying a car before some of the early problems have been sorted out?
Alright I suppose if you don't mind being Guinea Pigs.

Reading this forum makes me think that I will wait another year or so. Cowardly , I know.

 

[Bekahb]

Yeah fair point however after spending lots of money on a car you don't expect this many problems like simple faults like windows leaking they are supposed to have water checks and stuff before they leave the factory.
Yeah some people could say that UPs are cheap for being a brand new car compared to other VWs but being 18 years old my savings and a lot of money is going into my car. And vw are supposed to be good cars. No matter how far along they are in the production line.. if I would buy this car in 3years then it wouldn't get so many commemts from passers by asking questions as they will know what car it is and then in a few years people won't be raving about the car as much as they are now.
Faults or not I still love my car! Just inconvenient having to go back and forth to the garage waiting around for them to check the car plus as I'm 18 its trouble to get a courtesy car as vw only insure 21year olds.
I love my car and yeah it has its faults and yes expecting faults because its a new car but not this many..
Still its worth the problems I love it!.
Plus I get presents to say sorry lile spa days and hot air balloon rides and lots of chocolates lol plus my old up from 4500 miles back to 10miles on my new one..

oooh by the way they have found no faults with the car and cant find any reason why the light would come on i have just got to keep an eye on it

 

[Chiefy]

If you do a search on the Skoda Citigo forum it is a known problem and the Skoda garage was advised by a VW garage. The fix appears to have been to change the coolant tank. It has happened before and there does appear to be a fix.

 

[Rickenbacker]

The issues being reported dont appear to be design faults as there are too many inconsistencies betwen owners. My own opinion is that the issues are down to individually faulty components that are possibly sourced cheaply, or poor and inconsistent workmanship, and that buying a new UP as with many cars these days is basically a lottery.

 

[Chiefy]

The issues being reported dont appear to be design faults as there are too many inconsistencies betwen owners. My own opinion is that the issues are down to individually faulty components that are possibly sourced cheaply, or poor and inconsistent workmanship, and that buying a new UP as with many cars these days is basically a lottery.

That is very well put - I think you have hit the nail on the head.

 

[barryG]

Many of the components are labelled Slovakia, Hungary etc rather than Germany. I suspect not only are they cheaper but vastly inferior.
My Citigo has been fine so far, apart from all the silly gearbox noises. I had a new Micra in 2003, that was riddled with faults and generally badly built!

Its not just todays cars, cars have always had issues.... we have to live with it. The difference is how your dealer sorts them out.

 

[ducatikid]

The only small car i have bought new was a fiat uno. It leaked when brand new and I had to have all the sound insulaltion under the carpets replaced.

The distributor failed after about 80,000 miles.

The front suspension wishbones were replaced on a recall.

The acelerator cables used to break regularly.

Otherwise it was excellent and never actually stopped and let me down.

fantastic engine and gearbox that did 205,000 miles before the end.

 

[PaulTadley]

Hi
Had the same problem with my1 week oldUP.

My wife was driving home and the temp warning light came on.

We called VW assist and the technician said the routing of the sensor wire was wrong making it too tight.

He re-routed the wire to give it a bit of slack and all seems ok now.

Was very worrying having only covered 250 miles!

 

[PeterWestSussex]

Many of the components are labelled Slovakia, Hungary etc rather than Germany. I suspect not only are they cheaper but vastly inferior.

Would a manufacturer install 'unsuitable' (for whatever reason) components knowing it will cost to correct/replace them at its expense?

 

[Upmeister]

BarryG - You won't find many German made components in any German made car these days. All the OE parts manufacturers have factories in low-cost countries from Eastern Europe to China and India. That's why the relative cost of new cars today is much lower when compared to incomes etc. Parts manufacturers have had to move their production 'East' because most manufacturers won't accept component price increases and tend to be looking for price reductions year-on-year!
Moving to low cost economies hasn't had a detrimental impact on reliability though, as modern cars are generally far more reliable despite being much more complex.
I had a new Vauxhall Omega in 1995 and most of the switch gear and electrics on that were made in Romania - so it's not new or limited to VW or 'cheap' cars. The production standards shouldn't be impacted by the location of the factory, but by the quality standards required by the vehicle manufacturer.
It does make me wonder what will happen when they run out of new low-cost economies to move factories to!

 

[jezyg]

The Up!, Mii and Citigo are cars built to a price point, if you dig deeper there is a whole host of cost savings made from the use of cheaper materials or components, simplified construction and of course economies of scale.

An 8K car by the time you strip off our VAT and delivery is a 6K car then take off profit margin for the dealer and around 5.2-5.3K. That is not much to make a car and cost cutting would have had to have been made. In my mind the engine and body is the area I reckon cost's the most to produce, followed by the dash. The suspension system is quite basic especially the front subframe, but being a light car will have aided it not need to be quite so robust or as complex.

With the number sold I am sure there will be quite a few design/production changes as they find common issues as time. Simple things like poor wire routing at thefactoryis quite a common issue of many new cars. The joy of mass production and only a matter of seconds to install somecomponents.

 

[Leif]

I suspect there are as many faults with other VW models, if the user surveys are to be believed. A lot of the perception of quality comes from advertising. I still think it is an excellent car. Bear in mind that unhappy people are more likely to post on forums.

 

[jezyg]

All cars have faults, look at some of the issues over at a BMW forum, but it is true people only tend to complain about issues and often come to a forum to find soloutions.

 

[Rickenbacker]

This is true, however, most cars develop faults due to parts wearing out or failing due to the mileage. I don't think brand new cars should have too many issues otherwise what's the point, we should all leave our money in the bank and drive older cars.

 

[Davec86]

I think a lot of brand new cars, as in first gens/new models, do have faults. Seems only natural.
Thankfully, I can't say I've had any problems with mine! And I'd guess the majority haven't had with theirs either!

 

[jezyg]

This is true, however, most cars develop faults due to parts wearing out or failing due to the mileage. I don't think brand new cars should have too many issues otherwise what's the point, we should all leave our money in the bank and drive older cars.

Parts in a car need time to bed in and it is during thatinitialbedding in they fail. Electronic components take about a month ofusageto becomestableafter that their reliability risesexponentially.The hing is a new car has a warranty and I have not had a breakdown with any of the new cars I have owned in the past 15 years. There has been faults and the odd sensors faliure and one weeping injector in a BMW. But nothing major or worth getting concerned about. Many have just been simple adjustments.