[Dutch]

In late 2013 my Father in law fell in love with a used 2012 VW EOS convertable, a neat looking car with a wild "transformer" retracting roof. He held off until the start of 2014 and then gave in and bought it.

In late 2015 I fell in love with a used 2013 Chevy Volt and purchased it shortly thereafter.

Fast forward to now (April of '17) and both cars have nearly identical mileage (about 41k) and have been lovingly maintained by a couple of "car guys". My FIL has a very short commute, but often has to do some mid-day driving from location to location so overall our daily driving is roughly the same mileage over approximately the same types of terrain and very similar, well maintained, roadways. In short, these two vehicles were purchased for nearly the same price and have lived very similar lives since we've owned them.

Well this past weekend I had the opportunity to drive the FIL's car for a day and was absolutely stunned! The car looks beautiful and the stereo system absolutely kicks ass, but the car is basically falling apart!

• the suspension is loose and creaky as hell
• there are a phenomenal amount of rattles and creaks and groans when you drive
• the transmission is jerky
• one of the sun visors has broken and fallen off
• he's had to replace a door lock twice
• the engine runs a little rough even though he just had it "tuned up"
• the bottom end torque is gutless (and I don't even mean in comparison to a Volt)
• stitching is coming loose in both front seats
• MPG is on the low side
• No serious leaks, but a few "driveway dribbles" of various fluids.
• Lumbar seat motor isn't working
• Air Conditioning works when it feels like it

So okay the Volt isn't perfect, but I have a renewed appreciation for the level of engineering it represents after that fiasco of a drive.

P.S. at least I convinced the FIL that -at minimum- he needs to put new struts under his car

 

[saghost]

The transmission and rough sounding engine are probably normal and the way they've always been. Those cars are direct injected, which gives them something of a growl at lower rpms. The transmission is a DSG, which is magic when driving but very hard to get off the line smoothly in the best of conditions, since it's a computer managing a clutch by regulating oil pressure in response to accelerator position.

(I had a 2008 Eos before I got the Volt.)

One of the things speculated about here from time to time is longevity/long term reliability. On a few occasions, I've made the point that I expect all EVs and PHEVs to last longer than ICE cars, simply because of the reduced vibration levels and thermal cycling. I suspect the rest of your list is the graphic demonstration of that - things working themselves loose over time because of the vibration, things wearing from being heated and cooled all the time.

 

[Rickoshay]

".......... computer managing a clutch by regulating oil pressure in response to accelerator position."

One of the problems with German cars is the amount of engineering energy spent reinventing the wheel. They would be better served using proven engineering and putting energy into making that more reliable. I am glad you still like your Volt. I am a Volt noob of only a couple of months but I am happy with my 2014 Premium!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using Tapatalk

 

[Dutch]

The transmission and rough sounding engine are probably normal and the way they've always been. Those cars are direct injected, which gives them something of a growl at lower rpms. The transmission is a DSG, which is magic when driving but very hard to get off the line smoothly in the best of conditions, since it's a computer managing a clutch by regulating oil pressure in response to accelerator position.

You just caused me to drop down a rabbit hole learning about DSG. The FIL's transmission behavior makes a lot more sense now... but UGH.

 

[saghost]

You just caused me to drop down a rabbit hole learning about DSG. The FIL's transmission behavior makes a lot more sense now... but UGH.

It's a really clever solution to most of the problems of a traditional transmission. It's just a bear to get the initial launch right.

That's one of the many reasons I think the A3 E-tron/Golf GTE has the potential for greatness - it can sit clutched in and start on the electric motor, without the rough clutching of the DSG, then crank the engine when it's ready. I just wish VW gave it a bigger pack...

 

[DBMoore]

Regarding the rattles and such on the Eos, keep in mind that it is a convertible and so will be structurally compromised compared to the Volt. But that has nothing to do with the rest of the issues you noted.