Leaking Front Shocks. Common?

[dickt]

Both front shocks are leaking and require replacement. Car is 3 years old with 32,000 miles on it.

Cost of replacement, UKP675.!!!
VW have not yet agreed to pay..............

All I can say to everyone is to check your shocks on a Mark 7 while your car is in warranty!!!

 

[dickt]

VW have refused to contribute one penny.

"Not a warranty claim at all"

 

[jeffkro]

Yeah, I saw that once it a while I was working at a Nissan dealership. It happens, not that expensive replace them and move on. If its not covered under warranty you might price it at an independent shop. If you get aftermarket struts just make sure they are good ones.

 

[\w/]

unreal...

my previous car had close to 100,000 miles, bought it new in '07, and NEVER did anything to the suspension. When i traded it in, i was told the shocks were in excellent condition.

 

[Hobby55]

Do you have them? If so perhaps time to get an expert to look at them, for that age and mileage they shouldn't have gone unless you've been driving over speed bumps at speed for the past 3 years!

 

[dickt]

Yes, I have them. They are still on the car.

The moral of this story is for all Golf owners to check their shocks at least once a year. They are clearly not reliable on the Mk 7 Golf.

VW have refused to contribute anything, even though the car has only 32,000 miles on the clock.

 

[Hobby55]

No one else has reported the issue and many have done far more miles than you so it's unfair to say that they are not reliable... The ones on yours aren't, clearly, but that's because they could have been faulty... So as I said...

Get a report.

If you are in the AA or RAC get in contact with them, if not try Honest John (the Telegraph's Motoring Consumer Expert)...

If I had to pay out that sort of money I'd be trying every avenue...

 

[dickt]

The AA "Members' technical helpline" were as much use as a chocolate tea pot. They have, however, suggested that Dekra expert are the best firm to examine a component part. I will contact them. I will take up your suggestion about Honest John. I like his website.
The AA and the dealer have both been astounded by VW's attitude. I guess the lies and corruption caused by dieselgate have put the penny-pinching beancounters in charge, so every penny has to be saved for the USA billion dollar penalties and lawsuits.

I have worked in the past in a huge corporate when they issue the penny saving edicts. It is no fun.

 

[Hobby55]

Thing with HJ is it's like speaking to Motoring's equivalent of TV's Watchdog, no manufacturer likes him!

Good luck!

 

[Internexus]

The key thing here is to submit a ticket with VWoA and whatever your federal agency is for highway/traffic safety (In the USA this would be NHTSA). These are the steps that will transcend into a recall if one is deemed necessary in the future.

 

[baldybouncer]

My golf has gone in today for the squeaking suspension issue AGAIN! and they have sent me a video listing the car requires new shock absorber as it's leaking badly...

This will be me last VW - sick of the poor quality they are passing off as good these days....

 

[pcr]

I would say the moral is, get your first MOT a week before your warranty expires.

 

[2slowvw]

I would say the moral is, get your first MOT a week before your warranty expires.

LOL had to look up what MOT was. A UK inspection thing apparently.

 

[SRGTD]

I would say the moral is, get your first MOT a week before your warranty expires.

You can get your MOT carried out up to a month before it's due. This is what I do, so if your car is still under warranty and there are any issues such as leaking shock absorbers like the OP has experienced, you would hopefully stand more chance of getting them fixed under warranty.

 

[KevinC]

my previous car had close to 100,000 miles, bought it new in '07, and NEVER did anything to the suspension. When i traded it in, i was told the shocks were in excellent condition.

LOL.. you were lied to, unless "excellent" merely means they weren't leaking.

Stock shocks are cheap units, and are generally pretty well worn by 30-50k miles.

My advice to the OP is to buy a quality shock like the Bilstein B4 or B6, if he intends to keep the car for an extended period of time (like 50k+ more miles). These are warranted for as long as you own the car (at least here in the USA, unsure about your warranty over there), and should easily last 100k miles or longer before needing a rebuild or replacement - and if that does happen Bilstein will cover you.