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Wind Damaged Golf - Fixed

Genegenie

Drag Race Newbie
Location
North Yorkshire
Car(s)
VW Golf
The car returned & repaired a few weeks now. Apologies for not updating earlier, blame on-off-on-off job change & house move, computer problems (pics still black and white), other issues, etc. To quote John Lennon “life is what happens while you’re making plans”, though I’m more a fan of his early beat combo than the man himself. I’ll try to be brief but I recommend getting comfortable.

To recap: early February the roof of my garage blew off, the walls fell outwards but others fell inwards onto peoples cars but concrete & metal supports dropped onto my car. The insurance company-nominated repairers had the car for 2 ½ weeks in total: 11/2 weeks of repairs followed by 1 week of needless dispute, which I’ll come to later.

The list of repairs and replaced parts covers 2 ½ pages of A4 paper. Main parts replaced (VW genuine): bonnet, both front wings, left headlight assembly, left front mirror cap, windscreen & sensor, left and right screen trims, right scuttle panel (drain channel?), left headlamp, right rear door window, rear wiper arm, right rear light assembly & VW badge (eventually). Repaired and painted: rear bumper, tailgate & spoiler, left front door handle, left front A pillar & B pillar, front bumper & grill (eventually).

10 days in the repair centre told me the insurance company wouldn’t pay for the front bumper, grill & VW badge as they considered the damage was “due to a road traffic accident”, they had to be kidding? They weren’t. I phoned the insurance company for an explanation of how an RTA would cause vertical scratches / gouges lined with concrete & rust but apparently that is what their assessor said. I replied he was wrong; I wouldn’t return the courtesy car, collect the Golf or sign anything until the car was fully repaired. The repair centre were less than happy being somewhat caught in the middle but that wasn’t my concern as they weren’t exactly supportive. So after a week in addition to the near £4,000 damage, they finally decided to pay approx £150 for the bumper & grill repaired + new badge, wise decision. On collection I spent 20 minutes checking the car before handing back the loan car key & signing the repair forms. But this guarantees after 12 years with no claims on our motor, house contents & buildings insurance policies, we will be with another company in the future. Tip: don’t be intimidated, hand back and sign nothing until you are 100% happy, if possible take someone with you as you will feel better just for them being there.

With newly blackened tyres the car looks as good as new, save for a few seemingly obligatory polish swirls. While not pleased I’m not overly upset as on a PCP it will belong to someone else in 3 years time and you would never think it had taken several 100 pounds of concrete & steel. Not surprisingly the local authority have said the all collapsed garages (12 in total) was an act of God, but my no claims bonus is protected so isn’t affected. I couldn’t believe that either.

After weekly oil and monthly washer level checks the bonnet / wing fits seemed off: 3mm clearance on the left, 5-6mm on the right, not a huge gap but annoying. My patience & confidence with repair centres gone & being a reasonable mechanic, I decided to adjust it myself. Applying a 10mm ring spanner, the 2 upper wing bolts were barely finger tight, they don’t need to be too tight but they were very loose. I decided to check the right wing upper bolts and the 4 x 12mm bonnet bolts and - can you guess what’s coming - they were all also finger tight. The bonnet & wings adjusted & bolts tightened, I used VW touch up paint to cover scratches on the bolt heads & to tell if they slacken.

One bonus, an improvement that appeared beyond VW, the fit between the front wings blending into the A pillars was never 100%, it seems it rarely is on a Mk7 Golf, but now it is flush with no rattles or vibration. Another is that oh so nice ‘new car smell’, it seems to be partly windscreen sealant / glue and / or the glue holding the sensor to the screen. The aroma is fading but I’m (re) enjoying it while it lasts. Interestingly, and further to reported wiper issues, on close examination there is a marked difference between the swept and un-swept areas of the new windscreen. Running a fingernail across the edge it there is a tiny but perceptible step, as if there had been a coating or film of some kind. The presumably original wiper blades clean it ok however.

Of the courtesy cars; the initial Fiat 500L 1.3 diesel was just horrible and I discovered one reason some people don’t stop and drive across straight other traffic in such low powered cars: it takes so much time to build up any speed, slowing down and speeding up again is hazardous & you don’t feel safe. No real excuse but it’s why I swapped for the 2nd loan car, a Corsa 1.2 Design. After a week with no contact from the repair centre I popped in to check progress & swap the Corsa for a Fiesta Titanium 1.0 just for a change, as you do. I preferred the Corsa to the Fiesta though both only averaged 39mpg, my bigger engined and heavier Golf gets 46mpg all day long around town, 60ish on longer runs.

A few months ago I was ready to bin the car due to knocking rear suspension, squeaky clutch pedal, intermittent EPB & Auto hold functionality, random rev counter & speedo readings, turbo waste gate noises, many buzzes, rattles & squeaks and almost complete lack of dealer or manufacturer interest. At one time so hacked off was I the only reason I left in the Golf was I couldn’t arrange transport home or to work the following day; the dealer is 26 miles way, work 23 in the opposite direction. If I’d had to keep returning it, the dealer would be given precise instructions of where it can be inserted, “oh and I’ve already cancelled payment”, as my bank told me I could. I test drove a Citroen C4, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and latest Seat Leon, none matched the overall quality of the Golf. The Leon came closest but wind noise generated by the door mirrors has to be experienced to be believed; imagine driving with front windows cracked open a few mm. If it came to it I’d order another Golf though the next nearest VW outlet is over 40 miles away

“You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone”, driving a Golf every day you get used to it and it’s only when trying another car that you know why you chose it potential annoying glitches aside. I like this particular car though the rear dampers still knock, the EPB still sometimes doesn’t come on, clutch pedal can still squeak & the turbo waste gate is sometimes noisy I’m reluctantly living with them as I don’t really expect VW to provide solutions. Main thing for me is it still drives brilliantly, quiet, economical and I still have way more important things in my life than sorting car issues. Hopefully I won’t have any more to deal with.…
 

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GC854

Ready to race!
Location
Aberdeen
So glad you have finally got your car back and thanks for the top tips. You must have been going nuts with the insurance company, especially if you were dealing with uncertain job/house moves as well. Keep taking the tablets!!!! :)
 
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