[2019RLine]

I have not reached out to them yet. I will wait to see what the verdict is tomorrow after my appt. The tps sensor alert randomly went off and apparently all my tires are fine now..... I am sick of using the warranty already so that may be my next call if I have another issue.

 

[2019RLine]

I hate to be the guy to inform you if you bought a car for the investment, you are not very bright. Sorry but if the mods delete this post, so be it. But if you have such hate for the car over the 3 things you mention, man, do I have a HONDA nightmare I can pass on. I OWN a 2011 Chrysler Minivan with 100k, 2 Jeeps, both with over 100k and a 2019 Atlas SEL Pre. We got the VW because we have an outstanding dealership in our area and though the car was on the same level ground as other midsize SUV's, it's safety rating won us over. Now, after 4 long trips, the last one was 2800 miles, we are not sorry at all and the ONLY issue we have had is a pesky tire out of balance that the dealer has reset twice. If you really want a car that holds it's value when it's time to resale, you might want to look at a Jeep Wrangler. Just sayin.

who said anything about an investment? But thank for the investing tip that autos are not a good one, had no idea! You are a VW fanboy and that is ok, they are nice looking autos. This atlas along with many others have been disappointing so far. The Service Advisor here stated this morning that more atlases come in for warranty work than any other VW. Most all of them are coolant issues that no one can explain. A sealed system does not lose coolant unless there is an issue. I am actually typing this from the service department which has basically become my home office since owning this thing. Cant wait to dump it and go back to a proven product, Toyota.

 

[2019RLine]

update from my service appt:

suspension issue rectified with the replacement of both front sway bar links
coolant issue is still a mystery and no leaks were found. pressure was good, but coolant smell was present. Coolant smell and disappearing from a sealed system means the coolant is leaking somewhere.
tpms is still a mystery. they confirmed that all tires were a tad low pressure but no tpms warning light was on. deflated them and still no light. inflated them and no light..

I am starting a process for a buyback. this is ridiculous

 

[2019RLine]

Front struts should be covered under TSB 40-18-01. I've had four issues in first 3 months. Fuel leak detection pump replaced, front passenger speaker replaced, cruise sensor reset, front suspension replaced under the TSB mentioned. Glad I leased it but it's a great road car, especially on the freeway in the rain. Just a **** comfortable rig.

I wish we would have leased also but with the miles we do it makes it a non option. I have an official case open with VW now so we will see where it goes. I will gladly accept a buyback even if I lose some money. It most likely wouldn't be as much as the neg equity id have if I traded out of it. The sales manager mentioned replacing it with another one to which I replied that I would just sell it the first day! LOL( this was a friendly convo, not hasty). I doubt they will side in my favor as they will stand behind the fact that they cant find an issue but acknowledge something is not right.

 

[2019RLine]

Add one more trip to the dealer for the coolant light. Over night pressure test came back fine. This is an absolute joke!

And....... they will have my atlas all week because the push button start button needed replaced. I hate this car!

 

[2019RLine]

I hear you, we just got ours back yesterday after having the water pump replaced under warranty at 12,000 miles. Drove it home with no issues. This morning the auto start doesn’t work, go outside and turn the car on to find low coolant light is on again. Pop the hood and find the reservoir is low again. Dealership says it’s normal since the system was bled, which would be fine if the light was on when we picked it up or at any time through the 20 mile ride back home. I’d figure the VW techs would have the proper amount of fluid required to fill the system up. Starting to get worried that I have another Routan on my hands, which is terrible considering the Routan was a Dodge and spent every other month at the dealership.

I spoke to the VW corp rep again today and she was the one who told me that i cant pick up my atlas until tomorrow now because the part didn't show up today. No call from the dealer at all to let me know. Unreal... Then it was said the coolant is fine but they still have no explanation why there is a coolant smell. they are already trying to cover themselves stating that the light isn't on when I bring it in. I've filled it with bottled water to satisfy the sensor 3x different times. To which I asked if i should take the risk and drive it until it potentially blows up in order to make it to the dealer with the light on? "Of course not".... Only to follow that they will go with the service dept tell them which basically they cant find anything wrong with the coolant... I would love nothing more than for this car to be totaled (w/o injuries) and get to use my GAP insurance.

So far they have replaced the rear climate screen, replaced front suspension, replaced push button start, and I've had it in for coolant light issues 3x to which they can find nothing. All within 12 months of ownership

 

[2019RLine]

UPDATE:

VW has declined a buyback.... All of these documented issues and unresolved coolant problems and they pretty said screw you pal, we cant find a problem even though we can also smell coolant. good luck..... Full circle of buyers remorse and being screwed by VW.

 

[2019RLine]

I don't blame you for being pissed - seems like such an obvious thing to troubleshoot and plenty have had it fixed.

It’s extremely disappointing. They seriously had no answers or details to their decision. Now it’s going back to the dealer for the 4th time as soon as they get a third row suv loaner in. I really really want to hire an attorney but mentally I don’t need the added stress and emotion so I’m going to try to enjoy the car. After all we did like it until 2 months ago. The sales rep and manager I bought it from are going to run some numbers on trading me out of it for another one for around the same loan amount otd. The only thing we want if that were to happen is rline and power liftgate( not sure if that’s a package or not). Not even sure awd is a noticeable feature in the south and the tech package was a waste of money for us(unless the liftgate is only available in this). The only other option I have is to take about a 5-7k kick in the nuts and trade it in.

 

[2019RLine]

I get the not wanting to deal with the lemon law/lawyer bit. Maybe it will work out. Can you provide info from here/vortex/FB pages of those with the same issue that had the head gasket replaced? The issue simply is, VW has a threshold for the pressure test i.e. certain amount of pressure loss of a certain amount of time. If it passes, the dealer doesn't get paid for the repair if they do it for you. Now, with that said, they can certainly talk to VW and go to bat for you on this. Also, have they run a pressure test over night? That seems to be a key. How much coolant loss are you experiencing? I've had some small loss over time, at 22K miles I've topped it once and I don't smell it. I just watch it and will note it next time I'm in for service to have a record. I've had 3 VWs and each had some de-minamus loss of coolant over time...even my Ford Focus did it over the first few 10's of Ks. Consistent coolant loss on the order of the tank being empty every few weeks is obviously a problem that VW needs to sort out. They've done it for plenty of people.

They did the overnight test. No pressure loss they said or leaks that they found. However, since getting it back the coolant smell is stronger than ever. The coolant reservoir hasn’t really moved since they marked it. I have no idea why we are smelling coolant and neither do they apparently. I asked about head gaskets and they said that the pressure test would have found if that were the issue. We will see what they check this time when I take it back in. Still waiting on them to call with a loaner large enough to fit my fam.

 

[2019RLine]

As a GTI owner I can chime in one the coolant thing.
It is an issue on the 2.0T as well.
The usual culprit is the thermostat housing that is leaking.

thanks for the heads up, I will ask when it goes in to check that.

And Karts... I just had the SVC manager send me over all of my repair orders and service history... They did not do an overnight pressure test like I sated earlier in our convo. I thought that is what they told me. They only performed the one they do for a few hours. With that being said there have been 4 repairs completed due to quality issues and 2 documented coolant references. The other time it was checked they didn't even bother to document it. This is most likely why VW corp told me to pound sand and deal with it b/c in SC its 3 times for the same issue to be considered a lemon. So, I copy and pasted the lemon law items linking them to my concerns/repair orders, along with the link . I gave them a final written notice to fix the issue and we will see how it goes. At this point since its all documented properly I am going to at least chat with a lemon law lawyer. I really want to enjoy this Atlas but every time I'm in it and smell coolant it pisses me off. I didnt buy this to trade in in after a year and its painful. They are like a boat anchor in value. $44K Sticker price and consistent trade in values coming in at $28k. Absolutely horrible but I assumed that would be the case when we bought it.

 

[2019RLine]

As if I needed more confirmation of buyers remorse. Our atlas has 36k miles on it and it’s now in the shop for the next week to have the engine torn apart and a head gasket plus other various parts replaced. I am happy and a bit relieved that they seem to have found the issue if indeed this is the cause. Only time will tell but I would like to enjoy the car as intended. However, I am not happy at all that my engine is torn apart with MAJOR repairs happening so soon. I have no idea what to expect in terms of longevity with this thing and that is extremely concerning considering we drive about 25-30k miles a year.

VW has agreed to open the buyback case again and hopefully they will do the right thing and buy this POS back. If not its getting traded in and I forget all about this awful experience. Either way its gone by March 1st!

 

[2019RLine]

Finally got my atlas back today and look at this list of repairs! Wow! I asked how much this would have been out of warranty and they said easily
Over $10k!!! And 10 miles down the road it’s going back in because now the heat doesn’t work. Probably an air bubble in the line but seriously this is insane.

For everyone saying smelling coolant is a VW thing or it’s normal, etc..... this work order says differently.