HERE IS A COPY OF A LETTER SENT TO VW AUSTRALIA IN JULY 2013 SUBSEQUENTLY VW HAVE REFUSED TO COMPENSATE IN ANY WAY AS A LONG TERM CUSTOMER OF VW I AM DISAPPOINTED BY THEIR RESPONSE AND WOULD LIKE TO WARN OTHERS AGAINST PURCHASING ANY VW VEHICLE FITTED WITH THE DSG CLUTCH. BEWARE TOO OF THE 1400CC DUAL TURBO CHARGED / SUPERCHARGED MOTORS AS THE PISTIONS MAY BE PRONE TO COLLAPSE IT VW HAVE NOT HAD A MAJOR RE-DESIGN OF THE ENGINE. SUBSEQUENTLY WE TRADED THE VEHICLE FOR ANOTHER MAKE ALTOGETHER HAVING DISCLOSED OUR PROBLEMS TO THE DEALER. OUR LOSS WAS SUBSTANTIAL AS THE WORD IS OUT THAT VW'S ARE GIVING PROBLEMS.

The Volkswagen Group Australia Regents Park Business Center PO Box 414 Regents Park 2143 New South Wales

Dear Sir/Madam

Re: Volkswagen Golf – VIN WVWZZZ1KZAW107249

My wife is the registered owner of the above vehicle which was purchased in December 2009. It has 16,000km on the odometer.

We have been advised to write to you inform you about the difficulties we have experienced with regard to this vehicle.

Towards the end of 2012 we began experiencing a bad clutch shudder when pulling off. We reported it to John Hughes prior to the expiration of the three year warranty. The vehicle was taking in by the dealer to have the computer re-programmed and when this failed to help it was again returned for repair. This time, and after waiting for parts to arrive, the entire clutch was replaced. Recently we have noticed that the clutch has begun to shudder again and it is getting worse.

The next catastrophe occurred when the engine itself failed. At the time my wife was concerned for her own safety and the safety of our granddaughter as the car was barely drivable. We returned the car to the dealer for and were told that number four piston had failed and that this and the clutch problem were common issues with this Golf model. We were without the vehicle for close to six weeks whilst the engine was dismantled and rebuilt.

We are now in receipt of your recall advice of 1st July 2013. Here we have yet another clutch issue; and a potentially dangerous one at that.

As you may well appreciate and surely understand, we intend selling the vehicle due to the fact that we deem it to be unsafe and potentially dangerous. I am aware that an engine seizure resulting from a collapsed piston will cause the drive wheels of the vehicle to lock up with whilst the gear selector remains in the ‘drive’ position. We believe a person may have already died because of this very thing happening. We believe a woman may have been killed when her car was hit from behind by a large vehicle when her vehicle suddenly slowed following engine failure.

We paid $37,595.00 for the vehicle. It has, as mentioned, done just over 16,000km and is in otherwise perfect condition. We would have expected under normal circumstance to have been able to sell this car privately for approximately $22,500.00 and as a ‘trade in’ for perhaps $20,500.00.

We took the car back to the dealer to ask if the company would purchase the car from us given the problems we have experienced. We were turned away with the comment that they had too many pre-used similar vehicles to sell and were not looking for more.

We also feel it would not be fair or feasible to try and sell the car privately. Why should our problems become someone else’s?

We are led to believe that the DSG clutch continues to be fitted to the latest Golf cars. As far as the engine is concerned we have no knowledge as to whether the ‘piston collapsing’ issue has actually been resolved or whether an improved piston has been manufactured to replace the faulty units fitted to Golfs up to now. We remain with a great deal of uncertainty as to the reliability of our present Golf and of a new Golf were we to purchase one.

With this in mind we are looking a purchasing another make of car. We have been offered $14,500.00 as a trade-in.

The net effect of this unfortunate situation is that we stand to lose approximately $8,000.00 on the deal, given the fact that under normal circumstances we would have sold the Golf privately.

Our question is this. Are VW willing to offer us compensation with regard to our anticipated loss on the vehicle?

We look forward to your earliest written response.