[taskmaxter]

Hey there - been reading thru the threads on this site the past few weeks and have learned a lot about the Touareg. I'm seriously considering a new 2012 TDI Exec with the great zero percent financing at 0%. I've negotiated the dealer down below $55k, but have a few questions with folks here before I dive in any further:

1) Should I be concerned about the adblue issues and the vibration issues I've read on a 2012 model? Have these issues been identified and pretty much resolved?
2) Given my concern on item number 1 above, should I be looking at an extended warranty? I know I don't need to buy it at the time of the purchase, but would be curious on what people are paying for one to have some piece of mind.
3) anything else I should consider before making a purchase of these vehicles? I was originally interested in the 2013 model, but it looks like the 2012 is basically the same? (except for HP)?

Thanks much,
Task

 

[THETOUAREGFUZZ]

First I'll say you came to the right place... a lot of smart people on here with great info and opinion's.

My '12 sport is 6k gasser is going strong. No vibrations to speak of. (Adblue I can't really comment on) I may be way off, but I feel like there were more '11 with bad vibes than 12s... that is only from what I've read on here (even though I sometimes have selective reading habits).

My additional warranty (besides standard 10/100mi) is 48mos/60k. And I know I get a bunch of stuff including free brake change wipers etc etc proly paid around 1400 ish.

I love my vdubs. Driving them, admiring them, washing them. They're a great car, so It sounds like your on the right path to me.
Good luck

 

[taskmaxter]

First I'll say you came to the right place... a lot of smart people on here with great info and opinion's.

My '12 sport is 6k gasser is going strong. No vibrations to speak of. (Adblue I can't really comment on) I may be way off, but I feel like there were more '11 with bad vibes than 12s... that is only from what I've read on here (even though I sometimes have selective reading habits).

My additional warranty (besides standard 10/100mi) is 48mos/60k. And I know I get a bunch of stuff including free brake change wipers etc etc proly paid around 1400 ish.

I love my vdubs. Driving them, admiring them, washing them. They're a great car, so It sounds like your on the right path to me.
Good luck

Thanks for your feedback! Did you buy your warranty at the time of purchase, or did you shop around after purchase? If after, did you go wwith VW or another company like Warranty Direct?

 

[Hennink]

First of all I think you should make sure you found a good dealer!
Vibration you should be able to tell when you test drive.( We test drove one that had a little vibration, so no thanks.)
AdBlue I think is pretty well figured out. We had low level once and our CEL light came on, but after filling it (we always fill it ourselves with Air1) and dealer reset no more problems.( we have 30 000 km on it and got it in Feb. 2012)
We LOVE out Touareg TDI (great mileage)and it will be very hard to ever go to another vehicle.

 

[ConservativeConsumer]

In order:

1) No. Comparably small % of vehicles had the problem. Yes, those that did were fixed and this is now a well-known issue.
2) Yes, definitely, unless you are completely no savvy in automotive issues (one has to identify issue to bring it to the dealer) - and regardless of #1 above. Why do not buy right up front? I don’t remember my extended warranty $$ figures for sure, but as I recall they were somewhere about $2K for 7 years 100K miles.
3) Dealer with good Service Department is a MUST part of your search. The 2013 has backup camera vs. 2012 year which didn’t due to Japan’s camera plant impairment. The 2013’s engine has s a slightly more HPs – 15 if I remember right.

 

[zosocane]

If you're being offered an Exec at sub $55K, you should jump all over it. You will be love the car.

 

[noobytoogy]

Yes, the vibration can be a problem albeit on a small number of cars.

Some got fixed.

Some didn't and those owners have often had problems handing the car back.

Many have ended up out of pocket.

And in those that could not be fixed, no one knows what caused it [and it certainly wasn't a wheel balancing issue either] and why it couldn't be fixed including, it would seem, VW.

With a new or used car on the dealer's lot at least you can try it knowing what you are looking for.

You can't if you are ordering from unseen stock unless you are able to write it into the sale agreement

Any vibration - just walk away.

 

[taskmaxter]

Thanks - you guys are a great help.

The dealer I am working with is a couple of hours away from me. They have a few 2012's still available. The dealers that are close to me pretty much only have 2013's now. The 0 percent financing is such a good deal it is hard to pass up. I was able to get the dealer to just below $55k for the exec and another dealer to $48k for a 2012 Lux (though the lux wasn't a color I was looking for). I asked the dealer if the 2012 Exec has a back up camera and they confirmed that it did - would this indicate an early or late model build 2012?

In terms of the warranty, I could buy up at the time of purchase, but I thought I read on these forums that folks were getting better deals by shopping around? Maybe I'm mistaken and I should continue to research this further.

To find the best service center, what were you guys looking for in one near you? Online reviews? Speaking with the SA's?

 

[zosocane]

On the vibration, before you sign and drive off the lot, test drive the car with the dealer rep with you. Get on a highway and try to get to 75 mph. If you feel no vibration at 75, you're all set; if you feel modest vibration, give the dealer a chance to correct the issue and have them do a road force balance. (I discovered this issue a few weeks after I purchased because I don't do much highway driving, but the dealer corrected it with the road force balancing at no cost.) If that doesn't work, ask the dealer for another Executive, although I suspect that won't be easy given that the 2012s are being phased out in favor of the MY13s.

 

[noobytoogy]

In terms of the warranty

Lots of folk use and recommend this guy, Chris Parnham. Call him.

Volkswagen of Langhorne

 

[zosocane]

I asked the dealer if the 2012 Exec has a back up camera and they confirmed that it did - would this indicate an early or late model build 2012?

In terms of the warranty, I could buy up at the time of purchase, but I thought I read on these forums that folks were getting better deals by shopping around? Maybe I'm mistaken and I should continue to research this further.

To find the best service center, what were you guys looking for in one near you? Online reviews? Speaking with the SA's?

All Execs come with back-up camera.

Regarding the warranty, if you are certain you will have the car more than 3 years, you might as well buy the extended and then roll it into your total purchase price so you aren't paying interest under your 0%. If you are 50/50 whether you will have the car more than 3 years (like me), I would defer the warranty purchase until before the third anniversary of your purchase (or before hitting 36K). You can always buy a warranty at that time -- but you won't be able to slip it under your 0% financing.

 

[taskmaxter]

All Execs come with back-up camera.

Regarding the warranty, if you are certain you will have the car more than 3 years, you might as well buy the extended and then roll it into your total purchase price so you aren't paying interest under your 0%. If you are 50/50 whether you will have the car more than 3 years (like me), I would defer the warranty purchase until before the third anniversary of your purchase (or before hitting 36K). You can always buy a warranty at that time -- but you won't be able to slip it under your 0% financing.

Good point about rolling the cost of the warranty into the zero percent financing. I will need to research costs for these a bit more before I negotiate with the finance guy at the dealer.

On a side note, I did speak to a couple of SA's at different dealers near me this past week to get their feedback on the 2012. Like you guys have mentioned, one of them said that the adblue issue is known and pretty much resolved. The same SA was also forward about the vibration issue and told me to look for it on the test drive. He said they had one treg come thru that had that issue and they fixed it by replacing part of the front drive train or axle (but said still to look for it).

 

[noobytoogy]

The good thing is you are doing your research BEFORE buying.

So many folk come on here afterwards

 

[fincher]

My 2012 has the backup camera and I bought mine last February. You have a very good (not great) price on the 2012. I paid $55991 so you are not getting much less when figuring in depreciation. That said, you should be able to get close to my number on the 2013, just have to work for it.

Don't worry about the AdBlue! My pump went out at 1200 miles. It was replaced within days and I have had no issues since (over 12k now). Its a great ride! My first diesel!

Not trying to sway you one way or another. I'm trying to help you buy one!

 

[taskmaxter]

My 2012 has the backup camera and I bought mine last February. You have a very good (not great) price on the 2012. I paid $55991 so you are not getting much less when figuring in depreciation. That said, you should be able to get close to my number on the 2013, just have to work for it.

Don't worry about the AdBlue! My pump went out at 1200 miles. It was replaced within days and I have had no issues since (over 12k now). Its a great ride! My first diesel!

Not trying to sway you one way or another. I'm trying to help you buy one!

Thanks Fincher for the price info. Sounds like I need to try harder on the price or get a premium on my trade in.

 

[taskmaxter]

Hey guys, one more question if you don't mind. I'm pursuing an 2012 TDI Exec but I'm finding that the remaining few in my area all have 300 to 330 miles on them from dealer trades and test drives. Any cause for concern from you guys buying a new car with 300 or miles? It kinda bugs me since I know it means they have been through a ton of test drives (some probably harsh). At the same time I'm sure I'm getting a killer deal because of it. Thoughts?

 

[fincher]

Not really. Depends on how long dealer has had the car. Need to find out when dealer got it and/or build date. You are covered as a new vehicle. Mine had 100 miles on it due to dealer trade but it was new.

Make the best deal you can. There are others out there so don't get too emotional with this one. You can get a good deal on a 2013 if the miles bug you. Good luck!

 

[rineman1]

Are the back-up camera's on the '12 and '13 still slow to load? I have an '09 and its worthless due to the slow load time.

 

[zosocane]

Hey guys, one more question if you don't mind. I'm pursuing an 2012 TDI Exec but I'm finding that the remaining few in my area all have 300 to 330 miles on them from dealer trades and test drives. Any cause for concern from you guys buying a new car with 300 or miles?

Mine had 330 miles on it when I went to the dealer to pick it up. I was very upset because the 330 miles wasn't disclosed to me by the dealer; I noticed the mileage on the oddometer during my test drive. The dealer ended up shaving $300 off the already-negotiated purchase price to induce me to keep the car, because I was on the verge of walking away and asking them to deliver me another one that was truly new. I agreed to their offer. My situation, I think, is different than yours because my dealer didn't disclose to me the mileage before I showed up on the lot to pick it up. You've been disclosed the added mileage and you're being given a good MY close-out price.

In any event, I've had no issues with the extra mileage on the car. Bear in mind, of course, that in accepting the vehicle with 300 miles, you're 300 miles closer to hitting your 36K warranty cap. That's less than 1% of your warranty coverage, and so it might not matter to you.

 

[taskmaxter]

On all three Exec's I have inquired about, I had to ask about the mileage on each since non of the dealers ever mentioned it to me. The other thing is that each of these dealers are over 1.5 hours from me. So, a long way to go to find out if the car has the dreaded vibration issue on the test drive. Looks like the issue also exists on the 2013 as well (from reading a different post).