[uvadam07]

All,

Some advice/technical knowledge/opinions would be greatly appreciated. I bought my 06 Automatic Touareg V6 in December with 60,000 miles. It now has 70,000 as I've driven it quite a bit. It was a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) so it still has a warranty up to 84,000 miles.

I have had quite a few issues since buying the car, and though all has been covered under warranty, it's quite distressing. It's not boding well for the future of this car. But I love the car. Let me say that I AM NOT GOOD AT CARS (and I'm admitting that). As a guy, that's tough.

Here's the problem --- the valve body was just replaced, as I thought this was related to the problem. But not the case.

Symptoms (which aren't necessarily related to one another):
Very jerky in 4th... never feels like a smooth ride.
5th to 4th is bad, 4th to 3rd is bad. Feels like the car hesitates a lot.
Coming to a stop (anything below 10mph and slowing down) is jerky, almost a push/pull/push/pull.

And while I'm on here, I ought to post my other problem, which I think is unrelated. This one's about road noise. Between probably 65 mph and 80mph, my steering wheel shakes/vibrates noticeably... to the point that my watch actually moves around on my hand a bit. There is also a good amount of road noise starting around 35mph. There doesn't seem to be much of a pattern to when the road noise is worse, though it is certainly more noticeable at high speeds. It almost sounds like a roaring.
**Dealer says I have cupped tires and need new ones, and that this is what is causing the above symptoms. A) is this true, and B) aren't cupped tires a symptom of larger problems?

Anyone have thoughts? I'd love to go to the dealer with some potential ideas so I can act like I know what I'm talking about and they can finally fix the problem. It's actually really quite embarrassing, because the car does NOT drive smoothly, and it's allegedly a very nice car.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[catalystgod]

I have nothing of value to suggest for your first issue. Maybe someone with more experience can answer.

For your second issue, Ensure your wheels are balanced as out-of-balance wheels cause the same issues. If the problem still persists, its likely you have either cupped tires or a shot suspension.

 

[farkihome]

FIRST QUESTION

I am also interested on answer to your first question. Somenone with better knowldge here?

 

[V10]

Cupping can be from poor tire balancing, cheap tires, worn suspension components...usually rubber bushings and such; even alignement issues can compound such...stepper motors were replaced on lots of early Touarges too due to binding when turning...this could cup but you'd notice the binding when turning sharply....Once cupped very hard to make tires usable again without significant vibration and even tires noise issues.

To get to the next level of repair you may want to replace the tires or look for a good set of used wheels with tires from a Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 or obviously another Touareg... The reason I mention this is frequently the 17" and even 18" OEM wheels and tires are upgraded to larger size by the new ower so you get a set ready to go. I've seen 17" sets for $600 almost new...

Once you get tires replaced and a new alignment - VW dealers often have alignment specials and cost @ $100. Then see how it performs...this way you'll not wait too long to determine if there is anything else wrong with the vehicle and get such covered under you extended CPO warranty.