Strange Stereo Problem (Monsoon)

On 6 Oct 2004, spiralingcrazies wrote:

> Craig, usually on a test drive you don't look too much on where your
> armrests are set or think that the door handles will start peeling, or
> that the cupholder is idiotically set. Well, besides the cupholder
> placement, the doorrest lid breaking and the interior plastic peeling
> complaint I can't say anything much is an example of idiocy on the
> Jettas. The really funny thing is that every other car I owned
> (Satturn SL2, Nissan Sentra, Mercury Sable) had better placement for
> cupholders or had a place where you can put an aftermarket one. The
> Jetta has none.

Uh, I don't know about you, but when I test drive a car, I look very much
at things like arm rest placement, cup holder placement, etc. The little
things that you have to live with day-to-day are important, and when I'm
spending the kind of money that a new car costs, I want to be very sure
about my purchase.

I knew that I didn't like the cupholder placement, but it wasn't a deal
breaker. I don't have any issue with the arm rest placment.

As far as the peeling, you're right that you wouldn't see that during a
test drive. I haven't seen that (knock on wood), but I did see it in a '01
(IIRC) Eurovan that I was checking out at the dealer while the Jetta was
getting new ignition coils a while back, so maybe I have that to look
forward to... hopefully not.

Don't think that I'm blindly supporting VW here, I'm well aware of the
issues, but to blame them for you not noticing that you didn't like the
interior layout before you bought the car isn't reasonable. Maybe you
should've bought another Mercury Sable? ;-)

Craig

"Craig Faison" > wrote in message
...
>
> Don't think that I'm blindly supporting VW here, I'm well aware of the
> issues, but to blame them for you not noticing that you didn't like the
> interior layout before you bought the car isn't reasonable.

In my case, I blame VW for being thoughtless in some things they do. My
bone-head example is placing the trunk light in my Golf near the floor. It
is next to useless. Should I have refused the car because of this?

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004, R J Carpenter wrote:

> In my case, I blame VW for being thoughtless in some things they do. My
> bone-head example is placing the trunk light in my Golf near the floor. It
> is next to useless. Should I have refused the car because of this?

That all depends how important a well-placed trunk light is to you... ;-)

Craig

Gentlemen,

It's not my criticism of the VW design that bothers me in this case
(although we probably all agree that the cupholder location is not the
product of a design genius). My concern is that VW readily dismisses a
claim on the grounds that they stand by the dealer diagnostic, which
essentially means the mechanic who looked at my car. My questions, again,
is: how do I trust the diagnosis when the stereo works when plugged? I
have been busy so have not had the chance to go see another dealer but, of
course, I will probably be able to schedule an appointment only as early
as a month from now. It is just the quality of the service -- here is
another odd experience: shortly after I got the car, I realized that the
reard window wiper is deprived of fluid when the lever is depressed. Of
course, I opened the hood and found that the hose leading to the back is
disconnected. Simple, I thought -- plug it in and it will work. It
worked, all right, except it was not spraying on the back window but one
my legs on the driver's side. How was this not noticed during a
pre-inspection? My opinion is that it was noticed and therefore purposely
disconnected. Luckily VW did not resort to the "outside cause" story and
fixed it. The rear doors have been sagging to the point that they grind
during turns, air comes in, not to mention the scratches. After asking
two times, I was told that this is within the factory specification.
Really? Surprisingly, when I went for the battery problem, I was asked
whether had any success at the body shop?! Oh, did I not know that VW
called me and authorized the alignment of the rear doors? But they left a
message on my voicemail at work? What voicemai?! We do not have any
voicemail but we have two secretaries who always promptly deliver any
messages. Anyway, I am sure most of us have stories of unpleasant
experiences to share -- I have read quite a few in this group. I will
keep you posted on the stereo issue as I am sure tat even if this is the
problem, it does not merrit the replacement of the whole head unit.
again, I admit I should have placed as much weight on the quality of VW
service after a car purchase as on my passion (steadily on the decline)
for VW automobiles.

Stan

The Monsoon unit can indeed work normally, even though it takes out the
battery. The battery drain happens over several hours, so you're not
dealing with a dead short (which would blow the fuse, in any event). A
surprisingly small current draw can waste a battery, given enough time. An
overhead light, left on overnight, can zap a battery in less than optimal
condition.

Q: How did the dealer determine the Monsoon to be at fault, vs. the
battery itself, or some component of the charging system? VW's in my
experience are notorious for poor electrical connections, including those
on the battery.

Here is what I would do:
1. Try leaving the radio disconnected for a while. If the battery then
holds a charge, you may have the problem located. Be aware that the
Monsoon normally draws some power for it's seecurity features. In the case
of some other electrical system problem (see above), removing this small
drain may simply make the problem *appear* to go away.
2. Before replacing the radio, replace the dealer. Tell the new guy that
your battery goes dead - nothing else. His job is to figure out why you
went to the trouble to come in, instead of being out telling people how
great VW's are.
3. If the problem is definitely the radio and the dealer won't consider
making it right - even after you tell him how many friends and family
members (potential customers) have heard your story - you can:
3a. Get a new radio. The best deal can be found Anywhere But The Dealer.
Ebay is an option, subject to the usual caveats. You don't want someone
else's battery drainer. OR...
3b. Consider cleaning the unit yourself. This entails removing the cover
(it has to fit back together exactly or the radio won't go into the
console again), spraying ONLY a cleaner made for the purpose on any
obvious deposit of gunk, letting it dry thoroughly, and reassembling. Be
sure to put everything back exactly as it was, even if it's 'only' a
foil-covered piece of cardboard. Missing shields means static instead of
music. As long as you don't touch anything inside and don't have any parts
left over, the worst that can happen is the problem remains. In that event,
return to step 3a.

Just make sure other possibilities have been ruled out. Small battery
drains are second only to intermittents in terms of the frustration they
can cause during troubleshooting.

Good hunting.

Stan, lucky for you you were under warranty. I had the same problem
with 1 door (driver side) and they screwed it up so bad I had to visit
the dealer 4 times before it got fixed. Now I am out of warranty (only
have the engine/tranny warranty left) so I will have to fight it - the
coupe got very noisy from all the wind coming in. Reminds me of a
soviet-era vehicle (the Moskvitch) if you're familiar with it

Well,

As promised long time ago, here is the end of the story. The same
stereo that was deemed so damaged as to require replacement (not
fixing!) at the mere cost of $900 for parts alone (I am afraid to even
think how much a complicated task such as inserting and plugging a new
unit would require in terms of labor) has been back in the car and
working with no problem whatsoever for quite some time. I did nothing
other than clean what was claimed to be the leaked fluid. So much for
the competency of the dealer that I have been using (and no, this is
not an isolated incident) ... In case you wonder, this is Boston VW in
Allston, MA. I guess I could file a complaint with VW regarding the
quality of the service received at the dealer but I sure this is
nothing new nor do I think this will make a difference given how
stubborn and unhelpful VW were the first time (well, many times) I
contacted them about this issue. I hope the best that comes out of
this experience is a warning to future "victims" of poor design, bad
luck, and competency deficiency (at least when it comes to the
"premium" stereo found in A4 Golfs).

Regards,

Stan

Well,

As promised long time ago, here is the end of the story. The same
stereo that was deemed so damaged as to require replacement (not
fixing!) at the mere cost of $900 for parts alone (I am afraid to even
think how much a complicated task such as inserting and plugging a new
unit would require in terms of labor) has been back in the car and
working with no problem whatsoever for quite some time. I did nothing
other than clean what was claimed to be the leaked fluid. So much for
the competency of the dealer that I have been using (and no, this is
not an isolated incident) ... In case you wonder, this is Boston VW in
Allston, MA. I guess I could file a complaint with VW regarding the
quality of the service received at the dealer but I sure this is
nothing new nor do I think this will make a difference given how
stubborn and unhelpful VW were the first time (well, many times) I
contacted them about this issue. I hope the best that comes out of
this experience is a warning to future "victims" of poor design, bad
luck, and competency deficiency (at least when it comes to the
"premium" stereo found in A4 Golfs).

Regards,

Stan

Poor design, was it the cup that was designed poorly thus causing the
internal liquid to spill, run, splash, etc from it's internal holding
surface and causing temporary damage to your premium VW sound system.. Glad
you got it fixed after putting the blame on everyone else. I had a similar
issue last week at work in that I lost my computer 21 inch monitor at work.
When I got there I found water dripping out from the base and the monitor no
longer functioned. First I thought that maybe the cause was related to the
roof in our shop that leaks when it rains. Not just any rain, but one of
them heavy downpour rains which causes minor flooding on the highways. I
quickly ruled out that for being the cause and still figured it was a poorly
designed monitor for not having some kind of protection against heavy rains.
The tech next to me then suggested the cause must have been "mother nature"
for making it rain so hard. I said "don't think so... it's just a poorly
designed monitor"!

Stan, just having some late night fun, and glad it's all working. I even got
my monitor working again after it dried for 5 days.



"Stanislav Perchev" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Well,
>
> As promised long time ago, here is the end of the story. The same
> stereo that was deemed so damaged as to require replacement (not
> fixing!) at the mere cost of $900 for parts alone (I am afraid to even
> think how much a complicated task such as inserting and plugging a new
> unit would require in terms of labor) has been back in the car and
> working with no problem whatsoever for quite some time. I did nothing
> other than clean what was claimed to be the leaked fluid. So much for
> the competency of the dealer that I have been using (and no, this is
> not an isolated incident) ... In case you wonder, this is Boston VW in
> Allston, MA. I guess I could file a complaint with VW regarding the
> quality of the service received at the dealer but I sure this is
> nothing new nor do I think this will make a difference given how
> stubborn and unhelpful VW were the first time (well, many times) I
> contacted them about this issue. I hope the best that comes out of
> this experience is a warning to future "victims" of poor design, bad
> luck, and competency deficiency (at least when it comes to the
> "premium" stereo found in A4 Golfs).
>
> Regards,
>
> Stan
>

Poor design, was it the cup that was designed poorly thus causing the
internal liquid to spill, run, splash, etc from it's internal holding
surface and causing temporary damage to your premium VW sound system.. Glad
you got it fixed after putting the blame on everyone else. I had a similar
issue last week at work in that I lost my computer 21 inch monitor at work.
When I got there I found water dripping out from the base and the monitor no
longer functioned. First I thought that maybe the cause was related to the
roof in our shop that leaks when it rains. Not just any rain, but one of
them heavy downpour rains which causes minor flooding on the highways. I
quickly ruled out that for being the cause and still figured it was a poorly
designed monitor for not having some kind of protection against heavy rains.
The tech next to me then suggested the cause must have been "mother nature"
for making it rain so hard. I said "don't think so... it's just a poorly
designed monitor"!

Stan, just having some late night fun, and glad it's all working. I even got
my monitor working again after it dried for 5 days.



"Stanislav Perchev" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Well,
>
> As promised long time ago, here is the end of the story. The same
> stereo that was deemed so damaged as to require replacement (not
> fixing!) at the mere cost of $900 for parts alone (I am afraid to even
> think how much a complicated task such as inserting and plugging a new
> unit would require in terms of labor) has been back in the car and
> working with no problem whatsoever for quite some time. I did nothing
> other than clean what was claimed to be the leaked fluid. So much for
> the competency of the dealer that I have been using (and no, this is
> not an isolated incident) ... In case you wonder, this is Boston VW in
> Allston, MA. I guess I could file a complaint with VW regarding the
> quality of the service received at the dealer but I sure this is
> nothing new nor do I think this will make a difference given how
> stubborn and unhelpful VW were the first time (well, many times) I
> contacted them about this issue. I hope the best that comes out of
> this experience is a warning to future "victims" of poor design, bad
> luck, and competency deficiency (at least when it comes to the
> "premium" stereo found in A4 Golfs).
>
> Regards,
>
> Stan
>