Well, the first thing to go wrong with the car is the hood catch being misaligned. I went to check the oil the other morning, and had to pull hard on the hood release twice to get the hood to open.
The vehicle began to smoke excessively 1 week ago and idle quite roughly. I suspect bad fuel, as I put an injector cleaner through the system and it fixed the problem. However, I was using a premium diesel fuel recommended by Volkswagen at the time that the problem occurred.
At 12,000 km, I just lost the right turn-signal bulb housed inside the headlight (hopefully covered under warranty).
My only major complaint with my experiences to date is the fact that it took Volkswagen close to 2 months to deliver my car to me from the time at which I signed the purchase agreement.
First of all, I just wanted to say what a pleasure this car is to drive. I never expected a car this good on fuel to be so much fun to drive.
I went from a Mazda B4000 4x4 (which I loved) that was costing about $12 - $13/day in fuel to this car, which is costing about $4/day for the same trip!
All in all, I am very satisfied with the car and would buy another when necessary. However, it would be nice if the car didn't cost so much. The one thing you have to be aware of is that German engineering isn't cheap.
You talk of using premium diesel fuel. This leads me to believe that you've got a TDI. If so, be VERY careful to use the right engine oil that meets VW specifications. A blown turbocharger, or one with leaking seals would manifest itself by a smokey exhaust. I've found that Amsoil has a new synthetic "European Automobile" oil that will meet the specifications you need. (VW dealers don't seem to stock an oil or use an oil that meets the synthetic specification that is required for the TDI!) The oil runs from about $6 to $8 per quart, but it's good for 10,000 miles and it's certainly cheaper than a new turbocharger ($1200 - $1300 plus installation). Good luck!
Yes, the vehicle is a TDI. The oil being used is the full synthetic Castrol oil being sold by the Volkswagen dealership.
In Canadian dollars, it is about $11/litre (quite expensive) but seems to work well.
I recently switched fuel suppliers and have not had any further problems with smoking.
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