A couple of weeks ago, while shopping for a 2004 Golf TDi, I was told
by Northland VW in Calgary that, cruise control is no longer available
either standard or as an option, on the GL model.

This contradicts the information on the 2004 Golf print brochure and
the corresponding page on the VW Canada web site, where cruise control
is shown as standard on both TDi models.

OTOH, the features comparison function of the same website agrees with
the dealership.

Two weeks ago, I e-mailed VW Canada customer service to clear up this
contradiction, and am still waiting for a reply! Yesterday I e-mailed
VW customer service in Germany for clarification, and am waiting for
their reply.

Meanwhile, I've put a deposit down on a 2004 TDI GLS on the assumption
that this is the only way to get cruise control on a Golf TDi. I
really didn't want a GLS, because the prospect of malfunctioning power
windows at subzero temperatures doesn't thrill me (not to mention the
hefty repair bills post-warranty). However, the Sales Manager at
Northland (or someone posing as such) assured me he had recently
delivered a 2004 Golf TDi GL personally to a friend, and it turned out
to have no cruise control. He also said that so far as he can remember
VW diesels have always come with cruise as a standard feature.

So, has VW Canada come up with another ruse to squeeze the economies
out of buying a diesel, or have I been "had" by the dealership?



Achim



axethetax

On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 19:47:20 GMT, lohsea (AT) 3web (DOT) nettax (Achim Nolcken
Lohse) wrote:

Not true. My 78 Rabbit Diesel did not have cruise. Neither did my 84
Jetta TD. I don't think my 92 Jetta TD did either, but on that one
I'm not 100% sure.

Maybe he meant "in recent years". Or maybe he's just a kid who
doesn't remember the good old days... ;-)

--
Remove preceding and trailing X from username for replies
(Sorry, but I'm SICK of spam...)

"Achim Nolcken Lohse" <lohsea (AT) 3web (DOT) nettax> wrote

VW in Germany probably can't help you. Golfs come from Brazil and VWoA
dictates what equipment they want available with each model. VW-AG probably
will not know how VWs are equipped for the Canadian market, especially if it
doesn't even come from a German plant.


He's not remembering far enough :-)

On Sat, 6 Mar 2004 13:35:06 -0800, "Matt B." <noway (AT) hellno (DOT) com> wrote:

That may be, but at least they've responded to all my e-mails in the
past, and maybe they can provide me with an alternative e-mail address
for Canadian customer service, since the only one I have doesn't deign
to respond anymore. I've never found the toll-free customer service
numbers anything but a total waste of time. So I'm left with no other
cage to rattle except the German offices.

I'm starting to wonder whether the phone receptionist pulled a fast
one on me when I asked to speak to the sales manager....


Achim



axethetax

The Germans (and their employees in Auburn Hills, Michigan) cannot believe
that Americans have the following 3 requirements when they buy cars:

- Automatic tranny (not seen much in other places)

- Cruise Control

- cup holders, which can accomodate everything from a shot glass to a
55-gallon drum, in enough quantities to handle every glass used during a
cruise to Mexico.

If you'll notice, most German cars are pretty late in getting these
amenities, if they've got them at all.

Tim Wohlford
'89 Golf


"Achim Nolcken Lohse" <lohsea (AT) 3web (DOT) nettax> wrote

On Sat, 6 Mar 2004 19:20:31 -0500, "Tim Wohlford"
<timNO (AT) SPAMwohlford (DOT) net> wrote:

I've always preferred manuals, and so does my wife, but there are
people out there who've never driven a standard. And I guess if you're
the kind of city driver who runs with one foot on the gas, and the
other on the brake, an automatic makes a lot of sense.
Well, from my brief experience on the Autobahn, I guess your life
expectancy would plummet if you use cruise control.

The Golf is our first car with cruise control, and now neither my wife
nor I would be without it. After driving a Geo Tracker three hours at
a stretch through the Rockies, I'd often be limping with pain in my
right hip from keeping my foot poised on the pedal. An unexpected
benefit of cruise control is that I'm much less tempted to speed. I
just set it to the limit plus 10kph, and only rarely step on the gas
any more. And I find I actually make better time, and stay more alert
this way.

Well, they still don't have a receptacle for my 7-Eleven Sport Gulp.

But I'm more concerned with figuring out how to use the front door arm
rest while keeping my arm and shoulder out of the path of the side
airbags as per the Owner's Manual's warning.

No-one at Volkswagen seems to have an answer to this apparent
contradiction.

It seems to me both front arm rests should have prominent warnings on
them:

Warning, use this arm rest only while stationary!

But I guess it's better marketing to hide the warning on pages 25 and
26 of the Safety First brochure.




Achim



axethetax