Wellesley Volkswagen

I've been servicing a 2016 VW GTI at Wellesley VW in MA since it was new with the carefree maintenance, which covers scheduled service up to 30K miles. I've been surprised by the issues we've encountered with the golf:

1) The clutch pedal was making squeaky noises almost from new and I had to replace the clutch pedal assembly during the first 6 months of ownership.

2) The rear view camera gets stuck in the open position on specific weather days, but the issue is usually gone by the time I get to the dealership.

3) The key fob batteries need to be replaced once a year.

4) Although I thought I was covered by the carefree program during the first 3 years I was charged over $195 for new wiper blades and wheel alignment.

Now for the bad...

I was driving to work after a rainy night and suddenly have rain drops falling on my arm and pants and realize the headliner is drenched with water, and this happens 3 weeks out of warranty.

I rush to do some online research and see that there are 2 design flaws with the sunroof.

One related to the metal frame being in contact with plastic which can crack in climates with significant temperature variations. A second related to the sunroof drains which can clog.

My service representative mentioned that pine needles must have clogged the drains, which surprised me as:

- I've owned several cars with sunroofs, including a 1987 Ford which to this day hasn't caused any problems.

- I opened the roof probably 5 times since I purchased the vehicle.

- It is a 3 year old car that is detailed on a regular basis by professionals.

I called VW of North America to mention all the issues I was facing with the car, and VW Wellesley charged me for labor only, but still a $1,160 expense because of an issue caused by a design problem, not wear and tear.

I would recommend that you ask a lot of questions before you purchase a Golf with a sunroof.