The all-new Beetle, the all-new kid on the block.

Not really new new, but new.  Watch out guys, the new Beetle comes with power (and it ain't the flower kind), attitude and vengeance.

Yeap, no more Mr. Nice Guy :)

Volkswagen Malaysia's response to my love letter.

I'VE GOT MY KEY BACK! YAY!

Anyway, I feel that I should update the situation so as not to create any misunderstanding and also give due credit to those who really helped me out.

After submitting my complain to VGM, the following took place:

1) 7 months of waiting, shortened to 7 days for action ;)

2) Because of my dear and very helpful friends, my 'letter' was lucky enough to get the attention of some obviously very high post people and this matter was immediately looked upon. Shortly after that, FA Wagen called me and told me the key is ready and I can send my car in for reconfiguration.

3) The manager called me for a detailed explanation of the situation as he had to write a report to VGM regarding this matter. I told him what I could remember and specifically told him not to zero in on anyone because I spoke to a few people and unfortunately could only remember one person's name. My hint was: NO scapegoating please.

4) I sent in my car this morning for the reconfiguration and the After-sales Manager was extremely helpful and hospitable in making sure my car and I were all right. But of course, many of you would think it's only reasonable for him to do that. They gave me a whole bunch of merchandizes which I declined because seriously... there's really no need for that, I just wanted my key. But I thought the keychain was cool ;)

5) They also checked my car for a specific engine noise (which I told them about) and they even changed the parts for me since it's still under warranty.

6) They gave me a 45,000km free service (yippie! But like I said, ABT kit would have been nice ;))

7) They gave me a discount on labour charges and the new key. They even topped up petrol for me!

8) They were very very very apologetic and even hinted that someone may get laid off due to this incident because VGM takes this sort of matter very seriously. I expressed my concern because like I said, I am not here to create a scapegoat situation which is always the easy way out for the management (if you haven't heard enough, I just want my friggin' key! Not someone's job!!).

9) I felt really bad because although as much as I wanted my key, I didn't think it should cost someone his or her job. So I called VGM again and requested to speak to the Director of Service (apparently it was his call). Instead, I spoke to the Customer Care Officer who replied my complain earlier to clarify the situation as according to her, he has stepped out (yea right! I bet he's sitting nicely in his swanky room! He he he, we've all been in that situation before! :P). But anyway, she was helpful and assured me that only a warning letter was issued and there was no laying off of anyone. So I called FA Wagen back and told them that they don't have to worry about it. Unless, of course, she bluffed me.

And everyone lives happily ever after.

If you ask me, I think there are some fundamental problems with this situation. I think VGM is teething (and it's common for any automakers who are growing leaps and bounds in this country) and service or after-sales is definitely one of the most challenging aspects of a growing business. I think what was missing was a standard operating procedure for after-sales. I'm just guessing that no one has ever filed a missing key and no one really knew what to do with this kind of situation. Hence, they're giving different answers, with no one to follow up on the case. And even in terms of the SOP for a proper complain - if the customer service did not give me an auto-reply of OUT-OF-OFFICE, I would have waited for someone to come back to me (I mean, I waited 7 months right?). But because it was so! Yes, they finally pushed the right button and I decided to get connected in my own way :) And boy, did it work. Of course, under normal circumstances, it shouldn't be that way. Volkswagen's network should solve my problem, not my OWN social network.

But anyway, I'm back to being a happy customer :) Thank you FA Wagen for rectifying the wheezing sound. And when I drove back just now, my GTI never felt newer. If they caught my hint, they would definitely invite me to test drive the new Golf R when it arrives ;)

And thanks you peoples :) For spreading the message :) Appreciate that.

xox

A love letter to Volkswagen Malaysia.

Hi there,

How are you? I’d like to express my displeasure on Volkswagen. I currently drive a Golf GTI with the above stated number plate and last December, I lost one of my two car keys. Of which, I reported to FA Wagen and told them to immediately disable one of the keys and order a new one. They did disable the key, so my car is now running on safe mode (of which I’m sure you know, it means I can’t access the MID) until I have the new spare key. It’s now July and I STILL HAVEN’T GOTTEN my key. Should I run on safe mode for the rest of my life?

Sorry.

Anyway, every 2 months, I’ve been calling the dealer. And every time I get appeased because on the phone, they are really helpful. So I told myself to be patient because I know how difficult it is to deal with anal customers and I don’t want to be one. But every 2 months since DECEMBER!? First time, they told me system is down. Second time they told me system in GERMANY is down (are you kidding me?). Third time they told me, no stock. Now, today I called again and they told me system is down again and they cannot check whether they ordered the key in the first place. Seriously, are you so freaking kidding me? Patience also got limit? No? Not for you?

Please do not be biased and take my side just because I’m an angry customer ranting. But do put yourself in my shoes. If this was the government handling your important documents, would you still have the same patience as me? Actually, on the contrary it is quite expected for them to do so… perhaps I would have been more forgiving. But this is Volkswagen? I paid good money for a good product and I assumed GOOD SERVICE. I’m sorry, I don’t need you guys to kiss the ground I walked on and I am not, or at least I think I am not, one of those customers who have a little bit more pocket money and expect service providers to worship my dust. But seriously… 7 months? And NEVER once I raised my voice to your SAs. But seriously, 7 months? I worked hard for my money and admittedly, I don’t have much. I used my entire life savings to buy this car, therefore my GTI is very precious to me. So I beg of you. I will worship the ground that you walk on if you can get a key for me. Can you please look into this matter?

I don’t really care so much for apologies or a red carpet rolled out if from this incident, I’m invited to grace the grounds of your HQ, right up to your MD’s room. I just want my key. That’s all.

I just want my key. And I want my car to be serviced in the way it should be so that it is in its ever tip top condition so that I can always enjoy the driving experience the GTI is built to offer. That’s all. I just want my key. For freak sake, I’m not even asking it to be FREE! I will pay for it! I just want my key. And if you haven’t have enough of this, I just want my key. Again. Thanks.

Please try to be nice to FA Wagen should you wish to speak to their representative(s) who sounded helpful on the phone (and obviously, wasn’t). Because I don’t want my car to be blacklisted the next time I service it. I wanna be friends and this is a friendly email. Thank you.

I really look forward to hearing from you. And in case, this email doesn’t reach you directly. I’m sharing it on a couple of social sites, hoping that your PR team will somehow pick it up, somewhere via one of your sophisticated social media tracking tools. A lot of people love VW and it’s a growing brand, so don’t worry. One little email like this, I personally feel will do your brand no detrimental harm. Well, if it did, I apologise. But please do understand that I just wanna get connected to you. To have my key. That’s all.

My number is 012-(blipped out for obvious reasons). Call me?

Thank you once again and have a good day.

Cheers,

Sue.

Life driven by fun!

Another 3 YouTube videos from VW that went viral! Honestly, they all look fun :)


Views: 1,125,688 since June 11th


Views: 290,601 since June 11th


Views: 361,021 since June 11th

Remember, we can only create the videos. Only the wise crowd will determine if it's viral. So stop calling your videos viral when presenting to clients unless you're 100% sure you can make it viral! :) (Sparks supports campaign accountability)

Alert! Golf GTi Mk5 08 and 09 version - DSG gear box problem!

Hello fellow GTi owners,

A distant friend shared some news today. Apparently there is a problem with the GTi's DSG gearbox ratio from upshift 1-3 and vice versa. Before learning about this, I've experienced slight 'jerks' on auto mode from stationary to initial pick up and at low speed. I've thought it weird before but never gave too much thought to it. But after hearing from my friend's friend and confirming it with the dealer who also advised me to send the vehicle back for check, yes I do think it is not normal for the DSG to react this way. When it's on manual mode, it doesn't have any problem at all since the gear shifts are done manually. I'm just guessing there's a problem with the gear ratio that's causing the jerks. Hmm.

Anyway, do send your precious for check up and change if it's still under warranty. Otherwise, you burn a RM5,000 hole in your pocket. Ouch.

By the way, for VW vehicles manufactured in 08 onwards, the warranty period can now be extended for an additional 3 years, bringing it to a total of 5. All you have to do is to send your vehicle for inspection which will cause you approximately RM300-400 and the additional warranty is RM2910. It's highly recommended that you do so because it'll definitely affect your after-sales value, as well as safe guarding yourself from 'manufacturer's fault' as per the current DSG issue.

I'm surprised that VGM did not issue any statement nor notice to the owners. Do they even know? Hmm. A friend told me by chance and I immediately alerted another fellow owner and I'm sure he's posting the notice somewhere since he's apt in digital business. I've had a first-hand experience on the 'receiving end' recently and trust me, when shit happens like that, it's no fun being at either end. I guess it will help if everyone is just more careful, helpful and respectful of one another.

So. Wait no further! Visit your service centre immediately if you love your GTi!

Automotive: The dynasty of VW Group.

Everyone knows about VW Group's recent acquisition of Porsche and the eager but less menacing purchase of Suzuki's issued shares. This would mean that, under the VW Group, you have: Audi (Germany), Lamborghini (Italy), Bentley (UK), Bugatti (France), Seat (Spain), Skoda (Czech Republic), Scania (Sweden), Volkswagen (Germany), Porsche (Germany) and soon, Suzuki? (Japan) and wanted-t0-but-too-bad Proton (and that would be Malaysia). Looks like they're all set for world domination. Cheeky buggers.

While, it seems like a very workable and visionary business strategy, but something I read from Autocar Asean (this month) about a certain Cayenne to introduce a Hybrid version. Well, looking at the stake of our future, it's inevitable that 'eco' becomes the general direction of what we call the new-generation fleet. But to read something like, "Developed alongside Volkswagen's Touareg Hybrid, the new Cayenne S Hybrid uses Audi's supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with 325bhp and 324lb ft.", really makes me think twice about this 'world domination' stance.

While the highly positive side of such strategy complementing a strong portfolio of brands is we can 'transfer' technology, know-how and experience seamlessly thus bringing up the quality of lesser known brands, that would mean increasing the overall quality of performance and design for every brand in VW Group's stable. But for a luxurious performance brand like Porsche to use an Audi's engine no matter how many litres or supercharged? Hmm. I'm afraid one day, we will all be experiencing the same driving terrain with an undifferentiated 'feeling'. The only difference is the design and the badge. So, what we are really paying for is the badge that gets stuck on the hood, the heritage of the brand but not exactly the investment of future technologies since it will all be shared. Besides, what is the best way of cutting cost? Transfer of technology obviously. This skips the research and development entirely or substantially, not to mention the nightmare of technical troubleshooting in the future (like our friend, Toyota). But still. Driving a VW with a shared engine and platform like Audi is fine. But a Porsche? Come on.

Know your GTi: F.A. Wagen soon-to-be a 4s dealer.

For those of you who own a VW car, you can soon send your beloved for its periodical service at F.A. Wagen Sdn Bhd (owned by Federal Auto). You can google the map via this address:

Lot 7, Jalan 222, Section 51A,
46100 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Phone: +603-7960 0801
Fax: +603-7960 0802

I haven't been there before, so I won't know if the dealer/service centre is any good. But when I do, I'll share my experience here. Or if you've been there, do share your experience with me. Thanks in advance.

Know your GTi: Comes with its own bottle opener?

I've got the car for 6 months now and I've been reading the manual from cover to cover. And, to my surprise I realized that the Mk 5 should come with a bottle opener. I'm only guessing that it looks like the above. Why am I guessing, you say? Because it's not in my car (!!!).

Itulah akibatnya membeli kereta dari dealer-dealer yang bogus (that's the consequences of purchasing from bogus dealers). Which in my case is VW Cars, which at that point was still one of the authorized dealers of VW Group Malaysia (not anymore now). Well, I'm definitely writing a love letter to VGM cause... the bottle opener looks kinda nice and I want it back. As with many other manufacturers, these kind of complains usually get sweep under the carpet and they push the blame to one another. Well, let see what happens this time. Cause I really want my bottle opener (!!!).

Know your GTi: Fuel consumption.

Obviously Ron 95 is out of the question.

So that leaves us with VPower and Ron 97.

A full 55l tank of VPower gives me about 560km on very careful driving (no hard acceleration, most of the time nothing over 100km/h). Funny thing is, VPower seemed to give a lot more boost when used in the City or Vios or even MyVi compared to the GTi. Somehow, it felt a little sluggish during pick up and the so-called extra power which I felt before seemed insignificant in the GTi. A friend of mine told me that VPower acts as a booster to vehicles with less than 1.6 or 1.8cc but makes no difference to a 2.0 (more over a turbocharged one). Hmm. I don't know how true this is, can anyone clarify? But the lag in power pick up is quite apparent until you hit a certain rpm of course then the GTi's natural instinct just takes over ;)

Ron 97 was surprisingly efficient with a more equal distribution of power during the entire acceleration process. More over, what was really neat is I could milk a cool 600km on a full tank! Again, that is if I am extra careful with my pedal force at all times. 600km is equivalent to me traveling from home to work and back for approximately 2 weeks (minus a day or two).

After the first week of good behavior, I still have about half a tank (300km) to go. But here's my real confession. I never did reach the 600 mark because I simply couldn't stay 'good' for two whole weeks. I couldn't resist the temptation of an open road at 2am getting to know some 'friendly' fellow drivers. But if I did, I'm pretty sure 600 can be achieved. Well, until I can truly stay off the metal for fourteen days, I'm pretty happy with a 560km mark.

Advertising: The GTi Project.

Let's get rolling!


The VW GTi Project was nominated for by the Favourite Website Awards (FWA) for May's best website. Best of the twelve best will be voted by the public.

The test drive simulation is an extraordinary way of presenting Mk 6's sports handling USPs. Technical without an overkill of information.

Automotive: You can trust the Germans.

For something like this. Functional design. Delivers more than it normally would. That's German.

This 'hook' is called 'Snakey' for obvious reasons and allows you to place it in between the poles of your headrest, which looks pretty neat, tidy and unobtrusive compared to the 'S' hooks that you normally find in a lot of Malaysian cars.

Original post from Paul Tan.

6 cars. 6 weeks. 6 winners.

Check out Real Racing GTi, created specially by VW for the iPhone™ and iPod Touch®. There are 6 cars to be given away for 6 weeks. And more importantly, check out the nicely done video below ;) Makes my heart skip two beats ;) This is really a representation of German technology in the funnest way.

Volkswagen - The Fun Theory.

Mash marketing + social experiment + digital production = what do you get?

The Fun Theory: A great viral campaign.



More story here.

New ABT version of Scirocco and Golf GTI Mk 6 launched.

The much awaited and talked about VW Scirocco. Finally, finally, finally on our shores. I think I prefer the original design, although the ABT spec gives it an additional 40 horses pushing a max torque up to 340Nm, somehow the design seems a bit much. Can't wait to go for a spin in it ;)

Just in case if you're interested in getting the full kit, the tuning package includes:

ABT Wheels Package

*19inch (sweet) BR styling Black edition wheels + Continental tires + ABT sport springs + spacers

The damage: RM21,500

Aerodynamic ABT Package

*Full ABT Bodykits + quad pipe stainless steel muffler (super sweet)

The damage: RM18,500

ABT ECU Performance Tuning

*ECU upgrades to 240hp and 340Nm

The damage: RM6,000

Current special ABT VSR Scirocco full package will cost about RM45,000 (which is RM1,000 off from the above total)

Also saw the Golf GTI Mk 6 in ABT kit. The one currently in the Cartrade's showroom is not the GTI which you'll be getting because that's a 2-door. The GTIs which will be sold here, all come with 4 doors. I didn't manage to snap any photos but I've decided to rip off from zerotohundred ;) Just to let you have a look at what the GTI's 'wild side' is like, since the new version is much more refined and seem to have a rather 'executive' look to it.

So if you prefer the Golf, then this is what you can get from ABT VSR GTI package:

ABT Wheels Package
*19inch (like the Scirocco but I prefer more spokes) BR styling Black edition wheels + Continental tires + ABT sport springs + spacers
The damage: RM23,500 (why is this more expensive than the Scirocco? No idea...)

Aerodynamic ABT Package
*Full ABT Bodykits + quad pipe stainless steel muffler (give me two years and I'm so gonna get the quad pipes)
The damage: RM18,500

ABT ECU Performance Tuning
*ECU upgrades to 260hp and 360Nm (whoa! Some really good steroids!)
The damage: RM6,000

Current special ABT VSR GTI full package will cost about RM47,000 (which is RM1,000 off from the above total)

Note: Don't worry if your car is still under warranty and you crave for some of those candies. ABT's warranty itself is 1-year and it does not void your manufacturer's original one. So... Wanna go shopping?

New Golf GTi launched in Hong Kong (and everywhere else soon).

New GTi (mk6) launched in Hong Kong. While I love the 'love speed' idea (mk6's output up by 10 horses from its new EA888 engine (shared with Scirocco?) with refined suspension and drivability, max torque is the same at 280Nm achievable on a slightly lower rpm of 1,700) but I think the site is a little... disappointing. The whole idea is to utilize available online viral videos about speed and associate them with the campaign but it feels to me that it could have been more... dynamite in terms of presentation and usability. Hmm. VW should have originated these ideas and not fish them from YouTube (we've always been original about mobility concepts and technologies right?).

The new generation GTi loses the honeycombed front grille (slight resemblance to its Audi cousins) replaced by a more understated one with red lining. The eyes however, are narrower balancing out the well-mannered exterior to keep that sporty but more refined outlook. It's got a meaner look at some angles and a more gentleman executive look in others. Visual tricks. I'm liking the backlights too. The mk6 also replaced the side 'mold' panels with a more careful but distinct pressline to perhaps lift up the vehicle's muscularity. I think it could beef up a little bit more definition to really flex more muscles to its otherwise 'chubby' sides. It's lowered 22mm (front) and 15mm (rear) so expect even better handling than the already extremely road-hugging characteristic of the GTi.

I'm guessing this will cost about... RM230,000?

VW Golf GT TSi commercial.

I don't know if this will work in Malaysia but it's darn hell funny. I thought this would cheer you up after yesterday's morbid post ;)

Nice rims.

VW flash ad with Twitter.

Online advertising x Social media = Interactive integration.

First time I tried, it was Eos. Not my favourite. Second time, it was still Eos. And it's still not my favourite. Third time, it was Jetta TDI. Still... not my favourite. But the campaign is cool.

Play it here.

VW Park Assist.

Er. Honestly? If you can't park? Don't drive.