VW Touareg

what year, new or used?

Driveline, very few problems. But we still see electrical issues from time to time.

Automatic transmissions are very troublesome on Touareg models. Either Aisin or ZF unit, both of these cause problems in all markets - usually need controller/vavle pack replacement for repair.

What about the general maintenance? I heard that an oil change is about $140, at the dealer. Any truth to this?

Figure 6.5 qts of synthetic oil, filter, and labor. I think our dealer is $89 or $99 for just the oil change. It's like just about any vehicle in the

My wife had two requirements to the vehicle to replace her ML320: first it had to be four wheel drive; second it had to seat four adults. She did not want another MB ML. It was not a particularly well built vehicle. She thinks the Touareg is terrific. It drives better than the ML; it is tighter and it is far quieter. I think she is right on. The only problem we have had is the passenger side A/C has stopped working. The mechanics don't really know what is wrong and they tell me the piece of test equipment they need is still in Germany. Meanwhile they are going to replace the actuator on that side and keep their fingers crossed. Meanwhile it runs well and gets better mileage than the ML (but not as good as my 2003 Jetta Diesel wagon).

Tom

Tom, have you had it long enough to see how many miles the tires last? In our area I don't think I have seen one with more than 20k on the original tires. Most get around 15k and the V8's get less if the owner drives them hard. Personally I think with the size of the tire it should last around