Ok all you seasoned car hagglers, what should we do here?

[EarPlug]

Nope, does not mean a "transmission" problem necessarily. I mean it could be but more than likely ,not. Todays cars are governed by their computers. If the computer is getting a "trouble code" from one of the various sensors that an automobile has such as the Map or Tp sensor, it will signal the transmission not to go beyond a certain rpm or shift point. Some shift into second, some shift into first it all depends on what the manufacturers "limp" mode has in its algorithm.

It could be argued, no matter what sensor is causing the problem, the transmission is not working. The sensors are part of the operation of the transmission.

 

[kcflhrc]

Give them a chance to fix it and make it right. All too often we jump to rash decisions. It could be something very simple. I'm sure you are sick about it as I would be too, however, being calm and rational in the beginning is always the best route. You can always go ballistic if they don't make it right. People on here are already jumping to conclusions about what it could be, that's never a good thing.

 

[screamin400]

In NY there is a lemon law. Many states do not have one but there is always an implied warranty. A vehicle has to give reasonable service. Reasonable may be up for discussion but I think you have great proof. Most dealers are governed by the Motor Vehicle Dept. of that state. No lawyer or anyone scares a dealer like Motor Vehicle Dept. They can pull a dealer license right while they sit there. If you need to you can get in touch with them and do a complaint for free. I assure you they do not look out for the dealer. This car probably was fine on the test drive and bad on delivery. It happens. It may be something as simple as a sensor. Most dealers in general do not want an irate customer. None that I know anyway. I am sure you purchased at a reputable dealership and got a car that acquired a mechanical issue. Happens everyday. I did not go back and read every post on here but my advice would be to sit back and let the dealer do his job. If no gratification get in touch with Motor Vehicle Dept.

 

[kidr]

My dodge pick up did this. It was a bad cat. converter. Happened out of the blue, no warning.

 

[MikePA]

The sensors are part of the operation of the transmission.

1. There's an error somewhere.
2. A sensor, well, senses it. IOW, this sensor is doing its job.
3. For the particular error, the manufacturer has programmed the computer to tell the transmission to stay in a specific gear and not exceed a certain rpm.

• IOW, the computer is doing what it was programmed to do.
• The transmission is doing what it was told to do by the computer
• Neither the the computer nor transmission are broken.

Finally, the VW dealer's diagnostic tools will tell the technician what's wrong. They won't jump to the conclusion the transmission is the problem.

 

[Mousefield]

In my opinion the dealer is acting in a very professional way.
The problem may be something as simple as a defective sensor.
It may be a tad early to throw the dealer and or car under the bus.

 

[Mousefield]

Perhaps too late for this advice, but I would never buy a VW. Long story short: I bought a new Jetta fully loaded, total piece of junk with an incompetent dealer, went to arbitration and VW bought it back through the Lemon Law program. Still a lot of aggrivation and lost money. VW dealership and Regional Manager were indignant jerks who couldn't have cared less about me or my vehicle or my money. NEVER AGAIN.

Advice that's not too late: Don't accept this vehicle. Undo the deal. Whatever it takes. Give them a couple of grand in the process, if you have to. It will be money well spent on a lesson learned. Try to approach it in a friendly way. Be nice. Tell them you'll tell all your friends nice things about their dealership. Do anything to get your money and get out of this problem vehicle. If they won't play ball, visit a lawyer and find out what your legal options are. If no legal option, sell or trade the car.

I'm sorry you are in this situation, but don't make it worse by throwing good money after bad. Cut your losses. Go get a nice honda accord and drive it till the wheels fall off. I replaced my 2000 Jetta with one and it has 186,000 miles and still going strong with only routine maintenance.

Good luck.

My 2002 VW Diesel Jetta has over 381,000 kilometres on it or about 238,000 miles for those living in the US of A. Other than normal maintence or repairs expected for the year and mileage is has been an outstanding vehicle. It is funny to read from a couple of posters that seem to imply that there are no good VW's on the road. Heck, I see them all the time. There are millions of VW's on the road.

NEWS FLASH

Volkswagen AG surpassed Toyota Motor Corp. to become the biggest automaker by deliveries in the first half, putting the company on track to capture the worldwide sales crown three years ahead of its target.

 

[Garandman]

My 2002 VW Diesel Jetta has over 381,000 kilometres on it or about 238,000 miles for those living in the US of A. Other than normal maintence or repairs expected for the year and mileage is has been an outstanding vehicle. It is funny to read from a couple of posters that seem to imply that there are no good VW's on the road. Heck, I see them all the time. There are millions of VW's on the road.

NEWS FLASH

Volkswagen AG surpassed Toyota Motor Corp. to become the biggest automaker by deliveries in the first half, putting the company on track to capture the worldwide sales crown three years ahead of its target.

NEWS FLASH: Volkswagen now ranks 13th in the U.S. market. Their sales are down year-over-year, again, with a whopping 2.1% market share.

But this is an improvement over 2014 year-over-year, when their sales were down 13%.

Subaru outsells the world's largest automaker in the US 5:3.

 

[monster318]

Well I have read all your comments and suggestions and I thank you all for that....I do have an update....

UPDATE:
10 minutes before the dealer closed yesterday, I called, stating who I was and that I had not heard from them all day to be Given an update. They told me, that the VW dealer would not be able to look at the vehicle until tomorrow (Tuesday) so I expressed how disappointed we were about this happening directly off the lot, and that it didn't make us feel any better that we weren't even called to be given this information. She assured me she would keep us updated every step of the way from here on out. So today (Tuesday) comes, again no word from the dealer all day, so I go down there and go in to the service desk, and ask about the car. The lady swears she called my fiance phone and left a voicemail, well we have double and triple checked and no voicemail. So right then and there the lady said that VW said it was one of the engine knock sensors had gone bad and was replaced, they tried to get the car back to us by today but it didnt work out. They assured us the car would be back in our hands tomorrow. I kindly said okay and just reminded her that i want the copy of what VW Found was wrong with the car and what they did to fix it. Again, she told me that wouldn't be a problem.

So most likely this Knock sensor was sending the computer into Limp mode and making it lock out at 20mph like I see multiple people have talked about in this thread.

 

[kenmac]

someone mentioned a carfax report.. I wouldn't buy any vehicle based a carfax report alone..
There are several other reporting agencies that are used other than carfax..
Auto check,instavin, come to mind..
Some places may not even report a repair, wreck, etc, to carfax, auto check or any other reporting agency