Check it out. 2005 VW Touareg.
“How did you pull this one off?” you may ask– “Promotion? Lottery? Made a killing on one of those internet domain names you bought years ago?”
Nope. The reason for my driving this fine piece of German (and Slovakian, I believe) machinery can be found in these six, very simple words:
The thermostat blew on my Passat.
On Wednesday morning, I had a dentist appointment at 8:30 am (note to anyone who’s tired of waiting in doctor’s offices: always be the first appointment of the day and they have no excuse not to take you on time), and I got out of there at about an hour later. I was happily zipping down I-294 towards the office when I heard a beep coming from the dashboard and the word “STOP” appeared on the digital display.
Uh, okay, the car wants me to stop.
I noticed that the temperature gauge was pinned at “H”, and the word “COOLANT” appeared below the big word “STOP.” German engineering at its best, ladies and gentlemen.
I pulled to the shoulder (which is in the center of the roadway at this point) and waited a few minutes for the engine to cool down. Turning on the ignition, the gauge shot up and the warning came on again. Rather than mess around with the car, I called the 800 number for Roadside Assistance. I know it was a wussy way out, but I’ve already paid my dues with, among other things, a broken timing belt (’81 Escort), frozen water pump (’79 Scirocco), and busted CV joint (’83 Sentra). The tow truck arrived in about 30 minutes, and I was on my way to the dealership.
When I got there, they told me my repairs, the tow, and a rental car were all covered under my warranty. Sweet. The Enterprise guy told me he was setting me up with a Touareg. I verified that the dealer was, in fact, paying for this, and he said yes. I asked what other vehicles were available. He looked through his little metal box and said, “Uhhh…. I’ve got a Chevy Malibu.”
Five minutes later I was outta there with the car in the photo above. I made sure all my essentials were out of the Passat, although I should have taken my golf clubs with me.
This car has a V6 and while it’s really comfortable and easy to drive, I have to say I’m unimpressed by the way it runs. I hit the gas and there’s a pause before it begins accelerating. My ’95 Plymouth Voyager had more pickup than this car.
The next day, I got the call from the dealership saying they replaced the thermostat and water pump on the Passat and my car was ready to go. So back goes the SUV.
I learned that if I go the SUV route at some point I won’t get a Touareg, so the inconvenience had a learning experience with it. And I got my golf clubs back.