Glass versus plastic headlight lenses

[cyberhobo]

Far too many out on the roads with improperly adjusted headlights and fools driving around with purple hues.

 

[JustAnOldFashionedLEDGuy]

I think VW, Audi, etc. punish us in the US for not harmonizing FMVSS 108 with various ECE regs making them design different headlights for the US market than for Germany and the rest of Europe (when functionally, there's no reason they couldn't have only two designs, one for RHD countries and a mirror image for LHD countries. However they did have some good designs, the US lights on my Mk4 GTI are actually at least subjectively good, in sharp contrast to the Corrado headlights from a decade earlier which were so awful they should have been fined for subjecting us to them.

I think today, VW just does not know who they want to be when they grow up. They just stated basically the VW brand is not competitive. Poor processes, so so designs, etc. In some ways the current Jetta and I think no discontinued Passat were good cars for the money. Efficient. Large in their class. Inexpensive. Drove well. However, they suffered from typical VW quality issues and lacked perceived design quality of their peers, that and a lot of the market moved onto small SUVs, and small SUVs from VW are a failure waiting to happen. Had a Passat for a while with reflector halogens. Pretty awful, though pretty good with the 65W OSRAM bulbs when you could still get them. Current VW LED projectors are quite good. Current LED reflectors are quite awful. In 2023 there really is no excuse. They mandate backup cameras, but not better lights which are arguably much better safety ROI.

 

[John_Galt]

And no John, you won't be driving on the roads long after it is illegal. You would have your car impounded like everyone else who tries.

I mean. I have several statements concerning this topic that are not compatible with the code of conduct of this forum.

Suffice it to say my reply consists of "LOL. LMAO, even."

 

[Monocrom]

Straight up, VW screwed up with the current Jetta. It's always been a genuinely compact car that sold well. Current version? It's literally an inch shorter than a Toyota Camry. VW has the nerve to call it a "Compact." Great job ticking off your core customer base for that model.

The best current VW Golf is the base version. The cloth seats are more supportive, and you get a couple of real buttons with that trim level. Honda found out the hard way with their previous Gen. Civic that customers want real buttons! A lesson VW is only just learning.

And why is that they can't solve all those mysterious squeaks and rattles that magically develop days after buying their vehicles brand new? If nothing else, you'd expect Germans to be more methodical, and meticulous. Then again, considering the state of the industry, are VWs even made in Germany anymore?

 

[alpg88]

some are, some are not, look at the vin, if it starts with 3 it is Mexico, 1,4,5. usa 2 canada, W germany

 

[M@elstrom]

And why is that they can't solve all those mysterious squeaks and rattles that magically develop days after buying their vehicles brand new? If nothing else, you'd expect Germans to be more methodical, and meticulous. Then again, considering the state of the industry, are VWs even made in Germany anymore?

Nope, they're made in Mexico & China (amongst others) for their respective markets, German design specifications local labour 😉

This Is Where Volkswagen Jetta Are Made - The Driver Adviser

We’ve written extensively about the Volkswagen Jetta and its capabilities on this blog. Today we’re going to look at where the Jetta is made. This seems to be a straightforward …

thedriveradviser.com

 

[Monocrom]

some are, some are not, look at the vin, if it starts with 3 it is Mexico, 1,4,5. usa 2 canada, W germany

Thanks for the assist. Now I know what to look for.

 

[F89]

They're also made in South Africa, I believe.

 

[JustAnOldFashionedLEDGuy]

And why is that they can't solve all those mysterious squeaks and rattles that magically develop days after buying their vehicles brand new? If nothing else, you'd expect Germans to be more methodical, and meticulous. Then again, considering the state of the industry, are VWs even made in Germany anymore?

VWs have never been well put together, whether in Germany or anywhere else. The Germans love to engineer and tell you how great they are, but mass manufacturing has always been a bit of an Achilles heel. While they have a similar class based structure to Japan (more-so than the North America), the Japanese seemed to get back that at the manufacturing level so workers are empowered to raise quality issues and have them addressed. In Germany that has only recently come about. North America reached Japanese range quality levels much quicker than Germany.

Even Audi / BMW have only recently been reliable, say 10 years, 15 tops.

Mid 2010's Passats were made in Chattanooga. Jetta in Mexico, but the Jetta also had a lot of design influence here as well from my understanding. A few years in and the Jetta felt like a 10 year old car. The Passats were much better made and the base models not a lot more money. Both suffer from some poorly made Chinese climate control parts.

 

[JustAnOldFashionedLEDGuy]

I mean. I have several statements concerning this topic that are not compatible with the code of conduct of this forum.

Suffice it to say my reply consists of "LOL. LMAO, even."

It is an emotional topic, people love driving. I love driving. I get it. But it take about 5 minutes on a busy highway or city street to realize that far too many people are not very good at driving and even the best of us have lapses of concentration and judgement coupled with no ability to instantly communicate with the vehicles around us. Self driving vehicles are going to save a lot of lives. They are going to make vehicles cheaper over time. They are going to make vehicles lighter reducing road costs. They are going to allow traffic density increases on the same roads. I won't go so far as to say eliminate traffic jams, but they will help. The automotive insurance industry and body shops are going to be in big trouble going out 20 years or so. It is what it is. The world moves forward whether we personally like it or not.

 

[N8N]

VWs have never been well put together, whether in Germany or anywhere else. The Germans love to engineer and tell you how great they are, but mass manufacturing has always been a bit of an Achilles heel. While they have a similar class based structure to Japan (more-so than the North America), the Japanese seemed to get back that at the manufacturing level so workers are empowered to raise quality issues and have them addressed. In Germany that has only recently come about. North America reached Japanese range quality levels much quicker than Germany.

Even Audi / BMW have only recently been reliable, say 10 years, 15 tops.

Mid 2010's Passats were made in Chattanooga. Jetta in Mexico, but the Jetta also had a lot of design influence here as well from my understanding. A few years in and the Jetta felt like a 10 year old car. The Passats were much better made and the base models not a lot more money. Both suffer from some poorly made Chinese climate control parts.

*shrug* I had great luck with mid-80s VWs, mostly German made. The one that was somewhat problematic (an '88 GTI 16V) had been worked on by hacks before I got it. I liked their poor reputation however because I mostly would buy them for <$1k, fix them up a little, and drive them for years. They were all I thought well put together, easy to work on when something did break, relatively easy on gas, and fun to drive.

Unfortunately "easy to work on" no longer applies