Technical Car/Motor Issues > Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks Accessories and Parts
Thread Author: Goddess of Bun Replies: 20

 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Goddess of Bun
Last year and feeling that our business had grown to the point where I could spoil the wife a little, I went out and brought her a nice new car.
We had never brought a brand new car before and I am always of the opinion, that you get what you pay for. My wife was always pointing out convertibles and many of them were reasonably priced too. There were Fords, General Motors, Peugeot, Renault, not to mention some of the Japanese manufactures. As I said though, I am a firm believer that that it is always worth paying that bit extra, as you will get it back in the end with reliability and longevity. We couldn't afford a Mercedes and a BMW was out of the question, as we are not those type of people, so instead, I purchased a VW EOS Turbo Diesel.
Well, the wife was ecstatic and zipped back and forth to the office and supermarket, with her hair blowing in the wind, like Lady Godiva (only not naked of course). Credit where credit is due, the car drives beautifully and has every gizmo a girl could ever want. As it is German, it also has that good solid feel to it, which is always reassuring. However, despite this apparent robustness, it did not take long to see that this was just a clever illusion, conjured up by our friends at Volkswagen. Within a month a couple of the plastic switches had crumbled. Obviously, VW blamed us, so we took it on the chin and paid up, a little disappointed that such a seemingly sturdy vehicle, had such weak and delicate switches. Obviously not made in Germany!
Next the was the roof. Now my wife and I are new to convertibles and these hardtop jobbies are a pretty new concept from what I am aware. Thing is though, we found that the roof made a lot of noise, while driving. Squeaking and rubbing and scratching away as you drive along the street. It wasn't until taking a ride in a friends Chrysler that I realised just how noisy the VW was.
Next came some real horrors with the roof, which I won't go into as VW did not blame us for this one and fixed the issue without question.

The latest issue however has raised some serious safety concerns with me that I must say, have me completely stumped and asking the question, how have VW got away with this.
My wife pulled up on to our driveway a few days ago, where I greeted her. As I approached the vehicle, I immediately smelt fuel, so on looking beneath the car, I noticed a very small leak. As it was Diesel, thus not a serious fire hazard like Petrol and it was not a huge leak anyway, I simply placed a tray beneath the leak until I could take the the car to VW. Obviously this was our fault according to VW. It seems that something very small and thin, like a pin or a needle has flown up off of the road and penetrated the fuel tank. My immediate reaction to this was, what in the name of sanity are VW making their fuel tanks out of? Coke Bottles! In fact, I'm pretty sure that if you flung a needle at a Cola bottle, even at high speed, it would not penetrate it. So again, what are VW fuels tanks made of.
Now, if I had brought my wife a Hyundai or Kia, even a Ford or GM brand, I would kind of expect this, but Volkswagen. Really!
Though bold, I am quite confident in accusing VW of getting their fuel tanks made in deepest darkest Asia somewhere, of that I have no doubt. But regardless of my disappointment in VW for pricing their product 20% higher than the competition, thus creating the illusion that they are of a higher quality and safety standard, I have a deeper concern. What about the Petrol Models?
Do VW install the same hardened Crisp packet to the Petrol Models as they do the Diesel? If so, do manufactures not face stringent safety checks when they bring out a new vehicle like the EOS. Are their not government bodies who check this stuff?
I would love to hear from anyone who has experienced similar problems and anyone who can tell me if the Petrol EOS and the Diesel EOS, use the same tank.
Also, what level of testing to government safety bureaus apply to these tanks and could the EOS have escaped these tests.
Surely this has to be a terrifying safety concern to anyone driving a Petrol Model, but I don't know, maybe it is acceptable these days.
I was just under the impression that safety was paramount, but maybe I missed something, somewhere.
End of the day I have to pay for a new fuel tank, which although made in the Communist Republic of Sing foo Wang, for the cost of a a bowl of rice, will cost me around $1800. Now that is some serious mark up.
Maybe I will just replace the tank myself, with Soft drink bottles. Has to be the safer option me thinks.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Zero
Many fuel tanks these days are made of plastic. Fuel tanks are part of crash test safety and plastic tanks do not split seams in the event of a crash like metal ones do.

I understand your frustration with your VW and the issues with your car, Its a bit of a shock to realise that the VW myth is a bit of a waganarian tale, and in truth they are just another ford.

However, you have picked the wrong issue to vent your wrath on. There is no issue with VW fuel tanks that makes them any less safer than any other brand.


 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Dog
Seems such a nice car (on paper) but not without its problems it seems ~
www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volkswagen/eos-coupe-cabrio-2006/?section=bad
If I was looking for a convertible car, I'd knock that one on the head.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Goddess of Bun
I do not doubt that there are far worse on the market, so I guess what I am really questioning is just how safe can a plastic tank be in a crash, if it can be pierced so easily by a needle or small nail? This "crush" philosophy is all good, but assumes that the tank is merely crushed. As we all know though, there are lots of splinters in an accident, snapped and sheared components of the cars chassis etc. Are these not factored into the design as a danger too? My other point is this. This design is, as I said, based upon a powerful collision, which thankfully, doesn't happen an most of us in our life times and if it does, only once. I'm sure there are people who have had more, so let's not get carried away arguing about that.
Anyway, something that we all do in our cars everyday is drive them along roads, littered with all kinds of projectiles and such nasties. Would you agree, that taking this into consideration, there is a greater risk of fire, to far more people in the world, due to easily punctured, Plastic Fuel tanks. For example, you drive home from work on Friday night, put the car in the garage, kick back and watch TV until Monday. Ring any bells??? However, on this occasion your super special plastic fuel tank, got a pin hole in it and is dripping petrol all over your garage floor at a rate of 2 litres per day. Then the hot water service come on, or your ever rebellious daughter sneaks out for a crafty cigarette (or worse), with her loser boyfriend. I'll leave the rest to you imagination, but it is not pretty.
There are lots more examples, but you get my drift.
I just don't think that car manufactures like VW, should be cutting costs by using cheap Asian plastic on such a critical component of the vehicle and it surprises me that the crash test scientists and indeed, vehicle designers, do not feel the same. Or is it once again, a case of those clever little multi-tasking Accountants, showing the pro's how it really should be done?
Last edited by: Goddess of Bun on Wed 28 Apr 10 at 12:05
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Zero
The is NO problem with plastic fuel tanks. They are safer than steel ones, in both service and crashes, and last longer and do not rust externally and internally. Nor are they made from cheap asian plastic, but have to meet legal standards.

you really are hitting the wrong point here about your VW ownership experience.

>and it surprises me that the crash test scientists and indeed, vehicle designers, do not feel the same.

you may be suprised that they have been proven right, there are many less cases of fire caused by leaking fuel tanks in crashes.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - VxFan
>> what I am really questioning is just how safe can a plastic tank be in
>> a crash if it can be pierced so easily by a needle or small nail?

You can easily pierce a metal fuel tank with a needle or nail. With a plastic tank I would have expected the object to bounce off the surface of the tank more easily than that of one made from metal.

Talking of piercing, is there any evidence to show that a would be thief did the damage to drain out the diesel? Most modern filler necks have a device fitted to prevent fuel being syphoned, and more often than not making a hole in the tank is not only easier for a thief, but quicker too.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Runfer D'Hills
"Just another Ford"

OK - once again, my Mondeo diesel estate. Eight years old and 170 odd thousand miles. Repairs outside normal service schedules. None. Rust or bodywork problems. None. Never been to a Ford dealer, always serviced by trusted local indy.

The Mondeo diesel estate I owned before that, 120k miles no problems.

The one before that, 130k miles, guess what ? No problems.

My wife's Ka whch was owned from new and kept 6 years / 30k miles, not so much as a replacement light bulb needed outside of servicing by the same indy. ( until she rolled it of course ) :-(

Of course they are all rubbish aren't they ?

:-)
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Dog
>>Of course they are all rubbish aren't they ?<<

Basically yes, but reliable rubbish apparently :)
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Focusless
>> It seems that something very small and thin
>> like a pin or a needle has flown up off of the road and penetrated
>> the fuel tank.

Did they rule out something large and sharp hitting the tank but only making a small hole due to the tank's high strength?
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Goddess of Bun
Yes. They didn't seem to think it was a large object as such, just hit with some force. In such a case, one would expect the object to break or be deflected, if the plastic tank was reasonably strong.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - ....
>> Yes. They didn't seem to think it was a large object as such just hit
>> with some force. In such a case one would expect the object to break or
>> be deflected if the plastic tank was reasonably strong.
>>
It depends what that force was.
Are there any sleeping policemen/speed humps in your area ? Is it possible one was not seen until too late ?
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - VxFan
>> Now if I had brought my wife a Hyundai or Kia even a Ford or GM brand I would kind of expect this but Volkswagen. Really!

You'll probably find the tanks made for 99% of these car manufacturers are all made by the same company.

The build quality of VW is no better than anyone else, IMHO. All you're paying for is the badge, else Skoda's and Seat's prices would be the same as their VW equivalents.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - DP
I agree, plastic tanks are in common use, and have been for some time. They are not a safety concern.

I was talking to a friend of my dad's at the weekend who is currently selling his owned from new, three year old EOS because of persistent and un-fixable issues with the roof and the windows. The warranty is about to expire, and despite TWENTY SEVEN dealer visits, it still leaks in rain, there's still excessive wind noise, and it's pot luck whether the windows wind up in their guides, or outside them. The dealer admits that more than half of these cars either leak from new, or start leaking in the warranty period. Once they leak, it is almost impossible to cure.

I own two older VW Golfs (1999 and 2003) with 135,000 and 101,000 miles respectively, and I agree their build quality isn't any better than other mainstream brands. Panel fit and paint are excellent on both, but the 2003 car's plush looking interior has loads of rattles and squeaks, the faux leather coating on the gear lever gaiter has flaked off, and the interior door handles look like they've been attacked by plastic eating insects. The 1999 car is much tauter and tighter despite 135k on the clock, but has a few niggling issues like all cars at this mileage. Both cars are reliable daily drivers, but a Focus or Astra certainly wouldn't be any worse.

Both are Wolfsburg built ('W VWxxxxx' VIN no) cars, by the way.

We drive VWs basically because we like the cars, and we know a VW dealer tech who does excellent mates rates. We certainly didn't buy them on any premise of superior quality though, although the 1999 example is remarkably tight, taut and rattle free for 135,000 miles. This one is probably closer to what I would expect from the historic VW build quality reputation. The 2003 car is quite disappointing in this respect.

The real gem of VW ownership is residual values. I am confident we could still get within a couple of hundred quid of what we paid for our 2003 Golf over a year ago, despite adding 14,000 miles to its odometer. It does over 50 mpg and costs us next to nothing to service. Interest on the 4k we paid for it aside, it probably has the lowest TCO (so far) of any car that we've owned. Now watch something catastrophically expensive fail! :-)
Last edited by: DP on Wed 28 Apr 10 at 10:50
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - R.P.
MX5 - owned by my new wife since September - just over six thousand miles on the clock - visits to the dealer er....none.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Bromptonaut
Driven cars with plastic fuel tanks at least since the 86 BX. Never a moment's trouble. Only leaks have been from lines; steel rusted and rubber flexible sections perished. I cannot give chapter and verse but I'm fairly sure there will be strength and impact resistance standards for tanks - remember the (US) Ford Pinto issues?

In OP's shoes I'd be looking very closely at area of damage to tank so as to corroborate the "FOD" story. I'd have thought the possibilty of a nail or whatever thrown from the road piercing a tank was pretty unlikley. Has it been hit by something else such as a speed bump, mounted kerb, shed tyre casing or other chunk of road debris? In the unlikley event of the tank itself failing then the most lilkey scenario would be a split along a seam?

I guess the high cost of replacement is because half the rear end needs dismantling so as to access the tank.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Buddy
as an aside, re VAG reliability, my 5 year old A3 diesel at 60k miles suddenly sounds tractor-like; turns out alternator pulley has seized. My indy mechanic says he replaces 2-3 a week and VAG have had to order so many pulleys that the part price has come down! In last 12 months my vehicle has had various sensors, small motors pack up, all very pricey parts. Still good cars, but don't believe the VAG marketing image of a "cut above" the rest when it comes to reliability.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - -
On the subject of strength of fuel tanks, with very few exceptions HGV fuel tanks are normally aluminium and on older stuff steel.

Never seen a plastic tank on an artic though i'm sure they exist.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Focusless
Is it normal for tanks to be exposed to the road, as presumably the Eos's is?
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Zero
Quite a lot.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - L'escargot
>> what ........... are VW making their fuel tanks out of? Coke Bottles!

I'm not doubting what you say, but I'd be interested to know where you got that information.
 Volkswagen Eos Coupe Cabrio - 08 2.0 Coke bottles for fuels tanks - Iffy
The CC3 has now done about 16K and has been reliable.

No leaks from the roof, although there are some creaks when the roof is up.

I think they all do it to a greater or lesser degree.

From what I can gather, the Eos has lots of problems and it costs a lot more than the Focus CC.

I'm really taken with roof down/windbreak up motoring, so can easily live with the roof's little foibles.

I'd love to try a new Bentley convertible, having lived with the CC3 for a year, I'd know what to look out for.

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