How would you rate the quality of VW cars? Would Americans and Germans have the same views in terms of quality? The answers would surprise you. My opinion is that VW has been slowly changing its image over the past 20 years from the "people's car" and the old, basic beetle, to upscale, well built, exciting cars. According to a 2013 "Auto Bild" magazine poll, Germans view Audi and BMW as the best quality, followed by Mercedes, Toyota, and then VW, which was tied with Mazda. So in Germany, Audi is number one and VW is number 5 in terms of quality. Consumer reports polled US drivers and listed Toyota, Honda and Ford as being the highest quality brands, followed by Mercedes. JD Power released their Initial Quality Study (IQS), and ranked: 1. Porsche, 2. Jaguar, 3. Lexus. 4. Hyundai, 5. Toyota. Audi was number eleven and Volkswagen was number 25, both well behind Kia. At least Car and Driver magazine listed BMW as number 5 and VW as number 7 of "Top Manufacturers", above all of the Korean brands.

Why is there this discrepancy? Do Americans actually drive cars? Who would rather own a Hyundai than a BMW? It's no surprise that VW is in a sales slump in the US. They are making a good product, but they haven't figured out how to market their products effectively. I don't believe that most people who actually care about driving would rather own a Hyundai or Kia than a VW. But I think that the key is that Germans like to drive their cars. Americans are happy driving pickup trucks and SUV's. Germans demand a certain level of performance. Americans want cheap luxury and utility.

How good is VW as a car brand? The number two in the world, in terms of global sales! They are still the number two car seller in the world, behind Toyota. They beat out GM last year to take the number two spot. The VW brand is recognized worldwide as being a manufacturer of exciting, reliable, and affordable cars. The Americans just don't see it...

Is your car's Air Conditioner not keeping up with the summer heat? Maybe you need to add some freon to your AC system. You can do it yourself and save some serious money. I have both freon cans and taps for sale to keep your car cool for the hot summer.

Before I had real freon gauges, I inserted a food thermometer into the air vent. I added freon, until the temperature stopped going down. I had an old VW Eurovan / Winnebago Rialta that leaked a little freon, so I added freon a few times per summer to keep it cool.

You really can do it yourself!