How reliable is the Volkswagen Tiguan and what are the expected maintenance costs? (2023)

Mikołaj Hinrichsen- Released: August 15, 2023

There is much more to the cost of owning a car than just the price of a sticker or the suggested retail price. When buying a car, most people have an easy way to find the MPG or fuel economy, fuel costs, registration fees and insurance premiums as part of their average annual car cost - how do you know how to find the cost of living?

Most people know that some brands have good cars that are reliable (Honda) and others are very unreliable (Land Rover). While these associations are often grounded in reality, there is much more data we can use to determine which Hondas (e.g. Honda Civic vs. Ridgeline) are reliable and which Land Rovers (e.g. Evoque vs. Range Rover Sport) are unreliable .

To take a closer look at a specific vehicle's cost of ownership, we compiled some aggregated data from RepairPal, warranty companies, and long-term quality studies to determine both the cost of ownership and overall reliability of the Volkswagen Tiguan, and compare its performance with other makes and models. In this article we will explore:

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• How reliable is one in generalVolkswagen Tiguan?

• What is the total cost of ownership of a Volkswagen Tiguan?

• How often does the Volkswagen Tiguan require maintenance?

• What is the probability that the Volkswagen Tiguan has a serious repair problem?

• What factors affect the cost of living?

• How reliable is the Volkswagen Tiguan in the long run and in the real world?

These figures are based on a combination of maintenance cost and frequency, warranty coverage, and long-term reliability, looking at how long these vehicles are typically kept on the road. Please note that this comparison is for all cars, not just compact or subcompact cars of the same class as the Volkswagen Tiguan.

You may notice that these numbers are significantly different from those found in J.D. Power or consumer reports. Most publications deal with reported problems in the first months of dealership ownership (such as JD Power) or ask for owner feedback regarding the extended life cycles of their new vehicles. This study instead looked at actual repair costs and frequencies based on data from garages and wholesale auctions.

To investigate the frequency of major maintenance, we looked at how many times a vehicle required major unscheduled maintenance over a 3-year period. This "major" maintenance part is an expensive system failure (usually a part or component costing over $1,000) that needs to be repaired.

It should be noted that although we analyze this data based on the brand model, driving habits, condition and mileage will naturally influence the results. Each vehicle requires maintenance at different intervals. Older vehicles may require more frequent servicing, while new cars may run longer without such attention.

You can determine how long a vehicle can go without service based on the frequency score. The frequency score tells us how many times per 3 years a particular vehicle requires more maintenance. The result is presented over a period of 3 years - so for example, if a car's maintenance frequency is 3, it means that the car needs an annual inspection. The closer the frequency index is to 0, the longer it can go without major maintenance.

The Volkswagen Tiguan has a frequency score of 2.7600000000000002. By comparison, the industry average is 1.3, which puts the Volkswagen Tiguan significantly below average. The table below gives an overview of all makes/models.

Some repairs can be an outlier as they cost significantly more than the average repair cost. To identify those "major" repairs where an engine, transmission, or major component needs to be replaced, RepairPal uses a severity rating in its Consumer Reports and Reliability Rating.

You can use a vehicle severity rating to determine the likelihood of a serious problem with a particular make and model. Severity ratings are given as a percentage, with a score closer to 100% indicating that the vehicle is likely to require major repairs.

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These findings are especially important to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which enforces safety standards to reduce vehicle-related accidents; vehicles in need of repair are a danger to the driver and other people.

Specifically for the Volkswagen Tiguan, this vehicle achieved a weight score of 12% compared to an average of 12% for all car models.

Note - Severity is a very good indicator of whether you want to buy an extended warranty. Extended warranties don't make financial sense in most cases, but they do help avoid costly disasters.

While reliability covers many things, there is a Dashlight rating that tries to give a good overall impression of an owner's ability to "stay on the road". This study looks at cars traded in both in terms of total mileage and the number of reported "red light" issues for those cars sold and auctioned.

A red light problem occurs when there are serious problems with the engine, transmission or other driveline that require extensive repairs.This index is good for several reasons as shown in the 2 x 2 chart below:

Basically, this is a good estimate of how expensive it is to keep your car on the road reliably compared to buying a newer car. A good metric is also balancing the above-average reliability of some brands (e.g. Lexus) with lower repair costs of some domestic brands (e.g. Ford).

Overall, the Volkswagen Tiguan scored a long-term quality rating of 25.3, compared to an average rating of 43 across the brands and models we examined. Please note that this is not compared against cars with the same body (e.g. hatchback) or the same class (e.g. subcompact) or size (e.g. small cars), but between all cars.

There are many factors that affect the exact cost of maintaining your Volkswagen Tiguan. They basically fall into several main categories:

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1. The area and driving conditions in which the car is used

2. The preventive maintenance your car receives

3. Exact trim levels, configuration, transmission, and options and packages in the vehicle

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Region and driving conditions

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Would you rather buy a Boston van or a single-owner van from a Southern California grandma who only goes to church? Usage has a lot to do with the expected cost of maintaining a vehicle, and the more difficult the driving conditions, the more maintenance is required.

Routine maintenance costs and requirements vary by vehicle make and model. These routine maintenance costs will likely help you avoid higher unscheduled maintenance costs. In most cases - you can refer to the car's service schedule, located in the car's owner's manual in the glove box, to find out what maintenance your car requires and how often it should be done.

Thanks to modern computerization and mechanical improvements to engine design, new vehicles require less maintenance than ever before. Nevertheless, as a general rule of thumb, here are some general maintenance costs:

Basic maintenance factors include:

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• Oil change:It is standard to change your vehicle's engine oil every three months or every 5,000 to 7,500 miles.
  

• Tire rotation:Since a car's two front tires carry most of the vehicle's weight, tire rotation is necessary to distribute this load evenly across all tires. It is recommended that the vehicle tires be rotated every time the oil is changed.
  

• Multipoint Control:

  • It is recommended that you check the following items every time you change the oil

  • AAA car insurance offers free multi-point inspections

  • Fluid levels

  • snakes

  • Inflationary pressure

  • Tire tread depth

  • Bacteria

  • belts

  • Air filters

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In addition to these basic maintenance requirements, vehicles often require replacement of portable automotive parts that ultimately affect the ride quality. As your car ages through model years or if it is a used car, you may notice that replacement costs start to increase. For example, your Volkswagen Tiguan may also need to be replaced. Your average annual cost of ownership will also increase with age. In addition, more expensive cars are made of more expensive parts that can be more expensive to replace. Car replacement and repair costs include, but are not limited to:

• Tire:

  • Check your tires once a month for cracks or tears

  • You can also use the penny test to check the tread depth of your tires
    

• wiper blades:

  • The rubber in the blades can be improved over time

  • It is recommended to replace every 6 to 12 months
    

• Engine Filters:

  • Stops dirt and grime from contaminating the engine

  • Replace every 20,000 to 60,000 miles
    

• Brake pads:replacement is recommended every 30,000 to 50,000 miles
  

• car batteries
  

• motor gear:CCheck if your reliable car has an automatic or manual transmission (e.g. six-speed manual) or CVT (continuously variable transmission)

Exact trim levels, configuration and options and packages in the vehicle

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Although in this article we have treated all [MAK] [MODEL] the same - sometimes maintenance costs vary slightly depending on the exact trim level (e.g. LX, EX-L, EX on most Honda models), engine configuration (e.g. fuel-efficient 4-cylinder BMW engine is more reliable than a six-cylinder turbo), standard equipment (e.g. airbags, sunroof, etc.) and additional options (e.g. leather seats, heated steering wheel) and packages (e.g. technology package, utility package) has a vehicle (touch screens Toyotas from 2002-2004 were not very reliable).

While this is not a hard and fast rule - the more moving parts, options and packages your vehicle has, the more likely these items will need repair. For example, a vehicle equipped with Bluetooth, air conditioning, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, touchscreen infotainment system and NHTSA/IIHS approved active safety features (blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning) has more things to break than a basic Nissan Sentra with just a steering wheel and an AM/FM radio. Choosing four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (AWD) instead of front-wheel drive (FWD) or rear-wheel drive can also create additional complications.

In addition, when it comes to styling, the trim levels of sportier, more powerful models are more likely to push the limits of their mechanical components than lower-priced models. For example, the 2006-2010 BMW M5 had notorious engine and transmission issues for the very advanced, very complex V10 powertrain. The entry-level 5-series model (more tuned for good epa gas mileage) was much more reliable.

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Will having rear seats increase the cost of living?

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When deciding on the best car for you, it's important to consider the amount of legroom and total available cargo space that fits your lifestyle. Due to current technology and construction of larger vehicles,maintenance costs do not differso many, from SUVs to sedans. A sedan will typically have a lower CPM than most SUVs, mainly due to the higher cost of tires and brake repairs.

However, these prices are not so different from each other as to detract from the spacious vehicle with folding rear seats you can have. If you have a large family, a three-row car is definitely worth the cost of living, but if you're on a budget and don't use the car very often, having only the front row (smart car) may work for you.

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