Thread by @LewisUnderscore

So I'm sharing this odometer reading not because I'm bragging, but instead to complain to a pair of pretty large companies - @Chrysler and @VWGroup - that should never have allowed this car to be born.

This is the dashboard of my 2009 Routan SEL. It just crossed 125,000 miles, which is not a supremely high number for what is now a 10-year-old car. But given this car's history, it's a bit of a miracle.

My wife and I bought this car used in the summer of 2014.

At the time we were in the market for something with space for 3 car seats, and minivans and hulking SUVs were about the only choices. So we went with this car. It had 55k miles when we bought it, and problems started almost immediately.

We DID purchase an extended warranty, and for that I'm grateful, but it only covered so many things. But here's a brief list of problems:

1 - Within a week of getting the car several radiator hoses ruptured. It was out for a week. Non-warranty work - we paid 2 grand.

2 - That same fall we got recalled for a loose-key-in-the-ignition problem that would cause shutdowns in flight. Warranty work, so no cost to us, but it was out another week. And no rental coverage. I walked.

3 - We replaced two wheel bearings the next year, at 60k miles.

4 - The power steering pump went out in early 2016. We had to replace it and the timing belt at the same time - both on the early side of lifespans.

5 - a TPMS sensor failed in early 2016. Not battery failure - physical breakage, still in the stem. We lost another in 2018.

6 - The sliding doors will periodically not close. There's no obstruction, nothing in the tracks - it just won't close. This has been a problem since we bought it. And the sliding doors are difficult to close manually because the door motor actually fights the user.

7 - The key fob contains a physical key to unlock the doors. But using it sets off the alarm. So if your fob dies but you need go somewhere? BEEP BEEP BEEP.

8 - That check engine light has been a constant since 2016 or so. As soon as we fix one thing another breaks.

9 - The rubber floor mats are nice to have - but they completely cover the under-floor storage. The only way in is to remove the floormats, which are super heavy. Why was this design approved?

10 - The dimming mirror, to prevent glare from headlights in the cars behind, has never worked.

11 - The spare tire release is in front of the center console. Turning it requires a special tool - which is JUST short enough that the spinner doesn't clear the console.

12 - For the last couple of months, I had a problem with dying while driving. My shop - whom I trust and does great work on my other car - THINKS they have it diagnosed. We took it in, got it fixed, and that's great, but come on. This has been a known issue among owners, btw.

13 - The gear selector has a failsafe that won't allow the car to start unless in P or N. Great! But it corrodes in the summer humidity, so I have to slide the gear selector up and down a few times every so often to get the car to start.

14 - The protective sliders on the luggage rack have all peeled off of the roof ribs beneath them - they're black and heat up at a different speed than the roof, breaking the glue that holds them in place. Several have come off. Why even use glue? Bolts are a thing.

Generally speaking the fit and finish are pretty poor. Our "leather" seats? Yeah, not leather. One of the two cigarette lighter jacks failed right after purchase. The center console doesn't slide backwards over the floormats, so I can't clean under it.

Engine mileage is poor. I'm lucky anymore to hit 20-21 MPG. The power steering motor actually rattles if I try to turn too tightly, and always has.

All told, between warranty work and our standard maintenance, we have spent more on this car than the loan note - at least $3-4k a year - and we're not done paying it off yet.

When it goes, I won't be trading it in. I wouldn't wish this car on anyone. I will gladly junk it.

So, if it's a Routan, why am I tagging @Chrysler? Because they built this car. It's not really a VW - it's a rebadged Grand Caravan.

I knew this going in, but I did not realize how badly Chrysler was still making cars after the bailout. I kinda thought they would fix one of the primary reasons Americans were abandoning American brands. Michael Keaton made a movie about this crap in the friggin' 80s, guys.

But it's also a critique of Volkswagen. They were so intent on entering the minivan market that they were willing to put their name on something that I won't call a dumpster fire because that's insulting to hard-working, patriotic, God-fearing dumpster fires everywhere.

VW had the capacity to design their own minivan, if they'd really wanted. They didn't. They just found the first cow pie they could find and decided "Yes, this is what we want to be associated with!"

Poor judgment, which I guess is a theme, based on that emissions thing.

This vehicle has forever turned me off to Chrysler cars - and also VW. I cannot comprehend how any company could willingly put their workers up to the task of building this junkpile, or how another would allow its name to get stuck on one. It's awful, and you should be ashamed.

For comparison, I have a 2005 Acura that runs great, requires minimal work to keep in good shape, and has twice the mileage. You guys could take a lesson from Honda when it comes to reliability. You won't, I'm sure, but you could.

/end.

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End+1: I should tag @Honda and @Acura here: my only complaint about the TL has been that the trim flashing in the engine bay makes it hard to work on the air filter box, and that there's no support bar for the hood. Otherwise, it's a great car. Miles better than the @VW van.