A MOTORIST is taking on the Volkswagen car company because he says their compact disc players are out-of-date and unable to play new CDs.
In a move which could affect car owners all over the country, Craig Hobin, of Worsley, has been fighting the German firm for a year.
He claims VW officials are refusing to accept that their latest range of Beta and Gamma in-car CD players are not able to play the growing number of copy-protected discs encoded by recording companies to prevent piracy.
"I have been passed from pillar to post with VW," he said. "Even when I have taken the car in and played a CD, where they can see it spinning without any sound coming out, they say there isn't a design fault.
"It's got to the point where I'm recording from CD on to tape and driving around with a cassette player in the car."
Craig's problem began when he bought an official Gamma single CD player for £180 and paid to have it fitted in his Golf at the Volkswagen Advent dealership on Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, last January.
Craig, a music nut, and his wife, spend hundreds of pounds a year on original CDs from high-street retailers, largely for playing while driving.
Standard
But as the international recording industry has embraced copy-protection software as standard, Craig has found it impossible to play new albums from Dido to Westlife to Phil Collins in his car, although they work in his home hi-fi and computer.
Craig said: "The problem has been getting worse over the last six months. Nearly 90 per cent of the CDs I buy are copy-protected so don't work in the car.
"They should recall the CD players, but Volkswagen just say they are built to a European standard and work fine.
"You can only fit official VW CD players in their cars." VW has defended its audio systems, saying the music industry has reneged on an agreement in 1982 not to use copy protection.
A VW spokesman said: "To prevent the copying of audio CDs, the music industry has recently introduced a variety of anti-copy measures. CDs protected in this way do not meet the standard, agreed in 1982, in the so-called Red Book.
"The failure of copy-protected CDs to comply with this industry standard can lead to customer complaints of problems during playback.
"Volkswagen audio systems fully comply with the technical criteria set down in the Red Book. CDs without copy protection can be played without problems.
"Any customer affected by this issue should return the CD to the supplier, and if possible complain to the CD manufacturer/record company stating the position of Volkswagen Group in relation to our in-car CD players being manufactured to the agreed industry standards.
"This is in no way a warranty issue with the in-car CD player."
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I've asked BMG for a statement - backstage@bmg.co.uk
Typical answer from VW, I wonder if it will play in the new golf.
VW are right! There are agreed standards for audio CDs, and it's the record companies that are breaking them not VW!
There's more information about corrupt CDs on this web site: http://ukcdr.org/issues/cd/quick/
How long has this been a provlem I have a 2001 VW golf so far I have had no problems with any CDs that I have bought and played? new or old
this is news to me, have you tried contacting autoexpress about this
I have this gamma unit and every time I insert a CD it says 'check magazine' there is no autochanger in boot. So I took it to VW in Leeds they inspected it and said they would have to send it away to be repaired. My car is a secondhand 3 year old motor is it broke and were is their any other single CD units that will work with radio/cassette player (not autochanger).email me at scotthanson25@hotmail.com
VW are right, this isn't their fault.
They designed their CD players (probably years ago) to play standard disks.
Along come record companies and decide to break the standard in the name of "copy protection" so that they are no-longer CDs and VW are supposed to pre-empt this in the installed base of CD players. How?
It's like if your local petrol station starts dispensing 50% water in the unleaded such that your car stops working. Who do you complain to, the car company because you put crud into the tank and their vehicle should cope with this, or the petrol station who sold the crud as "Petrol".
Go back to the record shop and demand a refund because it isn't a CD, or even better go and complain to trading standards that you have been mis-sold something that isn't a useable CD (that's what you would do in the Petrol anaology).
In return to previous robs email .... Thankfully, living in London ... we have more than one filling station, so if they went and put water into their fuel i would try someone else. BUT in the VW case you cant try another apparently because they dont fit ! Is this right i ask cause VW in my mind have reduced the market for their cars to themselves with regards to in car entertainment. They have therefore removed the right and option for the purchaser to try another supplier.... which in the case of the filling station example.... is precisely what someone with sense would try !! Agreement ?
I brought a brand new t5 104 ps vw van.It wasnt good from the start. 3 steering columbs,2 steering racks, 1 gearbox,1 driveshaft, 1 heater control. non standard cd player fitted forB#150 ( B#75 in argos)a door loock that has fallen to bits 4 times,a fuse blown twice that kills all rear lights.And its only covered 16000 miles. The knocking steering is back so I have beed advised by trading standards to ask for my money back. Has anyone had simalar problems? If so please get in touch.
This is a similair problem I have had, I am waiting on delivery of my FOURTH CD player from volkswagen. Each preceding one had a different defect. Luckily for me I have a warranty or I'd be up a creek. I'm not impressed with Volkwagens quality due to this and other items I have had to deal with in my 2004 Jetta GL.
about vw transporters My sportline van has spent more time with alan day in southgate and listers for repairs than i have driven it
15 week
door locks
gear box 1
gear box2
paint problems
still driving hire van