Alice Mannion's 1998 Volkswagen Beetle just turned over an astonishing 400,000 miles. Impossible! Everyone knows VWs fall apart after 100,000 miles. Right?
Alice lives in Exeter Township, Pennsylvania. Her daughter bought her the Beetle in 2000 which had 30,000 miles on it at the time; over the past ten years she's put on an average of 40,000 miles each year for her dog-sitting business and visiting children and grandchildren. She claims that the car is still on its original engine, which has seen only regular maintenance, including oil changes, timing-belt replacement, and a new clutch. The only recurring problem she's reported is a troublesome air-conditioning system; each time the system failed, it was fixed promptly by VW technicians.
Volkswagen AG fake design director Kerl Falsche on Mrs. Mannion's bewildering story: "Volkswagen vehicles are very carefully engineered to last 100,000 to 120,000 miles with flawless operation and handsome, functional interiors. Claims like these undermine our reputation for temporary dependability and repairs so blindingly expensive it's more cost effective to buy one of our new products." Falsche went on to say "the idea of any of our modern products making it to 400,000 miles, let alone a Beetle of all things, is just silly. To tell you the truth we weren't even aware the odometer could go that high. We take these types of cases very seriously and are doing a thorough investigation."
Volkswagen officials have not yet made clear their plans for Alice or her Beetle. If her claim turns out to be legitimate, corporate mechanics are prepared to correct her vehicle to the factory standard by taking a sledgehammer to the engine block. (Hat tip to Fodder650!) [Reading Eagle]
Photo credit: Reading Eagle/Tim Leedy