VW Golf Mk4 Traction Control

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Mon 2 May 2005 10:25
VW Golf Mk4 Traction Control - perleman
Hi All,

I drove a Golf GTI on Friday that claimed to have traction controll on the dealership's website - it is from 2002 which is when that model had traction introduced acording to HJ - however it was registered in Jan so was probably built before this became a standard feature. I was pulling away from lights fast on the test drive and the wheels spun a little - does this mean that it doesn't have traction controll after all? I didn't think about it at the time but am getting worried as this is a big step up in power from my Fiesta and Traction was something I really want to have.

The site is still advertising it with this feature (and a sunroof that it doesn't have) so if it hasn't got traction, where does this leave me regarding the deposit of £250 that I paid?

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Mon 2 May 2005 10:29
VW Golf Mk4 Traction Control - perleman
And if wheelspin is normal on a quick getaway even with TC, is there a switch on this car that I can look for that will confirm whether it has the feature, if so, where is it & what does it say on it?
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Mon 2 May 2005 14:27
VW Golf Mk4 Traction Control - storme
there should be a switch to turn on/off the traction control and a yellow warning light to say when it loses the control

no sunroof,,and advertised as having it??? if this is the case you get your money back,,false advertising...or maybe a big discount....but a car without aircon or the sunroof,,,,would you really buy it ??
--
www.storme.co.uk
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Mon 2 May 2005 20:32
VW Golf Mk4 Traction Control - bert-j
Traction control on VW Golf's, Passat's etc. only ever seems to work if one wheel almost entirely loses traction; i.e. on mud or ice. In normal driving, even accelerating briskly away from a standstill on a wet road you will still get wheel spin and squeal. You will know when you the TC cuts in as there is considerable vibration from the front similar to the vibration you feel when ABS braking is actuated. IIRC all that happens is that when traction is lost to one front wheel, power is reduced and the brake is applied to the other front wheel to prevent the front of the car going left or right instead of straight on. I would think that 'your' Golf will almost certainly have TC.
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Mon 2 May 2005 23:52
VW Golf Mk4 Traction Control - bert-j
Good description of how traction control works at
www.edmunds.com/ownership/safety/articles/46352/ar...l
The Golf may have a switch labelled ASR - see the above web site.
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Tue 3 May 2005 09:57
VW Golf Mk4 Traction Control - shoei
Its next to the hazard warning lights switch, labelled, ESP.
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