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Ive just bought a VW Golf Plus Sportline & have just been reading various Golf forums which seem to have an even amount of positive and negative things to say about the Golf with regards to quality and reliability. Does anybody on this forum have a Golf or Golf plus and if so have you had any problems ?
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 30/01/2008 at 21:05
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I used to own VW's and they were not particularly reliable and what made it worse was the dealers were never very customer focused once they had sold you the car - and I tried 3 different dealers in total to get one problem fixed.
One of the subjects that gets raised on here from time to time scipi is quality v reliability and VW have tried to sell cars with good perceived quality but not very good reliability. The typical example is they can damp all the grab handles and glove box so it feels great but then save money by fitting plastic cam belt parts in their engines that need changing every 40K - as an example.
They have managed to 'con' (IMO) alot of people with clever marketing about quality and the like but the reality is they perform badly in reliability and jd power surveys.
If you want real quality (again IMO) then you have to go for the Honda's, Subaru's and Toyota's of this world.
There will be a VAG lover along shortly to counter my opinion and tell you they have owned them with no problems - and that is it I'm afraid - they are fairly inconsistent in the way they make cars.
I would always avoid them personally.
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I agree with Pendlebury. The cars are at best average, but the dealers are dreadful both in lack of professionalism and in poor technical skills of technicians. They seem to have an opinion that VWs are the best thing ever and if you have a complaint then you're a fool and don't know what you're on about.
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I agree with Pendlebury. The cars are at best average but the dealers are dreadful both in lack of professionalism and in poor technical skills of technicians.
If the main dealers are disappointing, there is some consolation that independent VAG specialist garages seem to be quite numerous (at least in my neck of the woods) and in my experience tend to be more clued-up.
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I have a two year old Golf Plus Sport diesel, done 43k, still on original tyres and overall average 50mpg.
Very comfortable car, although the ride is on the hard side. The seating position justs suits my frame better then any other car I have tried. The road noise is a bit conspicuous, but I am hoping a new set of Michelin tyres may help with both ride and road noise.
Only problem in that time was that the plastic centre caps on the alloys developed corrosion - a common fault. Changed under warranty by the dealer after a bit of pushing.
I agree with the comment about VW dealers - my experience also is that they are not good - they don't seem to be on your side - you need to check what they do on the services to make sure the work and bill are right.
The car is on long life servcie intervals, about every 20k miles at the franchise dealer, but I get the oil and filter changed in between at a non-franchise, using VW parts - much cheaper.
I had a Golf GT TDI before this - it is still in the family with 110k the clock. The only problem was that the turbo went at 90k, but covered by Warranty Direct for most of the cost (full cost would have been £1200).
I'll probably use Warranty Direct again when the VW warranty expires.
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I've had a number of Golfs and a Passat and I've liked every one of them but none have been flawless. Dealers are average and VW UK are clueless in my opinion.
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the only cars thats let me down and left me stranded since my Maestro in in 1983 is my recent VW
Having said that I have another one - the spanish type this time.
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There are four PD TDI Golfs between X and 53 plate in our family. All have been brilliant mechanically (the PD engine is rightly widely regarded as one of the most reliable modern diesel units), but the fault count on the cars themselves is no better than average at best. Tends to be relatively daft things (broken glovebox catches, failed window regulators, water ingress, central locking faults, dash PCB faults, leaking washer pipework, failed boot catches to name a few) but they are nothing like as reliable as the image suggests. Based on these four, they are average in reliability terms. No worse, but definitely no better than the competition. I always find it slightly irritating that the likes of Renault get dragged over the coals for these niggling build related issues, but they seem to be ignored on a VW.
What Golfs are without any doubt is beautifully trimmed and finished which gives a great impression of quality when you first sit in them. Unfortunately they don't seem to have had the same care and attention to detail lavished on some of the components. Unlike say a Ford Focus which I put 100,000 miles on in three years with just one minor fault, but which had an interior of half the budget.
VW UK's customer service is dreadful. A couple of faults occurred within a month or two of the warranty running out and they would not budge at all. Standard "Dear John" letters issued, and on one occasion they actually accused my father in law of lying.
Don't get me wrong, they're nice enough cars, and I would buy one, but not at the used prices they command. To me, you don't get what you pay for, and similar "real" quality and reliability is available elsewhere for less outlay.
Cheers
DP
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I had a golf before the current one i've got now it was a Golf S tdi 1.9 mk5. Within 3 weeks of me having it it was in a VW for the flywheel to be changed and the clutch due to it having a judder when warm excellerating in 3rd gear. They at first could not fault it until i took them out in it and showed them.
It went back for various other little problems while i owned it for creaking suspension (never cured it just fobbed me of)
Window that when it was closing it would stop and go back down again (took them 2 attempts to fix)
Dash making noise from vibration (fixed for about month then returned)
And complaints from me about flat spots (never sorted all i got was computers says it ok)
In the end i got rid and brought a Ford fiesta Zetec S but 2 weeks ago traded that in for another golf. I noticed tonight coming home that it is holding back slighly in 2nd and 3rd on light throttle at around 1750-2000rpm (it goes to pull then holds back then goes) put my foot down and it rockets. I gave it a little italian tune up so will see what happens tomorrow going to work if not i will be in contact with a VW dealer soon for fobbing off!!
Simon
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Greasemonkey, if your new Golf is a turbodiesel and your dealer tells you 'they all do that sir' for once he'll be right! They really do, but the good news is that you soon get used to it. Gradual pressure on the accelerator gets the best out of it, and it's nice to have the wallop of acceleration there when you need it.
Touch wood, my Golf has been totally reliable so far (5 months and 8500 miles), as was a Mark IV I had between 2001 and 2004.
Yes, you get good ones and bad ones, and you tend to hear more about the bad ones, inevitably. I'd say VW are on a par with Ford in this respect, and both suffer from too many dealers who are part of big chains and therefore don't care for their customers as much as family-owned businesses do (that's why Skodas, with the same oily bits as VWs, fare better in the surveys).
The Japanese spend less money on interior trim and more on the quality of components that you can't see - thus the chances of getting a good one are greater.
Edited by Avant on 31/01/2008 at 00:08
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Avant i'm actually a Diesel fitter on the railway so know all about turbo lag but totally agree about the wallop and i like the sound VW diesel engines make.
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Top selling car in Europe they must be doing something correct.
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Top selling car in Europe they must be doing something correct.
Marketing. It's spot on, and has been for 25 years. Consistency of message, consistency of presentation, gentle humour, in both print and on screen. You can spot a VW ad without needing to see the car or badge. Genius.
Actually, I only say 25 years as that's as far as I remember, but have seen reprints of old VW ads for the Beetle and they were the same.
Not saying the cars are bad by the way. They have varied immensely over that time, in quality and driveability, some great, some a bit duff - but the point is that the message has not changed. How many times have Ford, GM, Renault, PSA, Honda, Toyota etc 'reinvented' their marketing over the same period?
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Avant i'm actually a Diesel fitter on the railway so know all about turbo lag
Aw c'mon, do you get drivers saying their class 165 or 158 (or whatever) felt flat on the gradient between... :-)
More seriously, and back to topic, I've had plenty of VWs in the past, and they've been pretty reliable. Not entirely faultless, but acceptable IMO. I've even had some v good experience at VW dealers. My last VAG car was an 03/03 Audi A4 sold a year ago that probably had the most significant faults - a dodgy aircon control unit eventually replaced and remote c/locking keys that stopped working.
VW's reputation for quality and reliability... 'Quality' should but does not always mean reliability. The days of the simple, robust Beetle are over, as are the days when all mass-produced cars were of awful quality (by today's standards). VWs are no better built or engineered than other marques. What does, or would, swing it for me is the 'feel' and the thoughtful, tasteful, etc (all IMO) design that for me contributes to pleasure or satisfaction of ownership. In the fairly recent past, living with Fords, for example, has been simply irritating.
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Does anybody on this forum havea Golf or Golf plus and if so have you had any problems ?
This is really throwing down the gauntlet to this forum !
The 'VaG bashers' will awaken from their slumber and give you plenty of colourful comment I think.
My experience having had 2 B5 Passats and a Mk4 Golf is that VW's are not more reliable or trouble free than say a Ford, but to expect them to be perfect is unfair. I think a lot of peoples expectations of VW's is that they paid the extra to buy into the marque, and they feel bitter if anything goes wrong, this is just unrealistic.
I will agree however that the dealers do need a major attitude adjustment.
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No other car company has marketed itself so heavily on quality and reliability though, which is why expectations are so high.
That and the high screen prices, particularly for the Golf.
Cheers
DP
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VWs do cost more, and the prices of the Fox and the Polo look pretty steep against the competition - they're not that special, even by my criteria - see above. VFM starts to look better with Golfs, especially the better specced ones.
However, you pay more at outset but your 'asset' holds its value better. Works for me! (Even though that's based on shaky-based perceptions.) Hey, why am I risking exploding what some might say is a myth?
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I've got a MkV 1.9 Tdi Sport that will be two in July.
Has it gone wrong? No.
Do I run down the stairs every day, full of excitement about driving it? No... but I bought it because it needs to work hard and be good value for what I pay for it. It certainly does that. It does have it's moments though!
Do I wish I'd paid the extra £15 a month for the GTtdi? Yes, absolutely. :)
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I have a mk5 golf GTI DSG.
Been ok up to recently where it needed a new headgasket at 49K miles. Thankfully covered under warantee!
Cheers
Jlo
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Had a mark 4 GTi turbo, bought from Vw 3 years old with 33k miles on. Owned it for 2 years up to 67k miles. In that time it had following issues:
* Ignition coil pack went replaced under warranty
* Clutch went almost straight away, I had to pay £120 towards it even though under warranty - not ammused
* Window clip broke & window dropped down. Very inconvienient.
* Fan resistor pack & fan failed, cost me £200 for parts, VW wanted £500 for the fix but I did it myself for £free
* Water pump & cambelt change cost £450 - a bit annoying really that it needed it so soon and as others have pointed out, caused by cheapo plastic water pump impellers & dodgy tensioners
So basically, if I had bought it privately rather than from VW I'd have been into about £1500 in the first year which is closer to Porsche running money in my experience.
Absolutely wicked car, loved it, great interior & very fast once chipped, but not a worry-free ownership experience
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Golfs are beautiful cars but VW really need to get there act together. They are distroying there image buy saving a few pence here and there when there building there cars.
My golf i feel safe in it, it pull lovely and i love the blue dash. the brakes could stop me on a 2 pence but i know in a few years time i'm going to have to spend a few bob on it but luckily Midlands VW are not to far from me so it will be going there for cam belts and water pump.
Simon
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I've said this numerous times before as have several in this thread - people have a right to expect a "bit more" if they've paid a "bit more" for a product. VW doesn't deliver in my experience of three Golfs. They were always mechanically reliable but not electrically reliable. That "bit more" I'm paying might be buying a nice, modern dealership but it ain't buying customer care.
The bottom line, however, is that I probably would still be driving a Golf if it weren't for the fact that the dealers can't fix problems. Absolutely hopeless. My current Saab 93 hasn't been faultless but the dealer knows how to fix it so I'd be quite happy to buy another.
I'd say you have to expect average dealer care for the 3 years of warranty and then find a good independent.
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