Faults:

I had the oil consumption problem, a quart every 1200 miles.

General Comments:

I purchased my Golf new in 2001, put 100,000 miles on it and then bought another new one.

On the negative side, I had the oil consumption problem and it seemed like VW did everything possible to give me the runaround on it. I would have pushed them, but it was easier to just dump in a quart of oil.

In the end, I traded the car in to a VW dealer for a very good trade-in value and now THEY have a car with an oil consumption problem. (Hey, they kept telling me there was nothing wrong.) And I bought another one. Why buy another you ask? Because everything else about the car was great. The whole equation of purchase price, comfort, performance, economy, and reliability added up to a great experience. Nothing else I looked at gave me cruise control, power windows, power locks, a full size spare, heated mirrors, ABS, 3-way adjustable seats, adjustable steering column, etc., etc., etc., Other econoboxes with comparable features were over 19K USD. (I paid 15K.) And nothing else felt as solid on the highway at 85 MPH. (I have a long, high-speed commute.) And except for the oil problem, nothing at all went wrong with the car.

Faults:

ABS warning light turns on and off with no reason. ABS still works when warning light is on.

Interior plastic over the ashtray and doors is easily scratched.

Engine temperature exceeds the normal when exterior temperature exceeds 43 degrees centigrade.

General Comments:

Think twice before doing any serious Manouvres.

Faults:

Back tail light blew.

Driver side door hinges loose - got to point of not able to close/open door.

Blower motor went out after 1 year.

Back breaks worn through under 20,000 miles.

Cabin dash lights come on and off randomly, more often off than on.

Horn operates only partly.

Spoiler torn up by city roads, had to be removed.

Back wheels slide when going around corner (tires are fine, however)

Other electrical/cpu problems:see below.

General Comments:

At this point I am throughly disgusted with VW. I grew up with a VW rabbit from the 70's. It is still running. This 2001 Golf GL is now at the dealership after all of the electricity went out then came back on while my husband was driving. After parking the car it didn't start again, only random flashing lights when the key was in the ignition and a ticking noise. Had to have it towed to the dealership. Of the above list the lights, wheels & horn problems have not be fixed. I have taken it in regarding these problems and was blown off by the dealership.

I have had a VERY hard time trying to get the dealership to run a diagnostic or actually look at the car. Every time I go to the dealership I get a run around about the 'warranty' not being owned by anyone (!?!) I will never buy a VW again.

The car has good pick up/response and handles well.

Faults:

While still under warranty:

The Mass Air Flow went which I think was a recall.

My driver's side heated seat stopped working.

The control for setting cruise control broke.

After warranty:

Check engine light goes on and off all the time.

The washer fluid light stays on although the reservoir is full.

The seats ripped slightly from putting the back seats down.

My front rotors warped after 2.5 years.

General Comments:

I love driving my car, its fun, small and easy to handle.

Although mostly minor things have gone wrong with my car, they are an annoyance nonetheless.

To replace the front rotors and brake pads would cost about 600$ at the dealer. I have been driving with warped rotors for at least a year now. My husband has recently tried to change them himself, but as easy as it is to change them, they are giving him a huge problem.

I love the heated seats. They are a must in cold weather.

I drive 400 miles to visit family many times a year and the Golf has always been reliable.

I have another three years before I will trade in my car for a new one and when that time comes I will miss the Golf dearly. It is really fun to drive even as an automatic.