30th Aug 2003, 15:35

I sold my 2.0 after a litany of faults including various electrical glitches, massive oil consumption and various bits falling off. I also had a Lambda sensor fail twice in 6 months (there is a recall on these in the USA). The front suspension welds failed - according to the dealer because I took road humps too fast! Have since found out that this is a known fault. Permanent and incurable pull to the left - also a known regular problem. Central locking played up for months - dealer found no fault. Had two air flow sensors and a new water pump after the impeller fell off!

The MkIV Golf is one of the worst engineered cars I have ever come across (and I am an engineer). The build quality is simply appalling. The engine will probably do 250,000 miles, but the bits around it won't. There are so many known design faults with the Golf that I am surprised that VW have kept it in production for so long.

Add to that poor dealer service (I tried all 4 in our area) and disinterest from VW and you have a wonderful package for ownership and customer satisfaction.

Incidentally mine was new - I relied on it for work and sold it just after the warranty was up because I couldn't afford to rely on it any more. I now drive a Rover 75 - lovely, comfortable and also reliable.

23rd Dec 2003, 15:59

My experiences with a Golf were totally at odds with the comment above. My '99 GTI was a complete dog! It used £40 worth of oil between services, had dodgy suspension, brakes and electrics and the interior rattled and squeaked.

As for the dealers, I cannot repeat my comments here for fear of libel laws. Suffice to say the words "incompetent", "uncaring" and "expensive" spring to mind.

I would discourage anyone from buying an overpriced Golf when there are much better cars available. The primary purpose of a car is to get you from A to B. Any car which doesn't is a failure. The Golf doesn't stack up to the opposition in reliability or price.

4th Feb 2004, 20:30

I bought my 1.6 manual Golf IV S in Canberra, just over twelve months ago. It has been by far the best car I have ever had. It has followed a Volvo Estate, and Audi A4, and a three series BMW. All of which I was satisfied with, but not so much as my Red Golf! I have had fantastic service from my local dealer and from the sales staff. I have heard of cars with similar nigly problems, but I haven't found them at all. In my opinion my Golf IV is fantastic and I will continue to recommend the VW brand to my friends and colleages.

7th Apr 2004, 06:35

I have a '99 1.6SE Golf IV, I bought it second hand from a VW dealer and paid around 7800 for it. I was very pleased with the service at the time and the car was immaculate. It had done 30000 miles and came with a brand new MOT, tax and a service. All mod-cons and a velour interior, I was happy. It's a lovely car, if a little sloppy in the corners, and I got some 17" Alloys to help remedy this. In the future I was hoping to upgrade to a GTI turbo, ultimately a 25th anniversary model. But with my experiences since buying the car last june, I am thinking about looking elsewhere.

Firstly, I had serious overheating problems. After running the car for just 3 weeks, the Temp gauge shot up to Max, and kept doing so every time I went above 30 mph. The VW assistance could not diagnose a problem and my local dealer (not the dealer I bought it from) could not figure it out at all. I phoned the dealer I bought it from and they instantly said,

"may be the water pump"

I passed this on and sure enough, it was. Surely the first thing you'd check!? After that a had many other problems:

Central door locks both went,

Electric window regulators both went, one causing the drivers window to drop and smash in the door!!

The engine was idling very erratically when warm and this apparently needed the throttle body cleaning! which didn't work.

And then, to top this all off, the clutch stopped working, no gear. New clutch plate said the man from VW.

Not so, apparently, eventualy after 6 days in the shop, with no courtesy car they tell me its the Differentials gone, and that its my fault for having "those alloys". Too much grip!! those alloys, the size recommended by VW. This turned into a massive fracar and resulted into an internal investigation or some such hassle.

Luckily this all happened in the first six months!!! that's right, six!! So was all in warranty. But still, that's appalling. And during this time, one of the Reps at VW suggested I stop complaining or the warranty request may be rejected!! No VW's for me next time. Really want a Seat Leon Cupra R, but they're pretty much VW anyway aren't they?

Gone on long enough now. Unlike my Golf.

VW do rely on their rep, not their engineering skill.

6th Mar 2005, 10:33

I helped a friend (an older woman) find a car, she chose the Golf 4 door made in Brazil. It's had a dead battery, and was towed to the local dealer twice in the last month. They can't duplicate the problem and charged her for the first visit, even though it's under warranty still. What made me angry, we called the Volks Wagon customer care line and have ever dealt with any business so rude, antagonistic and anti-customer oriented before. You can't just deal with one person. They won't transfer you to the person you just talked to, and when you ask for a supervisor, they refuse, refuse to let you talk to anyone else. Where else can you call and be refused to speak to a supervisor? When we asked about the California lemon law, they said if we want to find out about it, we can do that on our own. It's the last Volks Wagon I'll let any of my friends buy, and I won't think of it either! It's a shame, the car is really nice, and drives well, when it's running.

28th May 2005, 18:57

I think the reason why some Golfs may be unreliable is that some are made in Brazil, and others in Wolfsburg, Germany. The Brazilian cars from what I've heard are terrible compared to the ones made in Wolfsburg.

19th Jul 2005, 08:18

I am very sorry that so many people have had bad experiences with vw. I have just bought a 25th anniversary golf and I have to say I think its the best thing since sliced bread! it looks sexy and it drives like a dream. Although we've only had just over a week I can't fault it, I really can't find any thing wrong with it all. its every thing I was hoping for and more!

13th Sep 2005, 16:55

My 25th Anniversary golf just hit 3 years old last week. Since having it I have had only a few problems. The flywheel cracked and had to be replaced... As long as you can find a good dealer it's great. Only other problem has been the known corroding wheel issue, but apparently it is now fixed... To be honest there isn't a better car for the money and I still love it 3 years on.

25th Oct 2007, 17:01

I have owned a Mk3 2.0 Gti for 16 months. When I first got it, it was the car of my dreams, the car I wanted since I was sixteen, but shortly after, little by little, the noises started and things started to go wrong.

I have had to replace disks and pads, recondition the gearbox, put a new clutch, both regulators went, thrust bearing was making a horrible sound, and on the day I part exchanged it in, it decided to splutter like crazy on the motorway. I'm just glad I have got rid. Have now replaced it with a newer hopefully more reliable Seat Leon. Fingers crossed I'll have better luck with this one.

19th Mar 2011, 18:24

The German built ones are the worst; I have owned 2 Spanish built Seats, and they have been much better built than the German built Polo I owned after that!