7th Mar 2009, 18:58
You think the maintenance is high now with 25K on it? Just wait till you hit about 50K miles and it starts falling apart on you like all VWs do!!
The bad news is 25K on a VW means the car is 1/2 done. No I'm not kidding, by the time you hit 50K you'll need a new transmission!
VW is one of the most unreliable brands of the past 10 years, right up there with Range Rover and Jaguar.
23rd Jun 2009, 10:17
There is an ongoing DSG failure thread on http://www.vwvortex.com with regards to Mechatronic units going bad. If you feel your DSG trans is getting worse over time in how it shifts, bring it back to your dealer ASAP and have them check it out, because it's a very expensive unit to replace out of warranty.
Currently as I post this, VW is ordering a complete replacement of both the transmission and the unit together, or just the unit itself, depending on the nature of the failure and the amount of damage it may have caused.
10th Nov 2009, 22:16
Here in Australia we pay twice as much as Americans for servicing and even purchasing the car. This sucks, especially since the Australian dollar (AUD) is at 92c in direct comparison to the USD. It's all due to the luxury tax Australians are required to pay.
It makes me laugh when I read Americans complaining about $250 servicing, when I had my old 1993 BMW, I used to pay $800 per service. Now that is worth complaining about!
14th Dec 2009, 16:28
I have a VW GTi with 55 thousand miles and I don't need a new transmission. My car has been very reliable. Also VW GTi are luxury, they share most parts with Audi. The maintenance thing is mainly so your car runs in pristine condition throughout its life. If your worried about maintenance costs, then get the extended warranty like I did, so if you do need to get a new transmission, then it's on Volkswagen, not your wallet. I love my v double u!
4th Feb 2011, 22:52
I am tired of hearing "dealer can't figure out why the check engine light is on". Can you imagine a doctor who says "I don't know why you get sick".
25th Apr 2011, 11:38
I have 2007 GTi, delivered from Germany in June 2006, with 130,000 kms (81,000 miles). It has the DSG, which has been flawless. I have driven many shiftable automatics, 350Z, Cayman (before they added DSG), Crossfire, etc. and they are totally inferior to the dual-clutch DSG. Other than routine maintenance, oil changes etc., the only problem/complaint was an upgrade to the diagnostic program, required after warranty period, which cost me $300. If you cannot afford the $100 for the synthetic oil changes, then you did not do your research before buying the car. VW technicians will also tell you, off the record, that 10,000 kms (6200 miles) between oil changes is absolutely no problem. This car has been on Car and Driver Best 10 list since it was released. Best small performance car for your money, in my opinion. Only car I ever owned that was better was 1994 Eagle Talon Turbo AWD!
11th May 2008, 15:21
Thanks for all the information. I have researched a lot about different oils online, but I have had no really good luck. They give general information of viscosity levels and such and which oils, but there really is no information on which oils are good for my car. The dealership I have been taking it to uses Castrol Syntec, but when I went to Castrols website and plugged in all the information about my car, there were no oils that came up as recommended oils for my GTI. Even the Castrol Syntec was not listed, the oil the VW dealer has been using in my car. I am somewhat knowledgeable about cars and I am learning a lot, but just getting an oil change in this car seems so difficult and aggravating. I almost feel threatened by VW that if I don't take my car to them for regular maintenance, they will refuse to do any warranty work if something were to happen.
I also wanted to know if using regular oil in my car would hurt the car in the long run? I read reports of using non-synthetic oil in cars with turbo, and it wasn't so good. My mechanic always used just regular oil in my car up until 158k miles when I traded the vehicle in. The GTI 1.8T drove perfect since the day I got it until then. I am just curious to know if I am really hurting the engine by using non-synthetic oil in it.
I had taken my new 2007 GTI to my VW mechanic in Boston because the roads are soo bad here that usually in one winter season, I will go through at least 2 rims and 2 tires. I asked him if I needed to put synthetic in this car and he said that these new cars, even though they do they turbo, do not need synthetic oil. He said that engines today are built to withstand extreme heat and conditions. He said to change the oil at least every 5k miles. I just wanted to know your opinion on this.
Thanks for the advice.