why has your V6 Bora been towed?

[arek_p]

I have owned my 2001 black V6 Bora since new. No mods. Over the last 5 years I have spent 10k on repairs to keep her on the road as I really love the drive/space/size/sound. Over the last 18 months she's been towed three times. I don't mind the $ but not a fan of the inconvenience / hassles. What else can go wrong?
1) failed engine/brake vacuum hose - could only drive at 10km /h without brakes!
2) failed clutch pedal - could not drive
3) failed ignition switch resulting in immobilized car

What I'm trying to find out is what other failures others have had that have left you stranded so that I can have Jimmy fix these up before they fail. Otherwise I think it may be time for a WRX.

Thanks

[RubAVeeDubDub]

4) Busted sump. Ran over a huge pothole in a 110km road with my car at 70mm's off the ground. No chance of surviving that.

5) (Almost needed a tow) for broken Coolant hoses and t-pieces. The t-pieces are made out of plastic and dry out over time. Eventually they will crack. I was about 2kms from home when mine blew so I limped myself home keeping a very close eye on the temp gauge.

All car's have problems. I've not read or seen a common trend that Bora's are specifically unreliable.
Obviously, the 4mo's can experience a bit more due to more bits and pieces in the car. Was that 10k in repairs alone, or just general maintenance and some repairs? If it's the latter, then, especially if you're paying labour charges of a specialist vw mechanic, it's not that bad considering the car is minimum 10 years old.

Don't think that a WRX won't come without problems. Unless you buy new, it's likely to have been flogged and parts are not cheap unless it's aftermarket. Also you might want to search for "subaru gearbox problems", and while you're at it, check also for the major service intervals. There are multiple models that require 3 major services in a row. Ouch!

[BL33SU]

snapped my front left driveshaft yesterday morning! thank god it was around the corner from a mech

[trickysimon]

Was in my V5 bora, not my V6 one. But, the only time I've needed a tow, was from hitting the winch off the side of a truck at 110km/h and smashing the gearbox, subframe and control arm.

[vwsport]

Happened to me twice for the same fault

Car would just loose all power first time on the freeway. By the time it got to the workshop mechanic couldnt work out what it was, as when the car cooled down it fixed itself. Fortunately had the obd reader plugged in second time and took a pic of the fault, turned out it was a faulty intake camshaft control solenoid

This was the error: P1527 Accelerate Warmup Solenoid Circuit Malfunction

Cheap part expensive to be towed twice . . . .

[dylan8]

Never had mine towed, even when something went wrong was always drivable.
Even when my clutch pedal snapped I drove it to my GFs place and did a home job repair on the front lawn

[leighaus]

my clutch pedal broke and i managed to drive it for 2 days

[arek_p]

So to finish off, I have no idea how several of you managed to drive the car with a broken clutch pedal given that mine was stuck to the floor.

To clarify, in the last 2 yrs I've spent $7k:
lateral acceleration sensor
fans
vacuum hose
latrial arms, bushes, bearing strut tops and mounts, front struts, rear shocks,
brake booster hose, coolant sensor, breather hose
clutch pedal
keys
steering lock with switch
cv boot, lower control arms, steering arms, wheel alignment

I was hoping other V6 Bora owners would suggest what other bits and pieces I should get fixed. But it wasn't to be and t I finally decided the car is no longer reliable. I've enjoyed all 13 yrs.

Said goodbye today as I traded it in (gave it away more like it) on a new WRX.

[arek_p]

Forgot to say, thanks heaps Jimmy for all your help over the last 2 years.

[kapowww]

Never had mine towed. Had it for only 3 years though but been really reliable.

I read the reviews on the Bora 4mo from when it first came out, and they tried comparing it to a WRX. Do you think you made the right decision when you bought it new OP?

[arek_p]

Never had mine towed. Had it for only 3 years though but been really reliable.

I read the reviews on the Bora 4mo from when it first came out, and they tried comparing it to a WRX. Do you think you made the right decision when you bought it new OP?

Yep, no regrets with buying the Bora. Back then I was on a good wicket and had just wtitten off a V12 BMW. Probably didnt know about wrx in 2001.