VW Golf VI: reliability issues ? real or not ?

[walbjj]

Just over a year and 20k km, only issue has been whistling water pump fixed under warranty and my iPod seems to freeze with the rcd 510 which it never did in Previous cars but a simple reset fixes it.
Those r the only issues. Hardly anything to kick up a stink about. Not sure what problems others have had but I'll give the car another 3 years til the end of lease and see but sO far it's great

[nat225]

the issues are real on some models.

i had a 118tsi before, had an engine replacement, yet i still loved VAG and traded it in with a GTI.

despite the bad publicity, dsg nightmares, etc... i see and know so many people going from mk4 to mk5, then to mk6. someone even went from a mk6 gti manual to gti dsg, others went from mk5/6 gti to R or Sirocco R.

life is too short to drive boring bland reliable predictable common old man cars

my other car is 2010 Accord Euro, voted the most reliable car in UK back in 2009. it has been reliable but it does not excite me much, it is good and comfy for long distance travel, going to shops, commuting to work, etc... basically i sometimes feel so sleepy driving it

[Mountainman]

In 1974 the Wheels Magazine Car of the Year was the Leyland P76 not that it has any bearing on this thread but sometimes cars win and they get withdrawn from production soon after.

Followed by the Mk1 Golf in 1976 and look at the reputation that they quickly developed because of poor assembly/indifferent dealer back-up/poor quality components. The most troublesome, unreliable car I've ever owned yet I still forgave it for too many years. It's no coincidence that the next most troublesome car I've owned is my present Golf 90TSI (yet I like it so much that I forgive it every time). My Japanese assembled cars have been the best with the last and latest Subarus top of the list.

[Pullstarter]

1982 car of the year - Holden Camira, enough said bahahaha.

[rossw]

Just to add another data point, my MY12 90TSI bought in December has been fine so far for 11,000km, DSG and all. The only issue I've had is with one of the lanyards that support the rear shelf when it is open. It has come apart. I plan to get it fixed at the first service in a few month's time.

I think the 90TSI escapes the engine issues of the 118TSI. That and the ~$4K price difference was enough to point me at the cheaper model.

[Bel]

I love my 118 and it is hell fun to drive and makes me smile 99% of the time but yes it has had its issues.
Last being the excessive consumption of oil - when I mentioned to the dealership it got towed too (not my usual one) that for a new car I wasn't exactly happy with all the problems so far. She said the waterpump and clutch pack replacement were normal and that they were doing them on a daily basis and to be expected but that the oil issue was something to worry about.

I really didn't expect my car to be at the dealership as much as it has or that I would be paranoid enough to carry oil with me - hell that was something I did with my first car that was an old POS.. mind you it never actually needed the oil.

More recently the guys at euro elite simply told me to sell it and buy a GTI if I wanted a trully tried and tested car with no issues :/

That said I will extend the warranty and keep the car because it does make me smile

[regu]

Don't get me wrong. I ike my Golf (90 TSI) BUT I had my fare share of issues so far.

Waterpump, Mechatronic, Clutch packs and now I will get a complete new clutch. I hope this will fix my jerky DSG issues and I am intending to keep the car. If not it has to go as I don't expect a two year old car to be in the shop that often. On the positive side all work has been done quickly by my dealer and there was no hassle with VW to pay for the work under warranty. As said before there are some issues and some cars have more problems that others. If it's fixed under warranty all good but I will def. get the extended warranty.

[elephino]

Pulsar SSS - no issues
Subaru Impreza RS - tyre problems, clutch problems, loud rattle (manufacture problem), fuel starvation. Likely more issues to come on this car but got rid of it after 19 months
Toyota Corolla Sportivo - broken door lock, ECU flash required (original outside of ADRs), warped brake disc, a couple of rattles, CDs skipped if temp went over 34 degrees
Golf GTI MkV - 3 or 4 specific rattles, 3x ignition coils within 4 years (all went within the space of 12 months), sticking throttle, cruise control stalk replaced. I think there were a couple of other minor issues
Golf GTI MkVI - leaking rear washer jet, turbo wastegate rattle, rattle from handbrake button, can't turn headlights off (an issue with having the bi-xenons), minor MDI issues

Not an exhaustive study, but it shows that my experience isn't significantly worse with the Euro over Japanese cars (of course the Pulsar suggests otherwise). The Subaru was a lemon.

[rayw]

elephino
not sure from you post but
the faulty bixenon switch unit can be replaced easily under warranty

[bolo]

I recently bought a golf. I was a bit worried about reliability so I bought a 90tsi (to avoid the 11, manual (to avoid dsg)

[elephino]

elephino
not sure from you post but
the faulty bixenon switch unit can be replaced easily under warranty

From other posts here and from the dealer, the problem is that the headlights are also the DRLs. But the DRLs cannot be turned off, so the lights are always on.

[Lucas_R]

I recently bought a golf. I was a bit worried about reliability so I bought a 90tsi (to avoid the 11, manual (to avoid dsg)

Best thing you could have done. The 90TSI engine is a ripper and isnt as complicated as the 118TSI - so is likely to be far more reliable. And given the constant issues with the 7 speed DSG, the decision to get a manual was a near certain way to get a reliable gearbox.

I chose my car as a manual due to my concerns with DSG reliability + i wanted the interaction with the car when driving that a manual box gives you.

Best of luck with the car.

[hooba]

I bought a 2010 GTI manual and it had the usual rattles, turbo clip, MDI gremlins, lumbar support, rear window washer leak problems.

My ownership experience can be best summed by the following quote:

I really didn't expect my car to be at the dealership as much as it has

It fell short of my experiences with Japanese cars.

[Finance_Analyst]

What surprises me is that Porsche is ranked so highly and is by far the best of the German brands (euros for that matter) for reliaiblity and quality. Now that they are all the same company, surely VW can take a leaf out of their book, a la Lexus vis a vis Toyota.

[Ideo]

Best thing you could have done. The 90TSI engine is a ripper and isnt as complicated as the 118TSI - so is likely to be far more reliable. And given the constant issues with the 7 speed DSG, the decision to get a manual was a near certain way to get a reliable gearbox.

I chose my car as a manual due to my concerns with DSG reliability + i wanted the interaction with the car when driving that a manual box gives you.

Best of luck with the car.

I'd echo that.

Here's my car list
1997 Subaru Liberty with 250,000kms on the clock. Original CD player went bung, left hand rear electric window very slow. Mum now has it to haul the family dog around as it is up to 370 and is basically worthless and it just had a minor oil leak fixed
1994 BMW 318i sedan - 170,000-260,000kms. Needed a new thermostat.
1995 BMW 318is Coupe - 150,000-250,000. Needed a new thermostat, left hand window mechanism replaced (knew that when I bought it), aftermarket alarm issues (took it out and replaced with new system with immobiliser)
2001 Audi S3 - 85,000-163,000kms. New ARB bushes, VVT chain tensioner ($2k in parts. Ouch, but not common, I was unlucky), replaced MAF
2011 VW Golf R - 14-44,000kms so far. Ummm... in wet weather the front left hand parking sensor sometimes thinks there is something in front of it.