Faults:

Almost nothing, just some "check engine" lights that seemed to relate to the fuel injectors. Apparently sometimes they stop working and activate this light. The car functioned just fine and it took the dealer almost no time at all to fix the problem.

The oil pan was damaged when I drove over a a large bump. It seems that the oil pan has less than normal ground clearance.

General Comments:

This is a great car with tons of options that even much more expensive cars don't have (heated mirrors, tinted glass, sunroof with built-in air deflector, mag wheels, heated windshield washer sprayers, height adjustable front seats, heater out-lets for the back seats, cup holders for the back seats).

The fuel economy is amazing of course, but due to the turbo it does like a bullit as well.

Faults:

Door hinges creak severely, but have used 3 in one oil around every possible part of the hinge and temporarily subsides.

Driver side Floor and partial rear driver side floor floods during heavy rains. Heavy odor and mold / mildew problems shortly after.

Electrical problem at 20k miles where the check engine light was blinking, the speedometer stopped working and a series of dash lights would remain lit.

General Comments:

The car runs quite nicely and I would consider buying one, but sadly there seems to be a large scale problem with the water leakage onto the floor mats, and I have not yet seen a notice in the mail to have the car brought to the nearest dealer to have the problem repaired.

I can understand small problems here and there during the initial stage of the car ownership, but the smell and annoyance of mildew and mold in the floor carpeting repeatedly after rains not being addressed and it occurring on such a large scale is far too alarming.

Faults:

Paneling inside the car creak and groan as you drive. Coolant leak from the EGR valve. Oil leak from Turbo. Cylinder gasket leak. Upper control arm bushing (both sides). Moisture entering side signal lights. Heating coils replaced because of excessively smoky starts. Door locks not working (computer had to be replaced). Front end shake at higher speeds (unable to solve).

General Comments:

I love driving this car. That is why I bought it in the first place. It drives great. Corners great. Panic stops are excellent. Its wonderful driving a small car that you don't have to rev the crap out of it to get the horsepower. Handles great in the snow and ice. It very comfortable.

But... its built like crap. I bought a diesel car because I put on a lot of kms for my job, and I needed something good on gas that would last for a long time. Well it is very good on gas, but it certain is not going to last for a long time. Up to now every things been covered under warranty, but its still a pain because with my job it very inconvenient to have it in the shop all the time. Also the things that have gone wrong with it would have been extremely expensive to fix. There is no way I can afford to keep this car outside of warranty. For the cost of repairs, driving a full size truck would be more economical than my little golf.