Faults:

Remote locking has never worked.

Electric window mechanism collapsed.

Intermittent power loss.

Wheel bearing failed.

Clutch and dual mass flywheel.

Suspension wishbones replaced.

Glow plugs have never worked properly, despite replacing various parts.

Door locks have failed on driver and passenger side doors.

General Comments:

I had always wanted a Bora TDi, and spotted one that was cheap in a good colour with nice trim. The car was cheap because it had problems, which in all fairness can happen to any car at this age and mileage. I could so easily have paid three times as much and still had problems.

It is a comfortable car, and is very quiet on the motorway. The sound system is good, and I really like how the dashboard lights up blue and red.

The car has had to earn its keep, and I have been commuting 70 miles a day, which it has taken in its stride; get into sixth gear and it eats up the miles.

I have read up countless remedies to the intermittent power loss problem; the car just dies when overtaking on the motorway. It still drives, but just won't go any faster.

Faults:

Things that have gone wrong in the five years I've had her are NONE.

The front bumper got wedged under a low grass verge, & when reversing, it was ripped off its mounting/brackets. I had this repaired at a local garage for a minimal fee.

General Comments:

I replaced the interior two years ago for a leather one, and now have extremely comfortable seats, which have heaters in them. These are operated by a switch mounted in the dash above the cup holders. "Bum Warmers" they are collectively known as :-).

I also had spot lights fitted below the bumper, and had the lights switch upgraded, so that I could use them.

Where the original switch had 'one pull out' for the rear fog light, it now has two 'pull outs' for operating the rear fog light, whereas one 'pull out' operates the front spot lights.

Like the Golf I had previously, I love the colours in the car. The blue/red illumination is very 'settling' and comfortable.

I also upgraded the radio/cassette to a USB WMA/MP3 CD unit, which also lights up blue/red.

Faults:

Wheel bearing - Made humming noise at 80km/h; got it serviced. 70,000k.

Wheel bearing - Second bearing failed a week after the service of the first one. 70,000k

Front fender - Low front end of car is constantly putting the fender in harms way.

Central locking - Remote doors would not lock in cold weather.

Key - Plastic insert to loop around key ring eventually snapped off on both sets of keys (not due to heavy handling).

Catalytic converter - Needed to replace. This part costs $3,000+, 85,000k.

Glovebox - handle internal spring snapped. 85,000k.

Interior paneling creaking - No big issue, ordered as an extra, creaks like I am driving a weatherboard house.

Brake dust on the wheels - Need to constantly clean the wheels. This model was notorious for accumulating large amounts of it.

Knocking sound when turning. Mechanic friend thinks that a large bolt nut had been sealed in the bodywork.

General Comments:

It is a practical car for general use. It can get a little cramped with 4 adults, but is otherwise a suitable car for what is often one or two occupants. It does good economy for long trips, and the 2.0 L engine has reasonable power off a standstill.

From the mechanical side. Spare parts usually have to be imported and expensive. My advice is to really check if your local Volkswagen dealer is genuinely good at servicing your car. My VW service center would replace parts on a whim; when I let a mechanic friend look at it, it was found that a lot of these repairs were not relevant at all.