2000 Volkswagen Golf SE Estate 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

I will never buy another VW after this experience

Faults:

Service indicator wrongly set to 2,000 miles instead of 10,000.

Heater control would not give full heat (wrongly adjusted when new)

Sticking ignition lock.

Squeaking door hinges.

Loose bolt on front anti-roll bar.

Horn failed (twice)

Rain water leak from drivers' door.

Split in drivers seat seam (stitching loose)

Temperature sensor failure in engine management system.

Lambda sensor failure.

Thermostat & water pump failed.

Rattle from centre console.

Noisy windscreen wiper mechanism.

General Comments:

Awful reliability. Eight visits to dealer in 18 months (other than routine servicing).

Routine service costs astronomical, mostly labour, but parts are also a rip-off e.g. oil at £30 for 5 litres.

Dealer attitude can best be described as "polite indifference".

Had a long session on the phone with VW UK to attempt to resolve problems, but they were not at all helpful, difficult to get a straight answer and on occasion almost downright rude.

The attitude seems to be that if the car is unreliable then it is between you and the dealer and it's all under warranty for 3 years so what's the problem? I use the car for business so time off the road is lost money for me and the dealers can never provide a courtesy car when required. Read the JD Power Survey for dealer service!

VW do not value customer loyalty, this is my third (and last) Golf and my wife has had no fewer than five VWs previously. Her new car next year will be a Honda Civic to replace a Polo and mine will be a Mazda 6 to replace the Golf.

On the plus side the estate is very useful and practical - it's just a shame it's so badly built!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th October, 2002

13th May 2003, 03:11

Got rid of this car a week before the warranty was up. A good move! Local dealer in Chester UK offered us a very poor trade in against another VW and, to be honest, we didn't really want another one after this experience. Bought a Saab 9-5 3.0 TiD Estate instead. At a year old with 10k on the clock (ex demonstrator) it cost us the same as a new Passat and there is no comparison in build quality. Can't comment on reliability so far as we've only done 2k miles.

The whole VW experience left us frustrated and disappointed. After being loyal customers for the past 15 years it was as if VW didn't care for us. They desperately need to address their levels of customer service and satisfaction.

After we got rid of the car we found out that: you can open the car and bypass the alarm and immobiliser in about 30s with the right tool; loose suspension is a well known problem on Golf Mk4; water pumps tend to lose their impellers regularly; electric window mechanisms fail regularly and so do Lambda sensors. This from a VW/Audi specialist.

Goodbye VW, you have lost not only the sale of a new Passat to me, but also the sale of a new Polo to my wife. I suggest that there is a lesson in customer satisfaction here.

Final point: Premium price does not equal premium level of satisfaction or customer service, many others do it much better than VW.

10th Aug 2006, 08:35

Absolutely true! Totally agree with the previous comment.

My experience with VW was also dire with a Golf. We also had many of the same problems including four new window mechanisms in 2 years, new brake discs, new CD player etc.

Customer service was terrible and the dealers were uncaring.

We will not buy another VW either.

2000 Volkswagen Golf 4 TDI 1.9L TDI from South Africa

Summary:

Road hungry bullet with good fuel economy

Faults:

Front brakes wore out excessively quickly even for hard driving.

General Comments:

This car has amazed me from all sides. The performance is on par with both the Golf 4 1.8T GTI as well as the Audi A3 1.8T GTI, running similar top speeds and as aggressive acceleration.

However, the torque on the TDI outmatches both competitors by some bit, and taking into account the cheaper price of diesel and better consumption rates, the TDI's ride is the cheapest of the three!

From first to third the TDI's power is awesome and have to be experienced first hand to appreciate, but fourth and fifth gear seems to lack the same drive. Still, the performance is excellent, and accelerating uphill to a steady 160km/h (100mph) occurs reliably even when loaded with 4 passengers, a driver and luggage.

Service costs are high, but the cheaper diesel expense makes up for it. If you intend to drive anything more than 2000km (1250miles) /month, I strongly advise the TDI just for the fuel savings!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st October, 2002

1st Mar 2009, 04:32

The Golf 4 TDI is truely an amazing car. I "downgraded" from a 2.3 Audi500 to a 2000 Golf 4 TDI and I am not one bit disappointed! I bought it with 172000 Km on the clock mid 2008 and it turned to 200000 yesterday. I have not had one minute of problems during this period. Fuel consumption averaged over the past 30000 Km on 5.2 Litres per 100 Km.

Volkswagen made a true winner when they started to build these cars.

24th Feb 2013, 15:42

I have a 2001 TDI Jetta, and I have 450000k on it. No major problems, just change timing belts every 100000 km, oil, brake pads, shocks, no problem at all. Original clutch, original gear box. I changed my front disk brakes at 350000k. What a great car for long drives. It's the best... cheap on gas. I love it.