2010 Volkswagen Golf SE DSG 1.6 TDi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

OK but watch for expensive problems

Faults:

DSG auto-box playing up - required expensive service (possibly never been done before?).

Small oil leak.

New driveshaft.

Small cosmetic rust marks.

Brakes, and suspension components renewed (expensive, but just wear and tear).

General Comments:

Great looking, great to drive, I like this Golf but they are overrated.

Expensive to buy used even with some mileage on them.

Solid built, but not without issues (see above).

SE model has comfy seats and lots of equipment.

1.6 TDi is quick enough even with the auto box, and still manages over 50 mpg, not bad.

Decent enough car, but only buy a car with full history that has been checked out - if buying again I'd honestly avoid the DSG box and get a manual version.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 4th January, 2024

2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI DSG 2.0 TSI from Malaysia

Summary:

Good car, but poor aftersales

Faults:

Strangely many things have gone wrong:

Air conditioning vent clip broken (2 weeks old); had to wait for another 2 weeks to get the parts.

Vibration/rattling sound on the front doors.

Braking noise; luckily was able to rectify it.

Timing chain cover cracked, so some engine oil leak occurred, and had to get the cover replaced (have to wait 1 month).

Again, the timing chain cover cracked; another wait of 1 month.

Water pump leak; got it changed on the dot (luckily got parts).

Knocking sound on the rear door; took them some time to rectify.

Engine oil leaking, which took them over 3 months to rectify for good (wow, a so called expert, yeah right!).

General Comments:

The car performance is good.

The only thing is build quality and reliability.

The service centre is a nightmare; very poor after sales.

Common issue; no parts, and the waiting time is 1-3 months for parts.

The booking queue for service may take weeks.

Service time is very bad; might take days or weeks to resolve an issue.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th November, 2013

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI 2.0 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Expensive, poor quality, over-rated and over-marketed headache

Faults:

DSG gearbox started playing up within the first 1,000 miles; on cold start up the gearbox would fail to engage reverse or first gear, leaving me stranded for 2 hours. The dealer said the factory in Germany put the wrong gearbox oil in; they changed it and still didn't resolve it. Turned out to be one of 2 faulty clutches no less.

Seats are already showing signs of wear, a deep crease on the fabric. Something my Corolla never did until I got rid of it at 118,000.

An alarming knocking noise started to occur in the weeks preceding me getting rid of it, from the front left wheel. VW said that the suspension and shocks needed to "break in". Complete rubbish.

Rubber on the rubber switches had started to peel off after 18,000 miles (I look after my car incredibly well).

General Comments:

Having reliability and build quality problems on a 17,500 pound car is one thing, but having a dealership network and company, which are trying to pretend there isn't a problem, is another. Volkswagen build quality is a myth, and in my personal opinion, it's among the worst out there.

I was getting 52 MPG on average, with pretty average driving (albeit in cold conditions); far short of the claimed 67 MPG combined.

Squeaks started to appear from under the dash, the wiper linkage motor assembly fell off in the rain, why I do not know, but VW now have the car. It is sold, they can deal with it unfortunately.

Seats are however relatively supportive, and the controls are in good reach.

"German quality and engineering" may have been true 15 years ago, but it seems it doesn't stand today, and I would have thought of all things, a Golf would be a pretty good example of that. I am going back to Toyota thank you. I do not recommend this car or any Volkswagen group car. Want a good quality German hatchback? Get a Mini or 1 Series BMW.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd November, 2013

3rd Nov 2013, 07:32

I'd always buy Japanese for this reason. VW/Audi are extremely overrated, and offer quality little better than Fiat.

4th Nov 2013, 04:04

You've uncovered the VAG dirty little secret. Although I disagree that it is merely a quality and build problem. This is how VAG has designed their vehicles for over 30 years.

9th Nov 2013, 13:51

Can't speak for German cars, but I used to work at a firm building capital equipment, and everything we sourced from Germany was awful - delivered weeks late, often made incorrectly, damaged prior to shipment (particularly during holiday periods), and you can forget any ideas about technical support.

19th Nov 2013, 03:15

Well like I said, the aftersales support I got from VW was abysmal, and the dealership itself felt very cold and not welcoming at all, and I got the impression that they wanted my money to buy the car, and from there on, I am just a headache. Well, German products in general in my personal opinion are very overrated; they are not poor by any means, but they certainly are not what they were.

20th Nov 2013, 12:31

German cars are durable - but not necessarily reliable. There's a difference.

10th Jun 2015, 21:22

I take on board everything you say except the fuel economy complaints - why anybody considers any manufacturer's claims are anything like the truth - none of us drive in laboratory conditions for God's sake - read enough comments on this site and you will see before you read any MPG claims by a manufacturer stuck up in salt - pinches of which is the accepted measurement.

20th Jan 2023, 15:19

Post 2005 VW is nothing more than a fashion accessory.

4th Jan 2024, 14:16

100% agree, VW of this era is overrated.