2001 Volkswagen Golf GLS review from North America
"Great handling and comfort, but not so great reliability"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
- One door catch had to be replaced.
- One power window mechanism had to be replaced.
- There was a recall for a malfunction in the brake switch (paid by the manufacturer).
- The starter had to be replaced and the VW OEM battery I bought at the dealer, had to be replaced as well because, it wouldn't start below -15C (5F) (it was determined that the trouble wasn't related to glow plug)
- All brakes and rotors were replaced.
- Front & rear shock absorber had to be replaced.
- The front right coil spring was broken so I replaced it too.
-Rear axle beam bushing and lower control arm bushing needed replacement.
- Rear calipers needed to be replaced because the parking brake mechanism wasn't working correctly.
- I had to replace the front calipers too, because the front rotors were always warping. I replaced those rotors twice and still, I always got vibrations in the brake pedals after 2-3 month of using those rotors.
- Both thermostatic fans will need replacement soon.
General comments?
- The car is really comfortable, and I love how the Europeans are designing cars to have such a good handling.
- I also love the fact that I almost always get an average of 50 mpg per tank with the little diesel engine.
- However, sometime the noise and chatter from this engine can be annoying.
Also, you have to get used to small (or bigger) troubles with these Volkswagen, cause you can get tons of them.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 2001 |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9 turbo diesel Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 144000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 210000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Nissan Sentra |
| Date of Entry | 7th May, 2009 |