1997 Volkswagen Golf GL review from North America
"I am concerned about its reliability and recent costly maintenance"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Problems starting car.
Engine and air bag lights would go on and off.
Replaced starter motor.
Replaced distributor and reset timer.
Coolant needed replenishing more frequently.
Removed and replaced radiator assembly and coolant.
Replaced battery.
Replaced front upper strut mounts and bearings.
Replaced lower ball-joints.
Replaced exhaust from catalytic converter back.
Replaced catalytic converter two years prior.
Replaced spark plugs.
Ignition wire set.
General comments?
Until recently, car was reliable and required few repairs other than regular maintenance.
However, in the last two months I have had to be towed a couple of times to service car and have many parts removed and replaced. This cost a little over $3,000 Canadian.
Parts are expensive.
Recommended reviews
| Good to have because of high gas prices, but bad to drive on the road |
|
| Ease of maintainence is not in VW's mind |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1997 |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 4 cylinder 2.0L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 46074 miles |
| Most recent distance | 136000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 24th September, 2004 |