2004 Volkswagen Touran Sport from UK and Ireland - Comments

I've had a 2003 Touran 1.9Tdi from 6 months/6,000 miles. Generally I'm very pleased with it, and hope to keep it a while yet.

However, I had a failure of the electric fuel flap release on a journey, and the dealers are not informed what to do to get you going (remove rear pillar trim and lift lever on solenoid - takes about 30 seconds). This can turn a minor niggle into a crisis. I've had temporary failures of the tailgate release as well (tap smartly beside the lock with the palm of the hand).

Tyre wear seems quite heavy. I have the 5 seater - I'd never buy a car without a spare tyre.

It's really helpful to see the comment of January 2006. We bought our new Touran in August 2008 and this winter have seen, during a cold snap, white smoke from under the UK driver side from under the bonnet. The garage suggested it was the heater for the diesel engine, but we were worried we were being fobbed off. Still seems odd/ like a design fault, but at least we know it's a known event. Slightly odd points are that the first occasion for us was on restarting the engine 10 minutes after completing a journey from cold and thus when the engine must have been a little bit warmer. Also, disconcerting to hear a noise after simply starting the car merely to reverse into the garage which sounded like a fan going - not normal when it's around freezing and you've only made a 30 second journey.

Other problems: slightly irritating wind noise, only on UK front passenger side, only at 70mph plus. Also had to top up oil after around 5,000 miles, but doesn't appear to have lost any since.

Our 53 plate Touran has been nothing but trouble since we got it - the biggest problem being a constant water leak in the passenger side footwell (sounds like same problem as post #1). It's been back to the garage at least six times in 18 months, and despite the whole inside trim coming out, the water leak keeps coming back... I would NEVER EVER buy another one (and we have been loyal VW customers for years and years).

OK, I've just bought a 05/06 Touran 2.0 TDI with the DSG box, and these posts are a little disconcerting.

2004 TDI Sport Touran.

Nothing but clutch judder, water leaks in to rear footwells, giving £85+ vat for a known problem for VW to find and not guarantee to fix anything.

VW is in a shambles; what a German disgrace. I think I'll move to the new German "Citroen C4 Grand Picasso" as advertised.

I have a 2004 2.0 TDI Sport. It has now done 65,000 miles and in the last 8,000 miles has had the following problems.

Dual mass flywheel, 57000 miles, £1200.

Rear door window motor, 57200 miles, £250.

ABS/ESP Unit, 59000 miles, £1400.

EGR cooler, 61000 miles, £520.

Electric fan sticking on,62000 miles, £430.

Broken EGR pipe at exhaust manifold, 64000 miles £360.

Each time a fault develops I'm told 'this is common on these', It does make you wonder what VW are playing at. For a marque that built its name on reliability, they just don't seem to care any more.

In addition to the above faults there is all the expense of routine maintenance, cam belts, servicing etc. I feel completely let down. I have owned VWs all my driving life and so do the rest of my family, fanatics you may say. However, I will never buy another one and advise others to think more than twice before parting with your hard earned. You just have to search sites like this and other forums to find that VW have serious reliability problems across their entire range.

A good friend of mine is a VW master technician, with over 25 years experience servicing and repairing VWs on a daily basis.

He says the engineering quality, and the standard of components fitted to the newer (2000 on) cars is a pale imitation of what it used to be. Lots of cost saving, lowest bidder parts, and so many "common", repeated failures on Golf V's, Tourans and Passats that VW simply aren't bothered about helping owners with.

He doesn't drive a VW, or recommend them to friends.