what is everybody's honest perception, experience and opinion on VW reliability?

I consider myself unbiased in saying I dont think they are at all. I am VW through and through, all my family most the cars I've owned so far and ever fantasised about have been volkswagens.

Now you are going to laugh at the fact I'm going to tell you the most reliable car I have owned was...a peugeot 106. it had 80k when i bought the s**tbox for 350 quid. I drove London to newcastle and back many times and all over bringing mileage to 120k...and sold it...in the whole time I had the car I replaced the clutch (lifed item) and a speedo cable. also briefly had a saxo which is the same underneath and was fine...till i crashed it.

Then on to VW's, MK4 golf GTI, basically whole cooling system, gaskets going and poor running, really high idling etc and was a pretty low 117k when i finished with it and also this had full dealer service history unlike the pug. so i got rid.

bought the breadvan...cant necessarily say it is unreliable...i think the word is...24 years old lmao. so obviously a bit leaky at times and intermittent faults.

Polo 6R diesel. - engine warning lights intermittent since bought at 23.000 miles...cant say i would expect this from an older vw when that young. windscreen rubber not down properly causing windnoise and dodgey idling at times. also 6r owners are complaining about coilpacks going all the time...dpf's always going and not under warranty. apparently sensors, window switches, brake switches blah blah blah, big list of problems.

I definitley think VW reliability is a poor stereotype derived from how good they once where. definitley think newer veedubs are pants.

Be interesting to hear other peoples experiences and car history and what their opinions are of the subject.

Edited 1 May, 201511 yr by wizardmanjm

I agree, I've had 2 golfs, a passat and my wife had a beetle 1.8t all since 2000 and I am loath to spend my money on a VW again. (my old polo is a different case)

I can strip down a beetle door and locks and put it all back again in about 12 minutes I've done it that many times (includes finding the garage keys to get my tools).

Any one of these cars represents more car problems that were not normal maintenance than any other 5 cars I've owned - and I've had a lot of cars.

The only car that was worse was the BMW 330d I had.

Weirdly, I had a Chrysler PT cruiser 2.2CRD which I used for 2 years and 70k miles. (Including daily commute into east london traffic - not all motorway miles, usual young family transport, and regularly used on the weekend to drive the lads from the mens youth hockey team I managed to matches) and that car never had a single thing go wrong whatsoever, and barely used service items.

However, I dont think chrysler have a reputation or perception reliability at all.

Sometimes you just get unlucky with a car - but for me personally I'm really unlucky far too often with VW's.

Thats interesting to see someone else has had the same experience. Like yourself with the cruiser I thought my peugeot would be utter crap but was faultless.

I feel a sense of embarrassment telling my other half every time something breaks or goes wrong "its only a coilpack...could go on any car" or "its just bad luck that it has broke on me". after 50 conversations and me being so trustworthy and confident that VW's are reliable I have made myself out to look a real tool.

Wasnt until I asked myself...are they really as good as they say?

I also know a 330d owner who has had nothing but trouble, been back to bmw for fault diagnosis checks which cost about 60 quid about a dozen times and its barely out of warranty!

There are Friday afternoon cars in every brand. Sometimes you just get unlucky. But yes, I think Volkswagen's reliability reputation is a legacy of older cars. The 2000-2010 stuff is patchy.

My Passat, for example, felt much better built than the Polo. But scratch the surface and it was a nightmare. The breathers on the Polo engine are rubber and metal. On a Passat, brittle plastic. And yes, they fell apart. I wouldn't describe it as unreliable but it was overly complicated in some areas - inaccessible parts etc - and lots of things felt under engineered where you don't want them to be.

My brother in law's Mk5 Golf was a shed, though. Endless problems, and that's not unusual. It's put me off that era of Golfs completely, it just isn't a reliable car.

Still, compare it to the big butt Renault Megane and it's a very reliable car. Those things came with electrical gremlins so severe that the press cars were often breaking down. My mate had one and said he'd get power surges that'd drop a window when he put the heated screen on. Stuff like that. Sold it for scrap.

And my wife's old 206 was a heap, too. Used to black out sometimes when she'd go around roundabouts, frequently reset the dashboard to German too. Technically it never actually let her down, though bits did drop off it, but at 113k the engine was about to let go and it failed its MOT pretty catastrophically so we got rid.

But yes, in response to your question, Volkswagen hasn't always lived up to its reputation recently.

Good point on other brands being far worse, I'm sure Renaults fail most first M.O.T's after three years than any other manufacturer or something. I have heard possibly the worst stories about renault in particular, also regarding that 206..that is strange as I also know someone who has a 206 and had mountains of trouble yet mechanically they are similar to a 106 which i and a few other owners can do nothing but praise for their mechanical reliability. I know a few post 306 owners who have basically reported shed...do not touch with a ten foot barge pole.

I cant help but think for a long lasting reliable car that the Japs have it bang on with the likes of Honda and Toyota...just wish they werent so damn dull and ugly.

(The cars of course not the Japanese)

Edited 1 May, 201511 yr by wizardmanjm

92k Polo 6n2 needed a gearbox (knew it when I bought it) But ran fine after that for a year and I sold it.

Polo 6n 1.0 needed new HT leads, spark plugs when I bought it. Then needed a thermostat and tappets. All over 3 years.

Polo 6n Harlekin with 170k miles has needed a coilpack over 5000 miles. Coilpack was only needed due to engine bay being jetwashed and moisture getting into it.

I think they're reliable. The main costs I've had are preventative stuff like new cambelts on all of them and oil changes ever 3k/1 year.

Now I've said that everything is going to break down

To be fair, I know my experience wont be the same for everyone.

But 4 cars and 4 bad ones is fairly damning.

It maybe I'm comparing it to a reputation for reliability which was probably deserved in the 80's and then kept going by marketing, so maybe I'm elevating them on a pedastool to begin with and then critical when they dont match the expectation.

When people ask me what cars I think id recommend to a fiend / family its nearly always Japanese which i would say.

Cars are only reliable on their own to a point. I've had almost 50 cars in the last 10 years and bar a couple I've had doubles of most of them. So I've been able to compare how a car has been treated can effect reliability rather than the make/model.

The best example I ever had has to be my first two 6n 16v Polos. My first one was a 99T reg late spec with 110k on the clock, full VWSH and when I got my hands on it like all my cars it was serviced with genuine parts etc. Lasted till 140k then it was written off my a big merc, but the engine lived on.

Second one was a 98R reg late spec on 50k with part service history. Going through the receipts, everything ever bought for the car was the cheapest parts possible, so it was kept on a budget. Didn't even get to 60k despite my care and the engine expired, did a full top end rebuild and only got another 3k out of the engine till it was dead again. Swapped out the engine with the one from the T reg car and cut my losses and got rid.

For me that is a clear cut example of how a car is cared for will effect it reliability later on in life.

As for newer cars, not just VWs, i think reliability has dropped across all makes and models. For the past 5 years or so I've pretty much always had a BMW as a daily driver. My first few were old E36 3 series with various engines, all bought cheap and all never ever let me down apart from MOT time, which I don't see as much of an issue.

But over the past couple years the E36 has gone up in price due to the drifting scene so the E46 has become the one you can pick up cheap. I've had 3 in the past and all 3 have given me issues. None of them mechanical, all to do with the wiring or sensors and even the ECU itself in one case. I found the issues made the cars dangerous to drive as they would cut the power without warning and even stall the engine. Now if that happens half way round a busy roundabout then its a bit of an issue.

Luckily my E46 M3 daily doesn't have any of these issues as it is a different setup.

I stay clear of French and Jap cars and I no longer buy cars to fix and sell like I used to. Mainly because chasing down electrical gremlins is an awful task on some cars and can turn out quite expensive. ECU failure is becoming more and more common and can pretty much write off a car due to the cost. I would agree that Jap is probably the way to go these days for a reliable old car, but buy an import and you'll be chasing rust issues forever more.

So back to the original issue of VW reliability, I think these days it is nothing like it used to be, but no worse than any other cars of the same era.

VW of old though is simply bullet proof in comparison, my mk2 breadvan since its MOT and SPI conversion has just been thrashed and neglected. Yet I know I could walk out to it right now and it would start and take me anywhere I need to go. Take a new Polo from today and see if you can say that about it in 28 years time.

BMW - Had a 730 a few years back, can't remember too well though. Seemed to run fine except on one occasion where I got it up to only 90mph and all the brake fluid vanished.

Rover - Dad has a 600 and it's awful. Bits are falling off everywhere, and tons of mechanical problems - currently in the garage as emissions won't pass an MOT. We're spending a lot more to maintain it than it's worth.

Porsche - I own a 944 but can't get insurance, have a bit of experience but not happy. Interior's a mess, rear wiper broken, headlights seem to work when they want to, door locks occasionally fail, and the gearstick has actually popped out while I've been driving. Also takes me roughly 3 tries to go from 4th to 5th without it slipping back into 3rd. Surprisingly unpleasant for a classic Porsche, but may just need some TLC though.

VW - A couple problems with the Polo - rust is the obvious one, and the exhaust has fallen off twice as a result (new hooks welded on now and it's fine). Needed an oil temp sensor and new ball bearings early on, but no major issues since. Brakes are kinda loud/ineffective though, even with new discs + pads - looking into this atm.

New-ish driver with limited experience with cars, but so far I'd say VW seem to be about average. There is that sentimental value to the Polo though as my first car, and very rarely does it let me down. Everyone I knew said she couldn't make the 200 miles to London last year, but she got me there and back flawlessly.

I'd say VW are no better than any other modern car. They're all pretty dire things that will fall apart for no real reason. If you want a modern car that will last, the best bet is probably the Koreans.

VW lost the thread with build quality in the early 90's (2F Polo, Mk3 Golf), yeah, they've got better better in terms of how they're knocked together, but they've never got the hang of building alloy-blocked engines.

Which Car 2015 survey top 5 car brands reliability

1. Honda,
2. Lexus,
3. Toyota,
4. Dacia,
5. Mazda.

Who would have guessed that, Dacia! Full results published July 2015.

I've got a mate who's a mobile mechanic and he seems to feel that Kia are very underrated for reliability. In the last few years he's only been called out to a Kia on one occasion, and it turned out to be a flat battery and a female owner who just seemed to know nothing about cars. He's had such little experience with them that the first time he really saw under the hood of a Kia was on that occasion.

My 6n has been a bit of a pain in all honesty. It's a 99 1.4 8v, and it had no service history whatsoever. It's just about to hit 100k. I was pretty naive when I bought it, but it seemed okay. Now by no service history i don't just mean no receipts. i'm 90% sure that the car had no servicing whatsoever for at least 3 years before I owned it as all of the basic service parts were just dying. It seemed to have held on to itself until I bought it, naturally. The HT leads were VW original, but had a split in wire #3, the spark plugs were the cheapest looking things I've seen, they felt brittle and had no markings whatsoever. I had the auxiliary belt tensioner literally fire itself out of it's housing after shearing a bolt off and the belt doesn't seem to have ever been replaced. The engine is pretty messy too, I've got buildups of gunk everywhere there shouldn't be, the gearbox leaks and crunches into reverse almost every time. I've had to replace the rocker gasket as it was leaking oil, and still seems to be after replacing it.

My friend, on the other hand, has owned a 99 1.4 16v for the last 3 years, he bought it with full VW service history, using genuine parts and he's since been servicing it himself, using genuine parts. He's never had a problem in 3 years of ownership and it's now pushing 218k.

Goes to show that servicing can make all the difference really.

Oh, and I forgot to mention another of my friends had a 1.8 Mk2 Golf GTI that was an LHD import. On the day the engine finally let go and couldn't really be fixed anymore, his clocks read 647,000km (ish)

Edited 2 May, 201511 yr by mbusby993

If only everything in life was as reliable as a volkswagen was 30 years ago.

If only everything in life was as reliable as my 30 year old volkswagen.

Why only last week I was on the hardshoulder of the M4 - but I still got home with a water bottle and some shredded beetroot.

VW reliability is a MYTH!!!

It does not exist all 4 I've had have been total piles of dog excrement

2003 1.4 16v lupo Full VW service history. One VW employee owner from new 39k miles

Damage to wallet: top end rebuild + 2 pistons, snapped camshaft?!

1x cv joint, both front calipers partially seized.

1984 1.6 auto mk2 golf 54k miles

Damage to wallet: 2x engines, 1 recon, 1 scrappy.

1x gearbox, front suspension replacement bushes + shocks

2001 1.6 8v golf 86k miles

Damage to wallet: scrapped car after clutch replaced then gearbox went

Current: 1990 1.3 Mk2 Breadvan 122k miles

Full front suspension and steering replacement. Head gasket needs replacing. Rear axle bushes need replacing.

As I said VW reliability is a MYTH!

Yet I still buy them becuae VW is boss! Lol

Edited 2 May, 201511 yr by xumado

Polo 6R diesel. . windscreen rubber not down properly causing windnoise and dodgey idling at times.

How can the windscreen rubber affect the idling?

And dodgey ideling is a seperate statement I couldn't be bothered to edit lol

Had 3 golfs, two passages and 5 polos over the years. Still have a Passat, my wife has a polo and I have my project coupe gt. The only problem I've had was a replacement radiator in my most recent Passat. Always reliable as long as serviced regularly with a reliable garage. Airvolks in Blackwood. Been with them for 28 years.

The newer the VAG car the worst they seem to be one of my mk1 golf gti cabriolets 13 owners no history, 2 colour changes and it felt like most of the owners had taken it to hell and back it was bought by me for £100 as spares or repairs running on three cylinders with a rusty fuel filler pipe so fitted 2nd hand injection system and injectors, full service and then the coolant hose when it split on the second trip after the mot, then never played up for three years I had it and passed mot's each year then I sold it for a profit. My other golf gti cab 1985 84k on the clock and an oil pressure switch in 5 years. I think that was when VW had a good reputation for quality and reliability my wifes old 04 fabia 1.9tdi was a good one as well, here 05 fabia vrs has had more niggling problems, coolant light comes on when cold or damp, window motor lifter cable jammed up with window down, rear door water leaks now sorted but just get in and drive it and you could forgive it for anything. My 57 Octavia PD VRS had dpf issues 6 months after I bought it (dpf gone now) a coolant temp sensor and exhaust gas pressure sensor then just pads n tyres and service items That's in 22K

Interesting that people are discussing the Korean brands. They've become pretty hard to ignore now that the mechanical reliability is matched to good looks. Well, I think so anyway. The Polo's stablemate here is a Sportage. Great car.

But the Dacia thing is interesting. I've heard bad things about Dacia products, which is a shame. But then they are old Renault components.

Actually the modern Renault stuff is fine. But I had a ZOE for six months and that had some sketchy bits. Like the blue coating was peeling off the badges, and the USB didn't work, and occasionally the sat nav would crash. That last point seems bad until you hear this - I've had it happen twice before. Once on a last-gen Range Rover Sport, and then on a Porsche Panamera. The latter is a £90,000 car, and was a few months old. You'd be spitting feathers.

I think it's as much about how a car is looked after and how it's used. I have a 53 9n on 144, 000 miles and I've only replaced the front brakes twice (once because the after market discs warped) and the rears once, only just replaced the front suspension after the springs snapped (shocks were fine, but seemed silly not to do the whole lot at once) and one front wheel bearing. Granted, the bushes on the front fail to regularly, but that's mostly down to poor after market parts and a fuel pipe did split within the first few hundred miles. Other than that it's usual maintenance parts (2 cam belts, oil, filters etc.) She's even on the original battery. Never fails to start, and runs and drives sweet still. There are always going to be bad examples and as cars become more complicated things are going to fail. Regarding DPFs (and the OPs engine light) from my experience of speaking to people, many don't have any idea about the 'maintenance' involved with them.

But I am a little bias I suppose!

People don't have any idea about maintenance at all these days. It amazes me how do many people don't care about servicing and basic care.

Some manufacturers are producing good powerful engines these days but I can see most of them expiring after just a few years old. Oil consumption is a big issue. Some engines use oil and they tell you that when you buy the car. But everyone waits till they see a 'low oil' warning light on the dash to check it. And I have heard of people taking their car back to the dealer when that happens to get them to top it up.

Tell me this. How often do you see people giving their car a quick check over outside their house? Fluid levels, tyre tread etc.

Apart from me, everyone on my street seems to just get in their car and drive.

I have a 1998 1.4 cl Polo.I bought it for just short of a thousand pounds because of its 46,000 full VW service history and I needed a car as my daughter was leaving for Uni.

I had a full VW zillion point check done after purchase to make sure that there were no hidden issues... "One wind screen wiper will need replacing soon"....

I had the water pump and timing belt replaced as these had not been done in the 15 years,since which I've had it serviced regularly and accomplished a further 31,000 miles including regular 350 mile trips to fetch and return my daughter from her university and holidays to the Dartmoor and Dales national parks.At no point have I had any mechanical problems.

The body work remains great,without the use of a garage,showing no signs of rust in any of the places where this normally occurs in this model.

All together a fine example of how regular servicing and washing completely,asap,with a power spray,after any long salty motor way journey.

I find my 9N to be more complicated than a relationship with a woman.

How ever with a woman, whom you never understand (please reply to that if you do) there's a sense of magic. With the 9N there's no magic, just 1.4L a team of engineers worked out with as few parts as possible on a long conference with guys who make sure budgets are within reason.

Replacing a transmission or a clutch on a 80's non CAD BMW 518 takes two friends and a ratchet outside.

Many cars "hard to work on" have a V12 while still using about the size of a Polo..

It has it's perks but the Polo keeps giving and i hope they don't make the next generation in Spain or the plant they own in Russia.

I'm used to ice and snow and nothing i've driven beats the balance from a Polo so i can understand why VW's WRC team uses a polo chassi these days.

10min fresh member and you don't join unless you're looking for a race or need advice since it's bleeding me money every hour and keeps me sleepless.

Hope to get it back in shape very soon!

Don't know if this a compliment to the Polo but it's a great car that you can share with you're wife who insists the dog has to move freely.

Had close call where the dog ended up almost breaking the front window.. A week later she forgot all about it.

Have a lot of work to do on the car - that's why i signed up!

Great thread by the way! If i could afford an original VW i could by it (aka Porsche) however i don't want to be mistaken for a golf player so i own a Polo that's seldom available so i ride one of my motorcycles. To talk to a biker about a VW.. With a bike it takes 15minutes since everything is reachable. With a VW it's the complete opposite!

Drives me crazy yes but i guess that's the way cars are made though the door of an 06 looks scary familiar to an old mustang.