VW Golf TDI Reliability

zeeman

New member
Joined
May 2, 2011
Location
MA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 4DR DSG
Hello all,

Based on research and my attraction to the Golf, I purchased a new 2010 Golf TDI DSG last year. I was happy with the performance and fuel economy, and had bought into the brand loyalty and pride of ownership - lots of washing, waxing, cleaning, and keeping the vehicle garaged when not in use.

However, after 5 trips to the dealer over the past 8 months for faults my passion is starting to wane. That is why I am posting this - to get a reality check and see what others have to say.

My initial experience was with TPM hell. The tire pressure light would come on, and I would spend all my loose change on gas station air compressors, 3 different tire guages, and several trips to a tire shop, which used a fancy guage to determine that, yes, my tire pressure was correct for all 4 tires. The dealer cleared the warning light without any real explanation. 4 months later, same drill. Which tire is low? Is my guage defective? Does the gas station air hose have problems etc. Then after some days of frustration back to dealer. Warning light cleared again by dealer, with no part replacement or explanation. Concurrently they flashed my computer for a recall of another sort.

Currently my car is at the dealer with an undiagnoseable "check engine" light. Second one in three weeks. They have had my car for 2 days, and do not have an ETA for when I will get my car back. I was given a loaner car from a rental agency (the rental car has a faulty key and is a gas guzzler - all they had available for the dealer) so I am spending lots of money on gas for a large car. Not exactly why I bought a VW Golf TDI. I am hoping to get car back by the weekend, but dealer said they have no idea how long it will take to work with VW North America to fix the problem they cannot diagnose.

Should I just take the car back from the VW dealer and drive with check engine light on? How many more times should I go back to dealer if they fix and it goes on again? Any predicitons on if the TPMmonitor will start acting up again? The lemon law her in Massachussets is only good for first year, and I am into second year of ownership.

I am not feeling good about the TDI, and I have spent a good deal of energy defenending to myself that these little problems are just teething, but I have owned the car for over a year. Should I expect 2-3 weeks of downtime per year of ownership if I own a golf TDI? Is this normal to drive a German car?

Reading this forum I have seen others with lots of other problems like O2 sensers. Is this a car I would want to have a single day after the warrantee expires? What would this week long troubleshooting cost if the car was not under warrantee? Is VW under any obligation to keep fixing these troublesome cars after the warrantee expires, when the check enging lights and TPM lights continue to glow?

Any advice or reassurance would be appreciated. I have never had this level of recurring defects with the used honda civic I previously drove (over 3 years not one fault, and just regular maintenance). I have the feeling that this model of car is really not that reliable, and it is not just a one off for me.

Thank you

Albert
 

c17chief

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2010
Location
NJ
TDI
2011 Golf 2dr
I'm 7 or 8mos into mine... I get the 3rd gear low speed stumble every now and then (havent been in for the first servicing thus no reflashes or anything yet tho)... and have some of that 2dr wind noise that seems to get posted on vortex much more then here....but other then that not one other even minor issue thus far.
 

tdi54

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2010
Location
California
TDI
1981 Rabbit Diesel(sold), 2009 Jetta TDI MT(sold)2010 Jetta TDI MT, 2015 Jetta TDI SEL, DSG, 99 Ford F 350 PSD Dually, 2016 BMW X5 xDrive35d, 2016 535d
this is my second Jetta TDI, --used to own 2009 --both of which performed flawlessly, no mechanical issues of any sort so far, I am at 14,500 miles on my 2010 and sold 2009 at 43,000 miles. Sorry for your unlucky experience but like other suggested, you may want to take your car to a different dealer since VW dealers are known to be incompetent in resolving problems our TDI’s experience.
 

OldManWinter

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Location
Winnipeg, MB
TDI
Golf Wagon 2010
Perhaps find someone with a VCDS and see if you can diagnose your problem and then take that info to a different dealership.

Sorry you've been having these problem, I'm almost a year into owning my car, lots of short trip city driving interspersed with some long (4500km) road trips. I had my intercooler ice up after driving out of the mountains where it was humid and 3c down to the praries where it was -25. Other than that everything has been great with the car.

Can you do something with the Lemon law in the states?
 

bdisco

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Location
Flashing my lights behind you, CT
TDI
'10 4dr Golf & '12 T-Reg.
Zeeman, have you thought about taking the cars to another VW dealer?
Name of current dealership? I also bought in Mass. I got the car last June and I'm only at 8k but will need to start thinking about the first 10k service. The dealer I bought mine from rhymes with "Hat trick".:D
 

Conan

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2010
Location
Denver
TDI
2003 GLS TDI
I'm relatively new to the TDI scene myself. I have an older, much simpler one, but I don't think the problems you have had should just be chalked up to "TDIs are like that-- get used to it". One reality is that they are very heavily computerized cars. It really pays off to know more about your car than you would a Honda, for instance. Two thoughts that should hold you in good stead: 1) Dealers are generally at best useless, and at worst evil. And 2) Knowledge is power. (2a: TDIClub, Vortex, etc. are awesome resources).

In your shoes, I would ask the dealer what exact codes the ECU is throwing, and ask for a printout. I would ask the service manager who is their sharpest diesel guy, and ask them to provide specific information on why they are unable to diagnose a simple CEL. On the face of it, it sounds like you have an incompetent service department.

You probably don't want to go spending your own cash on a guru if you're still under warranty, but a friend with a laptop and a VCDS cable can go a long way. You can actually plug in the computer and drive around, logging data. If you have an intermittent sensor fault or something, that should catch it. Most faults are stored anyway, so logging is only necessary if you are seeing intermittent problems that aren't showing in the ECUs fault log. If the dealer is too stupid to try that, you need to take your car elsewhere.
 

RebelTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
TDI
2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
Sorry to hear about the frustrations. In terms of the TPMS, I understand they have to be replaced every 5 yrs or so because a battery dies. Maybe you have a prematurely dying battery?

South of Boston I use Gallery group. They've been good for my scheduled maintenance. I have no experience with their troubleshooting skills. Quirk in Braintree is a high volume dealer and they may have more experience.

Good luck!
 

ken_e

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Location
St. Louis, MO
TDI
2010 Golf TDI (SOLD)
Wow.. I went through the TPMS problems early on, they were quickly fixed (new control module) at the dealership. Anyway, it seems like your dealer is pretty crappy, I mean I've spent a lot of time at mine here in St. Louis (TPMS, Carpet recall thing, CEL/MIL for a crack in part of the EGR system, broken belly pan, new tires, scheduled maintenance, etc.), but we were always given a 2010 Jetta or Passat as a loaner, which was nice. I am out of warranty and have had to spend some $$ but I believe that was due to negligence on our behalf, and driving it a little further than we should've after encountering problems. I'm still a happy VW TDI owner and I'm pretty happy with my dealership overall, they have great customer service, free Starbucks, Ice Cream, and HD TV. I will say that I don't make as many trips to the dealer as I did when it was free, I now go through my local TDI Guru, which I would encourage you to do later on as well... All in all, I drive hard and far; the problems that I've encountered were all within reason for a new car. The VW CRD set up is pretty much a worldwide first, over the past couple of years. The US normally has to wait for this technology (i.e. PD) and as such many of the issues can be worked out in Europe, etc. before ever reaching the US. So we are encountering problems on par with the rest of the world with a new technology, so a little frustration is acceptable.
 

ARBY

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Location
Royal Oak, MI
TDI
2011 Golf Sportwagen - really want a F-150.
Not trying to say that you should make excuses for a new car, but on my last car (Subaru) the TPMS never worked in the winter...ever. I just knew it was going to light up when it got below 40 degrees and I successfully ignored it every winter. I never even took it in for it - just checked as you did for proper inflation and got over it. The 'check engine' light, on the other hand, is a different story.
 

dzcad90

Rolex & gin
Joined
Mar 15, 1999
Location
Joliet, IL USA
TDI
Jetta - 97 (RIP), '03 (Sold), '09
Have you looked at the top of this forum? There's a stickied thread that deals exactly with the TPMS light coming when all tires are fine.

There's a re-flash for the TPMS module that corrects the issue.
 

IceRaider360

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2010
Location
Saskatchewan, Canada
TDI
2011 Golf DSG
Sorry you are having trouble, I'm now kind happy that my Canadian version doesn't come with the TPMS. But ARBY comment might also be another reason why its not standard in Canada being so cold up here in the winter.
 

IMAAaron

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2010
Location
PA
TDI
2013 JSW - Third time's a charm
For what it's worth, don't blame the TDI aspect. From the recommendations and personal experiences, this is a VW thing. Seems like "unlucky" is the norm. The die hard VW fans just seem accustomed to the punishment. Your experience is similar to mine. Confidence is shot. On the brights side, things could be worse. You're still here to complain about it, after all.
 

ken_e

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Location
St. Louis, MO
TDI
2010 Golf TDI (SOLD)
Also, even in cold temperatures my TPMS has performed as it should since the fix... Here in St. Louis, Buffalo, Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, Columbus... No worries there. :)
 

BlueGraphite'10TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Location
Casa Grande AZ
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI 6Man
My 2010 Jetta has performed flawlessly over the last 48,xxx miles. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. I do know I had a few recalls/flashes a various "free" services.
 

jpsum

Vendor
Joined
Jan 30, 2011
Location
CT
TDI
2010
My 2011 Golf TDI had over 10k in 3 months - no problem what so ever.
 

zeeman

New member
Joined
May 2, 2011
Location
MA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 4DR DSG
Thank you all for your replies.

One reason to stick with the TDI is the great support and community in this forum (hopefully not fostered by adversity with VW/TDI!).

The problem was eventually diagnosed by VW National Tech (as my dealer explained) as melted and corroded wiring and I received my car after 5 days. The wiring harness section(s?)was replaced. The cause of this was said to be an incorrectly installed harness at the factory - where it went under instead of over a part of the undercarraige. The faulty wiring was causing wrong readings and possibly an exhaust flap to fail, that was earlier replaced.

After driving the rental loaner car I have a renewed appreciation for the Golf TDI handling and style (the loaner was a 4 dr Dodge Charger) so I am still hoping I have just had a spate of bad luck.

On another note, the car was returned dirty (I had washed it before I brought it in). It must have been brought home by the mechanic for test driving and left under a tree with red flora. Also the tank was full when I dropped it off and it took me $14 to top up again, and 105 miles were clocked (must have been idling a lot). Additionally the fuel filler pipe fitting that holds the gas cap flap on was cracked and delaminated - I wipe the area down after fueling and noticed it immediately. Maybe the external flap was left open and someone ran into it? Funny thing was that a few days earlier another 2010 silver TDI came in with gas in the fuel system and when I called the dealer about mine they said they had to replace the fuel pump, which shocked me. After a few minutes of questioning the dealer apologized and said it was another customer with the identical car. I am wondering if the defect in my filler piece was due to trouble shooting the wrong car?

At any rate it will be one more trip back to the dealer, and I supsect it may be an issue to explain and have fixed. This is not cosmetic and is hidden when the flap is closed, but I am worried it may eventually open up more and allow rainwater into the filler tube or the flap to loosen or not shut/seat properly.

As for the dealer, they are the closest to my house by far, so I really want to have a good relationship with them and am hoping the service will improve. For now I will not name them as I am not sure how much of my problems are VW design issues vs local service (being timely and knowledgeable and professional).

Once again, I really appreciate all the feedback here.

Albert
 

Casco

Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Location
Boston
TDI
2011 Golf TDI
Zeeman I have a question about your dealer

Zeeman,

Im sorry you have had some many nagging issues with the car. It sounds as if the problems may be resolved. However I have a question I hope you dont mind answering. I filled out the paperwork on my car April 15th and still have yet to take delivery of it(the car has been at the dealer for 2 weeks now(. They have screwed up everything from my loan paperwork to ordering and installing the NAV unit in a timely manner and when I was supposed to get my car yesterday the screwed up the paperwork with the RMV so no plates for my new car yet. Is your dealer anywhere near Westborough?

Thanks
Casco
 

zeeman

New member
Joined
May 2, 2011
Location
MA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 4DR DSG
Hi Casco,

I actually purchased my car near Westborough after getting the run around from another dealer. I had put a deposit down, and then the other dealer said they did not have the car... it was being shipped... it would be here tomorrow... it would be here in another week... etc etc for about 3 weeks. I aksed for my deposit back and it took about a month and a few phonecalls to VW North America to get my deposit back.

The timing at the dealershop near Westborough must have been right and I got the exact car and options I was looking for - no deal though - paid sticker price. I thought they treated me very well and I had no issues with them (and I was very critical as I was screwed by another dealer trying to get a car, and was half expecting the same runaround). Afterwards I chose a dealer closer to home for servicing.

Albert
 

tdi90hp

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2002
Location
Canuckland
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6 speed(gone but NEVER forgotten)
15,000 kms...flaw...friggin....less....canadian fuel gets 2%bio in july, we dont have those crappy TPMS issues...we get 16inch wheels which I think ride better and we have no HPFP issues. We just finally elected a majority conservative govnt last week , the Prince and princess are finally married and the Navy seals made the world proud. All in all a good month....life is good ! Go Navy !
 

PlaneCrazy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
15,000 kms...flaw...friggin....less....canadian fuel gets 2%bio in july, we dont have those crappy TPMS issues...we get 16inch wheels which I think ride better and we have no HPFP issues. We just finally elected a majority conservative govnt last week , the Prince and princess are finally married and the Navy seals made the world proud. All in all a good month....life is good ! Go Navy !
I also think those 16 in. tires contribute to lower fuel consumption on Canadian cars.

In Quebec where I live though, we didn't contribute to that majority government, although we elected a majority of traffic cones!
 

ken_e

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Location
St. Louis, MO
TDI
2010 Golf TDI (SOLD)
15,000 kms...flaw...friggin....less....canadian fuel gets 2%bio in july, we dont have those crappy TPMS issues...we get 16inch wheels which I think ride better and we have no HPFP issues. We just finally elected a majority conservative govnt last week , the Prince and princess are finally married and the Navy seals made the world proud. All in all a good month....life is good ! Go Navy !
I think that the 16s probably ride cushier, but i like my 17s.

And don't forget that the EdgeWalk will be open soon on the CN Tower... that's cool Canadian news right? i think so, and woo i've been lost in Brampton.
 

zeeman

New member
Joined
May 2, 2011
Location
MA
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 4DR DSG
Must be something about TDI's that draws Canadians? I have been living in the Eastern States (NY and MA) for the past 12 years, but I am Canadian as well. I do prefer the US 17" wheels, and with the stiffer suspension offered on the TDI (in the US anyway) it is always fun when taking highway on and off ramps (my daugher calls the ramps the "weeee corner".
 

IceRaider360

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2010
Location
Saskatchewan, Canada
TDI
2011 Golf DSG
Must be something about TDI's that draws Canadians? I have been living in the Eastern States (NY and MA) for the past 12 years, but I am Canadian as well. I do prefer the US 17" wheels, and with the stiffer suspension offered on the TDI (in the US anyway) it is always fun when taking highway on and off ramps (my daugher calls the ramps the "weeee corner".
Maybe it's the cheaper fuel, $1.229 Per Liter vs 1.279 for RUG. I'm glad mine came with 16" wheels because I have lots of pot holes in our city and the roads are rough but I still would have bought it if it had 17" since I really like the car so much.
 

brads

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 6, 1999
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 6sp W/Euro GTD-LED tails Neuspeed flash + VCDS Mods
2010 TDI 15 months old, seats frey'd front covers were changed under warranty, now back seat is freying, tps sensor light came on and was fixed by a reflash/recall. 2 radiators in 30k miles - leaked on their own defects. wind noise from door. General problems with pacific VW and their attempts to deny anything is wrong and general careless attitude,
When first radiator was removed by Pacific VW, tech scratched and gouged my bumper where grill had to be removed. When I received car back after seat covers changed mechanic had no idea why light was coming on in dash cluster. spent 45 minutes watching him dick around with the car. I finally looked under where he was laying and said shouldn't that wire be connected, fixing the problem myself. Whatta bunch a koks.
 

PlaneCrazy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
Maybe it's the cheaper fuel, $1.229 Per Liter vs 1.279 for RUG. I'm glad mine came with 16" wheels because I have lots of pot holes in our city and the roads are rough but I still would have bought it if it had 17" since I really like the car so much.
That and a we didn't have a long diesel-free gap in the early '90s like our friends to the south of us. In Quebec VW diesels have always been popular.
 

TOCleanDieselWag

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Location
Stratford, Ontario
TDI
2017 BMW 328d M Sport Touring (Wagon)
That and a we didn't have a long diesel-free gap in the early '90s like our friends to the south of us. In Quebec VW diesels have always been popular.
You're absolutely right. I'm from Montreal, and the love affair with VW diesels started in '77 (or was it '76?). My first job out of university was with a Montreal VW dealer and their biggest client was DICOM courrier, who used the Rabbit diesels (slightly modified) for local deliveries. Did most of their own maintenance too.

Our two TDIs have been trouble-free. The 2010 has just turned 15k kms and not issues at all. It does have the stumble that most owners have reported, but this goes away once the car is fully warmed up. We've just gotten used to it... Otherwise the car is a gem and no issues at all.
 

PlaneCrazy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
You're absolutely right. I'm from Montreal, and the love affair with VW diesels started in '77 (or was it '76?). My first job out of university was with a Montreal VW dealer and their biggest client was DICOM courrier, who used the Rabbit diesels (slightly modified) for local deliveries. Did most of their own maintenance too.

Our two TDIs have been trouble-free. The 2010 has just turned 15k kms and not issues at all. It does have the stumble that most owners have reported, but this goes away once the car is fully warmed up. We've just gotten used to it... Otherwise the car is a gem and no issues at all.
I've got 7100 km on my new Golf TDI and it has been flawless as well. Our 2005 Passat has 218k km. Up to 160k km, it was flawless. Beyond that basically what I would call normal high-mileage car issues. We did do the balance shaft replacement as a precaution.
 
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