Mk7 Issues

summerboy1958

Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2019
Location
DE
TDI
None yet
Folks,


I have been looking for a replacement for the 07 Honda Fit that I stupidly wrecked. I have a 54 mile round trip every day (90% I-95) so have been looking at Prii, Honda Fit's and newer Corollas. I have mostly been focused on Hondas and Toyotas, as that is what we usually buy (for their vaunted reliability. We have had good luck with them). I came across a video of the '15 Golf Sportwagen TDI and was surprised to see them offered for sale. I really haven't paid much attention to VW's after the "DG" episode. However, I saw that they were offering an outstanding drive train warranty on the refurbished TDI's. My family has owned VW's in the past. My 1st car was a 1977 Champagne Edition Rabbit 2D with a 4MT purchased new. My sister had an old K Ghia (2 speed semi automatic), my brother a '73 Bus. My dad got us started with a '63 Beetle he brought over from Spain when he was in the Navy.



Anyway, I drove an 2015 GSW SEL with DCT and, despite the "automatic", I really like it. Far better than the Prius V I test drove. To be fair, the ride of the Prius V was smoother (smaller wheel, bigger tires) and the tech was better, but everything else wasn't. I am thinking about an SE or SEL 6MT (as i really don't understand the DCT and it looks overly complicated. I usually equate that to opportunity for failures).



I have been trying to understand why VW's have such a negative press on reliability. After a lot of poorly worded searches, it seems that there are a couple of bigger issues, namely the exhaust fluid doing injector, the HPFP and the DPF. These, however are covered under the revised warranty. So I am trying to understand what other "typical" issues there are. For example, my old Subaru's used to eat up brakes and CV joints (every 20k miles).



I did find a thread in here and besides a few pages lost to a rant, it discussed the dribbling rear washer, the CEL coming on intermittently, the door that leaked underneath, AC compressors failing, something about the steering hesitation or sticking, a heater core, glow plug failures, brake chatter backing up, etc.


I would really like to know if these are all just one offs or if there are some know, repeating issues (know to the TDI owners, anyway). The reason I ask, I am trying to decide between spending extra to buy a VW CPO to get the 2 yr B2B warranty or go for a refurb'd model with a good carfax (and a VW dealer inspection).


The refurb'd GSW are rare around me, rarer yet with the MT. I have to go an hour or more just to test drive one.



Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks!!
 

soot1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
Today's VWs no longer are what they were 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Since you are familiar with the DG affair, you will know that any 2009-2016 2-liter diesel was covered by the settlement, which required VW to either buy the car back or fix it with a financial incentive to the owner. From the get-go, it was clear that vehicles that will be fixed will not perform quite as well as before the fix, hence the incentive. VW is now free to resell those vehicles they bought back, but only after performing the fix. It seems that quite a few owners of the fixed vehicles are experiencing issues with the emissions system (EGR and DPF, for the most part) that were present to some extent before the fix, but are now exacerbated. If reliability is on top of your list of priorities, you may be better off with either Honda or Toyota.
 

shortydog

Active member
Joined
Feb 12, 2015
Location
Edinburg, TX
TDI
2015 Golf TDI, 2005 MK4 Jetta TDI
In March I bought a 15 Golf SEL with 35k CPO car. I have a 120 mile daily round trip comute from home to work. 90% is highway driving. I'm now at 60k and had the water pump replaced under warranty. Other than the water pump being replaced around 50k miles, I haven't had any issues with the car. Only time will tell about the reliability.
 

adjat84th

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Location
Virginia Beach, VA
TDI
'01 Jetta TDI/'15 Golf TDI
I think you mean DSG rather than DCT. It's not overly complicated, it's literally a manual gearbox with a mechanical unit that automatically does the shifting. They've been rather reliable for an auto box. Fuel economy ratings don't typically relate to real world when comparing to the 6MT, and most report better with the 6MT.
If you have normal traffic in your commute, I'd not hesitate to get the DSG for that bit of comfort in traffic.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
VWAG makes some of the better dual clutch gearboxes. They are actually more robust in many ways than the 6mt. I can't argue with anyone who prefers to row their own, though.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Every car has issues, some people think one brands major issues is common place on another brand.

VW is by no means perfect and if you hold the car to standards above a "compact economy car," you'll be let down.

one of the things that I enjoy is the fact that if you have an issue with your car, another VW owner has probably had that same issue and can guide you through a fix.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Even with the fix and the great warranty VW is offering (not that they had a choice), I'd be hard pressed to tell you that a GSW is going to have the reliability of a Toyota or Honda. It just isn't. Even if repairs are covered, odds are you'll have more of them than you would with one of the Japanese brands. As long as you're OK with this, then the VWs are a much, much better drive than the other cars you're considering. Don't be put off by the DSG: It's been very reliable.

If you have the inclination and skills to do some routine maintenance yourself (filters and fluids, tire rotations, etc.), then VWs are pretty economical to own. I've had great luck with mine, but since I talk to owners all day (at IDParts), I know that others have different experiences.

Still, VWs are addictive.
 

MattRabbit

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 12, 1999
Location
Orlando, FL, USA
TDI
2015 Golf SE TDI, 2014 Beetle TDI, 1981 Rabbit Diesel
I've had 3 Golfs plus my wife's 2014 Beetle, all diesels - a 1981 Mk1 Rabbit, a 2001 mk4 Golf (ALH), and my new 2015 mk7 Golf TDI. The Rabbit has 320K miles on it, the mk4 Golf had 393K on it when I sold it, and the mk7 is up to 60K miles.

The mk4 was the most reliable car I've ever owned. I started calling it 'Chuck Norris' because it wouldn't die. It was starting to have things go wrong that go wrong at high mileage (alternator, AC Compressor, etc), but for the most part that thing was bulletproof.

The mk7 has been flawless over the 11 months that I've owned it. I've put 17K miles on it without any problems whatsoever. It gets about 40mpg with 60/40 highway/city driving.

We've had the Beetle TDI for a year and a month. It has also been flawless, though it only had 20K miles on it when we bought it. My wife loves it. It gets about 31mpg city and 40 highway.

All of our VWs are manuals. I've never owned an automatic. The manuals last forever if properly cared for. They are very durable.

My parents own a 2016 Prius C. It gets better mileage than my Golf in the city, but can't match it on the highway. It's been fairly reliable, but it's starting to have issues with the paint - like, it started peeling. Toyota doesn't want to cover it, either. YMMV, of course.

I tend to stick with VW as they're economical and fun to drive. I like the diesels - it's true what they say, they get into your blood. This mk7 is probably the last one I'll own though, as there won't be any more to buy after this. That's ok, though... I'll go electric!

Good luck with your purchase decision.
 

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
Just about a year and 9K put on my 2015 GSW that I bought with 26K on it, no complaints, I absolutely love the car and not any issues except cruise control dropping out two times.
 

15TDICommuter

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
South Florida
TDI
2015 GSW
2015 TDI DSG GSW owner here. Bought the car with about 32k miles in January of the 2019. Currently sitting at 65k. No complaints or issues. Did the 40k service on my own and just the normal stuff (oil, tires and washing).

Love it. I like the DSG since its my daily. I get the fun in 'rowing gears' but for a car that gets me to and from work, I just wanna go. The Z06 handles the desire to row.
 

hillmatic

Active member
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Location
Bay Area
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI
In March I bought a 15 Golf SEL with 35k CPO car. I have a 120 mile daily round trip comute from home to work. 90% is highway driving. I'm now at 60k and had the water pump replaced under warranty. Other than the water pump being replaced around 50k miles, I haven't had any issues with the car. Only time will tell about the reliability.

Funny. same commute

I bought my Golf SW TDI with about 20k, I'm just over 80k now.

Wondering if I should look into selling it while it still has some value. The only mechanical issue I had was a bad wheel bearing that was replaced under warranty.
 

Mike in Anchorage

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Location
Anchorage, AK
TDI
2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
I found a new '15 GSW in Sept of '17. Only 58 miles on it. Bought it and drove if home from Orlando to here in Anchorage. At this point, slightly over 30k miles. Not a single issue has crept up. My second DSG gearbox and I really like them. As an avid cyclist, I like that I can put any of my 3 bikes in the back without even removing the front wheel. I couldn't do that on a V*lv* XC-90, Benz GLK, or Audi Q5. I'm very happy with it.
 

15TDICommuter

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
South Florida
TDI
2015 GSW
I found a new '15 GSW in Sept of '17. Only 58 miles on it. Bought it and drove if home from Orlando to here in Anchorage. At this point, slightly over 30k miles. Not a single issue has crept up. My second DSG gearbox and I really like them. As an avid cyclist, I like that I can put any of my 3 bikes in the back without even removing the front wheel. I couldn't do that on a V*lv* XC-90, Benz GLK, or Audi Q5. I'm very happy with it.

How was that drive from Orlando to AK?

I'm about 2 hours south of Orlando and have been to Alaska several times but never drove there. It could be said that it is a dream road trip of mine.
 

summerboy1958

Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2019
Location
DE
TDI
None yet
Folks, thanks for the great input.

On my regional page I asked about recommended TDI repair locations near me including my local vw dealer. I was shown a state by state listing created by you TDI'rs. There are none listed anywhere near me. I can do simple things (oil & fuel filters, tire rotation & probably brake pad/rotors). Other repairs are beyond me.

Am I fooling myself about ownership if i have to rely on my local vw dealer? How can i go about figuing out if my local dealer can do reliable repairs?

Thanks
 

Nuje

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Location
Island near Vancouver
TDI
2015 Sportwagen; Golf GLS 2002 (swap from 2L gas); 2016 A3 e-tron
As with anything online, you're going to hear (very loudly) about negative experiences people have with their dealer doing repair / maintenance / whatever. What you don't see online is the 90+% of VW owners who are not on this message board, and who regularly take their VW in for service and things go.....fine.

If you can't find information about your dealer, I'd take that as a positive sign; "information" most typically shows up when people are truly and royally peeved about something. And if it's a pattern, that shows up, too.
 

jerrymander

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2012
Location
ur mum
TDI
f
Dealership is probably fine for repairs, to be honest. They just cost a lot and **** up more often than someone knowledgeable.
 

bbfarmer

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2018
Location
PA
TDI
2015 GSW
For what it's worth, I bought my '15 GSW exactly one year ago with 46000 miles. Been to dealer 3 times so far for warranty repairs: new radiator, new alternator, new brakes/rotors. I freakin love driving this car, but getting pretty tired of these problems, and probably won't buy another vw

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
For what it's worth, I bought my '15 GSW exactly one year ago with 46000 miles. Been to dealer 3 times so far for warranty repairs: new radiator, new alternator, new brakes/rotors. I freakin love driving this car, but getting pretty tired of these problems, and probably won't buy another vw

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

How many miles have you driven it since you bought it?
 

bigb

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Location
Arizona
TDI
2015 Sportwagon S
20000

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

Not saying this is true or not but I have heard brakes last close to and over 100K on these cars. Maybe your car got some hard use before you bought it?
 

bbfarmer

Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2018
Location
PA
TDI
2015 GSW
Not saying this is true or not but I have heard brakes last close to and over 100K on these cars. Maybe your car got some hard use before you bought it?
It was a faulty brake caliper

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

GreenLantern_TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Location
Iowa
TDI
2015 GOLF SEL
I got my MK7 Golf at 18k and its now at 80k with virtually no issues. Im very happy now that the DSG has been tuned.
 

adjat84th

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Location
Virginia Beach, VA
TDI
'01 Jetta TDI/'15 Golf TDI
I got my MK7 Golf at 18k and its now at 80k with virtually no issues. Im very happy now that the DSG has been tuned.
I second that, bought at 17k and now at 87k with not a single issue that wasn't self inflicted. Literally nothing other than routine maintenance!
I do think the water pump was replaced before I purchased, but that appears to have been a somewhat frequent failure early on.
 
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