Common VW Golf GLS 1.8T problems

[RPM]

Hi I am currently looking for a VW golf or jetta and have found a 2000 Golf GLS 1.8T for sale that I am going to go look at

I don't know much about these cars and was hoping for some information on there quality, realiability and common issues that occur, more specifically around 115000kms

All the research I have done has come up with no real issues worth mentioning. Any help would be appreciated

[Jeremiah]

LOL, if its anything like similar year Audi (which I'm sure it is) The electronics in these cars are fucking bizarre. I wouldn't fuck with German junk outside of warranty ever again

[theken]

Water pump and timing belt need to be done around that time. Costs a bit

[teggypimp95]

mk4 Vw's are good cars but lots of little things tend to go wrong that will drive you crazy. Vw's are also expensive to maintain. The parts are not cheap at all.

I have owned two 2002 vw gti and a 2001 vw jetta. All with the 1.8T.

Things i had to fix was wheels bearings. (They start to hummm and about 250-300 a wheel to fix)

Heated seat element crapped out
Packed up wiper arms

2 or 3 thermostats

water temp sensor

suspension and sway bar bushings get super noisy

Turbo seal on the jetta started to leak

timing belt to be done at 120,000km and will run you about 1000-1200 at tune dub.


Those are just a few common things that I had to deal with. I loved my vw's and GTIs but it did feel like I was always fixing little things here and there. German cars are alot more expensive to maintain. Some stupid little parts can be expensive, and I even did as much of my own mechanics as I could.

If its got high km I would get a good inspection done.

Also the 2002-2004 are much better the then 1999-2001. The 1.8T in the 2002+ are much quicker

[winson2001]

i drive a 2002 1.8t jetta, had it since 2006 haven't had much problem with it, my heated site was brokened n fixed about 2 years ago, some ignition coil thing(or whatever that was lol dunno much about cars) was cracked n replaced... change some belt back when it was making some noise... not sure which belt it was. thats pretty much it. I'd recommand the jetta to anyone ^^ ..... but then theres always a luck factor in buying any vehicle, so good luck OP

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Coil packs x10000

Wheel bearings

Waterpumps(with timing belt)

CV axle shafts

Catalytic coverter/flex pipes are known for breaking or wearing out, even as early as 100,000

Window regulators break frequently.

Rear hatch locks die frequently

Turbo's leak oil in almost any 1.8T over 80,000

The Automatic transaxles are considered to be one of the worst in the german auto makes.


etc...

[J-hop]

ignition coils (as mentioned), plastic finned water pumps are a time bomb over 100,000kms, timing belt should be done around 100,000kms mark. Also research 1.8T sludge problems<- always run synthetic oil on these things, don't cheap out and go with dino juice.

if its auto, stay far away, the local used vw parts supplier won't even sell auto transmissions as they are complete junk.

if its been chipped, stay away. A lot of kids crank the boost and don't even consider those turbos aren't efficient above 1 bar and don't bother with supporting fuel system modifications. so if it looks molested, it probably is!!

[btimbit]

Your best bet is 2002+. Look for engine code AWP. As mentioned above it has a updated version of the turbo, which is slightly more efficient as well as more powerful. Engine has other small improvements over previous AWW and AWD in previous mk4's as well.

At that point you're going to want to make sure you get the water pump and timing belt done. Ask if they were done, if not, they're not hard to do yourself if you have some mechanical knowhow. About $1000 to get done at a good shop. Plastic impellers on the waterpump were definitely not a good idea vw.

Check maintenance history if you can. Anything other than synthetic for those turbos = trouble.

Also as mentioned above, stay away from any cars that were 'chipped'. Like J-hop said, lots of kids tend to get these cars flashed without addressing anything else. After a year from being chipped the turbo will usually have a good amount of shaft play, downpipe will begin to wear out, fueling issues, etc. The factory boost on an AWP engine is .8bar, 11.6psi. most chips increase that to around 25psi, and have terrible terrible boost spikes up to 30+. The engines themselves are strong, but not much else in that bay is. Something will go wrong. As with any car, buy stock, then mod yourself if interested.

The coilpack/ignition coils, as mentioned, do go wrong often. On most 1.8Ts, they were recalled from VW. You can enter your VIN of the Volkswagen Canada website to see what recalls are out for the car, and whether or not they were fixed. Get spark plugs replaced at the same time, dead coil can kill a plug. If you fix these yourself (very easy) make sure you get the current revised version, otherwise you'll be doing it again a few months.

A sort of bi-product of the coil issue. A lot of the catalytic converters in these cars go bad. They get clogged with raw fuel if you drive with a blown coil because of the misfire. Worth checking if the car had coil issues.

CV axles have been an issue for some. Can't comment much on the issue since I've never had it myself.

If it bothers you, check the centre middle seatbelt. Some of those on all MK4 VW's get jammed and are completely useless. Also a pain to replace. This didn't bother me much, I ended up just cutting it out since that seat has never been used since I got the car. If you do run into the issue and want it fixed, I have an extra centre seatbelt I never ended up using you can have for free.

Best case scenario, look at the car with someone that has vag-com/rosstech software. Check it out real good. I love these cars, but you have to remember that they are ten years old now. There's less and less good ones left every day.



And I'll tell you something that every mk4 VW owner realizes soon enough. Should get a 24v VR6 instead of a 1.8T. There, I just saved you a lot of headaches. Faster too.

[crapstixs]

axles are a massive problem. when they wear you will get a vibration on acceleration at 80kmh+. napa, parts master, fenco, ultra 8. axles will vibrate even when they are new. the best ive found is wold pac's top of the line ones. the vw axles are $1000 each. if it has a auto tranny, at 115000km its going to need a tranny flush. the vw fluid is $20 a liter. with a flush and filter it will be around $300 or so. your $20 napa thermostate wont open untill the rad cap is venting. so you get to buy a $80 vw thermostate. ive found with vw there is no middle class. its in awsome shape, or its a haggered lump of shit that will bankrupt you.

[btimbit]

Originally posted by crapstixs
axles are a massive problem. when they wear you will get a vibration on acceleration at 80kmh+. napa, parts master, fenco, ultra 8. axles will vibrate even when they are new. the best ive found is wold pac's top of the line ones. the vw axles are $1000 each. if it has a auto tranny, at 115000km its going to need a tranny flush. the vw fluid is $20 a liter. with a flush and filter it will be around $300 or so. your $20 napa thermostate wont open untill the rad cap is venting. so you get to buy a $80 vw thermostate. ive found with vw there is no middle class. its in awsome shape, or its a haggered lump of shit that will bankrupt you.

For axles, these are your best bet

http://www.raxles.com/

Lifetime replacement if they go wrong

And steer away from automatic transmissions in these. They will break. period.