Volkswagen Golf 1.6 SE 02 model - sturdy and comfortable but lacks punch.

I purchased my Volkswagen Golf 1.6 SE with 65000 miles nearly two years ago. All was well for a couple of months. The fist thing to go wrong was the notorious window regulator fault, where the flimsy plastic pulleys break causing the cable to get tangled and leave the whole unit beyond repair, oh and you can't shut your window leaving you stuffed! A few months later the other side broke. These are about £90 a time and unless your pretty good at fiddly DIY add at least £75 labour charges.
At 72000 miles a bearing in the gearbox shattered and caused the casing to split. I paid £1100 after shopping around to have a refurbished gearbox fitted.
I have also had to replace an ABS sensor £80 plus labour, air inlet sensor £130, radiator thermo sensor £40, exaust lander senser £50.
had to have all the vacuum piping replaced because it went brittle and cracked, this is connected to the brake servo and it caused the brakes to stop working properly, increasing stopping distances by at least 50% which is not my idea of safety!
The latest problem is, sometimes I try to start the car and it won't start until about the fourth try. When it does start the engine revs at 2000 rpm on tickover for about five minutes and makes it very unpleasant to drive and is embarrasing as Volkswagons are supposed to be good cars! This only happens when the engine is warm.
Other than the problems I've had with it it's a nice car and a smooth drive. but wouldn't recommened buying one of the early mk4's like mine (1999) the later models seem to have had all the teething problems resolved.

Bought a T-reg VW Golf 1.6 SE as an alternative to Toyota Yaris (hard to purchase at good price used). Car Ok, drives like a fast tank, not very agile in corners etc. But main problem is that the bonnet will not close! You can either leave it to the automatic 2-stage close (which it won't) or jump on it and try and get it down but that doesn't work either. Very frustrating. May still get a Yaris.

I thought buying a VW Golf Match 1.6 2003 reg would be a good idea as it's a name you can trust..think again, this car cost me 10k and all I've had is trouble. The clutch has packed up on me, it revs like mad for no reason!!, the electrics aren't too realiable either, windows will open if they want to!!apart from that vandals like to key down them and nick the VW bits out your alloys!!VW also like to charge high prices for just about anything..£80 per half hour labour!!£220 for a service EXCLUDING any parts..Please don't waste your time or money..I'm getting a Focus next, hopefully have more luck with that!!

This is my third Volkswagen Golf and my last! Every golf I have had has had problems with cutting out! How unlucky can one girl be?! Apart from the looks and that only goes up to the mark 4 because the mark 5 looks awful! What on earth possessed the designers to change it so dramatically! Can't see any reason at all to buy another one! Servicing and repairs at VW dealers is also astronomically priced!

I too have had the drivers window fall down which had to be fixed.
It is definately a design fault. I asked VW to replace all the windows, but they said they wouldn't unless they break. It is not clear if I would have to pay for it, as they tried to charge me $450, but luckily, the car was still under warranty. It is a 2001 model.

I would love to be able to say I love the car, and it has done me well, however upon purchase at 48000 miles (R reg) I could say that. Not after 50k though! Thats when my problems started kicking in thick and fast. First the cluch went (which luckly was under warrenty) so I didnt worry too much. Then about 3 months later the gearbox went and I had to spend 500 getting a reconditioned one!!! Then the side window goes. As you can see, not worth the hassle in my opinion. Go get an A3 or more to the point, a BMW!

Don't buy a Golf!! And potentially any Golf-derived cars (Skoda Octavia, SEAT Leon and Audi A3)!! There is a serious design fault in the gearbox but VW wouldn't admit it. The crown-wheel inside the box is joint together with several press-studs. The heads of these press-studs can get sheared off at a relatively low milage destroying a gearbox in the process. Mine has gone at 42k. Metal debris can also crack the gearbox housing. So when it comes to the replacement you will have to cough up £400 extra since you have no gearbox to trade in. The clutch is also necessary to replace since it gets contaminated with transmission oil. So be prepared to pay around £1100 from an independent transmission specialist or £1600+ from a VW garage. This info concerns Golfs with 1.6l engine (like mine), not sure about the others.

Every thing about the VW Golf 1.6 SE is good. Except I have had the car for two days now its a 99 T Golf 1.6 SE and when the car is ticking over the revs are going up and down all the time its doing my head in now

Very good car in Europe!!!

I've only had my 2002 model (bought with 10k miles) for 10 days but so far I'm delighted with it. The dealer (Advent of Hove, Sussex) had to fix the a/c before sale - just a switch, apparently - but now it works fine. The 1.6 engine has to work harder than my old Mk 3 1.8 but it delivers the same sort of performance. The car is more comfortable than the Mk 3 - it's bigger and much quieter, apart from the extra features (e/w, rem c/l, a/c, cd player)- and becasue the chassis is stiffer and the suspension much improved I feel more confident and secure driving it. The brakes are excellent and the steering resposive and sure-footed. It's nice to have all those air-bags, too. It's not a performance car by any means but I love it! Maybe the reviewers who've had such problems with build quality have bought cars built outside Germany? Grey imports maybe?

I live in Australia,My Golf is a year 2002 model VW Golf 1.6 SE
Nothing going wrong with Electronic system that control power windows,Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brake-pressure Distribution. nothing going wrong with my car, its almost one year old.

It make from Germany.

I bought my 1999 VW Golf 1.6s in January 1999 & it has been a very good purchase overall. However I have experienced problems with the brake servo pipe cracking which is drawing air & making the brakes horrendous to operate (and pushing my fuel bill up !) My local dealer informed me that this was a very common problem with the Golf & tried to fix it on several occasions & finally managed to sort it after the fourth attempt. Then my drivers side electric window regulator broke. I priced one from VW it was very expensive. Luckily I manage to get one from a scrap yard & it is working OK again. I think VW need to take a good look at how it is treating its customers as this again was another common fault. I would not let this put me off buying another VW but I would ensure that I ask the dealer & check this website for any other problems before I purchase another car.

I have a 2001 Jetta VR6 that I purchased new and it seem like I am at the dealer at least once every two months getting something repaired. Lets see I have had a Monsoon radio replaced once the first week I had the car and 2 cd players as well because they stop accepting CD's after time for some reason, finding that they are made by Panasonic I was surprised about this poor guality. Also at 42k the manual transmission left me stranded, VW did replace the trans free of charge and paid for a months worth of rental car fees so they did good for this one. Now since this past July I have had both front window regulators break on me and I was told that they are replacing these parts with new improved metal parts and they are still breaking on me, not too happy about this.

I work in the motor trade and fix and sevice cars all day everyday. I have had many cars and not been happy with them mainley with a vauxhall or ford badge, now I have found a car that will see me through a good 3 years where as I felt my vauxhalls needed to be part ex'ed at just a year old! The golf is a great car!

I was shocked that the driver side power window on my VW Golf 1.6 SE auto just dropped onto the door, and then more shocked when I went to the VW dealership, only to learn another person had the same problem and it was not fixed in weeks! VW's solution was to let the customer drive the car with the window TAPED closed!!! UGHHHHH!!! They suggested the same for me, but I said I preferred to wait for the backordered parts and use a rental car - which they paid for 100%. They agreed, but driving a Mitsubishi low end car is not cool.

Don't buy a VW Golf 1.6 SE auto (see bad points on my review).

I have had my VW golf 1.6lt for a year and i am really satisfied so far. Comfortable, luxurious in its category, powerful unlike previous models (16-valve, 103bhp)...runs significantly better on superplus unleaded fuel though!
Perhaps i would be an even happier customer if accesories such as light alloy wheels or fog lights were included in the price paid, but i assume this varies across different dealers across different countries.
Also, the car's behaviour on wet road seems to be excellent, predictable and reliable, plus i consider the absence of Electronic Stability Programmes (ESP) an asset, taking into account a very bad experience with a supercharged 4w-drive 1.8lt Audi A6, where the system was a complete failure...
Very satisfied with the Golf, I would gladly go for the GTI, too.

I have had my year 2000 Volkswagen Golf (1600cc, 100bhp) for about 18 months, and from the beginning it has been non-stop problems.

Within one month of taking delivery of the car, I had the transmission "freeze" on me while trying to leave a shopping mall. I tried shifting gears, restarting the car, etc I did everything because I did not know what was happening and it was a brand new car so I did not envisage any problems. Initially, I could not have guessed what the problem was. I took it to the dealer, and they said they found no problem.

The transmission failed about 4 more times before the dealer decided that they would replace the transmission. But this was not before it froze on me in some very dangerous places, such as on the highway in the middle of the night, which put my life in danger. Not before the discomfort and embarrassment it caused to be afraid to use my new car because I feared that it might freeze on me in the most unfortunate places and at the most unfortunate times. Quite a few potential Golf/Jetta/Bora buyers were dissuaded from buying one after I told them about the problems I had and still continue to have. I still continue to spread the word that these cars are potential death traps.

In addition to transmission problems, I have been experiencing electrical problems. The car has shut off on me quite a few times. This usually happens when I come to a stop (at an intersection, say) and attempt to go again. This is not just frustrating and stressful, but just as unsafe as the transmission problems, since it is only by luck or the grace of God that I am still alive. When your car shuts off after you come to a stop at a traffic light or an intersection, and you attempt to go again, and the cars behind you expect you to be moving forward, or the driver coming towards you expects you to have cleared a turn before they approach, and the car suddenly shuts off, the result can be very fatal. This has happened to me quite a few times.

As if the above were not enough, I recently started having problems with my windows. I am now afraid to wind down my windows because I fear that I may not be able to put them back up again. On at least three occasions, the device that holds up the windows broke (I think they called it the regulator) and I was unable to put my window back up. This left me at the mercy of the weather and thieves. This is highly inconvenient and unsafe. Why should I not be able to use my windows as I please? Why do I have to open my door to speak to someone when I am in my car? What if the regulator breaks in the middle of pouring rain? At the moment I am hearing so much rattling at all four windows that I am not taking the chance to wind any of them down.

A few weeks ago when I went to get my window fixed, there were three other owners of Golfs/Jettas/Boras with the same problem. Apparently, this problem is not confined to my car only, but is a problem with ALL Golfs/Jettas/Boras, and possible the Passats.

It is very unfortunate that I have had to endure all of this after paying a premium over other brands of cars. Why do I have to endure all the rattles that I constantly hear when I am driving? Why do I have to be afraid or hesitant to drive my new car because I fear that it will cost me my life or just make my life a misery?

Volkswagen should not be allowed to make cars of questionable quality and get away with it. I have committed myself to spreading the word about Volkswagen vehicles because it is downright wrong to spend so much money just for a life of misery.
I regret the day that I sold my 10-year-old Nissan Sentra to buy a brand new Golf (at a price of US$24,000 plus). That has been the biggest mistake of my life. A bigger mistake would be to not spread the word about these poor quality cars.

Very disappointed with this car - my first VW and almost certainly my last. Quality of materials used is excellent but not put together as well as I was expecting. Performance is good but the fuel consumption is appalling - 32mpg average. I also find the car very noisy compared to other cars in the class, VW agreed and fitted a sound proofing kit free of charge, other VW owners I know have also suffered this problem. The main problem I have had is reliability - I have had a constant stream of failures both mechanical and electrical (current example is headlights that only work when they feel like it). Gearbox has a fault which dealers have never been able to rectify. Paintwork chips very easily, the front of my car looks like it has been sandblasted. Despite this, the dealer (Rigby Turner in Haydock) has been excellent. If it's your money, I recommend looking at something else. Shame, I think there's a good car in there trying to get out.