Volkswagen Caddy Maxi kombi road tests and consumer car reviews

A great car, which I couldn’t fault on looks or gadgets etc., until today when the engine failed. I had noticed an increased whirring noise from the engine under acceleration so I called the VW garage and they said not to worry unless there’s a warning light, of which there was none. It lost all power today and when I pulled over it wouldn’t start. The AA man said when he tried to start it he could hear the crank knocking and there was no oil in the engine. It has only done 7k miles and no warning lights have ever been displayed since new. I hope VW sort this under warranty and I get a proper explaination! Very disappointing!

Just awful, I hate every bit of it. Noisy, uncomfortable, and the ride is ridiculously harsh. The steering is far too quick and any sort of poor road surface has you slowing down as you are literally being thrown around the cabin. The battery goes flat in ten days, which I’ve been to VW about loads of times, but they are useless. It has poor economy if you drive it hard; you should expect only low thirties with it empty and back damage.. You can’t get more than 40 no matter how careful you are. It should be a great van but I honestly think my grandfather’s maestro 1.3l was a better sorted, nicer vehicle to drive. On the plus side the bonnet opens to nearly vertical, which makes access to the engine very easy... Did I mention how uncomfortable it is?

I bought this van 8 months ago. It is very rusty for an 07 and is so gutless its untrue; on motorway journeys at 70mph I don’t even get 18mpg. I’ve had various new bits, but nothing improves it. It has now also developed an odd whining noise, which I’m thinking may be the turbo? It’s comfortable and nice to drive, but overall very poor. It seems to have been designed to cost the owner money. I also have a 58 plate Caddy 1.9. I have to say this is the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I won’t go on about it on here, but I will never buy another VW or go near a VW dealer. I had an Iveco before, which was rough and ready and not as comfy, but had a far better engine. I would suggest everyone avoids VW.

I’ve had my van from new and have now done 69000 miles. An excellent van that is still on its first set of pads and exhaust; I have only needed to replace tyres, cambelt and oil etc.

Performance and fuel economy are fine as is towing, but three flywheels in 90,000 miles, plus a possible DPF judder in low revs/high gear will certainly put me off another.

I never considered VW until my son purchased a golf 2.0 GT TDI. I was so impressed I bought the plus with 35k on the clock. On a 15 mile journey A roads 3 villages it returned 50 mpg and plenty of power if required. What a wasted time with all my other cars I have purchased. The build quality, seats, space in my opinion best in class, superb drive. Don’t hesitate and ignore the Top Gear report if you wish extra, but do not want the reduced handling and cost of a full MPV.

My 2011 Caddy Tdi perfoms very well. MPG wise I am currently getting 750 miles from a full tank to red light. Refuelling it takes 55Litres. My maximum speed is 65m/hr. I am a courier doing 400 miles a day and I made a decision to reduce my speed and it has paid off for me very well, try it.

I purchased this lovely van as a non warrantied used vehicle with 129000miles on the clock a year ago. I’ve made a few changes to her, which include the following: One each side behind the driver fixed smoked glass windows, walls and ceiling carpeted in the back, hard wearing floor, full length three quarter width double bed (cloth to match the front seats) 240volt mains electrics with 3pin plugs, tow bar plus twin electrics, reverse parking beepers and a set of really good looking alloys to finish her off. I find her a treat to drive and managed to get 42 mpg ona camping holiday down to Cornwall last year. The MOT last month cost me a headlight adjustment so that was nice. I would have no problem in buying another Transporter and just wish I had got one earlier. How sad, she even has a name...Ludolf (to go with th reg number)

The VW T5 is the most unreliable, botched vehicle I had ever owned. I purchased a 2010 VW T5 180PSI DSG Auto in September 2010 brand new from Eurovans, Eastbourne. From day one I have had to endure fault after fault and I am now of the opinion that the vehicle is irreparable. Here is a list of the problems to date and the outcome of each: Radio reception not working properly - Eurovans explained that this was happening in all the Transporters made at the same time and that there was not a fix at that moment in time. I was assured that they where working on it though. This was repaired once the solution was discovered. Satellite Navigation not working. (Also creating roads that do not exist) - Eurovans took in the vehicle for diagnostics. They confirmed the reports to be correct. However, they had to send the results off to VW head office for further evaluations. They then had to take the vehicle back for further tests. Once again the fact that is was not functioning correctly was confirmed. VW Customer Care then assured me they would have a fix soon. They once again recalled the vehicle for even more diagnostics and concluding that the unit was irreparable and the unit was replaced with the current Kenwood (after market product). With the new unit installed I then received a phone call from Eurovans. They wanted to know if I could return the Vehicle as they had left a set of pliers inside the dashboard unit! I do not need to inform you of the severity of this incident, as I’m sure you are aware of the chain of events that could have ensued should these pliers have deployed one of the Airbags with my 8-week-old child in the front! One of my main reasons for purchasing this vehicle was the fact that the Sat Nav relayed its information to the MFD. So if the Sat Nav’s main heads up is changed to a call or radio the MFD will still be showing the journey’s directions. This no longer happens! I have brought this up with both the garage and VW Customer Care and both parties say they do not know how to resolve this. This is a major factor for me and must be resolved. Sun roof not operating - Eurovans explained that this was a problem with the seals. They replaced them. The driver’s front side tyre was completely bald after 9000 miles - Eurovans replaced the tyre. However, they also explained that this was due to the tyre’s being of cheap and poor quality. Firstly £32,00.00 for a vehicle with cheap tyres does not sound right. Secondly after seeking out an independent opinion I was told "If the extreme wearing was down to cheap tyres then why weren’t they all the same with the same amount of wear?" Thus, they were of the opinion that there was something out of alignment, which needed further investigation. This needs to be investigated. The front parking sensors - The wiring has been reported by Southern Motor Group as ’a mess’ and that due to the shoddy work they are un-able to re-fit the glove box correctly. They also beep intermittently and randomly when driving in the rain. This could be driving at 60MPH on the motorway or 10 MPH in a residential road, each time without anything in front. The roof is leaking - After heavy rainfall, the roof section above the driver’s side rear seat drips and the roof liner becomes soaked. The driver’s side footwell carpet also gets sodden - This is currently being inspected. The driver’s side, sliding centre door window leaks - This together with the roof leaking has damaged the MDF door panel - Southern Motor Group are replacing the window. The Windscreen wiper jets have stopped working. Do not buy this vehicle!!!!!!!!!! VW customer services have thrown me from pillar to post and basically do not seem to care. As they have excuse after excuse as to why they cannot repair the vehicle.

Rubbish engine and bad machine. Nothing but trouble!

This is the first van I have ever owned. Purchased to carry more gear than people and to house clients on location shoots. Quality is quite good. DSG trans is a little noisy, but changes smoothly and is very compliant. Power steering is a little heavy and rumbles when steering on the spot. Other than that I have the MF wheel and table. The wheel is a must have and the table makes a great talking point. I would buy another, but I would love 4 motion and the tdi 400. The van is black with dark windows and actually turns heads! Next time though it might be a Transporter crew.

I bought an ex demo with 4k on the clock. A lovely van to drive; smooth, quiet and economical. The dual mass flywheel disintegrated at 22k (only just fixed under warranty) and was replaced again at 88k, which proved very expensive! The heater control’s a problem and was never fixed properly by the inept VW dealership. Apart from that and general wear and tear I’ve just sold it with 117k on the clock. All in all a great a van, if not as tough as the T4. My main gripe are the VW dealerships, which are generally overpriced and incompetent.

Excellent all round, economical engine, excellent build quality, ride and handling good. Would definintly have another one! No faults in the 3 years I owned it.

Hi everyone! One person said Volkswagen are very hard arrogent people to deal with and this is so right. I have had my Volkswagen from new in 2009 and have had all sorts of problems and they will not back anything. The engine started eating itself, with metal missing inside of it requiring a complete engine and other parts replaced at a cost of $15000. Two months later it is now parked up due to a loud bang when leaving the traffic lights. I don’t know what happened this time but has no drive, even though it has the clutch and the engine starts. I will have to sell it and will never, ever buy a European made car or van again.

Though I’d spend a little more and buy something renowned for it’s build quality and value for money, so I bought an ’07 1.9 SDI around 18 months ago with 42k on the clock. Big mistake! The radio has to be on nearly full blast to drown out the sound of the engine. In the basic model all the sound proofing has been left out so wear ear plugs if your radio packs in! Around twelve months ago a warning light came on telling me there was a problem with the coolant system, but the problem turned out to be the sensor not the coolant system and I was told the whole C/S would have to be replaced for silly money so I’ve had to put up with the beep, beep, beep and continual flashing warning light. Today though the van has surpassed itself; the coolant bottle is full of black gloopy engine oil, so it’s either the head gasket or the oil pump. Magic! Do not buy one.

The cest car I have ever driven, better than the Audi S3, Audi S4 and the Ford SR... the lot of them. It’s the drive you get in it - live it!

I have owned a Bora 1.9 tdi sport for 7 years and it’s covered 139000 miles with little cost on repairs; it’s getting ready for rear shocks, but this is only due to wear and tear. It’s 6 speed long journeys return 50+mpg and tax is only £130 per annum. The body is still in great condition and it stands outside. I have no intention of selling it, I think it’s fantastic.

Had the Kombi from new, and no real issues to report. Yes road noise is a little high, but then there’s no acoustic treatment to the rear. If you ply/carpet the rear and stick a headboard in it will get quieter. It goes ’well’ ;-) and the power is useful for overtaking and makes it good fun to drive. Cruise control makes the motorway miles disappear. Issues: rear number plate light trim worked loose, but a spot of thread lock sorted that. No other issues really. Apparently there is a recall on the turbo hoses, but we’ve yet to get that sorted. VW Commercial in Cheltenham have been great and I’d highly recommend them. Would I buy again? Yes.

I love new look of the VW facelift, I think it’s very smart. My new van is easy to drive and I like the interior, but I have noticed that the new VW is not as solid as the old generation. What worries is me is that engine is noisy; it rattles and looses power sometimes (possibly dpf?). I feel there are a few stupid things VW have done to the new version; they haven’t fit an engine temperature on the dials, which I think its very important when you pull your trailer and instead I have an internal one. Misery. I can’t figure out my internal light and central lock (locked my keys inside already!), the radio looses its signal constantly and there isn’t enough room in the cabin. The mirrors been broken after only a few months because they dont fold. The lift jack is made of paper. Before this I owed a 2003 t4 2,5 tdi and I still miss my it; 120 000 miles on the clock and no problems. The old van was bullet proof, but I’m not sure about the new one.

Hi all. I’m another owner of a 100bhp Golf and these things just seem to be bomb proof!! I’ve read a lot of horror reviews on the mk5 Golfs with no amount of problems that owners seem to have had with them, whereas these Mk4`s certainly seem better made and in 9 years I’ve had no problems whatsoever! Goodness knows what they’re made of, but I’ve owned lots of cars since 1971 and this thing seems to chug on forever and ever, and ever...and ever! For instance the battery; most of us have had to replace these at some time or another and usually after 3 years, but the thing in mine is 9 years old with a car that’s done 120,000 miles and it’s still going!! How on earth is that possible?? I think the biggest problem us owners of these tanks is going to be, what on earth are we going to do when we come to replace them?? If you’re browsing these forums to do your homework on these because youre looking to buy one, find as low a milage one that you can and pay whatever they’re asking for it! You won’t regret it and if you can find one like mine with the 20,000 ml / 2 years between servicing you’ll be laughing!

Shocked at all the problems with the injectors, oil pump, fuel pump, dpf and now something is making a noise! Very, very, very bad to maintain. It’s very fast, but it’s no good after the warranty.

Complete cr*p, piece of sh*t, one problem after another.

I love my Maxi-Life, which I bought last April and have so far done 10000 miles in mixed city and long distance work. It’s a perfect car for outdoor pursuits work and even tows my 1000kg caravan happily. With its long wheelbase it’s very stable. With the Rear seats left at home we have used it as a comfortable ’tin-tent’ in inclement weather. Great length. I bought roof bars, but have only used them once because almost everything fits inside! Glitches? Yes, a few: I agree with Derek, 12000’ish is probably realistic for front tyres. The sliding door ’port-hole’ windows both leaked from day one and I’ve little hope of a cure so am resigned to wet door pockets. The ’electronic’ options can be baffling, just the locking/unlocking and electric window settings will probably take me years to master. That said, it’s a great car/van/utility vehicle!

This car consistently delivers over 40 mpg and I have so far covered nearly 70,000 miles in less than 2 years. It’s a superbly comfortable car with adjustable chassis control and eats the miles at whatever speed you wish to drive. I’ve seen an indicated 140mph! It handles very well, exceptionally in the wet and not too shabby in the snow either! The rear seats are very comfortable once you climb in! I defy anyone to go back to a manual after using a DSG, it is so fast and smooth to change, far quicker than a manual change. I’ve been driving over 40 years and it’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve dropped below 60 thousand miles a year; this car has been brilliant, it goes back in couple of months and I can’t think of anything to replace it with - so I might as well have another one!

Purchased new in July 2011, I have done 65,000 in 9months. I missed the first service by 20,000k’s, but it didn’t miss a beat. I had to replace the tyres at 61,000k’s due to a dodgy wheel alignment done by VW here in Brisbane causing uneven wear. I replaced the tyres with the same spec Kumho tyres. From new, I had the wood paneling put in the rear and upgraded the rear suspension as I carry up to 2tonne a day. I deliver wine, tyres, paint and chemicals. I travel between 430-600km’s per day. I have not had any problems other than a glow plug warning, that killed the power until I switched off the ignition and restarted. That is it. I have just fitted an LPG unit to it with a 55litre tank. I used to travel up the hills either struggling in 3rd or revving like mad in 2nd. I now can get up them in 3rd with plenty of power to boot. My fuel consumption on the LPG has dropped the diesel usage from 65litres per day done to 50Litres per day, usine 10litres of LPG to do it, but as LPG is half the price of diesel, the savings are between $10-$30 a day. This vehicle regularly travels over 110kph for 150km’s at a time, sometimes faster, but thats not something I will discuss on here. I can’t fault it. It would be nice to have the hand grips in the a frame interior and the centre console lid like on the Sprinters, but as the Crafter is $10000 cheaper than a Crafter and looks better, goes better and doesn’t break down, who really cares? To all those who say the Crafter is a rubbis vehicle I would suggest looking at the way you or the people you employ drive it.

I got my van in Jan 2010, white as all ways. I had an iPod adt fitted by the dealer and all was fine for 6months then there was no sound from the radio. The dealer changed the radio, which developed the same fault within 3months. I had to wait for one month as VW were out of stock for a replacement. I’m now on my third radio and this one is ok at this time, but only time will tell. The first set of tyres only lasted seven months, but I had done 25000miles. Now the lastest fault is the windscreen washers; the fuse blows then it gets cold (??) but as I have had VW’s for about 10 years now I must say the dealers have been good to me.

Hi I bought my van new and I love it. It has only done 36000mls and it is serviced by VW. The cambelt has been changed every 4 years. I put a stainless exhaust on it and I waxoil it twice a year. I buy anything stainless for it I can. I do not do short runs in it and it has never missed a beat since day one. I did 525mls in it last week (my longest one way trip). I sit at 70mph for hours (speedo is 3mph fast). I Love all vans they all have their own problems, some more than others. People may say my van has done nothing, but it’s still like new and what it does it does it great.

I’ve had this from new and in the first 3 years it has needed the following: 1). Steering rack replaced 2). Vacuum pump replaced 3). Two turbo’s 4). Engine Management System replaced 5). Prop shaft replaced 6). DPF replaced twice 7). Engine manifold replaced 8). Complete new engine 9). I have broken down approximately 10 times with gear box problems 10). Water sensor replaced. And now 11). New instrument panel. £10000 worth of parts and work needed, not including servicing and VW think I was just unlucky!! Plus many more things. All the servicing and work was done by a VW dealer and it has always been limited to 68 MPH and serviced on time. A rubbish vehicle, bad service and bad VW customer service. Don’t buy one!

I have 4 crafters. Regrettably these vans are the worst we have ever bought. We purchased ours in the late 06, and early 07. Since the vans completed the first 25000 Kilometers, we have experienced ongoing problems with; DPF filters, brake discs, electronic problems with the engine management, computer softwear problems, back axle seals, keys and locking systems and the list goes on. Our experience with Volkswagen, its dealers and importers into Ireland has been very bad. My decision is we will never deal with this brand again. We will scrap the Crafters, as to try and sell them on to someone else would be unfair to any prospective customer. In summary: The experience with Volkswagen and the Crafters has been a complete disaster from our point of view. I suspect many thousnds more people and companies have had a similar experience.

I had a 1998 T4 5 cylinder non-turbo LWB for 8 hassle-free years and I only replaced it because I was offered my SWB T5 at a price I couldn’t refuse. It was 3 years old and had 68,000 miles on the clock. Now nearly 4 years and 60,000 miles later I’m eyeing up a Nissan NV200 and found this website. I really do like my VW, the build quality is excellent, the SWB is much easier to drive than my old LWB and I use this van much more than I ever used the old one. It romps along, despite being the least powerful of the range and I can’t get less than 36 mpg from it ... when it is running, & therein lies the problem. With hindsight, I should have registered it as a charity. It suffered from electrical chaos initially; the wiring loom in the top of the engine was replaced as it’s cheap to do and my man regarded it as being a good starting point. Then the battery went. Then the alternator. Then the thing that’s attached to the side of the alternator?Regulator? - I’ve deliberately tried to forget a lot of this,  then the nearest side driveshaft went and the nice AA man horrified me with tales of electrical problems involving an earth under the driver’s seat - I haven’t had that, yet! A previous AA man had the engine go on his identical van while doing the rescue for the alternator. Then the clutch wore out, taking with it the flywheel, which everyone says is a disgraceful design. My man says I should keep it now as I’ve spent so much on it, but my confidence in it is shot. The interior lights don’t work properly, there’s 3 of them and the ignition key is misbehaving in that it’s not disengaging properly when you take the key out and you come back to find the radio still playing and the van not properly locked. The T4 was great, the T5 not. I know several folk with T5s and my experience, sadly, is not unusual. I’d love to try the latest version with the 2 litre engine, but I can’t risk this level of expense again and the NV200 really does sound too good to be true.

My family loves the car. It’s comfortable to drive and a big mummy taxi. It’s got ample space, for 2 kids, plus 2 prams and loads of shopping. My husband enjoys trying to get the best mpg out of the car. He drives like an old granny sometimes to get 53 and better. The only problem I’ve got, is that it’s going for its second engine. The car’s covered 98,000 miles since getting it from new in 2007. At 60,000 miles the engine gave out which VW replaced after a lot of hassle, but we paid labour. Now again, the engine given out with exactly the same problem... a hole in the engine block, which something inside it has caused.

I’ve owned VW’s all my life and when it came to buying a family car, I only considered a VW. We bought a VW Touran TDI S 105PS on a 57 plate with 76000 miles on the clock and full VW service history. After owning the car for 36 days, the car broke down. The mechanic investigated and showed me what had happened - conrod smashed a hole into the engine block. I then investigated further and found that I wasn’t the only one to experience this; a common occurance on the BXE engine number, which mine was! I contacted VW, hoping for a small good faith gesture as the car was ALWAYS serviced by a VW dealer, but was told politely, "Not our problem". After approx 2 weeks, the car is being fitted with a used engine, thus devaluing the car even more. Not to mention I have no idea about the state of the turbo as it shares its oil with the engine, or any other mechanical items after the engine blew up! Overall, the seats were comfortable, the car drove good with ample feedback to the driver on road conditions and what the car was doing and space was fantastic. As for reliability and mechanics, I give the car a 0 rating as it has barely lasted half as long as the VW website boasts. VW, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I will NO LONGER be servicing any of my cars with your dealers as a full VW service history means NOTHING!

I have been getting condensation inside the car in frosty weather and I’m having to scrape ice from inside the windows!

In the main the car is fine, but the auto brake does not always release or apply when you park! I have been to the dealer three times, but they never replicate the fault; granted it is intermittant so I have recorded the cockpit, but Volkswagen UK and the dealership will not accept this as proof of the fault. I recommend you google Passat handbrake.

What has happened to the German reliability and quality? My Caddy TDI is just over 3 years old. I "nurse" it, but it continues to give problems. The battery packed up under warranty, the air con packed up under warranty, the radiator packed up under warranty and new one was fitted, but it’s lasted 10 months and has packed up again (no more warranty). Also the back brakes had to be replaced at 90k. Toyota next time!

I am impressed with this car. This is my first diesel, it doesn’t smoke like the older models. And it’s quieter then the Buicks I have previously driven. My first fillup was an amazing 44.5 mpg. The dealership Brandon VW gave fantastic service. Would highly recommend buying a car from them. Ask for Tim Flaherty or call him at 813 -401-8033. You won’t be disappointed. Mike A. PS I drove from Tampa, Fl. to Charleston, SC without stopping for gas. The only complaint I got was from my wife.

Having owned 2 of these from new and covering 50k+a year I have a pretty good idea of what they are like. They are comfortable and carry weight no problem. The biggest problem with them are the dealers and ’mechanics’ they have working for them, who are just glorified tyre fitters who have no idea once the diagnostic machines fail to identify the problem. If you oWn a crafter you’d better have deep pockets unless you look after it and get a reliable mechanic to do your work cheaper than the £90 an hour VW charge. The dpf problem is all down to fuel and if you use cheap fuel you will have problems especially bio fuel, which these vans do not like at all. Regular servicing and an occasional fuel system cleaner will help. As for servicing, VW are extorionate; I was quoted £967 for a cam belt replacement!! Overall I am not happy with the van and I would not buy another as I think the extra you pay over a Transit would be better spent on maintaning the Transit as you will have just as much hassle as you do with any other 3.5 tonne van doing multidrop work. I have pondered getting a Sprinter when it is time to repace these Crafters, but I honestly believe the 2.0 diesel engines are over-worked and turbo problems are inevitable as forced torque never works reliably in cars, so vans will be the same. I could say a million other negatives about these vans, but I will just advise you do not waste your money on these pieces of rubbish. Stick with what you know and get something easy to fix.

Bought from a friend in 2008 with 120,000 miles on the clock and a well-worn interior. I paid £500 intending to keep it a year, chuck it in the skip, then buy another cheapo, since the only thing I use a car for is a 40 mile daily commute. Pleasure driving is a thing of the past. I had it serviced when I bought it, but the oil filter wasn’t put on properly (not that I knew at the time). A few months later, the engine became noisy and we discovered that there was less than a litre of oil in it. I changed the filter, topped it up with oil and waited for it to die. It’s now at 170,000 miles, has had all of four tyres, front brake pads and two more oil changes, and still it refuses to die. It returns a tank average of 62mpg if the onboard computer is to believed, although my maths puts it at nearer 55mpg (50mph commute in single lane traffic tops). I absolutely cannot fault this car. The acceleration is pokey enough on the rare occasion there isn’t a HGV in front of me. Some bloke hit the mirror assembly while I was parked, and it flew into pieces - but nothing broke. It was just a case of clicking everything back into place. Looks well-worn, sounds hideous thanks to the engine damage from running low on oil, but continues to chug along without a problem.

Hi! I’ve been running this for 8 years now and it’s cost me absolutely nothing except for two headlight bulbs! It’s the 20,000 mile or two years servicing model, so even those costs have been kept to a minimum! Seriously, I don`t know if the build quality was better on these variants or what, because I’m reading the horror stories of fly wheels and turbos going wrong on the Mk5’s and the costs of the parts are seriously worrying! I’ve done 110,000 trouble free miles and averaged 50mpg (I did get 68.7 once) in what feels like a Tiger tank it’s so well built! Just a little tip about cam belt renewal and pricing: Apparently when you do change it replace the rollers and the water pump at the same time. Now the interesting part: I was quoted by 3 local garages £425.00 to £469.00 to do this work and supply the parts. The VW main agents quoted £399.00 in Jan 2012, obviously cheaper and this is exactly what they charged me at 60,000mls in 2007!

Just to let everyone know that this model and subsequent diesels up to 2009 were prone to injector failure, but Volkswagen are now offering free repair and replacement if you have this problem. I have just heard that they will refund my costs of repair incurred this Autumn which amounts to £1700.00, even though I did not purchase my car from a main dealership. This is an important piece of information for anyone with or thinking of buying a Passat TDI, in case the same thing happens to you. Best of luck.

Having driven pretty much every van out there the Transporter is by the far the best. That’s why I bought one. One word of warning though, you get nothing as standard with VW and even have to pay extra for a spare tyre!

The car is perfect. I loved everything about it, until my DSG gearbox decided not to shift to reverse gear, 2nd, 4th nor 6th. I took it to the workshop and they advised that it is a common DSG gearbox fault and it has to be replaced. Replacing the gearbox after doing 40,000 kms in less than two years isn’t considered a happy scenario. I met six other owners with same problem on the same day.

I bought this van second hand with 110,000 miles on it. I too have had problems with the dpf, but you have to use the correct oil, that’s very important. I have recently changed the dpf and will be using additives in the fuel system to assist it. I have no issues with the van, it’s great, comfortable and powerful, but I do not take it to a VW garage as I know they are not the best at customer relations. I always change the oil every 8000miles and never take the key out if the steering is on full lock or the key will jam (I got this advice from a friend). I am interested in any recalls that may be due, but will have to ask the VW dealer. As for knocking the guts out of the dpf, you could be in trouble with the DVLA; my van is cheap to tax because of its emmisions taking the dpf away increases your emmisions so you should inform the DVLA that you have changed its taxation class. To sum up: I have owned plenty of vans Toyota Hiace, Transit, Merc Sprinter, VW, and this one is the best. My friend always buys VW and loves them, but he dislikes the dealers.

No problem giving it 5 stars as it is such a nice place to be, especially when I sometimes top a 1,000 miles in a week. The average economy since new is showing as 64.4, and no I don’t drive like a granny just sensibly. It surprises people just how big the interior is and comfortably seats 5 adults, the boot for me is adequate. Things that have gone wrong: The horn is down to just the high pitch and it is unfortunately easy to stall, but the stop-start mech minimises embarrassment.

The aircon is noisy, it pulls to the left and the brakes shudder!

I love this car, it’s easy to work on and gets around 46-65 mpg. The only thing is people need to remember is to add some kind of diesel fuel additive to the fuel. The new age fuel doesn’t have oil that the fuel injectors need and it will burn them up. I paid 600 bucks for my Golf in June ’11 and put over 8k on the clock. A very low maintenance car.

I got this VW through motability and have now had it for nearly 3 yrs. It is so good that I have decided to keep it another 2yrs rather than get a new car, which I am due in March 2012. The reason being, it gives me 55mpg around town and I have had 70mpg on the motorway. I also tow a caravan and it regularly gives me 47.4mpg when towing. It is so quiet and comfortable, also the power it delivers is outstanding (thumbs up VW ideal).

My best car to date. After doing 285000km there’s no lack of performance and fuel consumption is 14.8km/l on average 135km/h.

I’ve just bought this car. With the cold weather and a cold engine the battery indicator starts to flash and the engine dies off after I push in the fuel paddle in neutral. When the car has heated up the problem does not show up again. It is very cold now in the place where I live about 2ºC.

I love this van, but I have had some serious mechanical issues and its only 2.5 years old. The sliding doors wouldn’t lock as they didn’t fit correctly. The dual mass flywheel went at 50k, but also shook the engine to pieces. Both the engine and flywheel were replaced under warranty. Now at 88k, I parked up today after it had driven fine, but when I later pulled out of the parking space the van started pulling to the left and continues to do so??? So much so you have to steer right constantly with the wheel at 45 degrees. It’s going back to the dealer on Monday! Also the turbo has started to squeak when it spins up. What worrries me now is that I’ve got to keep it for another 18 months. It’s such a shame as it started out as a brilliant and comfy van, but it just hasn’t seemed to last.

I am a taxi driver in Newcastle upon Tyne. I bought my Caddy brand new 1st Feb 2011. As of 13th December I have done 44500 miles. It is a very good drive and my customers often remark how comfortable it is. However, the lack of a spare wheel, spare wheel carrier and jack is a disgrace. The compressor and puncture fluid do not work (I have had five punctures so far and have had to borrow a spare wheel from a friend every time). I now carry a spare in the boot which takes up much room. The clutch has just gone and in 25 years taxi-ing, hitherto in used vehicles, I have never had less than 70,000 miles out of a clutch - usually 100,000+. I suspect this is related to the Dual Mass Flywheel, which the Caddy has and of which I was forewarned before buying it. I am not sufficiently technically clued-up to know why this should be, but let the buyer beware. Also access to the rearmost seats is complicated and I have already had a replacement handle, gas-strut and full rear seat bottom plate under warranty. Note also that the Caddy is VERY demanding of front wheel tyres (12000 miles per tyre). With regard to fuel consumption, I drive almost constantly in traffic and get 30 -32 mpg (It was 35mpg for the first 20,000 miles). The warranty expires at 60,000 miles. I’ll keep you posted.

I have had my car since mid-sept 2011. VW say the mpg should be 72mpg, but I am only getting 46mpg. The car has been in to VW twice, they took the car for a test drive and said they can only get 46mpg and then said the car is running ok. So why are they selling golf 1.6tdi automatic bluemotion tecs at 72mpg when their own tests can not get that mpg? They say it’s down to bad roads and poor weather and bad driving. Well if that is the case then don’t sell VW in England. One good point is the car is great to drive and the road tax is low. My advice is to stay away from eco cars as they’re a waste of money.

Twelve months ago I bought an ’09 Crafter demo model from the main Volkswagen dealer in Limerick City, which gave a few problems at the beginning. These were all sorted by the dealer whose service was first rate, they also extended the warranty for a further twelve months. Will deal with this garage again.

For those who have called it a slow thing; I have had mine for three years and have never had a problem. It is a solid, reliable and refined car and this is my second. It’s got all the gadgets and toys you would find in a luxury car. Like me, buy a 17bhp  and you won’t be disappointed. If you are, well I’m sorry.

We wanted comfort springs, but the wait meant we decided to live with the heavy duty model, the reality of which is still very civilised and it’s good to know I can carry 1000kgs odd in the back. The car has had the door adjusted on driver’s side and that’s it so far. It drives very well for a commercial vehicle. The cabin is a nice place to be and we got the uprated stereo and bluetooth phone which works very well. 100% recommend the reversing sensors and camera as it is a LONG vehicle and the rear vision with a canopy is pretty limited and useless in rain or after driving down dirt roads. Fuel consumption was about 11 l/100kms (9 on long trips) until VW flashed the ECU and now I seem to see regularly 8 - 9 l/100kms in commute and low sevens on a trip, with no discernible reduction in performance post-flash update. It feels unbreakable and the gearbox (manual 6 speed) is very heavy duty and taking some time to free up.

I bought mine last Jan (first reg Dec. 09/59) with 11k on the clock. It’s white so I decided to offset the ’van’ appearance by adding a silver panel to the side and across the back end, also roof rails. It looks so good, I can’t park it anywhere without someone coming for a closer look - car parks, sea front, and it’s never ignored. As for the drive? It’s fantastic, smooth, and powerful; doesn’t slow down for hills and returns 40mpg. My other car (motor caravan) is a T5 with the same engine, that’s how good I think it is. I would recommend to anyone thinking of buying one, don’t think, do it.

The model is great, interior space is roomy and is a good enough family salon car. The electrical part of it is also not bad, however its plagued with too many problems plus as always the parts are very expensive, which is a disincentive. The interior for all its aesthetics is creaky and makes too much noise. The gears to don’t change smoothly after you start changing oils.

I bought this van new, 52 reg, the last type 4 made and had it converted by Reimo into a camper van. It just went and went, never needed any work done apart from regular servicing and of course a new cam belt as per specification, again done on time. VW Cordwallis at Heathrow are superb, they did all the servicing and never ripped us off over anything. This van went all over Europe without missing a beat. I can’t fault it. I did hear from the Cordwallis mechanic that the type 5 had problems from the start and they only just sorted them out when VW went and changed the spec again! But the type 4 is fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone. I would just like to find another one that’s as reliable because I’ve sold this one to get a long wheel base van to convert into a camper with more facilities.

I bought a second hand Caddy with 57,000 miles on the clock in February 2011. I’ve now done 63,000 miles and has it has cost another £1700 just to keep it on the road; a new gearbox, new clutch and new exhaust. This is the fourth VW Caddy I have had and is by far the worst. Lovely to drive when all is well, but what has happened to VW reliability?

Bought my Kombi at 8 months old as an ex demonstrator. Well specced with air con, rear heater, cruise, elec windows etc. I have now covered nearly 70k trouble free miles. I have it regularly serviced and the only things I’ve needed are normal service items, Front tyres last about 30k, and I’ve had other bits and bobs done, but no cluth/flywheel/gearbox problems at all. Versatile, good to drive, fast and pretty economical (I average 33 - 35 mpg of mixed driving, 40+ on a run). I’ve just had a Transit for a couple of weeks and it reminded me why I like my VW so much! This is my 3rd Transporter (2 x T4 and 1 x T5) and I may have been lucky, but they’ve all been excellent. Speak as you find, as they say, and I’ve found them to be the best van on the market.

I bought my Bluemotion because of its good looks, build quality and claimed economy figures. Having driven it for a year it has not disappointed on the first 2 counts, but the economy is nowhere near the claimed combined 88mpg. The consumption did improve after the first 5000 miles, but I typically return 67mpg on a motorway run and 55mpg on an urban type cycle. I since realised that most manufacturers economy figures are based on the most unrealistic European test standards and are not worth the paper they are written on. I drive around 20,000 miles per year and have been really impressed and surprised with the Polo’s cruising capability. Due to the high gearing it is reasonably quiet and very comfortable on long runs. The car does need to be kept in the 2200 to 3500 rev band to keep it moving along in the city and despite reports of its sluggish performance it does manage to keep up with traffic and can be fun to drive at the expense of ignoring the gear change indicator, which is pretty useless and does not account for the cars load or if its going up or down hill. If I could improve anything on this car it would be the headlights, which are very near useless on the Bluemotion when driving on unlit country roads. The new Polo range has 3 headlight variations with 4 different bulb configurations so ensure that you test drive the actual model you want to buy in darkness to check them out yourself. I also switched the tyre repair kit for a full sized spare (again sacrificing some economy) over been stranded with a serious puncture in the middle of nowhere. I have also found that the electric cooling fan seems to go through periods where it will be constantly running and then it settles down for a few weeks. The dealer could not find any fault, but seems efficient and courteous. Finally the horn on this model is feeble and no good on a motorway to let a truck know he is pulling out on you. Overall its a great little car with just a few niggles that would not matter if you just want to use it for the school and shopping run.

Yet another family who will never again buy a VW! We bought ours at 3 years old, just out of warranty period. The previous owner had it serviced at independent garages. The diesel unit failed within 3 months costing £1,800. There was no goodwill gesture as it did not have a full VW service history. The ESP light has recently come on. The usual story as given above. The rear bulbs blow every couple of months also. The VW main dealer servicing is excessive and expensive. It is a good car and engine, when it works, but it is not reliable. We will be getting rid of it for a Nissan.

I’ve only had this a few weeks and have not run it in yet, but so far I am very impressed. It’s civilised, spacious and comfortable, and with the right extras. A great car. I am a kayaker, and leave the back row of seats in the garage, which gives a huge load space. The MPG so far is about 50 in mixed local and distance driving. I love it....even if my 13 year old son thinks it is not "cool"!

Drive one, you won’t believe it’s a 1.4! With the DSG, it’s very smooth and quiet - also quick enough to question, why you would need the 2.0 versions. MPG is diesel like without the torque lumpiness. Far nicer than my last A4. don’t pay a premium price for an Audi, it’s badge engineering!

I have had problems with EGR Valve and other running faults since we bought the car from new. We will never buy another VW. It ’coughs’ and also has a ’hunting’ motion almost as though you are taking your foot on and off the accelerator. VW HQ keep saying it is because it is blue motion, "it is characteristic of that car and that it is to be expected". That is all very well, but when the car cuts out when you are turning on to a busy road and you have a 7 year old child in the back it is very frightening. They say that is "driver error" - NO - it is the car. We feel we have been very badly treated; the car is obviously not a good car and for the money we paid is definitely not worth it. Since we used to have VW camper vans in our youth and never had problems with them we feel that VW have gone backwards.

Best car I’ve ever owned, it’s my first venture with VW after 10+ years with several Ford Focus and I just can’t fault it. The 2L TDi pulls like a train with the six-speed box averaging 52mpg; if I’m really careful I’ve had it up to 65mpg. It took a long time to find one with the GT spec but worth the wait, especially as I didn’t want leather upholstery. The only trouble I had was getting insurance for it as I’m an advanced driving instructor working for the police. I’ll buy another next time around.

I bought this new in 2007. It has great performance and mpg, but with seats as hard as hell. And now to the good stuff: The flywheel went at 30k, it has needed countless cv joints (one only lasted 3 months, genuine vag), the rear engine mounting broke (akin to paper mache), the oil cooler went mixing oil and water(common problem I hear). Next the exhaust gasket between the manifold and turbo went (causing fumes in cabin), the electric window switch drivers door failed.shocks didnt last very long.Inner splines in the gearbox went leaving me stuck on the side of the road. The Ac gave up thanks to a faulty sensor, the engine light came on due to a faulty oxygen sensor. I now have now 137,000 miles trouble-full miles on the clock. From a former VW fan.

A great van! I bought mine last year for €800 and I haven’t lost a cent to it. I know it’s a bit dead and agricultural, but with minor adjustments to the throttle cable (these stretch with time), removing the air filter element (no need where I live) and lubricating the gear linkages and other moving parts it’s giving an acceptable performance. A bit thirsty for high speed runs, but very solid and comfortable to drive. This is my second. I was sorry after my last one, a 1996 1.9td. It gave much the same performance, but lacked the torque of the 2.4. I’m currently tidying it up body wise, but continue to spend very little on it. An excellent van!

Hi all! I’ve had so much trouble with this van, it’s gone beyond a joke, at this stage my DPF filter has gone 4 times! VW have picked up the bill, but I’ve lost 5 weeks of work with this van in the 3yrs I have owned it. There is a major problem with this filter and a total recall should be done. There is a design fault with the filter and us mugs are paying for it. It drinks bucket loads of oil for some reason and as I type this, it’s back in the garage with injector problems. I have not had one year of hassle free driving yet and I don’t think I will as it’s getting older. I want my old Sprinter back please.

I have done 20k in less than one year of ownership. A great car. Economical at an average 55mpg and I have got close to 65mpg and best range was 920 miles with 15 miles left. A huge boot and good interior space. Noisy interior squeaks often though. It is underpowered and needs frequent gear changes at low speeds. The electronic brake is no problem, I always leave it in gear as per the operating manual. To start the car on on a hill you need to press clutch in fully then the accelerator and the car drives with no problems. The 3 dc outlets are great for all mod cons requirements including the one in the boot. At speeds of 80+ (autobahn) the mpg drops to 45, at 90mph this, equates to 37-40mpg not bad for 1.6 tons. Lag in cruise control acceleration noted. Relaxed driving and variations in the lumbar support region ensures a chilled driving experience. Variable service, have got up 18k previously, this appears the norm. Please note when driving hard keep an eye on the oil level! Variable service also is for cars that have not been driven hard. Hope this helps.

We have two Transporters en-fleet, which are unreliable; we have had problems with the turbos, gear boxes and engine failure. The material used in the manufacture is questionable, money saving quality. Getting anything sorted on the VW warranty is a difficult process. I don’t recommend it.

It’s boring to drive.

We have had this van since 80k miles, it has now done 135k miles. We have had it for 4.5 years and it’s been 100% reliable. Only cost us for wear and tear items like tyres, pads etc. Fantastic van. The only negative is that the paint/bodywork is prone to rust. Shame it’s looking dated now but I would buy another to replace it.

A 59 plate that’s needed three steering racks, wheel bearings, oil leaks, dpf. Rubbish! The steering wheel wobbles all the time and I have been told its the new tyres ?? If you have the same and can’t do anymore to sort these problems out get hold of VW customer services and don’t let them off the phone till they get your van centre to sort it. Shouting does work!

Built like a tank, easy to work on and there are numerous parts outlets. Don’t bother with a transit, after all, you always get what you pay for!

I bought my van 3 years ago with 100,000 mls on the clock and it now has 150K on the clock. I’ve no major problems to report, the engine has never given me any trouble and still pulls well. The door handles inside are a bit flimsy and I’ve had to replace a front window mechanism (wind up). The ride is a little hard, but it is a joy to drive on a good piece of tarmac; a lovely van for motorway driving. It can easily be given a bit of a facelift with clear indicator lenses etc. I’m very happy with it. I don’t know if I would buy a t5, my brother had one from new and it had some kind of clutch problem where a hose had slipped off. The garage said it just wasn’t pushed on properly when van was being put together, he only had van 2 days, although a good looking van, tough and very quick (red di). My other brother had a Renault Trafic from new to 100,000km with the air bag light continually coming on the only problem, a very comfortable and well equipped van.

I had a few issues when I first got the van and after a few angry calls to various dealers I got it sorted under warranty. Since then it has run like a dream. You must make sure it has a run on a motorway every couple of weeks, or the DPF will clog up. The van smells of parafin when regeneration occurs. This isn’t a VW fault, European law states that all vehicles must mave this DPF! The cab is a nice place to be, a bit bland, but everything is where it should be and does what it should; I had a Vito before this and could never work out the AC or CL system. I have the 2.5l 174bhp model, and it pulls like a train. On a run (60 miles +) in 6th gear at around 70 mph it will return about 35mpg, drop the speed by 5-10 mph and you will see 40mpg. Around town expect 25mpg, this drops considerably if you floor it everywhere!! I have a SWB version, I can just squeeze 8’x4’ sheets in the back, although if you carrying these on a regular basis I would go for a LWB. Mine has been converted to a 6 seater with windows which really has made it a versatile vehicle. Overall I would recommend it. I would buy another one without hesitation. I know at least 8 other people personally who have these vans in various engine sizes and not one of them has had a problem either ;-)

The car was delivered to me in May 2011 and has so far needed to be towed three times. The first time due to low pressure and fuel pump issues. The second time was due to high pressure and fuel pump issues. The final time was again due to low pressure and fuel pump issues.

I brought my Golf in 2003, it had already done 90,000 miles but good advice from my dad convinced me to buy it and I have never looked back. A great drive, pulls like a train, sounds like a diesel. I drove it through drift snow in the highlands, black ice, heavy rain in the heat of summer, up hills, down valleys. I service every 6,000 miles half and full service. Fuel consumption is 55 to the gallon straight roads and 45 to the gallon around town. I have drove in one run over 700 miles in this car very comfortable and bomb proof reliability on the road. Only downside is VW garages have total rubbish service. My Golf is now at 170,000 miles and still going and just past its 5th out of 8 faults three MOTs in. All in all, an absolutely fantastic car.

Any potential purchasers of a Polo with the 7 speed DSG gearbox should be aware that the gearbox is excessively noisy. VW classify this noise as a "characteristic". I classify it as irritating even after following their advice to "turn the radio up".

Love it. Always wanted one as I’m a surfer and like camping. My van has had a rear seating conversion done and carrys 6 people. Everyone wants to borrow your van when you get one of these. No they’re not as good to drive as a car and yes, they are harder on fuel than a regular car, but as long as you aren’t too image conscious they are the nuts. I put snow tyres on mine each winter (I’ve a spare set of rims the snow tyres live on). I can go anywhere my wife’s Navara can go (almost), I’ve never got stuck anywhere, amazing tyres and the traction control is good also. I have 140,000miles on mine now and the engine sounds great still. Yes stuff breaks from time to time, but this happens in all vehicles. Regularly replacing bushings and drop links, but it keeps the vehicle feeling tight. Get yourself a good cheap mechanic and  treat him well and you won’t get robbed. My servicing has been really reasonable. I get about 530 miles until the fuel light comes on then another 50 if I push it. I’ve a LWB which is handy, but long so I fitted parking sensors which I love, a parrot bluetooth kit (installed myself - its easy and brilliant £50 ebay).This van is highly recommended, but not so if you are picky and fussy about life’s little things.

Fantastic car. I do agree with the dash board rattle problem, it’s very anoying. The car was bought in March 2010 and today has covered 56k trouble free motoring, the only problem being a knock from the near side rear. After complaining at the three services the car had, they have finally changed the rear calipers, carriers, brake pipes and rubber hoses and the knock has gone.

Best car ever. Don’t buy another car, just buy german cars. Passat is my best ever car. I have driven many cars but I decided to buy Passat 2004 1.8t. And yes, this is the car I must drive. I recommend it to everyone who is looking to buy a car.

I am on my 3rd Crafter now. I buy them a couple years old with low miles and have kept each one for a couple of years until they reach about 200/250 thousand miles. I have had very few problems compaired to Transits and Sprinters and I will be buying one again.

I also have had the handbrake release. I got home at 23.40 last night, and was woken this morning to be confronted with a fairly disgruntled neighbour (I don’t blame them) as they were woken at 00.51 by a bang and found my van residing in their garden via a low wall. I’ve been in the motor trade since 16 so nearly 24 years and I believe the problem to be that when the brakes get hot everything expands, when you stop and apply the handbrake and over a short period of time everything cools and contracts thus releasing the pressure on the handbrake and away she goes. I have complained on more than one occasion that the brakes dont feel right, so back to the dealer it goes on Monday.

I don’t know where to start, but here goes! I bought this new, but the last two years have been an absolute nightmare with it being off the road on average every six -eight weeks, mainly with emissions lights. It has also gone through more bulbs than Blackpool Tower. At 3000mls over warranty six weeks ago the water pump went and also the timing belt broke, which will cost over £1000 to repair. I put it in for its service on Tuesday at STRAITON and a pre MOT. Sraiton’s Service dept. phoned to say the service had been done (£285) and had a list of things it needs done to get through its MoT (to quote "as long as your arm!"), which they quoted £3000-£4000 for the required repairs. They said that I have to pay as I am resposible for the MoT on a van that I lease at a cost of over £500 per month. The final straw came today (9/11/11) when the regeneration filter went and will cost £1200 to repair. The van is now off the road indefinitely as I cannot afford to pay for this repair. Now up a creek and stuck without a paddle!

A great van and very reliable even at 90mph all day long. 450 miles to the tank, which is ok and roughly 30mpg everywhere. It’s had no mechanical issues in 55000 miles.

Got this as a hire/replacement while my Trafic is away for accident repairs. Surprisingly the VW feels flimsy, with a worse finished than my Renault. The seats especially are very poor, with a very short seat base offering little support, and tactile quality of the switchgear etc is frankly naff. I really don’t want to spend much time in there. There is a very basic level of equipment on the standard hire vehicle. Cargo space is impressive and useful tie-down points to keep everything under control, but where is the power to move all that load? I can’t find it. The engine and gearbox are smooth as they should be, but seem under-specced for a working van. Sorry VW, but the Crafter will not be on my Christmas list.

I use mine for multi drop parcel delivery in a rural area. I started off with a LDV 200 (sherpa), but I simply do not have the time to list the problems I had. Transit R reg next, good van, reliable but shame about the rust. Next I had a Sprinter, which was again very reliable, but thirsty, and rusted even quicker than the Transit. Next I has a 51 reg Transporter, which was very comfy and a good van but it had niggly problems like door handles, wheel bearings and suspension (mind you, I do open and shut doors more in one day than most folk do in two months, and spend a lot of time on farm tracks I then bought a 2003 Toyota Hiace D4D, which has already done 68k before I took it to 204k in the space of 4 years. It needed 2 sets of front brake pads, 4 front tyres, 2 rear tyres, bulbs and wipers and that is it! A fantastic van! Unfortunately, the company that I deliver for lost a couple of big contracts so the Hiace was much too big, so to save diesel, I decided to get a smaller van and having liked the previous Transporter, went for a VW Caddy as Toyota do not do a smaller van. The Caddy is cheap to run, and nice to drive, but I will stop there. On the first day it broke down due to a fuel pump fuse, a week later the rear caliper seized up, and in the next village the back exhaust box broke off. 2 days later my wipers only work if the van is moving?? Today there is a loud knock coming from the rear suspension. Not very good for 3 weeks of ownership is it? The above may be teething problems, but you cannot run a reliable business without having a vehicle that you can depend upon and I simply do not have the time or patience for this, so I have already decided to trade the thing in against another Toyota. I will honestly be glad to see the back of it.

What can I say? A 28k mistake! This is the first and last T5 that we shall be purchasing. A 1 Star Rating is far too good for the thing. Had the van from new, 1st March 2011 and we have covered 7500 miles and the road noise is horrendous. The dealer has changed the tyres (only after several heated phone calls), but this has not improved it at all. To top it off the driver’s door seal has started to let the rain in; build quality appears to be very poor. For the past 8 years we ran Renault Trafics, which we feel are a far better van and half the cost. Roll on 3 years when we can get shot of the thing.

A great looking car with good acceleration and. However, I’ve barely done 1000 miles in my brand new cc and the dashboard rattles. Also the start and stop technology seems to have died a few days ago and I need to pay a visit to VW in that respect. 27k well spent??? Well, we will see, but mixed feelings at the moment.

Brought a Caravelle Executive from Eurovans in Crawley to replace my T5 174. It’s the top of the range and is really good apart from the heater, which is not up to heating a van in winter. The van has also been in for repair for a leaking factory fitted sunroof for 33 days in the last 8 months. I can honestly say I would never buy a VW van again as the service from VW Head Office and vw Finance has been shocking. The dealer, however, is trying hard and is to be commended.

My lwb 2.5 has 160000 on clock and has had a new flywheel and new drive. I have overloaded it, I’ve had it drawing trailers with over a two ton load on a regular basis. This van has endured serious abuse. I will admit the cup holders are crap and internal door handles fall off and they can be expensive to work on, but I can’t fault them otherwise. I will definitely be buying another one if this one ever stops.

Excellent car and no road tax with 59 mpg, I cannot see myself buying any other car from a Volkswagen.

Had this 5 years now and it’s absolutely brilliant. Never let me down.

Awesome! I had this car from new, the DSG gearbox is a dream! Never thought I would have an auto box (old man gearbox) but oh my god! Move over Vettel, here I come. The car turns heads wherever I go. White is best but the blue looks good too. Wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this car. I would love to try the R model as well. Go on, buy one you know you want too!

I have a 59 Caravelle Exec 174ps DSG. It’s the best car I have ever owned. I’ve had it a year now, paid 28K for it but I wanted a van with warranty as I had heard mixed reports. So far it has run sweet as a nut. It’s great for taking the family on adventures and great for loading up with wood from the DIY store. I tow a cravan with it and it hardly notices the extra weight. Fuel economy is good for a van I think: 33mpg on my 10 mile trip to work, 35-40 on long motorway runs, nearer 40 if not over if I stick to 60. Even with the caravan hitched up I get 30-32 mpg. I do drive it carefully! With 174 on tap if I put my foot down it shifts! My mates love it and can’t believe how superior it is to their T4s.

I am a driving instructor and I use my Golf as my driving school’s teaching car. The first thing I can say about this car is that it certainly does pull like a train, only when you have it in the appropriate gear though because it does lag for 1-2 seconds. But, on the downside, the Recaro bucket seats in the front can become uncomfortable if you’ve been driving for more than 1 hour. Because of the high mileage and the number of students that have driven this car, it has developed a few problems such as; when the car is in 2nd gear, the gear stick will rattle and bounce about. Also, the clutch has a high biting point which is very difficult to find and hold. Contrary to some reviews, the clutch does need to be replaced quite regularly.

I actually work for Volkswagen so it almost goes without saying that I think they’re great. But I genuinely believe this car is the best I have ever driven. I’ve driven nearly our whole range of cars from the Polo to the Toureg and yet I can’t get over how well this car performs! I love it. It pulls very well from any gear with the supercharger and turbo working in perfect harmony to give you a real buzz when driving it. The comfort of the car is outstanding as well. You can drive for endless miles, yet you don’t start feeling uncomfortable after sitting in the same position for hours on end like you do in other cars. Personally I love this car and would recommend it to anyone.

I bought my van with 89000 on it. Just before I bought it the driveshaft had snapped, but I wasn’t awareof this as the garage got it wrong and first of all thought it was the clutch so replaced both items and I bought the van the next day. I did a 500 round trip towing my car only to find it had 1/2 litre of gear oil in so this broke the gearbox eventually. I got a recon and had it repaired and I’ve now been all over the country in it and towed dozens of times and it’s never let me down. I know I can jump in it and drive all day and it will get me back. It now has 115000 on it and hasn’t missed a beat since the gearbox was done around 16months ago. I would get another at some time as it’s good for an all round vehicle. I only buy VAG cars and have only had reliability from them. I’m a happy chappy.

I bought my Golf from a salvage yard with no damage just needed a new lock and engine as it had been stolen then thrashed to the point of engine blowing up! So I put new engine in and have now been driving it for over 6 months now! The only issue I have had is with changing the brake discs and pads! She drives fantastic, pulls like a train, great on fuel and motorway journeys are a dream! I’ve read a few bad reviews and it appears the main gripes are with dealers and their poor customer service, and I have to say that it doesn’t surprise me. I had a 1.6 mk5 Golf petrol that had a gearbox issue and the local dealer was crap! Never once took responsibility and the service received was very below par! However my MK5 TDI has been great and I avoid dealers now as much as possible as they are all as bad as each other!

This van is absolute horse c**p! My company has 2 x08 plate and if one gets a fault it’s a sure bet the other will get the same fault. I’d rather drive a horse and cart. The last straw was when the one I was driving suddenly lost all power GRrrr!!

I’ve got the Caravelle executive. To put it short and sweet: What a great all rounder, not one problem, drives exceptionally well and great mpg. Sounds like you’ve all bought either Friday afternoon motors or night shift motors. Other forums also read the same about other cars/vans/bikes. We have to remember us humans make every machine, make the parts and fit them, plus the worlds not perfect! Just enjoy, at least it’s money well spent.

Arghhhh! Don’t buy a Volkswagen lemon Before you think of spending your hard earned money on a new car, do your research and if you think of buying a VW do your research again and again and again. Then buy another make. I paid £18,000 for a top of the range Volkswagen Touran, in 2006. At 6 months old and it rolled down a hill with the handbrake fully on. At 12,000 miles the front tyres were worn down to the cords; Birmingham Volkswagen, wanted £157 to check the tracking and to tell me they had manufactured my Volkswagen Touran wrong. I took it to a local tyre specialist who charged me £35 using the latest laser equipment. I wrote to Volkswagen Customer Care when the vehicle was 11 months old and they didn’t reply!! That’s how much they were bothered about one of their new vehicles rolling down a hill with the handbrake fully on. On the first service at 15,000 miles I took it to Birmingham Volkswagen, and I asked them to seal a bad oil leak on the gearbox. They didn’t! What they did do was charge me £206 for an oil and filter change, a job I was doing at 16 years of age. For its second service I took it to another local garage who informed me the gearbox was empty! I again took it back to Birmingham Volkswagen, and after a lot of nagging they agreed to have it in to stop the gearbox oil leak, after the next incident I would never use Birmingham Volkswagen, again. About a month after I got my car back from Birmingham Volkswagen, I was traveling up the motorway to Scotland, when a police officer informed me that something was hanging down under the engine; Birmingham Volkswagen had left 2 bolts out and 4 bolts loose that held the sump cover in place, had it dropped down it could have killed us all in the car. Volkswagen UK, and the Volkswagen dealers don’t talk to each other! They don’t keep records so if you go back to them later there is no record of your complaint. Still thinking of buying a Volkswagen? Google VW ABS pump fault, these pumps fail at between 3 and 5 years and for VW to repair them it will cost you, and wait for this, £1,500, yes £1,500. Unless you have won the lottery and can afford the cost of repairs think before you buy a Volkswagen. They are rubbish and the after sales service is worse!!!

To the guy who has 210000 miles covered, mine has now done 310,000 miles and economy just seems to get better! The MOT is due this month and my wife wants a change so the car is going, but how can you sell a car with those miles on? I am prepared to give the car to anyone who promises to carry on running it. I do not have the heart to scrap it and take £150 when it has served me so well, what a motor this has been!

I have replaced the turbo, steering rack, etc. I’ve had so many problems with this van I will never ever buy a VW car/van again. Now it’s out of warranty and a new problem has occured; the engine light is on and the steering rack needs replacing again! The VW Group are telling me it will cost me $15k to fix. Do not buy a VW Crafter!

The vehicle has covered 44,000 miles of light use with 1 main driver. It suffers water leaks into the driver’s footwell and also from the top of door when at speed. Also, the cd player failed after 12 months. Finally the gearbox started making a whining noise. I dropped the vehicle off at the dealer’s for repairs and 3 days later recieved a phone call to tell me the gearbox had been removed and sent off for repair, also the clutch was 40/50% worn and would need replacing (I’ve been in the trade for 12 years). I told them to leave clutch as it’ll probably last a further 40/50,000 miles. They also said the cd player was working fine with no faults apparant (not worked for 12 months), took his word but wasn’t convinced. Five days later I recieved phone call no.2 and was told the gearbox was back and clutch was worn down to indicators and was again advised to replace it (5 days previous it was only 40/50% worn). Again I told them to use old clutch. A further two days later I recieved phone call no.3 to say the water leak was repaired and the vehicle was ready for collection. I went to collect the vehicle only to find the cd player with the exact same fault (only been with them for 2 weeks useless) and now I have to take it back in 2 days. I hope this informs you that standards at VW have dropped on both manufacture and aftersales service.

Excellent!

Well, well, well, I’ m leasing a crafter 09 plate and at first it seemed great. I then had a problem with the dpf; when the warning light comes on you must take it for a drive, preferably on a long stretch of road, normally for about ten miles in 4th gear at 2500rpm (50mph). It works every time but for some reason it didn’t on this particular occasion and it took me nearly 50 miles to get rid of it. The van eventually packed in after a few more times as the dpf was blocked. I got the van to VW Benfield in Newcastle and, to cut a long story short, the turbo had gone so obviously I wasnt getting enough power to burn off the soot in the filter, but that has now been sorted. It’s had an oil leak from the sump and now it’s got a tapping noise coming from the engine; dpf is working fab. Apart from these few problems I wouldnt swap my Crafter, it’s spacious and a nice motor for my job. With regards to the dpf, you just have to know how to manage it and it’s fine.

I have owned a Passatt 1.8 Sport Estate for 8 years. It’s great, still drives like new. It’s covered 175,000 miles. However the Polo is a different story, it’s done 50k and drives like a much cheaper car and is not to the usual excellent VW standard. The Engine sounds like a diesel on low revs and I’ve had to replace a long expensive list of parts. In my humble opinion it does not seem like a VW.

This is my third Gold 1.6 FSI. It is only four years old, but the gearbox sounds like a washing machine with loose change rattling around. Not happy! 

A fine car blighted by annoying "B" pillar clunking and load vibration from the air conditioning pipes when the engine’s under load. Both these problems have eventually been fixed by the main agent. It is now 13 months old with over 7,000 gentle miles on the clock and I’ve been told a new turbo is required. Not very confidence inspiring.

The worst Transporter I’ve owned by far. The Van is currently broken down with broken EGR valve and is waiting to be repaired, as VW have no spare part because so many are failing. The design of the van is great and when it’s not in the garage it drives great, but the build quality is very poor.

Wish I’d never heard of Crafter vans. Bought this one from Heritage VW van centre. Lots of silly problems during its use. Then it failed its first MOT on emmisions. It took about 10 weeks of trial and error before they eventually fitted a new engine. Then we had a spate of warning lights causing us to have to keep having to go back to them for help. Now they say it needs a new steering rack (83000miles) at a cost of £1300+. In my opinion they are pretty unreliable to say the very least.

I’ve had a 2010 van converted to Kombi by after market converter. It’s now much cheaper to run and the van has worked hard in its first year, covering 25K. The T32 gives a hard ride but brilliant at full weight, very comfy to drive and good handling.The T5 is a good product, excellent on fuel and DPF comes on if you use 5% biodiesel ’dirty’ supermarket fuel. Stick to Esso/Shell, etc. I work in Industrial chemistry processes so the DPF problem is here to stay. The van goes well on motorways at full load and the handling is great. My main problem is VW dealer. The problems I’ve had include body scratches, the wrong number plate on front upon delivery and the radio reception is rubbish. If dealer won’t sort it I’ll be writing to VW UK with a complaint under their quality programme as any ISO 9001 firm should sort this properly. Trading standards is always an option!

Bluntly, the worst car I have ever owned, and my past ownership includes an Austin Allegro! I only gave it a "1" becuase I couldn’t give it "0"! I bought this car in February 2010 and took delivery in May 2010. The car never got near to its stated fuel consumption of 65.7 MPG (combined), typically it returned between low 30s and low 40s when driven in mixed motoring (dual carriageway "A" roads and a small component of urban). As fuel economy was a central reason for my purchase decision, this was a "big deal". The car also suffered 3 sensor failures, and spent 2 months at the main dealer out of the last 4 months of ownership with faults and for repeated attempts at rectification of poor fuel consumption. Added to all that, I discovered that the bottom of the rear seat had no trim fitted. When the car was being used for carrying "stuff", you could see an expanse of cream foam with factory idents stamped on it. When I flagged this as a defect; I was shown a car in the main dealer showroom that looked identical. In short, it seems VW is now shipping cars in this condition by design. So much for the "superior" VW trim! With respect to post sales support, I found VW UK unhelpful in the extreme. The dealership was glacially slow (nothing they tried took less than a working week) and didn’t seem to know what they were doing. With regard to the ride of the car, I found it harsh and unpleasant over speed ramps and rough roads. I traded this car in at a little over a year old because I was sick to the back teeth of it. Recommendation: Avoid (like the plague)!

Great car.

I have had the first service done at 29500 km according to the service indicator in the dash. Car is running well mechanically but interior buzzes and vibrations are ruining my ownership experience of the car. Have complained to dealer and I am waiting for their response.

Bought two Crafters a year ago. First thing that went was the idler pully now the turbo has gone. The second van turbo is going the same way. Best thing to do is steer clear, too costy as always something going wrong!

I currently own a 52 plate t4 and I have the chance of a swap for 04 plate t5, after reading these reports I will be keeping the t4, with 191K on the clock and owning for 18 month, only thing I have changed beside the service is water pump and rad, rear discs and pads. Thanks for all your helpful comments.

I have just replaced our 1998 VW Sharan with the new 2010 model, but thought I’d leave my thoughts on the older version. With three kids and a mother-in-law my Sharan was a Godsend. Solid and reliable, powerful (although not a racecar by any stretch). We could switch it from family minibus to minivan by taking out all the back seats - perfect for taking all those garden cuttings to the tip. We had this car all over the country, and into Europe and beyond with no major problems. This was my third Sharan in 12 years (we had a break with an Audi A6 Avant - big mistake) and we’ve stuck with the latest Sharan too. If you’re looking for a good quality family car that takes 7 adults comfortably on long journeys, then the Sharan/Alhambra must be on your list.

Very comfortable, very economical, lovely to drive...however, I have had a lot of trouble with mine. Even now has only 90k on the clock Cruise control broke, Air-Con broke, Gearbox replaced, Rear shocks replaced, Exhaust replaced , Front discs and Pads replaced (Shocks, Exhaust and Brakes) only after 20k. On top of all that, the Turbo has now broken and have been quoted more that £1200 to fix. Lovely van but bitterly disappointed in reliability, wouldn’t spend so much on a van again considering it was more than £18,000 new.

Bought the car second hand with 96000 miles on the clock, service history from independent not had a single problem with it and I drive 2000 miles a month. I keep it maintained and serviced. so what’s all the griping about? Look after it and it will look after you. The wheels and brakes were all changed by VW for the golf R32 type and handles a lot better, so I’m told by VW themselves. So now at 120k and still no problems after inspection by VW independent garage.

Had a Sprinter from new, thought I would give VW a try so got the Crafter lwb. Should have stayed with the Sprinter!

Have had a 2009 mwb shiftmatic for 19months, now done 95k. Had diff oil leaks, turbo replaced, power steering pump replaced, belt tensioner replaced. Both VW Commerical dealers in Perth are pathetic, have to self diagnose the faults to get it repaired properly. Last VW Crafter for me, has been a disaster with so much down time.

I took delivery of the Passat CC GT 2.0 TDI in March this year. The car has the DSG gear box which is absolutely superb given that I am disabled. It is not ideal in relation to getting in or out, given the nature of my disability, but I am prepared to forgo this given that it looks superb, is a dream to drive and it is so well equipped with the superb leather seats and all the other standard equipment. The engine is excellent as is the ride quality. The only one criticism I have is the sat nav, it does not accept post codes with 5 or more letters which is a pain. Yesteday I had to go to Hyde in Cheshire. I set the nav with the Town and the street but I finished driving everywhere except getting to my destination. However that said I would certainly recommend the car for style, comfort, performance and equipment.

Very disappointed after all the hype from the motoring journals telling me how good the car was. Seems solid and well built however dreadful road noise on coarse surfaces, woolly gearchange and far too easy to stall the car - no power just off idle. After 19k miles the timing chain jumped seven teeth (!) and blew the engine. Would I get another? No.

Bought 18mths ago with 147K on the clock. Now has 160K and a new MOT and six months tax. The thing drives so, so well and just keeps going. It has a FSH and is a real pleasure to own/drive. You can poke your Fords etc, the T5 is the one to own. Mine is the very, very rare twin sliding door version and is just superb. My issue is that I really don’t need the size anymore and could probably do with downsizing but don’t know to what. I doubt there’s much out there with the Kudos and drive of a T5 and, even though it’s loaded up, still hits 40mpg around town!

Bought this van new in 2006, Best Van I have ever had, goes like the proverbial s*** off a stick! was good for 125mph but got cold feet after that, and the engine was still gunning for more. Cost a mint at £22k, but can honestly say was worth every penny. Had a T4 and was the biggest pile I had ever had and vowed I would never buy another VW, but bought a Ford Transit to replace it with and that was just as bad, drivers seat back collapsed and was on the 4th seat when I sold it after 3 yrs, was delivered with a seam not welded in the roof and Ford garage couldnt find where the water was coming in, eventually I found it, then needed a fuel pump. I moved onto the T5 and as I say great van, the only downside was it didnt like tyres, fronts were replaced at 12k religiously. Mpg for a van this size wasn’t bad and returned 28 round the doors and 32 on a long run, I suppose if I hadnt enjoyed driving it too much and kept my foot off the gas could have done better, was written off in December. Was going to replace but insurance company offering very poor settlement, so can’t afford £24 + vat to replace, don’t know where I go from here, :-(

Have done about 24000 km in the last 8 months car is very easy on diesel showing an average of 4.4 liters per 100km now that the weather is getting warmer. Have had 2 punctures which fortunately the pump supplied with the car was able to inflate. There is no spare tyre. Apart from a stone getting caught in a front brake disc the only thing that has broken was one of the stays supporting the rear parcel shelf they are a bit flimsy. Overall very happy with the car.

I had this car a few years ago and it was very reliable and nice, only breakdown I had was a gearbox which is their main weakness. It cost me good money to repair. Very solid to drive, feels like driving a bigger, wider car.

This is a top car, good quality all-round with a great range of technology and gadgets. Great sturdy car drive, very quiet engine.

Bought 104ps, 20k on the clock, now on 85k, regular service with private garage £150, good on tyres, get about 43mpg, drives like a car. I previously had a Transit Connect, found it heavy on fuel but a good van. Would definetly buy another Caddy although expensive to buy new. P.S. Halfords sell replacement mirror glass £10, £50 with VW!

The Passat is a great car to drive, why does every single person have one every corner I turn I see a Passat, so they must be good cars? So I decided I need to buy one cause my old Lexus, is200 which I loved had to go cause it loved to drink. The first drive of the Passat felt very stiff the gears, the seats, the steering, I thought I was driving a tank, in my dreams. But I knew it was safe family car and I thought it will be more safe but still watch out for the seats, I hate the seats, everything else about car the looks great over all. Buy one, you will save on fuel only on long drives.

Got my first VW ever 3 weeks ago, a brand new Tsi 1.4 match, which I was able to get under motability and so far I am very pleased with it. It has all the toys parking sensors, dab radio, 6 speed gearbox etc, and is a very smooth quiet driving car, in fact at traffic lights I found that sometimes I had to look at the rev counter to make sure the engine was actually running!! I’m not doing big mileage, but on a run to my brothers last week of 230 miles it showed how refined it was with the cruise control making for a very relaxing drive. When I picked up the car at the dealers and the salesman was showing me how it all worked he mentioned the glove box being cooled when the aircon was on, I jokingly said it will keep my bottles of beer cool and he opened the tray between the seats and showed me the VW marked bottle opener inside!! Any gripes? Few that are VW’s fault; the seating is much lower that my old Focus C-Max, but the golf’s seats are supremely comfortable for my spine, in fact the only irritating thing is the light on the dash that shows an arrow telling you when to change up or down gear, but a small sticker over it cured that. would I recommend one? Absolutely although not cheap by any means, mine came out at over £18,000, but the quality is very much there and well worth the wait.

I have had my Crafter nearly 3 years now and only been in VW once and won’t be going back there. £75 an hour for labour from arrogant stuck-up staff made sure of that. It has just started to give me a glow plug light and goes into limp mode. Once it is switched off and back on again, it stops. If anybody else had this problem or has any clues what the problem is, email jammawdz[at]aol[dot]com

Hey guys. I brought my Crafter late 2007 and initally I loved it. It’s now 3 and a bit years down the track and I couldn’t count how much has been spent on it. It does high milage has 431402 km on it now and in that time it’s has had 4 turbos, 4 vacuum pumps, the rear differential has been rebuilt twice, it’s had I think 3 steering racks, the wipers now don’t park most of the time and just jump about and also has a major rust problem. It’s gutless, the ecu got wet as it’s behind the headlight and had to be replaced, the a/c blower has been replaced, the list just goes on. I have been fortunate in that the local dealer is very good and they pull parts off new vans to keep me moving and it has only had two days off the road and they have gone to battle with the local importer who has paid for a lot of the work and parts but overall I’m becoming very disappointed with the van and it’s unfortunate that VW have had their reputation tarnished by mostly Merc parts that are total c**p.

It’s a 57 plate and is amazing! Lots of low down torque and mated to a 6spd manual. It’s a sexual car.

The Volkswagen Transporter is a great solid van. I bought mine at VW Scunthorpe where the sales rep spent nearly two hours going through the details and answering all my questions. Great after sales service too, can’t fault it in anyway. Great van with high seating position so it’s even easy for the wife to drive. Reversing sensors are a godsend. My wife can now reverse without worrying about blind spots. I wouldn’t swap it for anything else. I was advised by a sales rep to go for the 84ps or the 120ps as the higher specs have more gadgetry, hence more chances of things going wrong.

After much persuasion from my husband, we bought this car. All I can say is what a lovely car and after the winter we have had, it has been a godsend. The tyres haven’t been an issue at all! Driving this car, you feel safe and for my peace of mind I know my son is safe. The amount of gadgets and cubby holes is great. This I have to admit is the best car ever! Such a smooth ride makes me wonder why I hesitated so much.

I’ve had mine for seven years and with regular servicing, I’ve had no major trouble. I could have used rear parking sensors but it’s a feelgood car and I’ll be sad to see her go. I would recommend the windshield for motorway driving which I wouldn’t have been without.

Our crafter is now four years old having covered only 26k it now needs a new vac pump at a cost of £400. A year ago after a long battle with Benfield van centre it finally received a new steering rack under warranty they tried to fob me off with a b******t story about air in the rack system. It also suffers with a violent judder on the clutch, which again Benfield Van Centre of Stockton were not interested in dealing with whilst the van was under warranty, but now that it’s out of warranty they are prepared to investigate. I took the van to Benfield van centre this morning for a service, whilst talking to a salesman about my experience with our van he practically told me that they were not interested. PLEASE DO YOURSELVES A FAVOUR AND DO NOT BUY A CRAFTER, THEY ARE TROUBLE!

The best looking and most comfortable interior of any car at the price. The car also irons out potholes better than an ambulance. The gearchange is so smooth and the clutch so soft you are unaware of them. However, the engine is very noisy and on hills or low gears the car sounds like one of Eddie Stobart’s lorries. I recommend constant muzak or ear plugs. The 1.2 engine is far too small for the overgrown body and struggles in hilly areas. The car is quiet on motorways and long distances can be covered without fatigue. This is a hard to love car if you want " Performance," perhaps investigate the 1.4 engine for more guts. I’m getting rid but I’ll miss the beautiful interior.

Have run old shape VW with no problems, new crafter is a pile of rubbish; dpf light always on, key problems, get a horse and cart instead.

Great car when it’s working as it should. Lots of power and torque in every gear. The Diesel Particle Filter DPF is useless especially when driving around town. At an urban speed 30-40mph the exhaust doesn’t get up to the correct temperature for the carbon deposits to burn away so after a while it blocks and a sensor sets off a dash warning light and you either drive like a mad person to ’solve’ the problem or go to VW to resinate it for you £109+ vat. Even a VW tech told me the DPF is not designed for city driving or low speed driving!! My pal has this problem with his 2011 Golf too!! overall 3/5 is being nice Probably wouldn’t buy another VW especially a diesel.

I’ve had a crafter for the past 6 months, good van if being used over long distances, otherwise the dpf is a nightmare. Nobody at VW seems to care about the problem, the only response from the dealer is that it’s a common problem!?!! would not buy another due to many other faults, but have become very friendly with the RAC since I have seen them so much due to recharging the particle filter!

Decided to get the new T5 in 2010, never had so many problems with a vehicle!! Diesel particle filter first, drive shaft on drivers side spun the bearing taking out gearbox end, problems with radio reception, been back into Leicester VW 3 times for that problem. Van was in Leicester for 6 weeks over Christmas waiting for drive shaft. Now radio packed up altogether and particle filter light on dash came on again tonight. I hate it!! I want my Vivaro back.

I bought this van 3 years ago with 41K in the clock. Now it has 60K on it. New toothed belt just been fitted. Never had any problem, it goes through on MOT`s without any problem. The dual mass flywheel just became a bit noisy. It`s gonna cost around £700-£800.

I bought the car which is a Passat SE TDI 140 Auto 2007 just over a year ago now with about 60,000 on the clock. It’s not been a bad car to drive until problems start to occur. It’s now in the garage having a new injector put in; driving on the motorway no warning whatsoever the engine cut out completely shutting down everything in the car. This certainly is not SAFE driving and costly at just over £800 to have the injector put in and am told this is a common problem with the new diesel engines. Not happy at all.

I bought my Passat 1.9 estate for the fuel economy having traded in a Landrover TD5, wow 0n motorways 60mpg is the norm and I don’t drive slowly, on the autobahn in Germany at 75mph I was getting 70mpg. Comfort and space is exceptional, I have heard horror stories about the electronic handbrake but so far so good. Best car I could recommend for a family.

I bought the car in 1994 with 15000 miles on the clock. It has cost me a couple of new exhausts. A few sets of tyres,( normal wear and tear). two new batteries, and three springs. One set of back brakes, one set of front discs and two sets of front pads. New fuel tank, wiper blades etc. THAT’S OVER 17 YEARS. It’s a 1300 and is quite nippy on the country roads and too easy to break the law on the motorways!! It gets a yearly oil change but never uses oil and gets a good clean up and polish now and again- especially for the MOT. It has failed twice , due to me not spotting a broken front spring, and then two years later the same spring!!! I have had a few rusty holes in the sills repaired, touched up rust on the doors and damage done with stone chips. It is getting to be one of the oldest cars in West Yorkshire and looooong in the tooth ?? But it is 99.9% reliable, always starts even in the very cold winters we have had in the last few years and despite it sitting out in the open. I have been looking at the new Polos but I’m not convinced with 3 cylinder engines and thin timing chains. Still looking into them. Besides, my old car is easy to service and repair. I know it doesn’t have central locking, heated wing mirrors, electric windows, power steering, a light in the boot, ABS brakes etc, but if you haven’t got them, they can’t go wrong!!!! I will keep looking at the new models but I’m certainly not in a hurry to spend £12000+ on a new one.

While they perform well, are economical and sized just right they are unreliable and extremely expensive to fix. Mine needed a new clutch at 120,000Km and that cost $2,500 to fix (and that was the cheaper single plate clutch). When I traded it I was quoted $4,000.00 to fix the airconditioning (for the second time), rear brakes, shock absorbers and CV joints. Paint coming off radio buttons window switches and both side arm rests. Reading stories from other Australian Caddy owners show that mine has been no worse than many others out there.

I’ve had a very funny relationship with my beloved polo. I adore it, but it hates me. I have easily spent over £2,000 on repairs in the last two years on a new gear box, clutch, drive shaft, front suspension, countless coil packs, cambelt, and what feels like 1 million litres of oil (oh it drinks oil like I drink beer!) So it’s in the garage, a lot, it might just be mine, but I have read a lot of forums about faults with Polos of this age, especially warning light problems and issues with the EPC, so be careful! However, when it’s running, it is a joy. It’s fast, holds the road like glue, is comfortable on long journeys, easy to park, has a fantastic stereo and feels altogether very solid (probably because underneath mines brand new!). The cabin feels very spacious and the fabrics and plastics do not feel as cheap as other small cars. In all, it’s an epic little car when it wants to be. If you go for the sport, make sure the owner list isn’t too long like mine, who knows how they have driven the thing!

It’s a sh*t car.

I operate airport transfers and the vehicle a T5 (T30) has 400,000 miles. I have had the engine rebuilt, new turbo, starter motor replaced. Offside drive shaft replaced four times. Clutch and mass flywheel replaced. I had a bent camshaft and was told wrong oil used but this was not the case as it is serviced rgularly with correct oil etc. I had that fixed and three weeks later the engine seized solid. So if you are thinking of getting one maybe you should think again? By the way the local dealership is cr**p!

Bought the van new 2005, great for first 15k then noticed noise coming from steering and misfire around 2000rpm. Left van in for first service and faults. Well you wont believe what happened next. I was told to collect van following day and was made wait from 5pm till 7pm for them to finsh working on van. Left the garage and noticed there was no power steering, the engine wanted to jump out of the van and all the warning lights were on the dash. I rang VW Ireland and complained, I had the van towed back to garage and it was there for four months, flywheel broke up, fuel filter broke up and the subframe dropped down! I explained to VW that I would not accept that van back as the engine was completely stripped down to the block, they promised that the van would be 100% and extended the warranty by one year. well that was just the start of it, the van was back every few months with the same problems. noise from steering, idle would shoot up to 1500rpm, burning oil 1ltr per 5000klm loosing coolant, water leaking into cab, misfire from engine @ 2000rpm, it would take six weeks to book the van in to a VW garage the van would be in for as much as a week some times and nothing would be done, all the problems still there when collected, and I would be made wait another six weeks to book it in again. edventually after the diesel pump coming loose and breaking I left the van back with VW in 2008 and I am currently suing them under the sale of goods act and for loss of earnings. My family all drove VW for many years and trusted them, but all three vehicles have had problems from 2002 on and VW warranty are not nice to deal with. All driving Fords now with no complaints.

This car is fantastic to drive.

Fantastic car, 2ltr, 6 speed, 50mpg easy, well made, loads of room even with 7 adults, very impressed!

I have had my van for a year now. It was bought new as a replacement for a trusty old T4 that had finally given up. I have done 13,000 miles in the first year with no problems whatsoever. It has been absolutely superb in every way. I travel over to France every now and then and so fuel economy is important as I live in the south of Scotland. I can get to Rennes and back on one tank of fuel - brilliant. The cab is a comfortable place to be on a long drive and performance is excellent. I can not recommend this van highly enough.

Took delivery of the Passat CC GT 170 in September 2010. I have now done 6,000 miles and still smile when I get into the car. My previous two cars were 320 BMW’s and whilst the BMW is a fantastic driver’s car the Passat is equally as enjoyable to drive and performance and economy are good. The handling is excellent and equipment spec’s(most of which are standard) are far better than the BMW without paying a fortune to BMW for a similar spec.The styling and looks mean that you are frequently stopped in the street and asked about the car but even more suprising is that people don’t know what the car is. Given that the CC GT is a significantly diffent car to the original Passat VW have possibly missed a trick by not launching it under a different name.

Traded my Vauxall Vivaro in for this, to be honest it was probably a backward step, the main problem with these is the diesel particle filter had to have a regeneration on it, what a pile of rubbish that is, all the main dealer say is you have to rev the bo.....ks out of it and the light will go off, its thirsty as well you always seem to be at the pumps, as far as jct 600 main dealer goes they just want your money and its bye don’t come back. Summary: overpriced, dated now, and I won’t be buying another.

My van is 10 months old now and, apart from taking it back to have sportline wheels fitted because the ultra efficient Germans altered the brake calipers so they wouldn’t fit without retro spacers, and then taking it back to have the sliding door gear panel refitted and resprayed, it’s been good. The van can really shift with that big engine and it’s streets ahead of my old Hiace (05 plate). Overall its good and the flexibility of seats in for children then seats out for joinery work means I don’t have to buy a 4 wheel drive big car to achieve the same results.

Just reading these reviews seems like only the moaners post notes. We have two crafter vans which we use on a daily basis around the UK. Both vans have been totally reliable and quite economical when taking into account the body size.

Best deilvery van I’ve had in 20 years.

My previous car was a a big VW Golf Plus 1.6 FSI , which was very comfortable and I thought fast, but the tax was going up rapidly to nearly £200 a year, until I exchanged it for the smaller Polo (downsizing). I have saved money already, even the tax is only £35 a year because it’s the 1.4TDI (S version with no extras), which is still relatively rare in these parts of the country. I was totally surprised at the acceleration of this tiny diesel power unit, much sprintier than the Golf Plus petrol. Although a smaller car, it is still comfortable and can sit at the wheel for almost 2 hours without feeling tired or sore. If I sit at 60mph, the fuel needle hardly moves and could probably do about 500 miles on a full tank at that speed. I would recommend the 1.4TDI, if you can source one. I found from the service dealer that there are two service intervals, 10,000 and 15,000, they say it’s got to do with your driving habits.

I purchased my California camper from a dealer here in Auckland NZ. It had 40,000km . I have since had it in the garage for a lot of its life, 3 months. The manifold has had to be replaced, cracked. Appaerntly they are defective in this 2.5TDI 175 BHP model. Not according to the VW company though. The electric side sliding door is in the workshop for about the 4th time now and again tomorrow to try to get it sorted out from not opening and closing properly. So far the dealer is footing the bill and should do so at this low kilometers. I have lost total faith in it and will sell it on and finally go to an Asian, Korean, Or Japanese made vehicle. I am getting sick and tired of buying European and having things always going wrong with them . I love the way they drive but Reliability is non existant. I have owned 19 European cars in 18 years and most were very unreliable. This is my third VW Transporter. THe first Autosleeper, bought in Britain and was shipped around the World with us on our 80,000 mile travels. Fantastic except the Harmonic Balancer was defective at 80,000 km. The 4 Motion VW 2.5 tdi I last had approx 4 months ago was good but only had 3500km on it before I sold that, only in the Garage once for a fault. Good luck all you Transporter and European owners.

In all my years of driving I have always (but of one Ford) driven a VW. This was because I held viewpoint that German enginering is tops and German cars have no match for reliability and solid engineering. How wrong was I with this car! At 83,000 miles the dual mass flywheel has gone and requires a replacement, only 4 months after the dealer warranty ran out (how do they time that so well?). To say that I am grievously disappointed would be understatement of note - a reliability catastrophe of this magnitude on something as basic as a flywheel? The dealer garage said its a common fault on the 1.9TDi models and manifest after a few years. Great! So who knows what faults manifest on the new VWs that you buy today? With my wife’s Mercedes suffering an aircon failure (£1000 plus repair bill) I am deeply disappointed in German cars and I am wondering where to turn to next.

My 2008 2L SDI Caddy is noisy, has poor performance and poor fuel consumption compared with other vans I have owned. Having said that it it a well built workhorse that holds its value well.

I bought my ’V’ Reg Bora 1.9 TDi 110 SE out of England in June 2000, the car was registered in December 1999. It’s been a fantastic car up until recently, with 128k on the clock the turbo has died on me, the battery can hold it’s charge, there is a knocking noise coming from the front driver side wheel, I had to fit 2 new rear shock absorbers and the central locking system (That has been messed up for ages). Another thing I found is that the build quality isn’t the best. The dash rattles a lot and there seems to be a jingle coming from under the dash somewhere. Lots of panels have come un-done and the seat fabric stitching has all split leaving exposed padding and foam. The car was fine but it’s near time for it to meet the scrapyard. It’s my work car so I really only use it to drive 20 miles per day to and from work.

Volkswagen’s new Polo with the 70PS 1.2 litre three cylinder engine is one of the few small cars that doesn’t make you hunger for big engined poke and refinement. While far from being the hottest of small hatchbacks, it makes big speed figures seem supernumerary - so complete is its performance in other areas. Getting into a Polo is always to be reminded of what a finely honed piece of work it is. Shut the door and experience that nicely weighted ’thunk’; examine the quality fabrics and plastics; experience the damped action of the controls: it all inspires confidence. And with plenty of room, excellent visibility plus that cohesive air of understatement, a maturity and pragmatism is brought to small car motoring. High fashion has not subverted basic function here so it’s no surprise that all its winning features led to the Polo being voted ’Car of The Year’ in 2010. Now, thirty four years on and in its fifth generation, it is more technically advanced than ever - and it’s bigger too, bearing strong resemblance to the sixth generation Golf and clearly appearing to be one of the new Volkswagen family. But it’s also lighter than the previous model: and that has contributed to improved economy and lower emissions. I’ve rated the Polo for years; and still do - even though the competition has grown significantly tougher. It’s one of those small cars that fits easily and comfortably into today’s motoring picture, however strenuous and constrained life on the road becomes. Available with a choice from petrol or diesel engines and with three or five doors, in four trim levels and with prices ranging from £9,995 for the 1.2 litre 3 door S, to a frightening £19,410 for the 5 door 1.4 litre GTI with the renowned DSG gearbox, there’s a Polo to suit just about everyone who wants a car in that segment. The well specified SE five-door model tested, with the 1.2 70PS three-cylinder engine was high on comfort, convenience and safety - but initially I had reservations about that small engine. Frugal with the fuel it surely is at nearly 52mpg overall, but a top speed of just 103 mph and that ridiculously irrelevant 0-62 mph time of many seconds, paints a picture of lethargy. I’m pleased to be able to report that it is far from lethargic. That sense of integrity and solidity mentioned earlier is detectable on the road too. The Polo feels like a car you can trust making for relaxed driving. Light controls, a good driving position, an engine and slick gearbox that gel perfectly, plus responsive and secure handling make it stable and surefooted and a rewarding car to drive quickly. ’Quickly?’ I hear you ask. Well, I’m pleased to be able to report that 80 mph on a motorway is effortless. There’s some gruffness under hard acceleration, but when you throttle back to steady cruising all is quiet and refined. With the new Polo, aspects, which left room for improvement, have been addressed with intent. The choice of priorities has been astute and that splendid Polo character has, thankfully, continued intact.

Well, having had the vehicle since ’99, it has 160000 miles currently on it. so was thinking of changing for a newer verion, I was just checking the reviews on the newer T5’s. To be honest, the troubles and obvious expense that those guys have incurred by owning the new ’improved’ version, I think I may just run my old girl as long as I can, as there doesn’t seem to be an alternative! The problem I have is that there haven’t been any major problems, apart from expected wear and tear. It’s sure as hell no race car, but it is certainly reliable and cheap to run.

I bought this Transporter shuttle minbus new in 2006 and from day one was an absolute headache; electrical faults galore, oil leaks, when the warranty ran out. I’ve replaced the turbo, intercooler, clutch and flywheel, power steering pump, drive shafts, you name it I’ve replaced it! I even replaced the engine at 157000, at a cost of £4000 at VW dealer, however I didn’t use the dealer from which I bought it, their after sales service was terrible. Avoid Transporters and avoid Donnelly Motor Group in Northern Ireland.

Work supplied for my job, very disappointed, brand new and faults galore! Airbag fault, driver’s door wouldn’t unlock whilst spare key in ignition defrosting cab on cold day, aux socket not working on radio to run mp3, radio reception intermittent permanently, gutless engine, rang Leicester van centre for help getting vehicle unlocked, they never phoned back!! Managed to unlock myself after an hour, I thought VW were supposed to represent quality? Avoid, c**p all ’round.

Bought my Volkswagen 2.0 Tdi 140Bhp 2006 a year ago. After 3 months the fuel injector failed whilst driving on the motorway, really dangerous, while driving on fast lane as car stopped still, cost me £800. Now the driver door is not opening. Good drive plenty of room in the car, but costly repair bills are downside.

Bought my ex-demo Golf 2.0 TDi 140 on December 2008, by December 2009 it had a new clutch, flywheel, air con unit and instrument unit for speed ometer etc.. I wish I never bought it in the first place, VW customer services are apalling! I found the dealer quite rude/ in your face when I confronted them about the problems. I know a few people who have bought a Mk5 Golf and have also experienced problems but after reading all the reviews and videos on What Car I thought it would be a good choice, HOW WRONG WAS I! It makes my old Renault Megane look reliable, and that didn’t ever have problems as big as the Golf! After reading reviews and hearing problems from other I will most definitely never buy a VW again.

Best van I have owned, I have the short wheel base model and you can fit a full sheet of plasterboard flat above the wheel arch’s so you do not have to take your gear out. I have the factory steel bulkhead fitted as well, I test drove the 140ps model and found this van very fast, in fact too fast for van. The 102 is very good, not as good 0-60 but perfect for van, the engine has lots of torque and it pulls very well at higher speeds, unless you want to carry heavy loads or be a boy racer then this engine is great. I would advise having rear parking sensors fitted and the s pack. The only negative thing I have to say about the van is the stereo is to far away from the driver so get the steering controls. Also, if this van had 6 speed and another 15hp it would be the perfect van.

Mine was 3yrs old when I bought it. From the word go nothing but trouble. 2.4 engine type. Had it for 5 yrs. Got it serviced twice a yr and looked after it well and still had problems. 2.4 is useless on road trying to pass out anything. I’ll never buy VW again, ever. Have a Nissan Primastar now, far better van.

Very comfy car, plenty of power. It has done 205,000 miles, but still drives like new. Only 30 mpg, which is a bit of a down side, but it is safe, reliable and quick.

I have this car from 6 months old and is now at 70000 miles. First I had a problem with the dpf filter, which blocked and made the car go into in limp mode, I spent £2000 to replace it. After 1 month it had problems with the gearbox which is tiptronic; when I change gear it jerks three times then drives ok. Even if I rev gear or change gear the same thing happens.

I’ve owned this 20 months. It had only covered 22k when I purchased it. It’s had a new fuse box and two new engines, the first engine had only covered 29k, the second had only covered 17k.. biggest load of c**p I’ve ever bought. All work has been carried out at VW, as cost a small fortune.

I bought a VW Touran Sports TSI in 2006. Only done 43000 miles and the engine burnt out. There is a fault on this model. Vw refused to do any goodwill at all. I will never buy any VW in the future. If you have one get rid of it at soon as possible. It will brake down at anytime.

Only had eight months and already looking to get rid of first problem with keys had to be replace and reprogramed and that was the fist 2 months then last week #2 injecter went at a cost of £500 to replace and the car stopped dead on a busy road, major safety issue I think VW! I dread to think if I was overtaking a lorry and this happened. I will not buy another VW.

I’ve owned my Touareg from new since 2006. I can assure you that it is absolutely a reliable motor, yes its quite heavy on fuel, but comfort and space its a luxury vehicle, I will definitely buy a second. I’ve driven a two year old Range and it rattles, which I found out from a Range Rover owner it’s a common fault with all models that their drive shafts are not that good.

Hi, I have a mark 5 golf gt tdi 140 all (mark 5 golf tdi) these cars suffer really terribly for turbo failures. Spoke to a vw tech and he said they were fitting 3 to 4 turbos a week and also they keep the parts in stock. What I have being told is you get a police siren sort of noise and then it eventually goes, very expensive job. The turbo is not big enough for the car, this should be a recall and all fitted foc by VW UK.

The polo 2000 1.4 engine Automatic gear box has been nothing but problems from day one when I bought it new. The service in Greece is unreliable and the company overlooked my problems from the first day bought. All in all I paid double what this car is worth in repairs alone. It is loud although yes reliable and safe but just not worth the trouble. It is a complicated little car!

Bought car 2nd hand previously a lease car. I think its great both for comfort and performance. The dreaded ESP light got us, checked out by an indi mechanic with diagnostics found it needed a ABS pump. Wrote to VW customer services who said get it to a VW dealer for diagnostics and we see what we can do. Did all of that and then they said no complete VW service history so no can do anything. Asked to speak to a manager who then said 75% off the bill, maybe I should have stuck out for more but I am greatful So stick in there and give it your best shot

Bought van in 2007 from VW Hereford, have have no problems apart from the vibration noise that occurs now and then when changing gear (Sounds like I’ve got a cow under the bonnet). I did get shunted in London and had VW fix the damage, as a result I have a new back door but now the side door doesn’t like opening first time. Hmmm. Van is having it’s first MOT today so hopefully it will pass with flying colours. Maybe it’s just me but most of you guys have bought the higher PS models of the transporter and had alot of problems, where I’ve got the 84ps version, which has had no problems really.

Bought new 2001. Driven over 135,000 miles by now. Apart from 9,000 interval services and the usual mileage related work - new cam belts @ 60,000 miles etc. only had to replace two electric window parts @ £130 a go, both driver’s and passenger’s front windows failing in the last couple of years. Got to be the most boring car in the world but it’s cheap and reliable and not showing its age at all inside. And it cruises as easily as ever in the fast lane of the motorway along with the bigger cars. Surprisingly big luggage capacity because the back seats fold forward and you can actually get a wardrobe in as long as long as it’ll fit under the back shelf. Not bad for a saloon!

Having considered a Honda Civic Ctdi, I bought a Golf GT Sport with DSG gearbox, since the car felt more solid and heavier. The doors close with a satisfying cluck. Centre console has an armrest, large cup holders, and the door bins are massive. Large enough to hold a 1.5 litre mineral water bottle. The leather seats are very comfortable and the heated seats a godsend in cold weather. The gearbox is amazingly slick under full acceleration and the gear changes are lighting quick. However when the car is coming to a rest, the change down is less smooth, and you feel a sudden jolt. Same same jolt is felt when pulling off, this is overcome only by a very gentle left foot, so much so would be a nuisance to other drivers following you. The diesel engine is unrefined, noisy, intrusive, not too different to a transit van. The constant drone of the diesel is somewhat overwhelming. I normally arrive at destination rather flustered, I wish I had bought a Honda Civic.

A great family vehicle but it does have weaknesses that need sorting; the ABS system as on other reviews and in my opinion the gearbox/clutch is weak. Although VW claim that it is not common, my gearbox exploded after 33000 miles causing major disruption to traffic, the vehicle was completly immovable, had this happened on a motorway the situation would have been life threatening! The cost was enormous;the vehicle was out of warranty and it took many hours of discussion before VW agreed to pay 60% of cost. What was more annoying was their refusal to investigate the cause. It was suggested that I pay for the investigation and if the fault was found to be VW then they may reimburse me the cost of inspection! It is now a concern that this may happen again! On top of all this the dealer had the vehicle back 4 times before they managed to get the new gearbox fitted correctly! Now the locking mechanism has failed, the boot releases as soon as you unlock the doors and you need to drive the vehicle with the boot undone....how much is this going to cost I wonder? A great car spoilt.

Had this van 4 months ago having previously had the 2007 130 4 motion. Not as punchy as the 130 and has to be driven hard. Awful for towing no guts at all. Good mpg, but the build quality is also poor, lots of rattles from the dash and the radio doesn’t pick up any decent signal. £26k with a few extra’s wish I had gone for something different now! To add insult to injury these vans can not be re-mapped without VW knowing as the ECU has to be opened up, typical!!

We love this car. Have had Golfs before and almost chose a Golf again this time but then saw the Plus in the showroom, took it for a test drive and fell in love. The extra height is great, it is easier to get in and out, gives you a feeling of security because you are up higher than the normal Golf, has so many refinements I’ve not yet worked out what they all after a year :) I don’t care that people say it costs more than a standard Golf and won’t hold it’s value as well. I want the comfort and pleasure now, not a few hundred quid extra in 3 years time :) Lovely car, lots of room and the sliding rear seats are great, more room for the hounds.

This is my 1st Transporter and I bought quite a high spec van. Medium roof wth 180ps Bi-turbo. Very disappointed with the high level of road noise in the cab and not as torquey as I’d of thought it should be! Anyone any suggestions/comments? Thanks.

Bought the van from a local VW van center at six months old, it had 7,000 miles on the clock. In three years I clocked the van up to 94,500. The van was serviced every 10,000 by a local garage not VW and i have never had any trouble with it. I have never had any issues with the turbo or any pumps this van was fantastic. Very very nippy and looked stunning with my 17" alloys and powerflow exhaust system. I also fitted a K&N air filter when I purchased the van. The only reason I have not bought another one is that I needed something bigger and I don’t like the look of those stretched ones. Just sold the van on e-bay and the new owner was very impressed. Do not be put off buying one of these vans they are as good as they look.

We got this last year at 1 year old and had been accident repaired at a main VW dealer with less than 5k on the clock; we got it very cheap! At 20k it needed a new sensor valve, however VW didn’t have it in stock and took over a week to fix. With 40k a scratching noise appeared over 3krpm, again VW rebuilt the turbo twice with two known recall faults. Then tried a new turbo, still didnt fix it. Turned out to be a hole in the manifold gasket. Whilst it was there for nearly three weeks they also did lots of other recall faults, too many to mention! Now at 52k for the size of van tyre wear is good along with brakes. It will pull fully loaded with trailer, so much torque, just a shame about the following: 1. Manual says don’t use the gearstick as an arm rest, so why didn’t they fit an arm rest?! 2. The 12v plug is nearly on the floor, useless for satnavs and phone chargers. 3. The engine is all torque and no power. 4. The heater is driven by the speed of the van and I am constantly changing it. 5. VW will let you down more when the van breaks down they have no idea about customers and helping them. Considering we got a bargain van it does what we need and nearly 50k in a year and only 6 weeks in the garage. However, I do drive at a constant speed twice a day for more than ten miles each way! Not a single dpf fault. Keep you posted for any major faults. I wouldn’t recommend this van but if driven hard maybe ok for some.

Bad points: have the van for 4 years and have put 2 new turbos in it. Van was serviced every 10k, VW are rubbish, use to be good but not anymore. Always a warning light on the dash for something or other.

90% happy with my facelift California except for a worsening rumbling noise from the clutch when changing up. I noticed it from new & pointed it out to the dealer but they couldn’t hear anything. Currently at 4500 miles & it’s much worse. Will see how bad it gets before taking it back & keeping my ear to the ground on web forums to see if anyone else has this issue. (Roy from Hertfordshire sounds like he has a similar problem!)

My Eos replaced a 2008 Mercedes C Class as I no longer needed a saloon for business. After 4 months I can report that it is much nicer in almost every way than the Mercedes. A really great car to drive with the top up or down and much better than I’d imagined it would be as an everyday vehicle for shopping and carrying a couple of passengers. The finish and build quality are fantastic, nothing rattles or creaks and everything works as it should. My only complaint is the computer, which always gives a reading of 5-7 mpg too much. I am getting around 45 mpg which I am happy with. Finally, I think that VW should do more to draw owners attention to lubricating the roof seals. My supplying dealer advised Krytox at least every 6 months.

Owned 07 transporter for 5 months now. 120k miles. Used for work roofing & building, reasonably loaded up. Had no problems to write home about except bit gutless, gave it full service when purchased. Had ecu re-mapped to 140hp, different van, far more driveable, more torquey! Mpg im not too happy about, 31mpg. Was same before re-map, I drive it easy, 65 mph mostly on motorway, occasionally chase MR2’s down the lanes. Poor storage in cab. Plenty of accessories available on net to tart up.

Bought new Nov 2004. Super machine. Currently just completed 80000. No issues apart from an occasional limp home mode kicking in. Just stop and restart the engine and it clears whatever it thinks is wrong. Normally only happens when I drive it hard for long period. Just thinking about a change to the new one. Tried one at weekend 140 dsg.Quite quiet but not as responsive in my opinion. Gear change smooth but it just seemed under powered to the older unit. Being a more maure driver do not get too excited about the latest thing and have no real need to change just now unless I fell in love with it and I didn’t. Couple that to the price and may be we all need to stop and think wht it is we are buying . It is still only a van and the new current price list reads like wishful thinking. Yes they will sell but mainly to company buyers not picking up the tab.Spec a Kombi up with a few creature comforts and you are well into £30000. You can get an 18month old S class merc for that! No it wont carry the kit but it will tow a trailer!

The road tax is a joke on this van? car? £425 a year! I have tried - but with no luch - to get this changed but they tell me it is to do woth the auto box and air-conditioning - this puts the tax up to the same levels as AMG Mercedes super cars. I have had this van for nearly two years and now have water in the oil. The dreaded oil cooler and water pump - do not know about the rest of the damage yet. Good old VW.
Newsletter: Enter email address here...

Bought an ex-demo 140 GTD Golf, well spec’d. Bought as a car to keep after a few Afla’s which didnt last. On the plus side, quick enough, good MPG (60). On the down side, alloys are peeling and blistering. Last service found leaking front shock, lipped rear discs, air bag fault in passenger seat (seat out, cover off to fix). worst of all broken air con pump £1.5k to fix!!! VW will not even cover the cost of the parts, yet this is a common fault. Disappionting for the money. Not sure I would buy another one.

I have a T5, but never again, nothing but trouble, clutch. flywheel, poor build quality the list just goes on, also have a TT Audi, also which is mechanically C**P these manufacturers should listen to there customers and remember there are other makes available, I for one wont replace my T5 for another VW or buy another Audi. Sometimes we need to go backwards to go forward, I had a transit from new and with 275,000 miles on the clock when I sold it, yes sold it, and I never spent in the 10 years I had what I have spent in repairs on my T5 in 24 months. I can see why they make good surf vans, park them on the beach and just hopes the tide carries them away, oh what a beautiful site! VW and Audi should be ashamed of themselves for producing such unreliable yet expensive machines which at best are hardly capable of doing there job. It will be back to Ford for me after this very expensive relationship with our European manufacturers.

Bought late 2006, had vibration from auto box, took to VW who could not find any problems, said it might a separated tyre. Changed all my tyres but still had the same problem. Took back to VW who said it could be the drive shaft; three drive shafts later, gearbox valves replaced, still the same. Then a new gearbox fixed the problem. Next was the engine management light on 7 times; exhaust manifold leaking exhaust fumes into cab. Have replaced rear brake callipers, replaced water pump, two turbo’s in three months, two wish bones, rear heater packed up, rear and front shocks, heated mirrors stopped working, three arm rests, passengers seat belt. Spent more time in Volkswagen than on the road. I don’t think they could do any thing to make me buy another Volkswagen, which is a shame because with 8 seats and all the luggage room they are the perfect for the job. And to finish the engine management light has just come on again! Thanks to VW I’ve never been so poor.

Coming up to three years old now and still drives like a dream. Just hit 40k and have only just needed new rear tyres! Fronts I’ve only replaced just replaced for a second time. It’s a very quick van even when fully loaded and still gives me 400 - 450 miles each tank. Very comfy to drive on long journeys, quite quiet, everything works well and the load space is good - it seems small but I can stuff loads in! The only issue I’ve had was the sliding door lock broke and took VW 3 times to fix it. Front and rear lights on the near side had water ingress but has all been sorted under warranty. Overall a good van and will buy another. It’s solid, well built and I personally think it’s the best looking small van around. Expensive if you want all the gadgets, but they do hold their value!

Hi all! Bought Tansporter 2007 hit 51000 miles and problems started; vibration on engine 1500 revs took it to cardiff Volks. It’s had new fuel pump, 5 injectors, tandem pump cambelt bearings followers and fuel filter. Five weeks later took it out still same problem. 1 month left on warranty turbo blew. New turbo now going very well, all faults cured, just had remap 215 bhp, getting 42 mpg now on a run.

Awesome vehicle, 170,000 on the clock had it since Jan 2010 have put 20,000 on clock myself, brilliant no probs. 22 mpg local approx 31-33 mpg on long hauls, highly recommend. Had loads of vans in my time, this beats the lot. (Not keen on the t5, ugly looking beast)

Part x-ed my Caddy in May for this van.It’s been back to South Hereford VW 7 times; 1). New waterpump. 2). Went in to limp mode (new pipe on turbo). 3). Starting problems when parked on hill (could not find problem after 4 days in garage). 4). Limp mode again (pipe not fixed properly). 5). While on holiday in Scotland, went into limp mode again (switch off engine and wait for it to reset itself). 6). Back of holiday (new turbo). 7). 4 weeks later still having trouble starting, took the van back to south Hereford VW, 3 days later (via phone call) and they tell me it needs new head (diesel leaking through the cracks). All I can say is the South Hereford VW van centre have been very good, (when I bought the van they gave me 3 mths warranty, after 4 visits they gave me another 3 months as a good will gesture). Thank f**k when the van is running ok (it’s very good, 34 mpg) so watch this space (van will be ready sat morning fingers crossed)!

I know the van is trouble some, but is this all the fault of VW, the van is actually made entirely by Merc using a VW engine only. The faults other than engine faults must affect sprinters as well. You can tell it is merc by the fact of the corrosion issues and somewhat antique electrical systems and poor quality components used, so dont blame VW entirely and I know that VW dealers hate them, the worst thing they have ever put their name to.

Won’t be buying one again!!!!! I have a 2008 Volkswagon Shuttle and use it as a hackney. In its short life it has been nothing but trouble spending a lot of valuable time in the garage/off the road. The following is a list of the items that have filed so far: a) Door hinge failed b) Trouble with the drive shaft which had to be replaced. c) Door trim clips had to be replaced. d) Exhaust sensor failure resulting in replacement. e) Cable failure. f) Cam shaft failure and front suspension mountings and bearings. Bearing in mind the vehicle is serviced on time every time and is minded as much as possible it still gave the above trouble which I feel is a bit too much as the vehicle is less than three years old. Would not recommend purchasing this model if it is reliability that you want.

Great car, pity about the suspension, like driving on solid tyres.

Bought my van new. After 6 months old a shuddering occurred. Warranty replaced both drive shafts. At 55000km the glow plug warning lamp came on. I stopped and turned off motor. Left it for 15 mins, then started again and it’s never come back on. Now at 60000kms I can’t fault it. I am an Electrician and have roof racks, conduit tube and tools. Total weight approx: 2.48 tons. I drive this van very hard and have travelled to Melbourne and back a few times with no issues. I have had my van up to 200k/ph towing a box trailer and was still very stable at that speed. Hard to say why there has been so many problems with this model. I know of Golf TDi’s blowing turbo’s with very low k’s, which can in turn ruin the motor which have been out of warranty some 7 months. VW had put new motor in for my friend when his turbo and motor were ruined when out of warranty. The bad points are: bad driving position, rough ride off the freeway, noisy, poor traction 2WD when flooring it, towbar too low, c**p stereo, c**p standard seats. I would buy another one. I looked at the V6 Turbo diesel Vito Mercedes and found it had a worse driving position and was some $10,000 dearer. I am looking at buying the new 4 motion 7 speed Bi Turbo DSG because these vans break traction a little to easily. But after reading this forum I need to think about the low speed overtaking power as suggested is slightly lacking than compared to the 2.5 Tdi.

I have had my 2000 Lupo 1.4E for 4 years now and experienced a range of problems. 1) Annoying problems with electric windows: When closing the drivers electric window, it goes up almost half way then suddenly opens fully meaning I have to close it in steps. On rare occasions locking the drivers car causes both windows to fully open. The electric sun roof is almost impossible to close, it closes almost fully then opens again. 2) Not at all easy for changing light bulbs! It took me almost 1 hour just to replace the front offside side light. I had to remove the air intake pipes and their supports, to access the headlamp unit! How anyone would cope if they neded to change light bulbs by the roadside! Cramped badly organised engine compartment makes simple maintence jobs very difficult. 3) Tyres are expensive and not always in stock. Due to their less common dimensions. 4) Door hinges on both side jump and jolt. Hinge is already worn. 5) Engine warning lights often come on but there is no physical problem with engine. 6) Gears are difficult to engage especially changing down and going into 1st from neutral. 7) Boot is so tiny it will not even take a single standard size suitcase! So what’s the point of even having a boot? On the plus side the car is very easy to park, light to drive and very economical. The 1.4 petrol engine is ideal for the size of the car. However, I would not consider buying another Lupo.

I bought my van brand new back in 1998, it has 106,000 miles, had the starter motor replaced and obviously the timing belt has been changed. It may not be as fast as some of the vans but I do know this; it’s body has had a couple of knocks but it is reliable...... the amount of rust is less than I have seen on a transit that was 5 yrs old, I have even seen a Merc Van with more rust on it than my van, I did say that I would buy another new one when this one has failed but as I was told by the garage I will not be buying a new one as this will keep on running..... will post another comment when my goes to the scrap heap, unless I end up there first!!

What a waste of money!!! DPF filter is a disaster, be prepared to either spend thousands of pounds fixing or to drive (or have the driver to drive in my case) in completely opposite directions than your destination so the DPF can be "regenerated"! Driving in London every 7-10 days the light comes on and you need 15 minutes at 60MPH - where are supposed to find stretch of the road to do that? So far going from Northolt to town we end up in High Wycombe on A40! Van is nice, big, comfy etc. but completely unusable in town. I am getting rid of it this month, replacing with MK7 transit (already have one of these - great van) - -no more VWs - ever! Dealers are ignorant b****ds, Southgate manager actually said "telling people to watch out for DPF light would be against our interest, we need vans to break down every now and then" (!) - almost punched him when he said that :)

DO NOT BUY A TOURAN - your EPS will fail. Ours has 29,000 miles and 3.5 years old - just out of warranty. VW will not contibute. I will never buy a VW again.

Purchased the Polo and whilst I think most of the car is superb, I hate owning it because of the HORRENDOUS vibration/rattle that comes from the steering column whenever you turn the steering wheel when driving over uneven ground. I have invoke the Sale of Goods Act with VW UK who said they are aware of the problem, but not enough people complaining about it for there to be ’fix’ invoked. I know a few people who were aware about it and are now in the process of taking it to their dealership. I have had 2 x steering columns replaced under warranty to try and rectify this, but no joy :-( Such a shame as its a great wee car apart from this terrible noise.

Had the van from 42miles to 24,000 still going strong, there isnt much faster out there - very powerfull compared to a transit 110. I have to admit as it is lease I have thrashed it everywhere and it’s never missed a beat! only reason for not giving it 5 stars is purely down to the interior finish; I had a door handle break. Fuel economy is ok.. not amazing but ok. I’m now looking to buy my own, great van.

What have VW done? My 5th van to date, my last was a swb 174 and the best, I now have wing mirrors that fold up not in and seem to contain the radio aerial, I had to purchase the sump guard as an extra. I am now getting rumbling noises when changing up through the gear box  abridge dealership told to leave alone as no other reported instances. Too many cost cutting exercises, very disappointed at the moment.

The DSG gearbox on my Touran failed at 64k miles, resulting in a £4k replacement cost which the VW dealer agreed to reduce to £3.2k - thanks a bunch, if customers of VW Tourans knew before buying the car that the gearbox would fail at only 64k miles, they would never buy a Touran. I discovered that this is a not uncommon problem with VW’s DSG gearbox - see the website www.dsgwoes.co.uk where you can find other Touran owners who have had the same major DSG fault. I would like to buy another Touran but no way with such a fault-prone DSG gearbox.

Quiet and comfy. Solidly built. Typical Golf! Fuel economy - the main sales pitch - was a total letdown. The manufacturer could not improve it and insisted there was no fault with it. Over 7500 miles of gentle driving it averaged only 48 mpg and most disappointingly on long runs seldom got significantly over 50. Overall I thought it failed to do what the ads said and sold it within 9 months.

I have also had the Released handbrake syndrome happen to me! It sat on a steep hill on the handbrake for 12 -13 minutes then started rolling backwards down a hill to come to rest in a garden wall. VW Garage had it for 5 days doing a "Technical report" to VW Germany. I lost my £200 excess & no claims bonus. Was told they would get back to me with a answer....... still waiting. Other than that the only thing gone wrong is the cup holder fell apart after around 3 weeks!

I purchased this vehicle in June 2006 and from the moment I signed the paperwork I have had nothing but grief with this vehicle. From the non-existent assistance and service from the dealership, Darryl Twitt Volkswagen in Shepparton Victoria here in Australia to the endless issues of failures and reliability with the vehicle. The first issue was with the auto trans. Faulty from new. It would always hunt up and down through the gears when I had the cruise control on, not fixed until 45000km service. Door handle covers breaking/falling off, trans selector button flying off after pushing in to change gears, other interior parts/fittings falling off, annoying vibration in heater box from new, still there after 10 attempts to rectify, still there with 103000 on the clock. Cracked exhaust manifold, alternator totally failed leaving me stranded, drivers seat foam collapsed at 75000, replaced. Cloth trim on drivers seat wore through at 101000, was only replaced at 75000, had to pay was told "normal wear and tear"!!!! The battery keeps draining after parking over the weekend, am told there is "normal" current draw of 100mA, this doesn’t explain why the battery STILL drains over the weekends. Control arm bushes totally worn out at 101000. Now after paying nearly $2000 for the 105000 service along with the seat replacement and control arm bushes, I picked the vehicle up and was given a separate quote and told the turbo actuator is leaking and requires a whole new turbo at $3660. If I had known this at the time of the service I would have just driven it into the river. It’s quoted trade in price is $15000, I have spent $3000 on it in just the past 6 months alone. Having said all this VW up to date have been fairly helpful with some goodwill repairs after the warranty ran out but as I obviously require the vehicle for work, it has probably been off the road for a total of 6 months out of 4 years I have had it. Everyone rubbishes the Australian vehicles but I have a 6 year old Ford Falcon ute and have had nowhere the issues of this vehicle. Will never buy another Euro vehicle again!!

Not the best van I’ve ever driven but possibly the best vehicle I’ve ever driven, love it to bits. I’ve got a BMW Z4 and 320se, I prefer the T5 out the lot of them, fast as fok, drives & handles awesome. Gonna part chop the Z4 for another T5 for the misses, she loves ‘em too! Can’t rate the T5 highly enough, great motor! Owned mk1 & mk2 Vito before, they drove great but just fell apart costing thousands. My T5 is up to 117000 now and drives better than new.

One of the sleekest machines in its class. The road handling and throttle response is awesome. Done about 5k now and it has developed a nagging squeak in the back and the dealers have failed to rectify it. Otherwise, it is a driver’s car.

Hi all, I have owned my transporter for 9 weeks now and it has gone wrong twice. Currently I am driving a Transit van supplied by VW assist while my van is being repaired. This van was very expensive and VW vans are supposed to be reliable. I have to say the Transit van I am driving has better features on it than my new van and costs some 10k less. Lets hope this fault is a one off and I get trouble free motoring from now on.

Nice van to drive compared to Toyota or Ford, handles well and good on juice. Only the turbo fell apart at 11500 kms whilst on a ski weekend. Rang VW assist and had it transported via tilt tray back to my place and then to dealer following day. No cost to me thank god. My first euro commercial van and I don’t have much faith after warranty period. If this is any indication of what quality German build is like, I would have to say that it is over priced crap.

Excellent car. Had for 3 years. Yes, the alloys can - not always - go "milky". It needs man handling in diesel form but repays with gutsy performance and when needed, amazingly good fuel consumption, 70+ mpg easily available when driven sensibly. Handling also very confident and B roads can be real fun. Good on the motorway, cruises very smoothly and quietly.

Cosmetic surgery gone wrong here! Having major problems with gearbox & engine. Dealer really struggling to resolve problem, makes me feel sick every time I look at my van or any other T5 facelift. Wish I’d stuck with my last 2.5 130bhp, have owned 3 x T5 2.5 130bhp and found them bomb proof. If I can find a low mileage 2.5/130 the facelift will be gone.

Bought with 30k on the clock, 1 month later needed a waterpump, 6 months later a new turbo. 73k on it now 2 yrs later, going ok. Good points: Very frugal 600miles for 80 litres, very stylish, fast. Bad points: Crap seats, ride quality, turning circle, build quality. If only honda could make a small commercial vehicle..

VW should be ashamed of this most un-reliable pile of s**t . Worst vehicle EVER!

I’ve been happy with my Touran. I use it as a taxi but I’m finding it is using a lot of oil!!!! I keep having to top up every 4-5 days! It has 134,000 on the clock but is running champion apart frm the oil! I have replaced the AMS, fly wheel, clutch... obviously due to wear and tear! Has anyone experienced the same problem with the oil?

Dissapointed, tandem pump playing up, common fault, not happy.

Hi to you all. I am the owner of a 2004 VW Transporter 126kw type 5. I have just completed a 4680 klm trip in my van towing a Geist caravan (weight 1200kg loaded: my VW van was converted into a camper van in 2005). I had no trouble at all, the van as now done 73000ks while towing the caravan and I DID NOT use sixth gear (overdrive), only fifth. There was only a 200 rpm difference between gears. On the trip I averaged 8.62 kilometers per litre, I was away for 21 days. Next year, all being well, I want to go away for two months up to the KIMBERLYS in the far north of our state.

I love this car, but it is too complicated for the road side mechanic!

Warning - do not consider buying a 2.0 litre TDI Touran, there is a serious and expensive design fault. I am lead to believe that VW are aware that the alloy used on the cylinder heads is sub-standard, this leads to pourous heads and coulant leaking which is very expensive to fix! I have had my Touran for 10 months and really enjoyed it at first, until the cylinder head failed, now it is constantly in the garage. We now have an issue with the injectors! Again VW have come across this problem many times before. Think hard about taking a chance on the 2L Diesel engine!

Very nice van a lot nicer to drive than a Transit or Vivaro but nowhere near as well built as the transit. Have had the VW for 5 weeks and have done 4000 miles so far and it’s used as a plasterer’s van. The rubber cills on the back doors are peeling off and side door becoming very stiff to slide. The interior feels ok a bit flimsy in places and gerabox very clunky. Overall nice drive but don’t think it will last as long and well as my old transit.

I bought this car as a runaround for me and my kids after my divorce and having to sell my cayenne and I have to say I love it more than that. Sounds amazing and I love the looks I get when men realise it’s a woman driving it, aha! Love the leather and the gear change but don’t like the satnav, or the original wheels which I’ve replaced with 18 inch black Volkswagen ones, which look alot better against a black car with blue callipers. Overall I love this car and would recomend it to anyone :)

Having driven Toyota cars for the last 4 years, which were very reliable, I’ve just changed to a Golf 2.0 GT Tdi and cannot believe its excellence in every respect. It is comfortable, easy to drive and economical with all the extras I require. This is the first car that I actually enjoy driving, and my partner now has to be passenger most of the time!

Wanted a T5 for ages, though wish I’d never bothered. Bought it from a VW dealer a year ago, it had 20k on the clock. So far it’s had a new gearbox, new drive shaft, new windscreen wiper motor, new ecu,and now the driver’s door handle does not work and it will not start when the engines hot! Booked in again with the dealer next week. I am sure there are other things I have had done to it but to be honest its been to the dealer more times than I can remember. The interior just falls to bits, and the ashtray/cup holder makes me laugh every time I use it. Complete junk. Basically it’s a complete load of rubbish. Had nothing but trouble with it and would never buy another VW, which is a shame as it’s a great looking van. Apart from the looks its got nothing else going for it whatsoever. It even drives like a bag of s**t ! Take my advice, don’t buy one.

We are a courier company running 6 crafter vans, since day one they have been nothing but a pain. We have changed dpf filters, ignition key barrels (one van has had 3 barrels only 110, 000 miles) vacuum pumps, turbos replaced , one has had half a new engine, and various other parts. These vans have spent just as much time off the road as on it. When I complained to Volkswagen they said that they do not sell the vans so not their problem and to speak to the dealer I bought them from. I would but they have gone bust, no surprise there! They also informed me that the drivers were driving them incorrectly when dpf light comes on you should stop what you are doing and then drive continuously at 50 mph for 20 mins.

A surprising little car, the Fox. We were looking for something economical to run and looked at the usual Peugeot 107, Ford Ka and Fiat Panda, but happened across a Fox by accident at a dealer. It is quite a plain looking car, but the styling is neat and it manages to avoid looking cheap when compared to the alternatives. The sheer space inside is amazing considering how small the car is, and Urban spec gets a sliding rear seat which means you can flex the space between the boot and rear seats. It also has electric windows and central locking - all that is really missing is aircon. The Fox is actully very pleasent to drive, and feels much more grown up that the other small cars we tried. The ride is also really comfortable and not jittery like a 107. The 1.2 engine sounds quite characterful, and pulls well around town. It is also bearable on the motorway, but perhaps a little short of puff. The only real downside is the cheap plastics in the interior - not really worse than the competition, but not as good as they should be. The real bonus, however is the running costs, which are rock bottom, and the decent residuals once you trade in. A thoroughly decent little car. Don’t overlook it.

Bought the van new for 20k. After a couple of months the transmission started playing up in 5th gear. The van went back to dealer so many times I lost count, no one knew what was causing the problem (having been vehicle technician myself specialising in transmissions and vcads work for many years the bullshit faded to silence and shrugging of shoulders). At 40 months old 56k the transmission failed. The van went back to the dealer at a proprosed cost of 4.5k. Needles to say I kicked off big time, eventually VW coughed up half the bill. I’ve done endless hours of reserch into the T5 transmission, my conclusion is the transmission is not up to the job, FWD is not the answer. Having spoken to a VW technician this is a well known problem, drive shaft splines cvs flywheels and transmissions failing, major components on a 20k van not on VW.Having said that, what is the alterative? I’m in the market for a new van, thought of the new 180 dsg but been told to stear well clear. Anyone with same problem please let me know... if I haven’t spoken to you already. Something about the T5, strangly I love it, I can’t help wondering if VW had got the drive line right what an awesome vehicle it would have been.

Powered by 19TDi 130 BPH. Brilliant smooth running car, good economy; late 40’s on short runs and 54mpg on long. Love this car.

My van kept going to limp, approx every 100 miles. The garage put a cleaning fluid through the turbo and it didn’t do it again for almost 700 miles. It went into limp less frequently, but still continued. Eventually, it showed the oil can fault light on the dash, had to be recovered and I haven’t had it back since (6 and a half weeks now!). The garage drained the engine of oil to check for damage (apparently you see small shards of metal if there is damage internally). They thought it might be an oil pressure problem. So, they then ran a cleaner through it and replaced the turbo - which incidently was knackered according to the garage (I do trust them, but am doubting them a bit!). I was due to get it back yesterday. They had been driving it around for 2 days, saying it was running lovely, then yesterday the oil fault light appeared again. They are scratching their heads.

I loved this car to drive. The exhaust note was addictive, the fuel economy was better than I expected and with a very light foot was quiet exceptional! The bad points were the fuel tank was far to small. The big bad point that drove me totally mad and made me get rid of it in the end was the sat nav! Because you can’t put a whole post code in you were totally unable to get nearer than 20 miles sometimes when in rural UK. Not acceptable for £1850. The other thing was tyre wear was excessive, 6000 to 10,000 miles and £300 plus a tyre. Reliability? Not good! Broken A/c which in the end the whole system was replaced before the car had done 15,000 miles. Also the power steering failed. Alloy wheels get pitted quickly and the build quality of interior was below what you would expect from VW. The dealer was also just a box shifter and got the wrong spec for my car! No sunroof or powered mirrors, also did not inform me of fixed price service details. So I would not recommend Breeze VW in Poole. Over all now it has been gone a year do I miss it? In the winter, in snow? Definitely not! But over all? Well, I have to say a big yes I do!

Excellent car I’ve only had the car a week and it’s brilliant after driving a Mistubishi l200 animal (which was awfull). The Tiguan has very good build quality driving dynamics are very good, all the controls are easy use. The 140 td has good power delivery and the brakes stop you very well. Just wished I choosed VW Tiguan before the l200.

This van has been GREAT except for a problem with the sliding door. VW dealership Carrs in Indian Queens tried to fix repeatedly but we only actually got it sorted when we got our local garage to do it. Wouldn’t buy car from there again as didn’t feel appreciated as a customer at all. The van drives really well and cruises on long drives. We opted for six seats as we have a big extended family. It’s a great family car, but, three rear seats are easily removed if needed. My husband uses it everyday for building work and when we go away we can fit a matress in the back too , this model highly recommended and trustworthy.

OMG, where do I start? Off loaded a shabby looking but reliable 112 Vito for a shiny good looking 174 VW Transporter, German engineered excellence we are told,  well 3 years later and nearly £14000 later on repairs all I can say is never ever buy one. You name it, it has gone wrong; 3 drive shafts, 1 stub drive, eats tyres 5 set in 65.000 miles, 3 sets of brakes, new power steering pump (engine oil in power steering), 4 set of discs, keep warping (yes all genuine VW parts), latest and still in garage for second time dule mass fly wheel and drive shaft again shattered for total loss of power. These are just the things that stick in my mind not to mention the alternator failing and suspension problems. I wouldn’t even sell it second hand now, I wouldn’t put any one through the pain, I would rather scrap it because that’s all it’s worth. A good looking van but that’s all. Running gear total rubbish and with very good inside information VW know it. Leave well alone, you have been warned......

Vehicle now covered 49k miles loaded to 3500kgs all of the time and also pulls pulls trailer @ 5500kgs train weight. The only problems so far have been EGR valve (was off the road for 2 days, would have been longer but on top of dealer while in workshop) and fuel consumption. After having had the ECU re-mapped by Superchips fuel consumption has gone from 25mpg to 27mpg and performance is much improved. Well worth the £350.00. All ready paid for itself in fuel saved in 9 months. Can’t fault van as other makes just don’t stand up to running @ 3500kgs all of the time. Only fault with VW Commercials is they need to look @ Daf and Volvo trucks and not act like a VW car outlet to keep commercial vans running. I don’t make money while van is in their dealers workshop.

This is the 2nd one I have owned, the new common rail engine is much quieter and refined and more economical, I now get an average of 55 mpg. The car is great on the long journeys, comfortable and a good cruiser. People who have been in the car with me think it it a really nice car. I know the standard Golf is sexier but I think more people would be better with the Plus with its extra room and flexiblity. I do not need 7 seats in the bigger MPVs this is about right but one thing I would do; why don’t VW make the boot bigger say 4" on the length? This would differentiate it more from the golf and make it a better proposition.

My 1st experience with VW. I have always been a Vauxhall man, bought the 180 bh LWB. Wow, what a machine, comfort, overtaking excellent. Loaded or unloaded makes no difference to drive! Being a 6 foot man - found cockpit a little small, but acceptable, fuel consumption... well I thought it would be better - but it is 180 and I’m heavy footed. If you’ve ever enjoyed driving Golf’s, it has very similar characteristics, a nice positive feel, tight and responsive. Have only had it a few weeks - am glad I got the rear parking sensors - haven’t felt or seen any issues yet and hope not too. Wanted a Sportline but they won’t be released until end of year... can’t wait, I will be getting one!!!

Bought a new t32 kombi, so far ok but rear brakes making a sound, going to ring VW. Already owned 05 t28, had many problems but all fixed under warranty.

Bought at 3 years old with 38K on clock and full VW history. 3 seperate middle row seats are wider than competitors such as Zafira and Grand Scenic. Boot nearly as big as them but can’t get a McLaren buggy in with 7 seats up (you can on others). Fantastic torque and lag free response from the1.9d (105) and great economy. Noisy round town but pretty good on motorway.Fantastic space package on a small footprint. Seats rubbish for weak lower back -even though it has lumber support (use a cushion now). Wife loves car though. At 5 years old and 50K it all went wrong. There had been a bit of a judder building up over the previous year from the clutch/ gearbox but smooth when over 25mph so ignored it. Judder got worse, now diagnosed as the Dual Mass Flywheel. Needed a new Flywheel and matching clutch (original clutch fine but it’s recommended both changed at same time); very common fault? A month later the Alternator went wrong. Now the ESP light has come on-a massive expense and apparently common?(that word keeps cropping up with VW) on all Touran/Golfs 2004 to 2008. We loved the car for its space but what Common fault is going to happen next? Just check reports and you will see Vauxhalls and Fords are more reliable and I bet they dont cost as much to repair as a VW. At least the diesels didnt get the exploding gearbox as fitted to 1.6 petrols (I hope!). Summary: Great until it goes wrong.

I have just ordered one after driving it. I tested the Golf but the Plus suited us better. I am 69 years old and most cars are too low and the doors too small for us to easily get in and out of. A SUV is too high and large and an expensive run. I wanted an economical car, small enough to drive and park but with an automatic gearbox and rear view camera. It has a good seat height to see in front of me without having to use cushions or hit my head on the roof. As you get older they become important. Automatic lights and wipers make it easier to concentrate on driving. It parks itself too! Turning around to see behind you is a thing of the past. I highly recommend this car to all drivers over 60.

Having had a T4 with great reliability for a few years I took the plunge and bought an 05 1.9 T5. with 40 k on it. Since then I have done another 45k, mainly with boats on the roof. It generally drives very well and returns about 500 mile per tank full, however, in the last couple of months the Dual Mass Flywheel went bang and now the drive shaft splines have gone (male and female bits). Reading on the web now rather than before purchase I have found that this scenario is all too common. NOT WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT FROM VW paying premium prices for a supposedly quality product. Think twice, do you need to pay an extra couple of grand over and above normal maintainance costs?

Bought this van off a dealer and had nothing but problems. Under warranty had the water pump replaced 38K, air conditioning poly went 40K £600.00 fan switch just went all this in under 50K. Today the alternator has given up the ghost, another £700.00. Had a Toyota previously and it had 96K on the clock. Drove it up to 110K, no problems what so ever. Wont be bying VW ever again.

Just want to write a review on the volkswagen caddy. It is an excellent van and very car like to drive and volkswagen have once again made a strong and sturdy vechile, was considering a transit connect and a citroen dispatch but after driving the caddy there is no comparison, a little more expensive to buy but in the long term works out better. A really excellent van.

70,000 miles in comfort, then the oil turned to mayonnaise. £1,300 later and the oil is still turning to mayo. I’m sure the garage did what the bill says and change the oil cooling element in the sump. However, either that wasn’t the problem and I’ve been ripped off or, well, it couldn’t have been the problem. How can I be losing a litre of water through the engine every 200 miles. VW, designed to fail or what? I thought I’d be getting something that would see the kids through to college.

At 108,000km the van stopped. The mechanic found that the speed sensor was damaged from inside the engine. After removing sump (not an easy job) it was found that approximately one third of the oil baffle had broken away over a period of time? This has been belted into a nugget which eventually damaged the speed sensor. A miracle engine was not damaged. Local VW dealer not interested in knowing or following up my concerns with VW Australia.

My 09 VW Transporter is noisy as hell to drive; the tyre noise comes right into the cab. The radio is OK but the speaker system is of a very poor sound quality. I also have a Ford Transit that leaves it standing in regards to to driveabilty and build quality. The doors on the van are poorl you have to slam them to close. Also a very rough ride.

Bought when 3 years old, now covered nearly 300k miles, outstanding never missed any dead line. Most reliable van ever had even better than smiley faced transit and does 35 to the gallon. Beats a sprinter any day.    

Potentially a very good car, engine and chassis very good. Lots of silly gimmicks like the chrome bezel round the air vent reflecting in the RH outside mirror. Circular dials ok but the ’computer’ area between them is a jumbled mess. Main and very serious fault is the terrible road roar on coarse surfaces. V tiring on a long journey. Needs some damping in the roof, which of course one cannot do easily. Would a change of tyres help??? The nearly-new market dominated by ex-VW vehicles, all of which seem to be black or silver with black interiors. Forecourts look like undertakers’ car parks. My eight year old TDI 130 had much better quality interior trim and was more comfortable.

This is my second jetta having upgraded from a 2006 1.9tdis. What a fantastic bit of kit. VW have pitched this car for a family, as the Passat may be to big for some people and has a long bonnet which my wife found difficult to judge. My new baby has full leather, dsg, winter pack and all the other bells and whistles. It drives, handles, accelerates, and looks fantastic and is far less common than most makes. I seriously cannot fault this car as it gives complete driving pleasure. I have fitted ipod and upgraded the headlamp bulbs to xenon which gives it a wicked look. Read all the OWNER reviews on the web and you will find there is not a car to touch it at the moment. Don’t be fooled by the magazine reviews that it is a golf with a boot, they just don’t see it as anything else. If you are looking for a new car, just take a test drive and look at the all round package, and you will be pleasantly surprised! Hope this helps someone, drive safe!

Hi there, I bought my first brand new VW 9 seat Transporter Shuttle SE 2007 130HP LWB 2.5 diesel 6 speed gear box, good vehicle but lower gears (1,2,3,) very tough right from new. VW dealer has promise that once I cover 10,000 ml it will be smooth and easy, unfortunately for me at 200,000 ml and 30,000 ml the gear box is still the same VW dealer now is saying that this it specific of 6 speed gear box and apparently they are all the same, has anybody experience such problem? VW mechanics do not like this 6 gear box but because there all the same not a lot can be done (words of dealership) in 4 weeks my warranty is finish what to do anyone? P.S. It is a pig to drive if and when you have to change gears :-( vehicle 4* gear box 0*

"Lets go to work" they say. Surely that should be, let’s try to get to work to earn the money to pay for new gearbox £2000, Dual mass flywheel £700, new steering pump, new water pump £800 new, intercooler £750 plus repair bills from local garage £1100 to sort out that the injector seals where leaking and van would not start! VW couldn’t even find the problem..."Computer says all is ok Sir" ..Well why the hell do I turn the key for 2 minutes every morning until the pile of c**p starts then!!! DO NOT BUY A T5, unless you have very deep pockets and are happy to constantly employ the "Technicians" at VW. By the way, I was unlucky enough to buy 4 of these vans in 2004 and the list I have given you is just on my own one. It has covered a grand total of 80,000 miles and I can’t wait for the journey when it finally disappears into the distance to become someone else’s problem. VW are not interested in any of the problems and obviously know they have created massive design faults. Latest problem with other van is camshaft worn, this will cost £2500 and although the garage say it is caused by wrong oil this is not the case. Van owned by us from new and serviced always with the specified longlife oil. I can’t be bothered to argue, it will get me no where. If one person reading this decides not to buy a T5 then my time has not been wasted.

Just bought my caddy this week! 2004 new shape 119.000 miles on it. Timing belt just done. I was very, very impressed and suprised at how comfortable it is to drive. I previously had a Mercedes A Class and the caddy is far better, even though it’s a van. I have never driven a van before, but this feels so much like a car, it’s great. Too early to tell if it has any problems, but I am so far delighted with it. It’s quiet, comfortable, and fairly nippy as she goes. Plus the headlights actually work, something I didnt have on the Merc. It also feels so solid and well built when driving. I was going to buy a Mercedes Vito, but I’m glad I went for this. P.S. anyone thinking of buying a Vito either first generation or new generation, DON’T! for the love of God. Just read the reviews on them. I really, really, really wanted one, but just don’t do it.

ABS unit went at 24,000 miles, and has had several visits to garage since. A decent vehicle spoiled by mediocre reliability. I think people should hesitate before reviewing any vehicle before it has done at least 30k or is three years old. That’s when parts start to fail.

Bought van new in July ’05, no problems under warranty. At abount 70K water pump failed causing £700 repair, also constant problems with handbrake. Last week while loading vehicle on my drive the handbrake released itself. The van crashed into a wall causing 4k worth of damage. My drive is quite steep and I normally also leave it in gear but on this occasion I did not. If anyone else has experienced this please comment.

Travelling home from a meeting on Friday 7/5/2010, I was travelling eastbound on the M4 from Bath, when going past junction 13 I noticed in the rear view mirror outside of the car a large plume of white smoke completely covering the rear window. I immediately pulled over to the make an emergency stop on the hard shoulder. I noticed the oil warning light on the dashboard and then smoke appeared from the engine. A passing motorist on the westbound side of the M25 raised the alarm on the extent of the fire, so I immediately tried to escape from the car (jarring my back at the time). I have had a back problem over the last few months which the pain has been easing, and now since trying to get out of the vehicle as fast as humanly possible, I have jarred my back yet again!!!! The motorist was 100% correct in raising the alarm as fluid was leaking profusely from the engine compartment and the flames were getting stronger. I called the fire brigade and they were on the scene within ten minutes. By the time the fire brigade went to work the flames had engulfed the entire front of the car, melting everything including the tyres. Now obviously I did not have time to remove any personal stuff, therefore after the fire brigade doused the flames my belonging in the car were soaked. At the time of the incident I called VW assistance for help. Initially they said there was nothing they could do as my car was on fire and a potential write-off. To my horror they advised me to get the car salvaged and arrange a taxi. I reminded them that my car was only five months old and recently serviced by an authorised VW dealer. I may have been in shock so I hung up and rang back. Again I was advised that the recovery team would not come out to assist me. I had to have a lengthy conversation with someone before the option that VW recovery would arrange a taxi to take me home. Trying to get hold of VW over the weekend was futile. Today they were most ungelpful and even suggested that I may have been smoking! Have there been other cases of a five month old car simply self combusting?

Just had new T5 Transporter, now on third one having had 04 swb 130bhp from new then 07 lwb 130bhp, now on 10 lwb 180 bhp. Have changed every three years to keep in warranty, which "yes "early models did suffer with fly wheel problem knocked out timing, Faulty hand brakes, steering rack, inter-cooler, water pump, but I had recalls to advise of problems and had van sorted at dealer. Like all new models you get problem but the t5 is now 7 years old and has been improved with progress. Transit’s every 12 month so they can charge for bits to put every model in Ford range right. Yes all my work done under warranty for which I have had over 4 VW call outs in the last 7 yrs, " What a service, the best" Call in to report a problem, guy rings you and says be with you at this time and every time with you as they say. Will either fix or get you in another van . New T5 WHAT A TOOL, one thing I will say in VW defence I bought my t5 04 plate 5k deposit new and sold after three years with repayments of £300 a month and have worked way up 7years later to my new T5 £25k and I haven’t had to put a penny in the pot. The resale value is fantastic. Anyway new van, just amazing, so much better than older model, 300miles plus on £40 of fuel. Goes like you stole it. Could be in a church when you drive it, sits like tank at any speed ( if you know what I mean?) Stops like you hit a rugby player. 70mph at 2000 revs Errrrrr what does your transit do??? Pulls a 2.5ton trailer and load on motorway at motorway speeds????? up and down hills with out changing gear. Errrrrr what does your transit do " not pull a trailer" if you got any sense.... like sitting in one of those big chairs at pictures Errr transit your still trying to find the steering wheel adjuster lever. WHAT NOT GOT ONE?... How very odd. oh well just listen to that engine at the junction rattle and shudder the van. Just the best t5 to date they have got rid of all the gremlins, and got this one so right. Yes you say I have a new one but you buy any second hand van and it’s either been used to rob a bank, carried a battleship across a ploughed field, or used to simulate Jenson Button’s win in OZ 2009. Transit I had one for three weeks while i was waiting for new t5 as my old one sold so fast for some reason?????? lol. WHAT A PILE OF S@*" after two days I took it back to see if it had a hole in the fuel tank, I even stayed up one night because i was convinced that someone was stealing the fuel in the night. But no it just drank it like an AA candidate. Noisy I have been to watch the Who on the 2nd row i’ll never be fooled by a Transit again no no. Mine’s for sale in three years time if you have 18k and if want my number just ask for my mate the funniest plumber in Tamworth and he will tell you it.

I have recently bought a 56 plate 2.0 TDi GTD and I love it, the car is in immaculate condition and I am a very proud owner. The Golf in general is a great car and VW seem to hold onto their value well. The only annoying thing about it is that the automatic windscreen wipers seem to have a mind of their own, they even attacked a lad trying to wash my car, that certainly woke him up.

Bought van for work purpose for my lads to go to work; travel all over the country, as I own a steel erecting company. A great van, great on fuel, going very well still. Bought from new, 2004 model, a very happy customer.

Apart from well known problems with blocked drains leading to water in the battery compartment this has been a brilliant car. Over 7 years and 150k in my ownership it has proved to be extremely reliable, very comfortable with loads of room for passengers and luggage and an average 48mpg with very mixed driving from high speed motorway cruising to pootling down to the local shops. I wish they still made this model I would have another. Not that I need a new one I think mine has got years of life in it yet.

Diesel version has no go and sounds like a tractor!

I’ve had this T5 about 3yrs now and thank God I’m just about to get rid off it, it was used as a taxi and although it was practical the van kept letting me down. First off the dual mass flywheel has gone 3 times, drive shaft twice, intercooler split, electric windows have mind of their own, air bag warning light on and off. I have done 100,000 miles in 3 yrs and the car has been serviced very regularly. It has cost me thousand in repairs and lost work. I had 3 more shifts to do before it was got rid of when the drive shaft went again. Roll on Wednesday when it finally, I goes will never buy VW again.

Done nearly 20k in the van so far no problems, gears are a bit stiff when cold, clutch judders and is a bit gutless but apart from that ok. Returns 23mpg every time with about 800kg in the back. ESP doesnt seem to work that well, just sounds like abs is coming on but still spins 1 wheel. Comfortable van to drive, big side door is good.

I have had two T4’s from new, put high mileage on both and have been very pleased with both vehicles. My current T4 has the five cylinder intercooled engine and after 200,000miles it still pulls like a locomotive! I have always been a firm believer in good, regular maintenance, I service every 10k and this has paid dividends because I have had very few problems. There was a fuel pump problem at 30k and it was replaced under warranty, this problem arose because the dealer put petrol in the tank before I collected it new and the petrol damaged the pump causing the bearings to squeal. Also the actuater arm on the turbo was sticking recently causing power to be vastly reduced. This problem was overcome by the judicious lubrication of the offending component(a point to be remembered by all who run this series of vans). Overall the vehicles have performed well, economy is good, power delivery and reliability excellent. I’m sorry to hear so many tales of woe concerning the T5, these problems can’t all be down to poor individual driving style, though I suspect more than a few are. As good and quick as these vehicles are they are still only LCV,s and all operators should remember this. Hopefully all the bugs have been ironed out as I have just ordered a facelifted T5 LWB 180PS DSG 4MOTION with nearly all the bells and whistles, we’ll see!

Only had it two weeks but what a small car, plenty of room, good build, good ride, still can’t cloes the door frist time yet as its so well built. Not many extras but well worth the money.

I’ve just sold my Jeep Commander and was really keen to buy a VW Transporter. After reading all the reviews I’ve changed my mind.I do think German engineering tends to be over-rated. You can’t beat the Ford Transit.

30,000 miles and I also have had the dual mass flywheel for a princely sum £900. Very very unimpressed, particularly seeing that this seems to be a common design problem. Not exactly inspiring confidence for a 4 week trip around Europe this summer.

This car has been very good, but its also had lots of problems. It’s fast and handles well with the sport setup. The bearings went in the gearbox, needed a new brake servo unit, as I nearly crashed when the brakes failed. Three new EGR valves, new rear shocks, new hand brake switch, 2 glove boxes, ECU and a new injector. All this happened outside of warranty. Eats tyres (good job it’s a lease car). It eats the miles and it’s been driven on the motorways for hours. Verdict: good car to drive but could be expensive once it’s done 100,000+ miles.

Bought second-hand from a local VW dealer, with 28k on the clock. Test drive was fine and other than the price tag i was convinced it would fit the bill... Took the gamble and a year down the line I wish I hadn’t been seduced by its styling & peformance credentials. Problems: 1) Not very economical, but managable considering its around town driving - Av. 450 miles to a tank (if riding the torque all the way!) 2) On sweeping corners (lefts & rights) the driveshaft generates a metallic rotational grinding noise - sometime barely audible, but ALWAYS felt through the accelerator pedal as a vibration!! Drove with VW mechanic and sod’s law not a peep!.. Local dealer has checked & found nothing wrong, - VERY convenient for them as I’m outside warranty now! 3) Shortly after 30k it has developed an INTERMITTENT accelerator issue whereby from 1st gear as I press CLUTCH to change up to 2nd there is a SHORT SCREECHING NOISE, then as I work up through the gears the the TURBO becomes abnormally loud (like a whale has just surfaced under the bonnet!)... Engine feels like a bag of nails and creates A DEAD SPOT ON THE ACCELERATOR which when pushed past suddenly slaps the turbo in the face thus snapping the van forward... Worst of all, my annoyances with the van are intermittent which as you likely know mean they’re as predictable as the weather... If VW won’t help then I’m left no choice but wait until the van ruins itself. You may argue my driving style etc., doesn’t suit the van, however I’ve had the DPF light up twice and both times the manual procedure has resolved this, so I can’t be going far wrong if at all... Back to the drawing board VW. I feel robbed. Lets hope the new face-lifted range has addressed these reputation-damaging issues.

Bought my T4 a year ago and have spent a bit on it since, ie service etc..starts first time every time and is quite fast. Probs: Not many although turning on the lights changes the radio station frequency (weird). I wanted a T5 next but after reading so many duff reviews I’m doubtful. My previous vehicle was a Ford Transit, which I owned for nearly nine years, apart from the usual probs like new battery, water pump, etc it was no problem at all, at least they were made in the UK where people who assemble them have a good idea what quality means. The only reason I tried VW was simply because they are narrower than the trannies, although not as stable when cornering, easier to park etc for the wife. I think VW have a reputation that they don’t deserve. I’ll keep my T4 for a while longer as they seem to better than the T5, but I may go back to Ford who have a greater share of the commercial vehicle market, over 30% which must mean something compared to other manufacturers.

Air con, heated seats, cruise control, multi -function steering wheel, auto wiper and dsg gearbox all work well. Mpg on ave is about 4 to 5 mpg down on 5 speed manual gearbox also dsg comes with dpf filter which does not help mpg. I also have all weather tyres, my ave 44mpg a good mix of driving/motorway work 80 mph drop to 39 - 41 town work 37 mpg. VW service oil change £150.00 at about 15000 miles, the dsg gearbox oil needs to be change at 40000 miles at a cost of £160.00. The front tyres will get 20-22 k wear, whilst rear 50 -55 k. Top up oil is about 1lt per 12000 miles.

Got the van for dog handling purposes and to and from from work, long journeys are very comfortable and performance is incredibly good. The van is as basic as can be as that’s what I asked for and I have to say I am well impressed. I used to work security and got the opportunity to have a pop at driving Vauxhalls, Transits and others as well, gotta say they didn’t even come upto the same standard. Im sure there’s gonna be something down the line I’m not pleased about, but then no one likes paying for parts or fixer work as it always costs once outside warranty, hence why I only gave it 4 stars. The van on its own merit, I’m glad i went with the VW as I had a few choices and spent a long time making the decision. As for the parts and fixings if you want a job done right you may as well go to the people that know the van better than anyone else.

Hi! I bought t5 transporter 130bhp 2.5cc only 4mths ago. Sept 06 having a lot of problems with particulate filter, paid £180 having it regenerated. VW say it’s because I do town driving, this happens every 4weeks, tried driving it as in manual but no joy, light still on, can anybody help with problem??? I do like this van otherwise, cheers.

Rubbish van, I’d NEVER buy another!! Is it just mine or do all Transporter vans Shake as you go over a bit of rough ground??? I’ve had it totally checked out; suspension; mounts; all the rubbers(including the tyres) Ok, so they look good, really modern etc etc, but in regards to handling- Motorway, 10/10 (although a bit noisey-probably the reason why the stereos’ are so good!!) Around town, 1/10 (if that). OK would I recommend one to you? NO WAY! (Unless of course you’d like to buy mine?)

Today’s sophisticated, ecologically conscious motorist is becoming more demanding. Not satisfied with the straightforward virtues of swift, secure and comfortable transportation, the twenty first century driver insists upon giving the planet a helping hand. If journeys have to be undertaken, the environment must not, as a consequence, suffer. Deleterious by-products of motoring must be pared to the bare minimum. VW’s engineers - renowned for their ’blue sky’ thinking - have come up with a package of innovations labelled Blue Motion, which runs through much of the VW range. The term is redolent of open space, freedom from inhibition: of pure natural existential progress. And talking of space, that’s just what the Golf Plus is about. Lofty and cavernous and with more flexibility than the standard Golf, the Golf Plus sits between the Golf and Touran, but is still a five door hatchback and not an MPV. Its main competitors are Focus C-Max and Renault Scenic. The Golf Plus is likely to attract those without families - or with a small family - but who need more room and versatility than the traditional hatchback. There’s higher seating, cavernous stowage and loadspace and more legroom, despite retaining the Golf hatchbacks qualities of excellent driving dynamics and top levels of safety. There’s a choice from two petrol and three diesel engines and just two trim levels are available - S and SE. Both offer a most comprehensive range of equipment. Tested with 1.6 105PS diesel power and in SE trim at £20,575, this is a car that whispers along the road thanks to low rolling resistance tyres, mechanical refinement and splendid aerodynamic efficiency - all the way to 116 mph, should you wish. All this was a constant reassurance to me that the right thing was being done in the right place at the right time. Handling, ride comfort and overall driveability are not noticeably compromised by the technological manipulations in the quest for eco-econo. happiness. It would take harsh testing (just the sort of ungentlemanly behaviour that is so inappropriate in a car like this) to bring to light any weaknesses. Once in a blue moon such a motor revelation occurs. Here we have a decent size ’do-all-you-need’ car that you will love for its versatility, smooth sophistication, robustness and economy. (55+ mpg is easily attainable). While other marques experiment with nuclear power, photon beam warp drives, see-through windows and balsa wood bodies, Volkswagen apply Occam’s razor and hone what is logical and practical. This is a ’real world’ machine with a jolly good diesel engine - not some dreamed up spaceship powered by catapult elastic. Clever chaps these Germans with their many and multi-various systems. They even manage to retrieve some of the energy from braking via the ’brake regeneration system’. Sadly this was not wired to your aged correspondent who could do with a bit of regeneration himself. So - if life is a journey, every trip under Blue Motion technology enhances the quotidian aspects of life, making the journey worthwhile. One of these splendid machines in your garage would banish blue Mondays forever. Here is a podule that makes driving so like an extension of modern living. Obviously packed with microchip technology, I approached the Golf Plus Blue Motion with the attitude of Lenny the Luddite - suspicious of new bells and whistles. Would I be instantly at home and not require the services of my eighty year old grandmother computer whizzkid. Well, all was as reassuring as the 1926 edition of The Children’s Encyclopaedia: unlike some current models that are as complex as something found abandoned in a used mobile phone warehouse. Casting eyes around the comfy and airy cabin I looked suspiciously for signs of blue - but there was just a tastefully well-appointed interior that is one of the best in the business. Big seats, excellent visibility and a wonderfully cohesive air of understatement about its overall design make this car an excellent travel accessory. Bigger than the standard Golf, but there’s no inflation here. Everything is functionally contrived to maximise utility and enhance a sense of opulent comfort. Space galore for passengers and space aplenty for storage. VW have also seen to it that the car is safer than houses and more secure than unit trusts. The whole Golf Plus Blue Motion package offers motion slickness from the established maestros of movement. A rhapsody in blue without a Rattle means that VW are determined to serenade their customers once more with true automotive harmony. A sensible refinement of automotive engineering with the purpose of extracting maximum benefit with minimal disruption to Gaea’s Garden.

We run 5 Crafters and would never have another. Loads of problems, DPFs, steering racks, ignition switches that dont read the key, glow plug lights on then goes into limp mode, air flow sensors, agr valves, vw dealers useless, AVOID

Bought my van almost 4 years ago with 113k miles on the clock and service history. Only problems I’ve had are a broken rear spring (apparently a common fault), glow plug relay failed, starter motor, and ignition switch. All of which were easily remedied at little cost. It drives well and is a good workhorse. Would always recommend a VW. They’re worth spending the extra on!!!

Bad Bits: VW labour costs very high, new pads fitted, bonnet release plastic lever broke, central locking problems, altenator replaced, pullys replaced, bulbs keep blowing, driver’s seat not good, fly wheel starting to go, small cargo area, let me down once, VW not as good as they used to be. Good Bits: Fast!!!! Good Mpg, easy to park.        

I have been leasing a 2008 for 2 years now and the car is burning oil. VW Canada says its "normal". The car burns 1/2 litre of synthetic oil every one thousand kilometers and VW says it’s within the spec!! Also a few other issues, for example driver seat motors stopped working, but were fixed.

The van is comfortable, reasonably quiet, and has a great driving position. Fuel economy is OK if you drive sensibly. Unfortunately, it is also badly made. It was supplied with loose gearbox mounting bolts, fortunately detected before anything serious happened. It is about to go in for the third time in a year, because the alarm keeps going off, and the garage cannot diagnose the problem. It was an expensive vehicle, and I expected better. I would not buy VW again.

Amazing car, even when towing a caravan (use Witter towbar- had two PCT fails.) Performance too good when speed cameras around! Disappointing reversing lights, & no electric retractable mirrors. Interested to hear views on tyres. Mine got Good Year Excellence, which GY rate as summer tyres & VW say are not suitable for "prolongued use in snow or ice". What does that mean? Mine wouldn’t stop on slushy snow. Boot is not huge unless you are used to a mini. Could be 75 mm longer. Self levelling only available with Xenon lights.

This has to be the worst van ever made, it has constant filter problems, does not go 48hrs without a light flashing. Please save your money and buy the Mercedes Sprinter unless you have pots of money to waste, this van is not fit for road use from a guy who has 10 years of transport knowledge.

I decided to operate self-control back last autumn and wait for the 10 plate. How worth it was it! It is an amazing car; everything I’ve wanted but never found until now. Its quiet, so quiet that I’ve stalled a few times not hearing the engine. Any road noise is down to our wonderful road system. I decided on the petrol GT manual, here again, no regrets. It will pass most things easily. It must have just about every device for the driver’s convenience, and even the road brake button is easy to get used to and is pleasingly innovative. I traded my 06 Audi Avant in px and have borrowed my son’s Merc convertible for the last 3 months. This Passat CC looks a dream and beats the lot, I mean it!

I’ve had my t5 174 tdi 6 years now. I bought it from new and the water pump went at 30k, this was done under warranty in its 2nd year. Now it has 152k on the clock and it’s starting to show its age. 1st, clutch went, no warning whatsoever it just felt like every gear was neutral, 675 quid. 2nd, nearside drive shaft, again no warning, it just snapped at the boot, 272 quid but did that myself. 3rd, gear box, it hasn’t quite gone yet but it’s going to very soon, struggle to get it in 1st gear and it crunches like hell when trying to get it in 6th. Am not knocking the van at all, I drive it hard and quite surprised it hasn’t gone wrong sooner. Bit pricey on the parts/repairs but as they say, "nothing lasts forever" and "all good things come to an end". Its earnt its money and I’d have another.

Not very happy with T5, cruise knackered, offside drive shaft went and had a job to get goodwill from VW, now I have problems with rumble from steering and coolant leak and quite loud rattle from offside engine area. I have 2 driving hols to France and Spain this year and I would not trust it as far as I can throw it. T4 was ten times better. My advice when the warranty is upis to get shot of,  a VW warranty after 3 years is so expensive and now I know why. I will be hiring something else for hols and getting shot of shortly.

The Volkswagen Passat has been a very poor car. Turbo failed, clutch failed prematurely, inside cabin rattles and squeaks making the cabin ambience unpleasant. The electronic parking brake is useless and fails essentially when ever you need. It sticks on when setting on a hill or similar, leaving you sat at junctions unable to move. It also has a habit of letting itself off from time to time. I keep coming back to finding it sat in the middle of a car park somewhere. The engine gearbox combination is a poor marriage making the car hard work around town - you will be stalling it constantly until you have got used to it. Equally unless on open motorway, in the Passat you will find yourself endlessly changing gear in a hunt for power or some activity from the turbo charger to move it along. Don’t push it at all on winding roads, it is very prone to understeer whilst the steering does not give enough feedback for you to know what is going on with the car. It is strictly for straight labrador in the back driving. Fuel economy is OK on longer journeys but in real world driving expect 36-41mpg. It does OK on motorways. If you have a labrador, drive 3 miles to walk that labrador in the woods on a daily basis, then this is probably a good car. Otherwise I would advise steer clear and choose another option. This car is plagued with faults. Not a nice car. There are plenty of better options out there.

I bought the SE 1.4 5door model with the new 7speed DSG (twin clutch) gearbox and am generally happy with the car. The car has a very grown up feel to it and is very Audi like in the interior. with very good quality black upholstery and dashboard. The equipment level on the SE model is comprehensive, lacking only a few of the more upmarket models features such as air con instead of climate control and lacking the multi function trip computer and steering wheel controls for the audio system. The supplied audio system is, however. very good quality soundwise, albeit with a vivid blue display, which is at odds with the crisp white speedo/ tacho dials and the very professional looking red illumination for the dash switchgear. Several people have commented on the fact that they thought the car was a Golf until they say the badging on the tailgate, which I suppose is no bad thing, given the Golf’s popularity. All models in the range benefit from a neat little false floor in the boot and SE models and above have a sliding drawer under each front seat, very good for hiding all the clutter. Now to the not so good, The 7 speed DSG gearbox, whilst it does propel the 1.4 litre car along at a fairly brisk rate, shifts quickly and without any lag, except when pulling away from a standstill. This can be quite disconcerting when trying to emerge onto a busy roundabout for instance. I will address this problem at dealer level at the 1st service as it is not a major problem (yet). The gearbox has a choice of manual shift, automatic and sports automatic. Of these options most people will probably play with the manual ’tiptronic’ mode for a while before the novelty wears off, and then revert to the automatic side of the ’box. The automatic sport mode is possibly the most interesting as it allows shifts at a much higher rev rate and also changes down through the gears when slowing down (all very Maserati like !).On the move the car is quiet, rides well and handles poor road surfaces with ease. The car does feel, somehow, faster than the figures would lead you to believe, and when pressed the engine sounds subtly sporty. All in all a very well developed little car that thinks it’s a big car!

I recently visited my local dealership and I’m not at all impressed with the new Polo!! It’s not very nice looking and the cabin is so uninspiring to look at and sit in, it’s just so drab and boring. Theres a big gap lower down the dash where something should of been but they left it, leaving it a bit bland looking. Even out on the road I struggled to find something that I actually liked, the seats are very hard and un-supportive and the engine isnt exactly powerfull, also the suspension is quite stiff and the car overall has a very jiggly ride. I wont be purchasing the Polo but I have narrowed down my list to the Ibiza, 207 and Clio, So far the 207 is my favourite but it the most expensive and has the best equipment levels. The Ibiza is exactly the Polo only its got the good looks and a tempting price tag, the clio is very comfortable and is as nice to drive as the Peugeot but I have heard alot of bad reports about it. I’m pretty much stuck!!

Absolute pile of s**t. I’ve had Volkswagens all my life, always the 1.9 diesel Golfs and Transporters but no more after this. I bought my 2003 model Transporter 1.9 tdi when it was only 4 years old with 65,000 on the clock. It’s cost me a fortune and left me stranded in central France for a week when the inevitable flywheel,slave cylinder went taking with it the engine sump,clutch and drive shaft costing me €1800 with only 85000 on the clock.Its also had constant minor problems such as the headlight switch, back door lock,side door handle etc., going. This van has never even done heavy work; tow bar never used. Previous owner musician carrying only band equipment. I’ve only been using it as a camper.

I bought the van second hand from Euro Vans at Eastbourne, nothing but trouble, poor starting, turbo not working, typical bad news story from VW. Why do people say these vehicles are so good? Bought a Toyota Hiace, no problems at all.

In 2 years/12k miles of ownership the car has been the epitome of reliablity. Keep it serviced and it’s a solid motor. Can’t fault it.

I love this car, it has never needed any work doing on it and passes its MoT every year even though it doesn’t get a regular service. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a small car.

Bought my 5 cyl t5 second hand with 38000km on the clock. Shortly after the power steering reservoir started overflowing with engine oil from a bad seal on the pump. Cost a new pump, fortunately under warranty, but other than that a brilliantly versatile vehicle with so much power and economy to boot. best vehicle I have owned. Have a set of chains for mud in Swaziland and let the tyres down for the sand in Mozambique. 16" wheels are the secret for clearance also remember to switch off electronic traction! Also own a very reliable Audi A4 and a new VW Beetle which has been trouble all the way, so win some lose some I guess.

owned this van now for 3 and a 1/2yrs,no major probs yet ,just oil in coolant,fixed on warrenty twice!!! Had chip conversion to raise HP a few years ago; don’t bother, save your money, went from 31-33 average mpg to 25 average with no big discernable notice in performance. Taken it 5 times to south of france on various trips and so far not as much as a glich. It’s used every day for towing 1.5ton diggers and compressors and again as yet no clutch or gearbox problems. I dont drive it hard, just pottle around, sorry to hear there can be so many probs. I nearly bought a Merc instead of VW, both solid vans just preferred the looks of the VW, I’m glad I chose it though I have heard of gearbox problems but think that might just be 1.9 versions. Time will tell on reliability but I’m planning on keeping it for another 4-6 yrs.

Have a 174 TDI. In 70,000 miles its broken down 4 times, oil in the coolant, air mass meter, 2 other things that I didn’t really understand, cruise control no longer works (garage said it was because I had a different radio fitted), sliding door doesn’t unlock, front number plate fell off and plastic above rear number plate came very loose. Not pleased at all with Heritage VW in Bristol, they don’t seem to have the knowledge to deal with these problems or they just don’t care. Don’t know what to do with the van. It’s brilliant when it works but mostly it’s a shed on wheels. As you can tell I’m a bit upset by it all.

Had van from new, it’s nice to drive and good on fuel. After 24 months had a loud bang, no gears and it was the drive shaft completely snapped in half but under warranty so was lucky. Now at 4.5 years had the power steering pump, oil cooler and water pump go . I had reported oil light issues to VW while still under warranty but they said they could not find a problem until now and they are now arguing saying it isn’t their fault for not checking the original fault properly. So be warned VW are an arrogant bunch of W*&^%r’s and will never admit fault. Has any one else had this problem as we need to get together to make them listen.

Something I’ve wanted for the last 10 years probably so bought it second hand with low mileage and a good service history. It drives like a dream, I especially like the 6 gears and the way it accelerates out of tight spots/away from the traffic lights! Apparently I look quite menacing when following someone as it’s black but it suits me perfectly - the only annoying thing it has a single slot cd and the variable speed (automatic) windscreen wipers. Hopefully though the music system will soon be upgraded........

A good family car.

I purchased my van a year ago, it was nearly 3 years old with 100,000 on the clock. Trouble free for 12 months, clutch has just gone. £900 bill for new clutch, fly wheel and slave cylinder from Mr. Clutch. Had a Renault van and a Peugeot van before which weren’t as nice to drive but never had repair bills like this. Very concerned now about future reliability and costs. Also when the steering lock is on full when manoeuvering there is quite a bit of juddering. Service is now due. If this is another large bill I don’t think I will keep this van long term, instead of the planned 5 years. Shame because I like driving it and it’s perfect for my job.

It’s very early days but this is a very, very enjoyable car to drive. I’m a big fan of VW’s having owned five Golfs previously and this car ticks ALL the usual Volkswagen boxes, especially its superb build quality as exemplified by those heavy front doors. My only minor concern (relatively speaking) was reliability as my previous car was a Toyota Auris, since ,let’s face it, the Jap cars are even more reliable than the Germans. However, I recently drove it all the way from North Wales to Kent and the drive was an absolute pleasure, with such a refined and powerful engine. A class act and if it proves to be reliable I shall certainly consider buying another.

Having had 2 brand new Ka’s in recent years I needed something bigger and more sturdy, so due to finances, opted for a second hand VW Golf DTi this time. The man at the garage said it would be the best car I would ever own and he was right. She is diesel fuelled for a start, having never owned a diesel I am amazed how economic she is. The 4 door design is spot on for getting my twin grandsons in and out with ample boot space for their paraphenalia. She handles well and I feel safe even when driving in some of the poor weather conditions we have experienced of late. There are a couple of areas on the paintwok that need touching up due to bubbles but otherwise she is a cracking little car. The only complaints I have are that the heater takes a good five minutes to get the car warm inside and the windscreen takes a while to clear on cold mornings (why manufacturers don’t put in heated front windscreens is beyond me!). In all, a good reliable car and if I ever was in the position to buy new again, a Golf DTi would be my first choice by far!

Write your report here...Great van, would buy again now on 200k in under 3 yrs, only had a gearbox go which was done under the warranty at 12k, has always been reliable and does 35mpg. Can only guess that people with lots of problems may be overloading their vans or driving them like t***s to cause so many problems. They say only a bad workmen blames their tools.

I’m from Australia and have a 2005 T5 2.5Lt 6Speed manual with 123k on the clock. This is a expensive car down under. It’s the best van I have ever owned when it comes to power and comfort, bloody brilliant ! I use it for work and often spent weeks in central Australia. I wouldn’t call my trips hard, demanding would be a better word. At 120k the power steering pump exploded leaving me stranded in 48 degree temperatures for 4 hours before I flag down help. $1900.00 AU to fix it. Two weeks ago BANG no gears, no speedo, still waiting to hear from the mechanic why and how much $$$$. Sounds like input shaft. Breaking down where I go can kill you! I can no longer trust this van in the Australian Outback so today I purchased a 2009 Crewman T5 2.5Lt, 228Kw with 6 speed manual, 4 motion with optional RH door and towing pack. Drive away with 12 months rego this cost me $52000.00 AU I almost purchased the Benz but went for the VW again? I hope I’ve done the right thing but I’m a little worried after reading this review section.

I bought a VW Golf gt tdi 1 year ago. I took it to the dealer who told me my clutch and flywheel has gone and is gonna cost me £1250. I know this is a common fault and VW should recall all Mark 5 Golfs. Anybody who has a Mark 5 Golf should make sure VW UK are aware and I think this is could be a watch dog issue.

Having driven a Freelander for the past 6 years I thought the Touareg would be a nice change. How wrong. Visibility in this car is awful and road holding (as proven in the recent bad weather) is poor.

Nice roomy, reliable car with a 5 star security and safety rating.

The Touareg replaced a 5 year old Nissan Patrol that I loved. I was worried that I would miss the Patrol but after a few days I had been completely converted. The Touareg was better in every way, quicker, more comfortable, much better road holding and more like a big sports car than an off road 4x4. If you get the chance do a VW Touareg off road and race track day as the abilities of this car will amaze you. The VW dealer in Guildford, Colbournes, are excellent and not just for Touaregs. It only has one disadvantage and that is the incredible road holding does come at the price of tyre wear but what price your neck? The Patrol would be off the road on every tight bend that the Touareg does not even notice but the Patrol tyres lasted for 23k miles and I have had 2 sets of tyres in 23k miles in the VW. Buy the maintenace and tyre package, I did. A great car, a pity that the current model has stopped production and the new one is not due until the Autumn. Not sure what I will do when my one goes back in July. I may buy this one at the end of the 3 years PCP or very possibly a Suzuki Grand Vitara. A difficult choice.

Although I have not done a huge mileage yet, I am very pleased with it. Drives very well, comfortable, quiet and very economical. Quality of build is excellent, and has loads of extra headroom for a tall person like myself, and the rear sliding seats are very handy. Was almost put off by critical remarks on Top Gear etc, who could not see the point of it, but for someone who wants the quality of a Golf and not the size of a Touran it’s ideal, can’t fault it.

Was Fine for 3 years now 91k, squeak on dash I can put up with but, rear door will not open? Front offside drive shaft splines broke.

This is a superb vehicle. I have a false hip which makes getting in and out of smaller cars somewhat difficult. In the Passat I feel relaxed and totally in control; in particular the engine has enough spare capacity for rapid acceleration if one needs it. She tools round the sharpest bends with ease and one hardly knows that one is turning, no tilt of "hunting" even on roundabouts. Steep hills are eaten with ease, and the vehicle performed well in the recent snow when even BMWs were struggling. The Passat, I feel, is the Pullman of cars. Not quite your Bentley or Morse’s Jaguar, but a supremely reliable and comfortable car that loolk smartb and acts similarly.. Oill capacity is a bit limited so a frequent change is recommewnded; cambelts can be dodgy too. Internal and external trim is superb. We live 200 yards from the sea and no rust can be seen, even though the winds blow hard in these parts.

VW transporter 1.9 tdi 85 bhp with 116,000 miles complete, no issues up to now. today during cold weather got stuck in 4th gear. I left until mid day and all ok again. got checked out and water got into gear linkage cables and froze. To fix it will require new linkage. (currently tried to get water out with wd40 and grease) all in all I’ve had this van from new and I would recommend it to anyone.

I love the car, it’s fun to drive and is economical but the turbo went at 20,000 miles and the ESP light has been on for 12 months now and could cost £1300. VW should do a full recall for this ESP/ABS fault, don’t buy one until they do!

Just had 12 of these on hire for 4 weeks. Main faults were 5 of them need new gearboxes, either gears crunch or dont go in at all. 1 had the door handle fall off on the inside and out making the door totally useless. All have gone back to the hire company totally battered and in need of warranty repairs. Load space is appaling due to the large wheel arches inside the back. Once loaded the van is extremely unstable. Whenever you have a passenger in the van who isnt a midget they continually put the hazard lights on with their knees. Worst vans ever.

I have had this car 2 weeks now as a company car,it was used by a colleague at head office previously and has done 36000 miles. Fuel economy seems poor as it is hard work to get over 40mpg and I don’t thrash it. Also when stationary and in slow moving traffic exhaust fumes can be smelt in the cabin and from outside when standing near the car, anyone with any ideas as to what is the problem?

This has to be one of the most boring and annoying cars to live with. When i test drove it i loved it, that soon changed after i bought one!!. The cabin area must be one of the most boring places to sit in, the seats are as comfortable as sitting on the road and the the plastics look so drab and boring. There’s a huge gap lower down the dashboard that really looks awful, when driving on a motorway the wind and road noise is deafening, i can’t hear myself think. Don’t be taken in by the drive when you first drive it and the looks, it will feel and looks dated in no time. Finally the Motion 4 system is horrendous, last christmas I stopped on my steep driveway covered on snow and tried to drive up it hoping the systme would kick in and get me up it but it didn’t. Instead, a few weeks later when I was on my way home from work and it decided to kick in when I was doing 70, it made the biggest clunk/ bang i have ever heard. Stay away, no matter how much you like this car.

I bought a 1.9 102bhp t5 when it was 15 months old and initialy I was very impressed with it but then couldn’t get into any gear with out crunching. I took it back to the dealer and they changed the gear box oil and all was ok for a while. Next it started to wobble when doing speeds of 42-60mph. I took it back to the dealer but they couldn’t find the cause. It continued to wobble so I took it back again and this time they put a new steering rack on. This didn’t solve the problem so made another visit and this time had a new gear box fitted. The problem was still there so another visit to the dealer and a new drive shaft on the driver’s side has been fitted but this still hasn’t fixed it. The 3 year warranty is up soon, what do i do??

Having previously owned a VW Polo, which had been 100% reliable I chose a VW Golf TDI DSG for it’s replacement at my driving school. Now I’m wondering what the hell just hit me! And im stuck with it for 3years! I’ve not the time to list all the problems I’ve had with it. I’ve owned it just over a year and it has already cost me over £1500 in repairs and then there is VW main dealer service - wow that’s painful! VW, what happend? You need to spend money to build a good car. I think I will look at a Ford Focus next.

This is an excellent vehicle, mine has done 150k so far and the only fault I can find is that it judders when pulling away with full lock on; it feels like the brakes are pulling on or the four wheel drive is cutting in, not sure, but when clutch is dipped it rolls freely. Once you are moving or using a bigger turning circle there is no problem. Has anyone had the same problem or at least similar? I would be interested to know before paying for the VW garage to take a look.

I bought my 2.5 Transporter new in 2001 and it’s now 11 2009. I’ve never had a thing go wrong with it. It is serviced once a year, not by a vw garage as they are a rip off. I have nothing but good to say about the VW Transporter.

I have just bought a T5 56 reg Transporter. With only 52,000 miles on the clock, what could go wrong? In 5 weeks of ownership I’ve had to fit a new clutch and flywheel, front shocks, tailgate light,it’s been bad at starting and now it’s in for a central locking fault. The dealer had the van for 4 days this time and they still can’t locate the fault on the central locking. The van is of poor build quality but the service from the dealer has been very good though.

Volkswagen engineering is rather special. There’s something that manifests itself in all their products. It is something that implies a meticulous attention to detail and to finish - an innate compulsion to be absolutely thorough. The painstaking design and workmanship produces very convincing models indeed - and none more so than the new Golf SE Mk6 in 1.4litre TSi form. Looking impressively solid in steel grey metallic, the test Golf was dressed as expensively,soberly and inconspicuously as any Brummel could desire. There were no splashes of meretricious plastic chrome and stick-on decals or other trumpery tricks from the merchandising departments armoury of deceptions.The car endowed dignity upon its users through the absence of puffed up glitter. Fondly supposed to need little improvement, VW has undoubtedly kept the Golf to the highest standards,refusing in any way to compromise the ’gentleman that it has become after six generations - unlike other manufacturers who think it’s much more fun to become a rake.VW has carefully controlled the Golf’s evolution and built on the best of previous models to take the Golf to a level where it is a better car than most supposed ’prestige’ rivals. Having established itself over many years as the very apotheosis of the dependable and inspiring hatchback, this archetypal model has much to live up to.Now in a ’derived’ form that is clearly related, the Golf must surely go down in history as one of the noblest cars in the Volkswagen saga, where subtle change to shape and substance reflect consumate virtues and an air of timeless ’rightness’. It is, to put it mildly, a most accomplished car and I’m pleased to report to you that the virtues of the Golf are still inimitable and indispensable. No wonder twenty six million have been sold since 1974. The SE 1.4 TSI 122PS 5dr with 7speed DSG transmission tested,(with a basic price of £17,885.). certainly perpetuates the Golf Stream in whose balmy benevolence we lucky motorists have basked for many a year now. This TSI engine variant is turbocharged only, but more powerful units have both supercharging and turbocharging. It’s a jewel of an engine that gives effortless performance from any revs. Creamy smooth and driving through that remarkable DSG gearbox with its imperceptible changes, the linear nature of the acceleration all the way to the 124mph top speed, is turbine like - but without the lag one would get with a turbine. With this engine VW have taken the reciprocating engine to new heights of sophistication and refinement. It makes for good economy too, with nearly 50mpg achievable overall. Smooth and quiet motorway cruising is a strong point and with the incredible overall composure of the car you drive easy and relaxed. Off the motorway it’s the same story and if you’re so disposed, you can set to a cracking pace on A and B roads when it snaps to attention. Utterly ’together’, it is so beautifully balanced and poised that driving can once again become a pleasure. Inside it’s typically Teutonic with all the sturdiness of a Black Forest oak tree and you just know that it’s as tough as a Tiger Tank and as robust as lederhosen and will give you aeons of good service. Thankfully it’s more comfy, with an excellent driving position that can be ajusted to suit all from the fattest Burgomeister to a Leprechaun without a licence. There’s more than enough room for four adults to travel in relaxed style and rear passengers aren’t compromised by ’racy’ sloping rooflines. With solid residual values a Golf is always a wise choice and the initial extra outlay to buy quality is worthwhile. Certainly one of the most complete cars available today, the Golf is a car that looks good because of what it is and not what it aspires to be. It will flatter any driver from the chic to the bucolic, transferring upon owners an aura of the proper prestige that comes without trying.

I bought this car a year ago as I wanted a MPV rather than an estate car, so that I could transport my fishing gear, the dog and the wife. At the outset the car behaved well with good performance and fuel economy, but 3months down the line the cd unit packed up so it went back to the garage where a new unit was installed under warranty at a cost of &pound640; glad i wasn’t picking up the bill. Another couple of months went by and the esp light came on and stayed on,so back to the garage it went where a new esp ring was fitted, which has somthing to do with the ABS, at a total cost &pound350 (I’m getting my moneys worth out of this warranty).Just 3 weeks ago i awoke at 3am to the sound of the car’s alarm going off. I was popular with the neighbours i can tell you since i m a heavy sleeper. When i went down to the car i found all the windows had let themselves down and it was raining cats & dogs so I ended with an added extra.. a vw with a built in swimming pool. Would i buy another one? Quite frankly no.

After owning VW golfs for over 25 years I’ve always found them reliable easy to maintain and a pleasure to drive, well I’ll never buy another one and advise people to read below before purchasing one. Two weeks ago I had trouble starting my VW 04 1.4FSI golf MK 5 , so I phoned the vw dealers and got it towed to their workshop to diagnose the fault, they told me they were not sure but they thought the cambelt had slipped and would need 6 hours investigation time to confirm it, I gave them the go ahead but said I was surprised because the service book says the cambelt did not need to be checked till 60000 miles and my car had only done 35000 miles. Anyway they checked and informed me that the cambelt had faulted and done considerable damage £1705.65 to be exact. I told them to fix it as I did not have much option, I asked if it was a common occurance on this model they told me that they had seen it happen but not on a car with such low mileage. I got in touch with VW customer relations and they told me that information in their service book can be changed at any time so they can state 60000 mile cambelt inspection but can then change it to 4 years or 60000 mile at a later date without informing anyone but their dealers, they say they won’t reimburse me or show a measure of goodwill so I’ve no option but to go to a small claims court. So beware before you purchase any new or used golf in the future it won’t affect me because I won’t buy another.

I have driven VW’s for a number of years. I bought my lastest golf in 2007, a 1.6 automatic comfort line. Within the last 3 months I have had a lot of trouble with the car. Firstly all the dash clocks packed up and had to be replaced (luckily under warranty). My door speakers in the front have an intermittent problem, they go on and off for no reason. And just this week the central locking on the two front doors started playing up and had to be replaced. VW covered the parts and 50% of the labour cost but I was still well out of pocket. I have spoken to a VW mechanic and was told that both the problem with clocks and door locks are not just a one off as he has had to replace same in several Golf’s. I paid £26,000 for this car and have only put 24,000 km on the clock so I really don’t find this situation acceptable. Has anyone else had these problems?

Bought Volkswagen 2.0 GT TDI 140bhp in April 2008. Current mileage 33500 which I think is quite remarkable for FOUR YEAR OLD CAR. ESP light can’t be cancelled and I’ve been told I require a brake pump. I was also told this is a manufacturers fault but I’m still expected to pay total of £577. Volkswagen have offered to pay 40% of the total cost. I liased with Consumer Care Scotland who advised me to quote Sale of Goods Act. The original cost quoted for me to pay was approximately £1000 plus VAT and Volkswagen would pay the remainder 40%. There is a huge difference between what was originally quoted but I still think it’s outrageous and I will liaise with Trading Standards. When I contacted Volkwagen Customer Care Team I was asked about my loyalty as a customer. I’ve had many Volkswagen’s but I was asked for registration numbers and when I couldn’t remember ALL OF THEM I was then asked for chassis numbers! My idea would be if they are saying this is a manufactureres fault then I should not be paying anything! The retailing garage have been very supportive and I could not fault them BUT I’m very disappointed with Volkswagen and I would certainly have to consider whether to continue as a customer.

Although I find the Touareg a joy to drive, with all driver comforts, I find the engine a little under powered. I should have opted for the v6 or above and sacrificed some mpg. At present the car returns 34mpg on a run, not bad for a vehicle of this size!! The car has been dealer serviced from new, however, now that it’s 4yrs old plus I am starting to encounter problems I would not have expected considering a mileage of 60000 miles. Recently the rear drive shaft mid bearing failed - a new shaft being £650 + VAT!! as a replacement bearing is not available. Items of interior trim are starting to break, eg - underseat drawer facia and centre console lid catches and guess what they have been modified with replacement parts costing a small fortune. Wiring problems with airbag system is another gripe although the system was modified under a dealer rework programme. Needles to say all this happened after the manufacturers warranty and extended warranty expired, so beware.

This is my second 2.5 Touareg. Very comfortable on and off road BUT... the tow bar is terrible. On the last car the towbar was changed because all trailers rattle unbearably. Replacement tow bar was no better. New car I arranged with dealer only to buy a Touareg if they would guarantee the tow bar would be OK. Guess what? Towing is unbearable. We have a Discovery and Mitsubishi L200 both of which tow the trailers without a sound. My none engineering opinion is that the towing ball has been machined off too high at the base ie the ball is not deep enough and the ball is positioned about 1" too low.