Are VW GTi’s reliable?

I’ve considered replacing my FiST with a current gen GTi wanting something more comfortable as a daily driver.

I’ve looked inside the GTis and the interior quality look several classes above our cars and the design appears much cleaner.

I’ve read comparisons that state the FiST is slightly more fun but I’m willing to give that up for a superior interior to make the daily grind more enjoyable.

However, I’ve heard VWs have terrible reliability. Then again the fiesta is rated very poor according to consumer reports. Personally I’ve had no issues except the blend door over 30k miles.

Anyone have experience with the VWs?

Don't believe the hype about vehicles being unreliable because some paid magazine says so....they are talking about the Normal fiestas and their notorious Trans issue the auto's had. Vws are mediocre at most....they are very similar to Chrysler you either get a good one or get one plagued by issues as it was made on a monday by Hans who has a hangover from Oktoberfest. I've seen to identical Vws in the shop almost same mileage same year...one was pretty much perfect the other had issues. See if you can obtain a vehicles repair history before buying also if available....do what you want in car choice man....you will be back to FiST land....They always come back.....good luck if you do!




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My ex had a 2016 GTI which I drove all the time.

She had problems with a CEL and rough idle. We brought it into VW several times and the light would be be back about a week later. I read that there were problems around the ECU adjusting fuel at idle for emissions reasons that caused the CEL. We never figured out the cause and the dealerships were stumped.

Other than that issue, the GTI was great. I didn't like it because it was so much softer and bigger than the FiST, but it would be more comfortable/polished than the FiST for normal/boring commuting. It definitely felt dull after driving the FiST.

I think a lot of the bad reputation for VW/GTI reliability issues come from the MK6 platform. They had a lot of issues in that generation with the timing chain tensioner failing, which would result in owners needing new engines. I personally knew 2 people that were impacted.

Mk7 has been a very reliable GTI platform so far. I would definitely consider replacing my Fiesta with one. Don't forget for the new models they are now offering one of the best warranties on the market.

I would definitely do the research. You can check the VW forum VWvortex and you can find out more about the reliability of the car. I also like Consumer Reports. I had a early Gti and ran into reliability problems. I’m not sure you can compare them to a Honda, but maybe they have gotten better over the years.

My brother has a '12 DSG that he bought new. The issues I recall off the top of my head are an exterior door handle cover came off within a few months after purchase; I think he's on his 3rd water pump; the dealership had to fix a coolant leak near the head that they found during routine maintenance; it developed a misfire that had to be fixed; and possibly some other things I don't remember or don't know about.

With that said, he has put a TON of miles on it, and he still loves it. It's his DD and is used to haul the family around on vacations. He just fixes the issues and keeps on driving.

IF going vw do not get one unless it is wolfsberg editions or ones that you know are built and assembled in germany otherwise prepare for lots of gremlins.

everybody notice that you always see a vw on the road with a burnt out headlight lol i see one practically every day.

lease one if you can, any german car can get $$$$ as they age, parts are not cheep get a VW warranty not the other one they try to sell you. last but not least get a vin that starts with WVW is german 3VW is mexico I had a 2012 golf tdi auto fast, sipped fuel really nice inside. After 3 years I got the bug for a golf R, took it to where i bought it 12,000 miles they told me it was the nicest one they had seen and offered me $13,000 trade in W.T.F. I said i would never buy another VW ever. 2 years latter they gave me a check for $24,000 diesel gate. even the dealership admits they don't keep their value so a cheep lease is the way to go. Good Luck

Also check if u have a good independent VW mechanic nearby. I remember having to consider taking my car to the “euro specialists” who also work on BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes. If I lived in the UK, I would have considered keeping my VW because of the enthusiasm and support for the car.

They said that when the mk6 was new, mk5, mk4

Reliability and expensive maintenance. I was interested in a GTI with the DSG transmission a few years ago. I really liked the low end punch and off the line acceleration and the handling. But researching the DSG the fluid changes were $1600 and it looked very, very complicated, which was enough to deter me.

lol touche touche

My twin brother and I shared a MK6 Golf TDI in college and is what made us both love hatchbacks. That being said I did have issues with an ABS module that was never resolved even after replacement and reprogramming(I had to purchase expensive VWAG only OBDII scanners and spent a weekend removing half the engine bay to reach the ABS module that was tucked behind the cowl and DPF) Dashboard was a constant christmas tree. Falling headliners from bad moonroof drains causing water to seep inside. Multiple CELs from bad differential pressure sensors. All of this before 100k miles and then VW gave me a big check for 1.5 times what I paid for the car because of Deiselgate

I wouldn't personally purchase another VW but my brother did, and he loves his MK6 GTI. He has only had another falling headliner with 20k miles on the odometer and terrible uneven tire wear.

After seeing how simple most maintenance and mod additions are for the FiST I don't think I would ever go back.

fine as long as you avoid the entire 90's generator, or buy a pallet of window regulators ahead of time ;P

seriously though, i used to use rabbits/golfs as beaters. You could get them with a stick and the 2.5 inline 5 was a solid engine with a neat sound. Both of mine were dead reliable with the exception of leaky window seals. Both clocked 100k miles of lugging around rackmount server equipment before i swapped to a new one. Had a 2008 and a 2010. Holy crap i just realized I was clocking 50k miles a year.

Right?? Lots of little mechanics in the UK with experience not only on vw's but just about every niche vehicle.

Same. I'm not cost sensitive by any stretch but I am *value* sensitive. If the money I'm spending makes sense, then great. If the fluid change looks to be intentionally complicated so the end user can't do it, I'm not quite as on-board.

Also, creeping in traffic in a DSG is balls. Or at least it used to be, I don't know about current state. Early gen DSG's were an on/off switch for your trans, no creepin' at all. Always felt there needed to be a small electric motor just for creeping in traffic.

I owned VWs for most of my life. They are garbage. You will spend most of your time driving around waiting for the check engine light to start flashing.

Kind of kills the thrill of it all.

My first car was a 58 bug, nice and simple. worked on motorcycles so working on VW's was a small step sideways. it got so I could tell what year they were by looking at it. The small things. That's what made it so good ''the peoples car'' to bad that's gone now.

I do miss that VW magazine from UK. I think it was Performance VW. Cover to cover of eye candy and VW parts. I wish Fast Fords magazine included more Fiestas. Oh well...