Volkswagen Golf Engine Problems

It's not possible to say exactly how many engines VW has replaced, that's information the company doesn't divulge to the media. But we can say that there have been a number of engines replaced. I doubt that having that information would enhance your case anyway, the engine has lost compression at a very low odometer and you claim to have had the car serviced by a VW dealer. I would think it's a relatively straightforward case.

It seems to me that they're quite different cars; the Golf R is an under-the-radar raider, the Mustang an in-your-face statement. If you want an exhilarating drive on those weekends away go for the Golf, if you want a more leisurely fun drive with a high look-at-me factor go for the Mustang. For my money I would choose the Mustang. There is talk of a twin-turbo Mustang coming as a GT500 Shelby in 2018, possibly with a 5.2-litre V8. Not sure if it would make to Australia.

It is increasingly normal and many dealers are asking to be paid up front before doing any diagnostic work. I don't agree with the practice, I think they should do the work before charging for it. The diagnostic work has to be done to determine what has caused the engine problem, so there's no getting around it.

Yes. It is a well-documented problem with the 1.4-litre dual-charge engine; one that VW was fixing when it first cropped up a year or two ago. Your car is out of warranty so they might be reluctant to help you, but it's worth a try.

Have your dealer contact VW first and have them register a request for a goodwill claim to cover the repairs to the engine. It's a common problem with the 1.4-litre twin-charge engine and the company should at least cover part of the repair costs. If your claim is rejected, then go directly to VW to pursue it further. You will have a battle to get any compensation, so be prepared for rejection.

Years ago when you owned your Torana it was considered something of a performance car, as the Clubsport, SSV and Calais are today, but there are many other ways of getting your driving thrills today without having to go for a V8. Some of the hot hatches now available would give you all the thrills, and more, than the big-bangers of old. Take a test drive in a VW Golf GTi or one of the fast Ford Focuses and I'm sure you'd rethink your choice. All the cars you mention, the Clubsport, SSV and Calais are good cars with plenty of grunt, the V8 sound, and the comfort of a big car. For mine though I'd be going for a hot hatch.

I would be going directly to VW with the piston problem. It is a known one with that engine and in my view should be covered, at least in part by VW. The statutory laws that apply to new goods don't apply to secondhand ones, so it's going to be hard to make a case on the back of those laws. I would be pressing VW hard, looking to get a goodwill deal.

I have investigated and Volkswagen admits some sort of original fault, but you should not have driven the car until it stopped with 146 degrees of coolant temperature and external plastic sensors on the engine melted. The new CEO of Volkswagen Australia, Michael Bartsch, is promising a fair hearing and will help to get the car back on the road.

The dealer appears to be reasonable and seems to be trying to fix it, even though you have doubts about what he is doing. Because of the history the dealer can't reasonably walk away from his responsibility, so you're on pretty safe grounds. But given that the warranty is about to expire I would sit down and talk to the dealer about what he would be prepared to do on an on-going basis if the car continues to give trouble.

I assume that the cause of the catalytic convertor light coming on is that engine is burning excessive oil and that has contaminated the converter. That’s the only reason I can think of that the dealer wants to check the bores. Have you observed it using oil? It would seem to be an extreme move to install a new engine, but hopefully they will do it as a goodwill gesture.