which golf engine is ok to buy?

[hibijibis]

hey guys,

i'm cautiously thinking of buying a vw golf mark 7. i have heard there are problems with some of the engines, but i am not up to date.
the 2 models i am considering is 90tsi dsg and 103 tsi dsg.
i have also thought i could get a polo gti with the 1.4l tsi but have heard this engine eats oil.

can anyone knowledgable about this stuff let me know which is the safest engine to go with? i need a reliable car.

thanks all!

PS: i am aware of a rattle issue, fm radio issue, and wiper smear issue.

[spikeyboy22]

hey guys,

i'm cautiously thinking of buying a vw golf mark 7. i have heard there are problems with some of the engines, but i am not up to date.
the 2 models i am considering is 90tsi dsg and 103 tsi dsg.
i have also thought i could get a polo gti with the 1.4l tsi but have heard this engine eats oil.

can anyone knowledgable about this stuff let me know which is the safest engine to go with? i need a reliable car.

thanks all!

PS: i am aware of a rattle issue, fm radio issue, and wiper smear issue.

I would be more worried about the 7 speed DSG problem ...

Get the 2.0 litre diesel, it uses the 6 speed DSG...

[Mountainman]

PS: i am aware of a rattle issue, fm radio issue, and wiper smear issue.

Mine has had none of these issues and has now passed 4000km so I don't know how common they are.
From my experience the fm radio reception is excellent, picking up stations in rural areas that any other cars I've been in haven't had a hope of doing.

[zkaizen]

PS: i am aware of a rattle issue, fm radio issue, and wiper smear issue.

I have the 2L diesel 6 speed DSG, none of the issues described above - have done country drives @3000K
Start/stop just needs getting used to.

[hibijibis]

hmm. seems to be more of a dsg problem than an oil problem. i guess the oil problem you hear about more when thinking of audi?

[Diesel_vert]

hey guys,

i'm cautiously thinking of buying a vw golf mark 7. i have heard there are problems with some of the engines, but i am not up to date.

You may be referring to the 1.4 118TSI in the Mk6 Golf, which... to put it very mildly.... has a less than stellar reputation for reliability.


the 2 models i am considering is 90tsi dsg and 103 tsi dsg.

For the Mk7 Golf, the EA211 petrol engine, EA288 diesel engine and the MQB platform are pretty much brand new. The upside is that problems of the previous model aren't likely to be carried over. The downside is that it's yet to prove itself in the real-world and it's too early to make an assessment on long-term reliability.

For the 1.4 TSI engines, the Mk7 Golf uses the same 7-speed DSG (DQ200) transmission, which was subject to a recent recall (excluding the Mk7 Golf), but VW claim they've sorted out a lot of the problems now.


i have also thought i could get a polo gti with the 1.4l tsi but have heard this engine eats oil.

Yes, there's a big thread on it in the Polo section.


can anyone knowledgable about this stuff let me know which is the safest engine to go with? i need a reliable car.


Again, it's just too early to say.

Although if reliability and trouble-free motoring is a top priority, I'm not sure if you should be considering European cars in general.

[Ideo]

I would say the 110tdi with a manual transmission, but VW Australia decided that people who wanted to buy a Golf wanted a s%%t awful transmission that breaks down all the time instead of tried and true technology.

[Eaglehawk]

I would say the 110tdi with a manual transmission, but VW Australia decided that people who wanted to buy a Golf wanted a s%%t awful transmission that breaks down all the time instead of tried and true technology.

The 6 speed wet clutch DSG has no where the failures compared to the 7 speed dry clutch. But fair enough that the manual would be a safer option. If it was an option.

[hibijibis]

You may be referring to the 1.4 118TSI in the Mk6 Golf, which... to put it very mildly.... has a less than stellar reputation for reliability.

Although if reliability and trouble-free motoring is a top priority, I'm not sure if you should be considering European cars in general.

thanks for da info. yes unfortunately for me today i had a engine failure in another european car that we have... perhaps those reliability surveys have some basis after all..... lexus perhaps?

[scobb]

I know that in Oz/NZ we don't get the 1.4 TSI engine with Active Cylinder Technology (ACT). Does that mean we are getting an "older" technology engine, or do we get the new engine but with ACT disabled?

I'd appreciate it if someone in the know could clarify the status of the engines we are getting in this part of the world.

[pologti18t]

We get the 1.4 TSI engine that doesn't incorporate the ACT head etc. Its not old tech its just a different version of the engine.
ACT is quite expensive for little benefit (in Australia etc)

[Amalgam]

ACT is available on the Audis in Au.

My understanding is that the engines are from the same family and the non ACT version are used in the Golf for market differentiation.

[Mountainman]

The 1.4 TSI engines in the Mk7 have nothing to do with the 1.4 engines in the Mk6 other than sharing bore centres. They have alloy blocks (not iron), long stroke / narrow bore, cam belt rather than chain and the exhaust / turbo is at the back of the engine and fuel injection / intake at the front of the engine (opposite to Mk6). In 22,000km my Mk7 has used no oil. My Mk6 used 1L every 3,000km. They sound and feel similar but the Mk7 has a broader spread of torque, is faster (61kg less weight helps there) and is quite a bit (no, lots) more economical. And I seem to have one that has no wastegate actuator rod rattle, so they don't all do it. The only other one I drove didn't have it either. It's the most perfect car I've ever owned in over 40 years of driving.