My Golf has 164k miles on it. The first 150k were relatively free of any major problems except a problem with the locking system (power lock), and i had to replace the clutch. HOWEVER, since it reached 160k miles, it seems like it is falling apart ! Has anyone out there kept a golf this long, and what is your experience ? It is costing me a fortune in the last four months, and i don’t know whether to cut my losses and sell it or not. It sprung 4 oil leaks ($900), broken clutch cable ($400)then a idler mixer part ($625) then brakes (425). Im going broke ! any advice ? Thanks, Gretchen
Welcome to the Volkswagen club-I’m surprised you made it so long before all this typical stuff started hitting you. You’ve got a sturdy little 2.0 engine in that car that can go for a long time if you keep the oil changed regularly. If you drive it with care you should be able to see 250K miles since you have a stick shift.
The brakes and clutch cable are wear items and have to be replaced on all cars eventually, so that’s not really a big deal. The prices do seem high though-who are you going to-a dealer or an independent? Skip dealers with a car this old and find a VW specialist. The oil leaks I’m curious about-was there a puddle under the car or did someone you that you had leaks that needed fixing?
If you like the car hold onto it and find a good VW mechanic and just understand that your car is at a point of renewal for many major items. Just think- your clutch cable will be good for another 160K miles haha. Seriously though-do the math. If you have to make a repair or two now and then that costs $300 here or $400 there isn’t that still much cheaper than a $400 a month payment for the next 5 years? If you need some advice stop by and we’ll help you out.
Good luck.
Well, it’s a 12 year old import with a good amount of mileage on it. Stuff’s gonna break, and because it’s not a domestic model it will be more expensive to fix.
You’ve already spent $2,350 on repairs to the car, so I suppose you should ask yourself if there’s a limit on how much more you’ll spend on it. If there is, then you should probably look into getting another vehicle because things will continue to need repair. That’s just age and mileage doing its evil.
I would hold onto the car until it requires another major repair and then make a decision to keep it or sell it.
Also, FIND A NEW MECHANIC!!!
$400 dollars to replace a clutch cable is highway robbery. The cable costs about $80 and takes 20 minutes to replace.
I’m not sure what an idles mixer is, but $600 sounds too high.
Good luck!!!