Suspension

This Golf was available with:

  • standard suspension
  • factory sport suspension
  • adaptive electronically adjustable suspension

+2 rear axle types:

Additionally, cars equipped with the standard suspension were available with 2 types of rear axles. With the simple torsion beam rigid rear axle or with the more complex multi-link rear axle.

Torsion beam

Cars with weaker engines-under 90kW are equipped with the torsion beam rear axle which is cheap and simple. On one side it is good, because there are not many parts which would wear out. But on the other side: the handling, stability and comfort of the car is not good with this axle design – this is most noticeable on bumpy/uneven roads where this axle type is even noisier. On completely smooth roads you are not gonna feel much difference compared to the multi-link axle.

Multi-link

The multi-link rear axle on the other hand is the more expensive axle design, which improves the handling, stability and comfort a lot(-most noticeable on bumpy/uneven roads). But it has numerous control arms with bushings – which are gonna obviously wear out in the future. Not like tomorrow, but in the future – in higher mileage cars.

the Mk6 Golf was available with a multi-link rear axle ONLY – which is the more expensive technical solution, so even on this example you can see that they implemented more cost cutting measures on the Mk7

Check the shocks !

Before buying check all the shock absorbers visually for leaks because there are many cases of leaking/faulty shocks even before 100 000 km !! Also keep in mind that the electronically adjustable shocks are more expensive than the standard type! On the other side in cars with these electronically adjustable shocks you can of course change the stiffness of the suspension and it does indeed work pretty well. But if this gimmick is worth the additional cost of the shocks, well, you have to decide that yourself.

Two main common suspension issues

But what you don’t have to decide are the 2 well known problems of the suspension of this Golf:

1. Front control arm bushings

First of all there are the front control arm bushings, specifically the rear horizontally mounted bushings. These bushings can make a creaking noise on road imperfections or speed bumps at low speeds. This creak can appear on lower mileage cars as well as on higher mileage cars, so this noise is we can say essencially caused by the bad design of the bushings.

front control arm rear bushings creak video

In lower mileage cars with less than 100 000 km or with less than 50 000 km you don’t have to replace them if you are not bothered with the noise and if the car is driving fine. If you are bothered with the noise then its possible to put grease on these bushings which should fix the issue. But if the car was not driven on bad quality roads then the bushings should be still in a good condition.

However on cars with more than 150 000 km(sometimes earlier) the bushings can be already more worn which means, that they are not gonna just creak, but they are also gonna have bigger play which is gonna mess up the wheel alignment. In this case you will feel that the steering is a bit loose and the car is not that stable. So long story short:

  • if the bushing starts to separate or if there are more cracks on it
  • if you feel that the steering is a bit loose and the car is not that stable
  • if your front tires are unevenly worn because of bad wheel alignment-caused by worn bushings
  • if you are simply bothered with the creak

then you should of course replace the bushings

2. Rear shock absorbers

The next annoying issue is related to the rear shocks of the standard suspension (standard suspension, not electronic). If you hear knocking or rattling noises from the rear of the car then these noises are usually caused by the rear shock absorbers which were in many cases replaced under warranty. This not always fixed the issue, so some owners just replaced the rear shocks with good quality aftermarket shocks. But I have to add that these rear shocks are usually working fine even if they are rattling – so if the shock is not leaking and you are not bothered with the noise then you don’t have to replace it.

rear shock rattle explanation video

The rear shock absorber can look fine with no leaks but it can already make knocking or rattling noises, so if you are bothered by the noise then replace the shocks. To get rid of the noise for 100% replace the shocks with Bilstein aftermarket shocks which are not gonna rattle/knock.

Other suspension components

Mainly on cars used on bad quality roads and on the performance models with stiff suspension you can expect these worn suspension components before 200 000 km:

  • front upper strut bearings/mounts (symptoms: creaking noises when turning the steering to sides when car is stationary, or creaking noises on bad roads from the front) part number: 5Q0 412 249 F creak from front strut upper bearing video
  • tie rods (play in the front wheel like with bad wheel bearing-easy check on lifted car)
  • wheel bearings (humming noise during driving, wheel play-easy check on lifted car)
  • link rods (ticking/rattling from front)
  • the already mentioned creaking rubber bushing in the front control arm is gonna be worn
  • +the shocks can start to leak prematurely as mentioned earlier

As always before buying check for all those strange noises from the suspension like excessive knocking, creaking, or rattling.

+if you hear a specific creaking noise from the front during changing direction then this noise can be caused by loose subframe bolts – subframe creak video (keep in mind that after removing the subframe bolts-after changing the clutch or control arm bushings for example – you have to put new subframe bolts and torque them up properly)

Petrol engines

It looks like the petrol engines are overall more reliable than in the predecessor(-mainly because most of them have timing belt instead of a timing chain), but they do have a fair share of issues anyway:

1.6 (rare)

First I have to mention that in some countries this Golf was available with a simple 1.6 l naturally aspirated 4 cylinder petrol engine which has regular port injection. The main and only issue of this engine worth mentioning is the possibility of bigger or smaller oil consumption.

All the other engines are a bit more complex since they are equipped with direct injection and with a turbocharger.

1.0 TSI

-The 1.0 TSI is a hilarious and suspicious small engine, but currently this engine doesn’t have any major issues. What’s gonna be in the future? Who knows?

1.2 TSI, 1.4 TSI

Oil consumption

The following engines are more prone to having issues with excessive oil consumption:

  • 1.2 TSI 63 kW / 85 hp (CJZB)
  • 1.2 TSI 77 kW / 105 hp (CJZA)
  • 1.4 TSI 90 kW / 122 hp (CMBA, CPVA, CXSA)

The 1.4 TSI 103kW / 140 hp (CHPA, CPTA) is suspicious as well, but this engine is most probably not affected., however the CHPA version is affected by the early bad valve guides issue/recall.

In many cases the oil consumption started at around 100 000 km and got worse after, but it can appear even later close to 200 000 km. So I’m not saying that all of these engines consume oil, but the chance of excessive oil consumption in these engines is simply higher. The oil consumption can be as low as 1L / 15 000 km, higher like 1L / 10 000 km but even very high like 1L / 1000 km. The main cause of oil consumption is the bad design of the oil scraper rings.

Long story short: in these engines the oil scraper rings have very small holes in them which can easily clog up with carbon thus leaving the oil on the cylinder walls – this is going to cause excessive oil consumption. The other petrol engines have better oil scraper rings with better design which are not that vulnerable for clogging.

Petrol engines 1.2 TSI and 1.4 TSI made to mid 2014 + 1.2 TSI 63 kW made to 2017 are MORE prone to oil consumption because of bad oil scraper ring design !

To fix this you have to replace the piston rings and the oil scraper rings with the updated versions + of course all the small parts like gaskets etc., the pistons themselves should be fine. (replacing piston rings + other necessary stuff approx. 2 000 € – 3 000 € at an independent mechanic)

Side contributor of oil consumption – valve guides

On some of these engines the oil consumption can be also caused by the faulty valve guides in the cylinder head. VW acknowledged this and released a document about this, so this issue was a lot of times fixed under warranty. The possibly faulty valve guides don’t have markings on top of the valve springs, the unaffected/good updated valve guides have markings on top of valve springs. According to VW in this case you have to replace the whole cylinder head, but some say it’s enough to replace the valve guides.

Be ready that the main cause of the oil consumption in these engines are gonna be the oil scraper rings which VW never admitted.

All in all, I would just avoid these engines completely or keep at least 2 000 € or 3 000 € for the repair if you choose them. But the best is to choose the newer versions of these engines.

Cylinder deactivation

Certain 1.4 TSI and all 1.5 TSI engines are equipped with that „awesome“ cylinder deactivation feature. For now it seems to be working fine, but I don’t trust this thing so I expect some issues related to this in the future.

1.4 TGI, 1.5 TGI

-The 1.4 TGI and 1.5 TGI engines are working with petrol and with natural gas.

I have no idea if the 1.4 TGI has the bad design oil scraper rings and since nobody is paying me I’m not gonna investigate this (I suppose this engine made from 2015 has updated/better oil scraper rings, but again no money-no music, so I can’t verify this).

The 1.5 TGI seems fine.

1.8 TSI

-Then there are the more rare 1.8 l TSI engines. The 180 hp version doesn’t have unexpected issues and since it has dual port injection it’s not gonna have issues with significant carbon build up either.

On the other side the slightly less powerful version has direct injection only, so you have to be ready for carbon build up on the intake valves. But the biggest issue is, that if this engine is mated to a manual gearbox then there is a chance that it can have an interesting issue called – crank walk – which is gonna destroy the engine. But don’t worry I will explain this crank walk issue in a moment, meanwhile let’s move on.

GTE hybrid

-The GTE model is a plug in hybrid (so you can charge it and it is capable of using only electricity for a certain mileage – according to VW the electric range is 50 km, but in real life it’s more like 25-30km). This version is equipped with a 1.4 l TSI engine which has the good oil scraper rings, so it’s not that vulnerable to oil consumption.

So the engine itself is fine, but the car is also equipped with all those complex and very expensive hybrid related components, a battery pack under rear seats and a unique gearbox. These things are not gonna last forever and I imagine plenty of mechanics are gonna refuse to even work on this car. So long story short: this version can reach 200 000 km or even more without much issues and if it’s under warranty then it’s great. But without warranty I would not recommend it, it’s simply not worth it because of the big complexity which is made by VW. If you want a hybrid car out of warranty then buy a Toyota or a Lexus

If you are buying this GTE then definitely check if the car had done all the recalls since there were a couple of them and 1 pretty important which is related to the battery pack-water can enter the battery pack and ruin it, so check if your car is not affected.

GTI

All the GTI versions are equipped with the various variations of the latest generation 2.0l TSI 4 cylinder engine.

There are 2 main things you should know about these engines.

1. There is a higher chance of turbocharger failures on these engines made to 2014.

2. There is a chance of crankwalk in these engine.

The turbocharger was updated several times during production even after 2015, so be ready to replace it even in newer cars. Although the turbo failure in these newer cars is not that common. (a bad turbo can even cause a misfire on a cold engine)

GTI faulty turbo whining noise – video

If your turbocharger is “just dying” but working, then you are most probably not gonna end up with a destroyed engine-if you catch the fault early and replace the turbocharger. But if your crank start to walk, then the inside of your engine goes mashed bananas for 100% without remedy! So let’s check this out more closely.

Crank Walk

The 2.0 l TSI engines and rarely the 1.8 l TSI engines which are mated to a manual gearbox can have an interesting issue called crank walk. The thrust bearings in these engines are not full face axial bearings like in the older engines, so they are simply designed cheaper/weaker. Because of this there is a chance that they get worn prematurely or even fall off. In this case the crankshaft is gonna have bigger play and this will destroy the mechanical components around the crankshaft, which roughly translates to: a catastrophic engine failure – worn crankshaft/main bearings, worn rod bearings, damaged crankshaft, damaged cylinder walls and even damaged cylinder heads with camshafts, so basically the whole engine is gonna be trash because of this.

Symptoms of crank walk:

  • crank position sensor fault code
  • weird feeling in clutch pedal while shifting after a hard right turn (like the clutch pedal would stick to the floor, or even pulsating clutch when slightly pressed)
  • metal shavings in the oil
  • low oil pressure warning light – low oil pressure in engine and later a seized engine

This can rarely happen even before 100 000 km.

But most of the crank walk cases happened in cars which had an aftermarket clutch with an aftermarket uprated performance pressure plate – so cars with these upgrades are more prone to this (the performance pressure plate puts more pressure on the crank → crank puts more pressure on the thrust bearings). However there are even some fully stock cars which had this issue!

By the way, starting the engine with a depressed clutch can be an interesting contributor to this: since during the first start there is very little oil on the thrust bearings and when you start the engine with a depressed clutch, then the crank first touches these bearings and spins with almost with no oil between them → which is gonna over time contribute to the wear on the bearings.

All in all, this issue of course can happen. NOT OFTEN, but it can happen. Should you worry about it? Not really, since you can’t prevent this issue for 100% and it’s not that common. But if you want to be on the safe side then: keep extra money for another engine and try to minimize this issue by doing these things:

  • while in neutral after starting up the engine quickly release the clutch pedal, wait a bit and just after that you can go (the best would be to start the car without depressing the clutch but that’s not possible)
  • GET OFF THE CLUTCH WHEN YOU ARE STOPPED FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME (so don’t leave the car in gear with a depressed clutch pedal – if the car is stationary use neutral)
  • use the clutch as minimal as you can
  • while parking and engine off – don’t keep the gearbox in gear, use the parking brake

The thrust bearing is the weak point of the EA888 engines mated to the manual gearbox.

ISSUES RELATED TO ALL PETROL ENGINES

Carbon build up, faulty injectors

-Every 100 000 km it’s good to check the intake valves for carbon build up / eventually clean them. At this mileage there can be already a noticeable amount of carbon on the intake valves. But this of course depends on how the previous owner used the car and how often he changed the oil, so the carbon build up can be not that major even 160 000 km for example. Cold start misfires are usually the sign of a bigger carbon build up.

However some GTI & R versions and the 1.8 TSI with 180 hp are equipped with direct and also with port injection. This means that in these engines there is no problem with more noticeable carbon build up. However for the US market these dual injection engines were not available.

Engines equipped with direct+port injection: 1.8 TSI (CJSB engine code), 2.0 TSI (CHHA, CHHB, CJX engine codes)

Engines equipped with dual port injection have an additional black fuel rail above the intake manifold (highlighted in orange on the picture below).

Engines equipped with direct injection only don’t have an additional black fuel rail above the intake manifold (on the picture above).

-Every 200 000 km it’s good to check the injectors. The injectors should be fine up to approx. 200 000 km, but at this mileage point it’s good to check them, test them, or replace them preventively. The injectors can get stuck in open or closed position or they can get clogged.

Coolant leaks

All of the petrol engines can have often issues with coolant leaks. Specifically the thermostat/water pump housing can often leak – the housing was revised several times so always buy the latest revision, and check the coolant level regularly.

Before buying its good to check for dried flaky residues on the bottom of the engine – for this you have to remove the bottom plastic engine cover + if there is a coolant leak then you most probably are gonna smell it in the engine compartment too! Sometimes before the test drive you can’t really smell it after opening the hood, so that’s why you should open the hood and check for the sweet coolant smell even after the test drive!

“replacing the thermostat/water pump assembly can cost approx. 450 € – 600 € at an independent mechanic”

the thermostat/water pump was often replaced under warranty, however if it’s not the latest revision then it will sooner or later leak again

Oil leaks

Then it’s definitely worth to check for oil leaks in all the petrol engines as well, since there are cases of:

  • rear main seal leak which is not the cheapest repair (mostly 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TSI)
  • upper timing chain cover leak (only 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TSI)

EA888 upper timing chain cover oil leak video

Plastic oil pan is shit but not entirely YET

The 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TSI engines have plastic oil pans. First of all, can someone explain me where the FUCK is the eco-friendly agenda in this shitty invention?? I mean holy shit! Isn’t there enough plastic garbage everywhere already?! FUCK THIS! Who is gonna recycle all this shit? The martians?

Anyway.

The plastic oil pans seem to be holding up fine YET. It’s important to add this YET word here, because from experience we all know that as the plastic gets older it also gets more brittle. So who knows how long this plastic piece of shit will last before it cracks, warps and leaks oil. Happy days! (by the way there is no oil drain screw on this oil pan, instead there is a plastic plug which you should replace after every oil change, very eco-friendly…)

Stuck Ignition coils

Another issue related to all of the petrol engines are the ignition coils. In many cases the ignition coils are like properly stuck so you won’t be able to remove them easily when changing the spark plugs. Because of this they can break into pieces during removing and then you will have to buy new coils. (before removing the coils slightly warm up the engine-this seems to help a lot)

Otherwise the ignition coil failures are not common, so the coils are usually fine for a long time mainly if you change the spark plugs in time.

Spark plugs

It’s also good to keep in mind that you should pay attention to the proper spark plug position and type in all of the EA211 engines (1.0 TSI, 1.2 TSI, 1.4 TSI, 1.5 TSI). This means, that if the spark plug is gonna be overtightened or under-tightened then it’s gonna be positioned the wrong way: which is gonna cause that it can overheat and fail prematurely-causing misfires. So the best is to use a proper torque spec for the spark plugs during changing and use genuine spark plugs (or a good quality aftermarket type).

If you follow the proper torque spec and use proper spark plug type, then the spark plug is gonna be positioned the right way thus it’s not gonna overheat and fail prematurely.

Last things

-Occasionally bigger or smaller oil consumption can appear in all TSI engines, but not often and definitely not that often as in the already mentioned more vulnerable engines.

-Occasionally turbocharger failures can occur in all the tsi engines but again that’s not like very common. Turbo failures can occur mostly on:

  • early cars
  • more abused eventually high mileage cars
  • on cars with long oil change intervals
  • on cars with performance upgrades
  • on cars used mostly for short distances

-The turbo wastegate actuators can fail more often mainly in the 1.2 TSI and 1.4 tsi engines – in this case you have to usually replace just the actuator, but if you are unlucky then the whole turbocharger. The actuator can be stuck, loose, or the wastegate on the turbocharger itself can be already loose-this is the worst case since in this case you have to replace or repair the turbocharger. Replacing the actuator only is not hard, but you will need to adapt it with the VW computer software.

Turbo wastegate actuator symptoms: turbo off, loss of power, check engine light, stored fault code – P2263, loss of power

+Vacuum leaks can occur on all the petrol engines. So on the oldest cars be ready for cracked plastic or rubber vacuum hoses and faulty PCV. (vacuum leaks symptoms: slight misfires, uneven engine running/rough idle, eventually check engine light + the faulty PCV can cause oil consumption, whistling noise from the engine cover or a rear main seal oil leak)

As you can see there are some issues, but with regular and proper maintenance most of the engines can reach 200 000 km or even 300 000 km without major issues.

Diesel engines

The diesel engines can reach 300 000 km or even 400 000 km without major issues. But sadly, not always! Because they can have some very interesting problems which can occur much earlier:

Oil consumption

First thing first, all the diesel engines have the same bad oil scraper ring design like some of the already mentioned petrol engines. This means, that oil consumption can be an issue in all the diesel engines. However I have to add that it’s still not common. Well, except maybe the most powerful 2.0l TDI (CUNA engine code) which is for some reason more prone to oil consumption. There are numerous cases of excessive oil consumption in these engines rarely even at around 100 000 km, but more often at or after 200 000 km. The oil consumption can be at 1L / 10 000 – 12 000 km, but in the worst case even 1L / 1 000 km.

But again, I’m not saying that all of these engines do have issues with this – they are just simply more vulnerable to clogged oil scraper rings causing oil consumption.

To minimize oil scraper rings clogging you should change the engine oil preferably after MAX 10 000 km / 6 200 mi and use the car mainly for long distance driving!

Cooling system

All of these engines have a more complex cooling system with additional electric coolant pumps + there is the main switchable water pump.

Even bleeding this system is not that easy, since you need a vacuum pump and also a computer to bleed it properly. Without these tools you are gonna have air bubbles in the system in a fully warmed up engine which is not ideal to say at least.

Why it’s better to bleed the system properly? If you bleed the system with vacuum and with computer – according to the manufacturers recommendation, then you are not gonna have air bubbles in the system. If you are NOT GONNA bleed it this way then after warming up the engine – you can still have air bubbles in some parts of the coolant path – this is pretty bad, since this will create local hot spots – in this case if you are unlucky then you can end up with a leaking head gasket or cracked cylinder head.

But the 2 main possible issues of this cooling system are related to the coolant itself and to the main water pump.

1.Water pump

The main water pump is a switchable water pump, so there is a cover on it which can slide up or down and this way the water pump can be turned off or on. The problem is, that the cover can get stuck in closed position! In this case it’s not gonna help to circulate the coolant and the engine is gonna overheat. If the engine had been overheated a lot (and damaged), then first its gonna have issues with starting – long cranking. Later the engine will loose compression, which means that you will have to repair or replace the engine. So before buying it’s definitely worth to pay attention to engine start: if the engine has issues with starting then walk away!

the engine has to start immediately without delay

The water pump was updated, so mostly the early before facelift cars are more prone to this issue. However be ready that the pump can fail on newer cars too!

2.Coolant

Before buying it’s very important to also check the coolant. It has to be clean and it need to have a pink-ish or violet color. If the coolant is darker, brown or orange and if it has strange deposits and particles in it – then you got an issue with coolant degradation! Long story short: VW used not the best coolant from the factory, and because of this it can go bad prematurely or it gets burnt in other words. The degraded coolant deposits clog up the heater core and also parts of the coolant system – which can even cause usually slight issues with overheating + it can also help to start the internal corrosion of the engine-which is pretty bad!

ALL IN ALL: if the coolant looks bad then run away from the car and after buying you should replace the coolant to the newest G12 EVO which doesn’t have problems with degradation !

Timing belt tensioner fail – engine K.O.

All of these diesel engines are equipped with a timing belt. The belt itself can withstand a lot but on some of these engines the belt tensioner can fail prematurely even before 150 000 km. If the belt tensioner fails then the belt gets damaged and jumps which will destroy the engine. So definitely check for strange hissing, chirping or squeaking noises from the timing belt pulley after cold start. These noises are caused by the failing tensioner pulley, however the water pump can make these noises as well since it can fail prematurely too – rarely even before 100 000 km, but more cases of premature failure or leak at around 150 000 km.

tensioner squeaking noise video

tensioner squeaking noise video 2

Classic diesel engine issues

-Be ready that the injectors can be faulty after 200 000 km, even though I have to add that they are more reliable than in the predecessor

-The high pressure fuel pump can fail in high mileage cars, even though I have to add that it’s more reliable than in the predecessor

-Older or high mileage cars equipped with the adblue emission system can have some issues with it. So it’s better to be ready for issues with:

  • adblue NOx sensor
  • adblue injector
  • adblue tank heating
  • incorrect adblue fluid level warning massages
  • slight adblue leaks

-Certain 2.0 TDI engines are equipped with a variable valve timing valve. This valve can be clogged which will cause long start/long cranking. Some owners fixed the issue by removing and cleaning the valve, but you can buy a new updated valve and fix the issue without trying.

The weakest 1.6 TDI with 66 kw is NOT WORTH IT since it’s not powerful and it’s often mated only to a 5 speed manual gearbox which is not suitable for highway driving.

Last funny thing

ALL the diesel engines can make a knocking / clattering noise from the lower part of the engine – from the oil pump area. video of the noise

The oil pump is combined with the vacuum pump and it can make this clattering rattling noise which can be mostly heard when the engine is cold. IT seems that this funny noise is not affecting anything and even owners who replaced the oil pump because of this got the noise back after some time. So it’s not worth to replace parts because of the noise or even pay attention to it.

on the next page: e-Golf, TRANSMISSIONS

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