Thinking of buying a Mk7 VW Golf Auto
Thinking of buying a Mk7 VW Golf Auto
Author
Discussion

mapexmbirch

Original Poster:

2 posts

56 months

Friday 24th December 2021
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Hi

I've currently got a 0.9L 2017 Clio with 55k on the clock. Not in a hurry to replace it, but would like something with less miles.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111239...

I'm attracted to the low road tax, auto gearbox, adaptive cruise control and high MPG.

Anyone had any experience with Mk7 golfs? Auto specifically.

Thanks!

stevemcs

10,218 posts

121 months

Friday 24th December 2021
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Personally i wouldn't, i don't like DSG, the 1.4 can have niggles and the DSG is a ticking timebomb imo. With ACC if the front gets knocked or someone removes the bumper you need to get the ADAS system calibrated - £250 ish, most of the Golfs we see usually have a warning on for ACC not available.

georgeyboy12345

4,576 posts

63 months

Friday 24th December 2021
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Firstly I wouldn't buy anything from that chain you listed. I prefer to avoid any place that charges an admin fee.

The 1.4 TSI engines in this age of VW are fine as long as you don't mess about with them, i.e. remapping, etc.

I think the gearboxes are the DQ200, which is a dry clutch 7 speeder - they are fragile. I'd avoid them.

Also, the mpg figures listed are BS - you'll get more like 45 mpg with normal driving, which isn't too bad.

Aunty Pasty

786 posts

66 months

Friday 24th December 2021
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Of that age, the 6 speed wet clutch DSG gearboxes are better than the 7 speed dry clutch versions. The 6 speed has been fine for me in two different cars. Be aware that the 6 speed box has a service interval of 40k where the DSG oil is changed.

530dTPhil

1,418 posts

246 months

Friday 24th December 2021
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I have a 2014 1.4 TFSi Golf with a seven speed DSG box as a daily driver. I bought it from my sister in law (first owner) in July 2020; it had covered 63,000 miles with a DSG box mechatronic rebuild at 47,000. This cost around £2k and wasn't done well. I had it refurbished again at 67,000 for £1.1k by a specialist in Bristol. It has been faultless since.
I had interior condensation problems which I tracked down to leaking air vents behind the back bumper. Easy no cost fix with some silicone around the edge of the clip in vent frame on both sides of the car. About two hours total including removing and refitting the bumper.
Other items have been routine servicing and replacement of rear pads, rear discs and rear shock absorbers .
Mileage is now 84,000. Fuel consumption in winter on general usage is around 45mpg but over 50mpg is easily achievable with out of town trips.
I have other cars available but for everyday use, the Golf is ideal for me.

Alltrack

234 posts

109 months

Friday 24th December 2021
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530dTPhil said:
I have a 2014 1.4 TFSi Golf with a seven speed DSG box as a daily driver. I bought it from my sister in law (first owner) in July 2020; it had covered 63,000 miles with a DSG box mechatronic rebuild at 47,000. This cost around £2k and wasn't done well. I had it refurbished again at 67,000 for £1.1k by a specialist in Bristol. It has been faultless since.
I had interior condensation problems which I tracked down to leaking air vents behind the back bumper. Easy no cost fix with some silicone around the edge of the clip in vent frame on both sides of the car. About two hours total including removing and refitting the bumper.
Other items have been routine servicing and replacement of rear pads, rear discs and rear shock absorbers .
Mileage is now 84,000. Fuel consumption in winter on general usage is around 45mpg but over 50mpg is easily achievable with out of town trips.
I have other cars available but for everyday use, the Golf is ideal for me.
I’m not sure that I would consider a 7 year old car that’s needed £3k worth of repairs ideal.

Tall_Blk

377 posts

219 months

Friday 24th December 2021
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I doubt you’ll recover the low tax and high mpg from your initial outlay. Plus 55k miles is really not that high. Personally, I’ll only change if You need the auto for other reasons considering the car you are looking at is only marginally bigger than your current car.

wyson

4,040 posts

132 months

Saturday 25th December 2021
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I’ve driven Golf’s with that DQ200 box. It shunts in traffic, is jerky manoeuvring backwards and forwards and has a poor reputation for reliability and mechatronic failure. They also can leave you powerless for upto 2 seconds in specific situations. eg. The box thinks you want to shift up and has preselected the next gear up, but you require kickdown. It has to disengage and engage its two clutches multiple times. I have been seriously scared like a sitting duck, powerless at a junction with cars approaching from the side, beeping for me to get out of the way, waiting for the DSG to sort itself out. To mitigate, I drove the car in sport mode, to deliberately make it hold onto lower gears as I found a screaming engine, working the whole rev range preferable to one that left me powerless in stop start traffic, of which there is a lot of in London.

It does work well on A roads and motorways, where ironically, an autobox is less necessary.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/132373/w...

Why do you want an auto? If its for stop start traffic, DSG is probably the worst choice, I’d rather drive a manual.

Edited by wyson on Saturday 25th December 01:27

Alfa Pete

469 posts

254 months

Saturday 25th December 2021
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I had a mk7 Golf from new.
It drove really well but I had lots of issues in the 3 years I had it.
AAC radar broke and was expensive to fix , electric autohold brake was temperamental, dampers started misting relatively early on, bonnet cable snapped at 1 year old, had various creaks, due to suspension bushes, infotainment system had glitches and would randomly switch off and rear tyres were very sensitive to alignment and experienced saw tooth wear.
It was a great when it was working but I found the niggles, really tested my patience.

mapexmbirch

Original Poster:

2 posts

56 months

Sunday 26th December 2021
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Thanks for the replies guys. I think I'll wait for second hand prices to drop. My car is still going alright but it's good to get some first hand experience opinions.

ZX10R NIN

30,459 posts

153 months

Sunday 26th December 2021
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mapexmbirch said:
Thanks for the replies guys. I think I'll wait for second hand prices to drop. My car is still going alright but it's good to get some first hand experience opinions.
You'll be waiting a while for that to happen, if you want a smart Focus sized car, go for an Astra they have a conventional auto & in Elite Nav spec you get a nice reliable set of wheels:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111159...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112010...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110198...