used VW Golf MK6 (5K1) - 2008-2013, Complete Buying guide with Common Issues

Great review. VW is the general motors of Germany and getting worse every year. For what we pay we should get a much more service friendly vehicle.

Got a 2012 VW golf 2.5 auto. Don't think the quality is good. Replacing normal wear parts sooner then other cars. Like the simplicity of the car. Wouldn't buy new

this is so scary, all this info scares me

My 2013 manual GTI has been bullet proof for 113k miles now. No complaints. I add a fuel/engine cleaner to a tank of gas once a month. Have been doing this for years.

I have kyb exel g shocks on my mk6 but i dont like them, they are too firm. What shock replacement do you recommend?

'13 tdi golf cr140 M6, deleted and mapped to 175hp @93km, 240km now. Only issue i had was AC compressor. Starting to shop for injectors, CP3 pump conversion and a -slightly bigger turbo to work with my chassis upgrades from over the years.
Couldn't recommend this car enough IF you get it carbon cleaned and deleted right after purchase

Hello ! very informative video,
i'm lookin to buy the twin charger 1.4 tsi 160 hp.
I took the car to the vehicle inspection institute today, it has some leaks but the seller said he would fix it at his own expense
Vehicle year 2010 with 66,000 kilometers
First of all, does you think it makes sense to have such a low kilometer?
Secondly, I wanted to know if it's worth buying it for you
And I wanted to know at most how much it might cost me to repair the most critical things and is it a one-time repair or a recurring one?
i hope you can answer me i really dont know what to do, its my first car and i love it, i just dont know how expensives and oftens can be the repairs
thank you !

I bought one of the 1.6 tdi variants from 2011 in february with full service history. Checked everything I could, everything was okay for a few weeks. It's september now and august has been the first month the f**king thing didn't had to be taken to the local mechanic. We had to cancel 2 holidays because the car decided to f*ck us. Last time the clutch cylinder went out (after 150 000 kms). Just for comparison I had a cheap ford fiesta a few years ago, the same clutch cylinder gave out after 300 000 kms and did so gracefully, so I had time to take it to the mechanic. Well not the golf, so holiday trip cancelled. Had it fixed, now it's losing coolant.. sometimes. Then it's fine again. What's wrong with it? Apart from me having bought it, only the Lord knows.

When it drives, it's great, comfortable, speedy, economical. Problem is, it's over-engineered to a ridiculous level and it's full of plastic components which die all the time. It wouldn't be a problem, but the mechanic has to take half the car apart to get to some of the components, so labour costs are pretty high.
I may have just bought a lemon, but it's burned me enough to stay well clear of any VAG cars.

why don't you make videos of the Suzuki Swift or Honda Jazz? Economic cars are necesary these days.

Don’t get a 2009 tsi …. You will regret it !

Ive just bought a 2013 GOLF 6 1.4 TSI Cabriolet with 96k kms based in South Africa, how do I know if my car has the timing chain problem?

For daily use, an interesting option is the less powerful 1.4T with engine codes CAXA/CAXC (122/125). They show a good balance between performance, fuel consumption and durability. We own one of these MY2009 with 220k km. Issues as expected: preventive chain replacement (noisy starts) and coil packs (jerky acceleration). We would buy it again, it still runs strong.

So i have bought this one @280 km
Only leaking airco
Long video

What a piece of junk

Ish you posted this video just after I bought my Mk6 1.6 tdi DSG Jetta. 2 years of ownership has been a nightmare. Had to replace the gearbox, 1 injector and a clutch. Not to mention the labour to work on these cars is just super expensive and the service is not cheap versus Toyota cars. I'm never buying VW unless I'm rich or something.

Which aftermarket brand/s would you recommend to buy a new timing chain kit from?

How can u make such high production videos... Ur passion must be insane. So impressed

Shame it’s not built by Toyota, it would be the best car ever imo 😂

I just bought a sept 2011 Golf mk VI 1.2 TSi (it will be delivered next week) and I have chills now... fingers crossed. Thanks for the very informative video

So which is good

Supper

I have a diesel 1.6 I had my egr valve changed on my 12 plate Golf it will cost around £700 (€780) not bad seeing as it went at 52,000 miles. But I don’t drive on the motorway so acceptable. These golf’s are solid no problems but that. Great Video btw 👍

Wow. Amazingly detailed. Wish I had access to such a summary before buying our mk 6 1.6tdi which has been by far the most unreliable car I have ever owned, and I have owned 6 pre-VW rear-engined Skodas…

Many thanks for a great video. Very informative. Think I'll stick with my MK5 Golf TDi (2007 BXE Engine). 188K Miles on it and its running like a dream. Regular oil and oil filter change every 6 months and fuel filter change every 12 months.

I have a 2012 golf 2.5. i have changed 2 throttle bodies( 1 OEM and 1 is aftermarket) and bluetooth always goes off just before the throttle body gives out, leaving with EPC light on and limp mode on causing 40kmph max. the car has just over 100k mileage

Is a 2012 Jetta 2.0l gas with automatic transmission a good use car to buy

Excellent review !!! Gj man!!

could have made the video shorter.. DONT BUY THIS JUNK!

I had a 2003 Skoda Octavia with the 1.6 L petrol which was bullet proof. In 2014 somebody crashed into me and I got a 2010 VW golf with the 1.6 TDi engine. I have had to replace: the EGR, 2 injectors, thermostat, gear selectors and had to get the alternator reconditioned. VW group used to have great cars, I am buying South Korean for my next car.

great review!!!

i had a 1.4, a whole world of trouble

I have the Na 1.4 and the only problem I've encountered in 15k miles was a faulty coil pack

2.0l TDI
DSG is slipping in low revs on hills, only in 2nd and a little in 1st.
Conductor plate?

Moral of the video : dont buy this car

Hi,
Is the cracked piston problem also on the 122 hp version or “only” on the 160 Twincharger? Thanks in advance.

Damn :) the " worst " news i could get :) I was looking at a VW Golf 1,4 TSI 170 GT sport from 2008, but now im a little scared to buy this " engine " car :) But good to know tho. great vid

u r good. I love it.

Hey brother, would love your take on MK7 GTI (2014-2020)

I have a bad experience with error code DTC03366 on my 1.4tsi CAVD.
Brake system alarm when speed > 80Km/h
It's a programming problem and there seems no cure to it. I updated the software at dealer. Didn't change anything.

German car - boring generic design and unreliable. Das auto. xD

I'm glad I come across this video I was going to buy a golf in the next couple of weeks I think I'll stick to a Astra.

Make one plz for the golf 7

Hey mate, thank you so much for your videos it's saved me making a bad decision I nearly brought a Mk5 Golf 1.4 TSI GT. I have decided to go for a Mk6 2.0 TDI instead, the 110bhp version. What is the difference between this and the higher bhp version?

What is defined short distances with the 1.2 TSI engine.....a few 100mtr I understand, but is there a minimum that would be defined as a short distance? I drive daily 14km to and from work, with a few stoplights on the route. How will this affect the engine and the mix of fuel and oil?? Thank you

So happy the only issues with mine was a blower motor resistor (fixed myself as incredibly easy and cheap) and the alarm siren unit failed which was £200 including fitting.

Great vid, I enjoyed it! I own a 2011 2.5 golf, it's been a really great car at 130,000 miles (209,000 kilometers) and hasn't given me any issues at all

My mk6 1.6 2011 got total lost weeks ago. Now I found a mk6 1.4 tsi 2011, and a mk7 1.2 tsi 2014. Which one is worth?

Now I'm doubting whether I should buy a VW at all.