Volkswagen Golf Problems

It's all about global rules for fuel economy and emissions, which means stop-start will eventually be fitted on all cars. Thankfully, some provide a switch to disable it in hot weather.

You’re not alone, a number of people have complained of this noise. It is said to be the catalytic converter pre-heating, which is achieved with an increased idle speed and altered ignition timing. It is claimed that it is normal and harmless, as your dealer has told you. I would monitor it closely and don’t hesitate to take it back to the dealer if your concern grows.

There have been big problems with the earlier Golf models, especially with the DSG gearbox and some electronics. Without a long-term record, it's impossible to judge the reliability of the current car and so we say it's best to keep it only through the warranty safety net.

With that budget you'll be buying second-hand in that class, and that makes the Hyundai i30 the best choice with plenty of warranty still to run. We do not recommend the Golf after the factory warranty. A turbodiesel gets better economy but you need to drive 30,000 kilometres a year for the total cost to beat a petrol car.

The GTI is a much better drive and a much better car. But if price comes first you'll will get a great fantastic deal on a Pulsar, including the ST-S that comes with the SSS engine and is still hugely overstocked.

We're passing your message to all the other Golf people.

A compact SUV will probably be better for her but I'd put the Mazda CX-5 - which gets The Tick - well ahead of the Qashqai.

The recall you refer to related to cars fitted with the 7-speed gearbox, not the 6-speed. You could attempt to negotiate with VW over your concerns on the basis of goodwill, but your car is six years old and has been worked on by so many different people that I don’t think you have much of a chance of success.

The problems with the DSG gearbox, which VW claimed only affected the 7-speed unit, badly damaged the company’s reputation. But worse damage was done when it refused to accept there was a problem and stonewalled owners until it was faced with mounting public pressure to act. Then they only recalled cars with the 7-speed gearbox, not the six-speed that was fitted to your car.

The Polo will be a top choice but don't overlook the Honda Jazz. It's a different style of car, not feeling as solid as the VW, but lively with good outward vision.