Volkswagen Golf Problems

I will pass your complaint directly to Volkswagen HQ. New CEO Michael Bartsch is promising much more support for owners.

In theory the DSG is a no-brainer, but it's different in practice because of the troubles that have plagued the DSG in all brands. The safe option is to go for the Focus; the riskier one is to go with the DSG. If it weren't for the well-documented reliability issues I would go for the DSG.

In a word, no. I'm not convinced the gearbox issues are fully fixed, and I certainly wouldn't buy one outside the warranty period.

Overseas designed cars that are not tested in Australian conditions would be my first explanation. My second would be that the companies have decided that the risk of having stones penetrate the air-conditioning condenser doesn't warrant the extra cost of fitting a screen to keep the stones out.

The Golf is a better car and the advantage for the Hyundai is a longer warranty. Both get The Tick. My pick is the car I prefer to drive, which is the VW.

I wouldn’t hesitate to do the trip in the Golf, it’s generally a reliable car and I wouldn’t expect it to give him any trouble on the journey. If he’s concerned he should join an automobile club like the RACV and take out roadside assistance. Membership covers all of Australia with reciprocal rights in other states, like South Australia or the Northern Territory. The space-saver spare is good enough to get him to the next town where he would be able to get help, as long as he doesn’t drive over 80 km/h. I’m not aware of anywhere he could hire a full-sized spare for the journey, but he could buy one if he’s that concerned about it.

No, it's not. I would be looking to have the transmission rebuilt rather than replaced, but if it has to be replaced I would be looking to do it with a used gearbox instead of a new one.

Years ago when you owned your Torana it was considered something of a performance car, as the Clubsport, SSV and Calais are today, but there are many other ways of getting your driving thrills today without having to go for a V8. Some of the hot hatches now available would give you all the thrills, and more, than the big-bangers of old. Take a test drive in a VW Golf GTi or one of the fast Ford Focuses and I'm sure you'd rethink your choice. All the cars you mention, the Clubsport, SSV and Calais are good cars with plenty of grunt, the V8 sound, and the comfort of a big car. For mine though I'd be going for a hot hatch.

You have a reasonable claim against VW to have the gearbox replaced free of charge. The DSG gearbox is known to be troublesome and yours has a history of malfunctioning. Because the car is seven years old and VW isn’t very forthcoming on customer issues you will have to suit up and take them on, but the DSG transmission is a dud and the company knows it, and they should come clean and fix cars like yours that are having problems. If you can’t get anywhere with VW and give up, try an independent VW specialist mechanic.

Drive the VW Golf to calibrate yourself with the best car in the class, but go ahead and buy the Hyundai because it's the modern-day Corolla and definitely gets The Tick from me.