Golf 6 GTI running cost

[Jezzastig6]

Good day.

Interested in purchasing a Golf 6 GTI, actually want the Golf 6R but don't have the the money for it.
What are some of the major flaws or this vehicle, maintenance cost, tires, service cost etc.

I understand the DSG can be pricey when it goes bang and I believe from friends that the GTI engines are robust even with over 100000km on the clock, but what are the other weaknesses of this cars, and what parts are expensive. My heart is for a golf R but but will have to settle for the GTI.

Just general running costs and any alternative between R150 to 250k would also be welcome.

[Trishen94]

U can get a 6R for about 250k. If u look hard enough

[J0NN0]

Hi @Jezzastig6 I suggest an introduction to the forum first - Introduce Yourself.

Topic moved to correct section

[2SCOOPS]

Good day.

Interested in purchasing a Golf 6 GTI, actually want the Golf 6R but don't have the the money for it.
What are some of the major flaws or this vehicle, maintenance cost, tires, service cost etc.

I understand the DSG can be pricey when it goes bang and I believe from friends that the GTI engines are robust even with over 100000km on the clock, but what are the other weaknesses of this cars, and what parts are expensive. My heart is for a golf R but but will have to settle for the GTI.

Just general running costs and any alternative between R150 to 250k would also be welcome.

Have a look at the below post. I'm sure it will provide you with all the information required. On a side note, my GOLF 6 GTI was one of the most troublesome cars i owned but maybe mine was just a lemon.

https://www.vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?t=215503

[TimeShifter]

Have a look at the below post. I'm sure it will provide you with all the information required. On a side note, my GOLF 6 GTI was one of the most troublesome cars i owned but maybe mine was just a lemon.

https://www.vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?t=215503

Yours was a lemon I'm sure... Only real issue is the timing chain tensioner. That should be replaced to the latest revision if it's not already. Besides that no real issues. I would personally stay away from the DSG though.

Obviously check if it was properly maintained, that's vital!

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[Mitch]

Having owned a relatively trouble free one till about 155000km I would caution getting one now due to their age. I actually feel sorry for whoever bought mine from WBC. It just felt like things were gonna go very wrong, and mine was well maintained with a manual box. I replaced the water pump the month before selling.

Unless you have some DIY skill and or some emergency repair funding, I'd say think carefully. Not a car to finance and hope you are only going to pay installments on.

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[2SCOOPS]

Have a look at the below post. I'm sure it will provide you with all the information required. On a side note, my GOLF 6 GTI was one of the most troublesome cars i owned but maybe mine was just a lemon.

https://www.vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?t=215503

Yours was a lemon I'm sure... Only real issue is the timing chain tensioner. That should be replaced to the latest revision if it's not already. Besides that no real issues. I would personally stay away from the DSG though.

Obviously check if it was properly maintained, that's vital!

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or i was just unlucky...... bought the car at 92000kms with FSH from VW with only one previous owner from new and no records of any issues when getting the service history from VW. issues i experienced - Timing tensioner failure, oil leaks and as well as intermittent staring issues just to name a few.car even went to Morne to have a look without any success.

[TimeShifter]

or i was just unlucky...... bought the car at 92000kms with FSH from VW with only one previous owner from new and no records of any issues when getting the service history from VW. issues i experienced - Timing tensioner failure, oil leaks and as well as intermittent staring issues just to name a few.car even went to Morne to have a look without any success.

Touch wood I've been fortunate, but I strongly believe proper maintenance (I service mine at every 10k km) and mechanical sympathy plays a huge roll. I bought mine out the box and have covered just over 150k km. The timing tensioner I replaced a few years ago as preventative maintenance as that is disaster if it fails.

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[2SCOOPS]

or i was just unlucky...... bought the car at 92000kms with FSH from VW with only one previous owner from new and no records of any issues when getting the service history from VW. issues i experienced - Timing tensioner failure, oil leaks and as well as intermittent staring issues just to name a few.car even went to Morne to have a look without any success.

Touch wood I've been fortunate, but I strongly believe proper maintenance (I service mine at every 10k km) and mechanical sympathy plays a huge roll. I bought mine out the box and have covered just over 150k km. The timing tensioner I replaced a few years ago as preventative maintenance as that is disaster if it fails.

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yup, also believe in proper maintenance( serviced all my cars with at least an oil change every 7500km and yearly a major service along with doing any preventive maintenance as well).Within a month of owning the golf 6 i did a major service and a dsg service although neither of them were due. this is the first thing I do when purchasing a second hand vehicle irrespective of when the last service was done.

[flyhid]

They greats cars, however as mentioned above the tensioner is a known issue. This failure can break the bank if not done as preventative maintenance.
I had an oil leak from the mechatronics which required VW to replace the unit . Oil leak from timing cover I think and front water pipe that became brittle and leaked.

The car always needed oil top ups between services but overall a great car.


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[dazza]

My 6GTI was also my most unreliable car. but having said that my cars have been generally reliable.

I had to replace in my time...Radiator, outer CV's, coilpacks, and a coolant hose that developed a few little pin holes. I also spent the money on the tensioner job as preventative maintenance when I bought it. Mine was manual so no DSG issues to talk of but they say the manual clutches dont last long when you go the route of stage 2 software and hardware levels, mine was fine. Also the build quality I found terrible, my MKV was way way better. Water pump will also leak at some stage very common issue

The engines in terms of power and torque are a significant level up from the MKV for sure especially in terms of torque. Fuel consumptions was better than the MKV as well, it was actually exceptional to be honest.

Save a little longer and stretch the budget to 275-300K and get a used MK7 is my suggestion otherwise keep a lookout for an edition 35 MK6

[saxo]

My 6GTI was also my most unreliable car. but having said that my cars have been generally reliable.

I had to replace in my time...Radiator, outer CV's, coilpacks, and a coolant hose that developed a few little pin holes. I also spent the money on the tensioner job as preventative maintenance when I bought it. Mine was manual so no DSG issues to talk of but they say the manual clutches dont last long when you go the route of stage 2 software and hardware levels, mine was fine. Also the build quality I found terrible, my MKV was way way better. Water pump will also leak at some stage very common issue

The engines in terms of power and torque are a significant level up from the MKV for sure especially in terms of torque. Fuel consumptions was better than the MKV as well, it was actually exceptional to be honest.

Save a little longer and stretch the budget to 275-300K and get a used MK7 is my suggestion otherwise keep a lookout for an edition 35 MK6

Edition 35 and 6R both have FSI engines, and as you said your 6 was a lot lighter on fuel than the 5.
With the K04 the ed35 will be heavier on juice.

[Reegz]

Reading this thread gives me the distinct impression that I'm a lucky guy.

Haven't had issues worth mentioning with my car.

The one 'major' issue that I had was the evap valve. Car went into the stealership for that job and I ended up paying a lot of money for other work that they said was necessary. I recall control arm bushes having been done by them. I didn't question this too much as I've hit more than my fair share of potholes so I went with it.

Morne did the clutch, water pump and tensioner for me so the main cost there was parts.

Apart from that nothing else springs to mind.

Consumption will depend a lot on driving style and normal routes. When I was doing 6km in 60 minutes I'd get a maximum of 450km on a tank.

My current daily route is 100km of generally free-flowing roads and I'm now getting around 600/650km on a tank. This does include a bit of stop-start driving through some traffic each morning as well.

No real complaints on the build quality. There aren't any squeaks or rattles that are apparent (as yet) so that's good.

Very happy with my G6 but that's entirely due to it being in pretty good knick (I'm the second owner).

Given the choice today, I'd probably consider the 7 as well. Newer vehicle, newer technology is never a bad thing.

Good luck making the choice.

[kingr]

Reading this thread gives me the distinct impression that I'm a lucky guy.

Haven't had issues worth mentioning with my car.

The one 'major' issue that I had was the evap valve. Car went into the stealership for that job and I ended up paying a lot of money for other work that they said was necessary. I recall control arm bushes having been done by them. I didn't question this too much as I've hit more than my fair share of potholes so I went with it.

Morne did the clutch, water pump and tensioner for me so the main cost there was parts.

Apart from that nothing else springs to mind.

Consumption will depend a lot on driving style and normal routes. When I was doing 6km in 60 minutes I'd get a maximum of 450km on a tank.

My current daily route is 100km of generally free-flowing roads and I'm now getting around 600/650km on a tank. This does include a bit of stop-start driving through some traffic each morning as well.

No real complaints on the build quality. There aren't any squeaks or rattles that are apparent (as yet) so that's good.

Very happy with my G6 but that's entirely due to it being in pretty good knick (I'm the second owner).

Given the choice today, I'd probably consider the 7 as well. Newer vehicle, newer technology is never a bad thing.

Good luck making the choice.

The G7 Gti is not a dramatic improvement over the 6. Better noise insulation and a different chassis is the most things I can think of. The engine platform is still MQB & power improvement is less than 15kW.

Overall I think the G6 gti is still a solid choice for a hot hatch, but you must at least have R20k aside for something that might go south. The TC tensioner preventative maintenance is also not a cheap job for labour and parts.

[THANAS]

I have to disagree, the EA888.3 is vastly superior to the EA888.1/2. The Mk6 was a mild improvement over the Mk5, but the Mk7 was a gigantic leap forward in terms of motor strength, gearbox, fuelling capacity, handling, stock hardware level and overall capability. If you compare quoted stock power figures, you might get the idea that it was a mild improvement, but it really is far, far removed from a Mk6.

Personally, I would pay the extra amount to get a Mk7 GTI over a Mk6 GTI as you basically need to do a complete K04-064 conversion on the Mk6 to make the same power that a Stage 2+ Mk7 GTI can make with minor modifications.

[kingr]

I have to disagree, the EA888.3 is vastly superior to the EA888.1/2. The Mk6 was a mild improvement over the Mk5, but the Mk7 was a gigantic leap forward in terms of motor strength, gearbox, fuelling capacity, handling, stock hardware level and overall capability. If you compare quoted stock power figures, you might get the idea that it was a mild improvement, but it really is far, far removed from a Mk6.

Personally, I would pay the extra amount to get a Mk7 GTI over a Mk6 GTI as you basically need to do a complete K04-064 conversion on the Mk6 to make the same power that a Stage 2+ Mk7 GTI can make with minor modifications.

My comments were shallow, I do agree with the details you've mentioned.

[GB9]

Just to add to what's been said; the intake manifold (think it was the P2015) is another common issue, although not a major expense if you choose the deletion option, rather than replace the mani.

I sold mine at ~177k km and it's still going strong with its new owner. I sold it with the original clutch (it was not modified). It skipped a few teeth on the chain around 100k km, but it was under maint. plan (I extended it to 120k km) so VW had to resolve that with an entire new head and requisite accessories. After that work was done, the car was very reliable, apart from the P2015 error, which resulted in no drop in power, or drive-ability issues. Sold it to my mate with the issue (I informed him of it and how much a new one would cost). He simply purchased a second hand one. He still has it to this day (I sold it in Oct 2016). Really enjoyed that car.

[Belix]

I did not do huge mileage in mine, I sold it not too far after 100k km. No big issues at all, except a thirst for batteries - 4 in the ten years, a new EVAP charcoal canister, and a water bottle that snapped at the outlet pipe. Tensioner was changed under maintenance plan before it did any damage.