VW Golf 1.6, warning symbol on dash - help needed

[bizzylizzy]

A symbol has just come on on the dashboard of my VW Golf 1.6 fsi. It's a small car with 'skidding' lines behind it. I see in the manual the light comes on if the TCS/ESP system is off. I've pressed the ESP button on and off but the light remains on, this presumably means a problem with the TCS. I wondered if anyone could tell me what the likely scenario is regarding repairs. Our local VW garage charges £100 an hour for mechanics time - Ouch. We simply can't afford a huge garage bill at the moment, on the other hand we don't want the car to be unsafe. Any opinions as to how simple/difficult a job this might be (and therefore what the cost might be) would be appreciated. Why do things go wrong when you have so many other financial commitents? Grrrr. Thank you everyone.

[Graham-W]

It is, indeed, a fault with the stability programme. Most garages have plug in diagnostics these days. It may be something as simple as a faulty switch or a wire come loose. I'd try a reputable local garage first.
Check here, towards the bottom of the page: http://www.vwgenuinep..._yellow_warning.shtml

[Graham-W]

Jeeez. Read this and weep. Looks like it could be the ABS pump.
£1200 from VW or a rebuild for £250 from this company. Not cheap either way.
http://www.ecutesting...ran_esp_light_on.html

[Graham-W]

Have a read of these. If your car is relatively young with service history, you may get some help from the VW goodwill scheme. Seems to be a common problem.
http://www.honestjohn...ost/index.htm?t=66972

[beso]

Anything on a VW costs a fortune. I would seriously advise you to get this problem fixed and get rid of the car ASAP.

Be ready for more weeping if your car is the TSI. It means Turbo-Supercharged Induction. This poor little engine is both turbocharged and supercharged. They have had lots of problems and don't go far before they need massive work.

Other shocks start to come when systems like the brakes need to be replaced. Standard practice is new discs and pads every time because they have very soft discs.

Much about the Golf is to make it perform wonderfully when new but it doesn't last unless you keep pumping money.

Personally I think the Golf is a very expensive car for what it is. I looked into them when we bought our last car.

The Golf Bluemotion is a particularly interesting example of the bullsh1t VW does. These get phenomenal economy but they use tricks like lowering the front suspension 15 mm and fitting a full body kit to reduce drag. They can't drive over anything that isn't absolutely flat.

The crowning glory is the weight reduction which includes having NO spare tyre. Not even one of the silly bicycle wheels some cars have as a spare, all you get is a puncture repair kit and a small compressor.

The rolling resistance is also reduced by using silicon rubber tyres. Don't ask about how long they last or how much they cost to replace.

We saved $8,000 and bought a Hyundai i30 diesel. Almost as good on fuel and you even get a real spare tyre and more comfortable seats. (Comfort weights too much for the Bluemotion).

[bizzylizzy]

Panic over. VW customer services couldn't have been nicer. Assuming the fault is the recognised one, when the car has the diagnostic test, all work will be done gratis. It does seem likely as my car falls within the right batch of faulty ESP systems. Fingers crossed.

[Hopkirk]

Fantastic, Lizzy. At last a good news story.

I was feeling quite depressed for you as I read Beso's tale of doom.

[beso]

I believe the problems with the TSI are also recognised as manufacturing/design issues.

I would still seriously consider changing cars as they are very expensive to maintain.

BTW. The Hyundai i30 had the highest owner satisfaction rating of any car in Germany for a couple of yours running. It is the cheapest car in its class to run and operate in Australia.

[bizzylizzy]

Beso... LOL are you being paid to sell Hyundais :-) You seem very keen to push them. I've had several Golfs in the past. My last one was a Diesel a 1.9 TDI - I really regret having sold it, it was a great car. This Golf is fine, but it won't set the world on fire performance wise. But I guess it's only a 1.6 engine after all. But it's nearly five years old and the mileage is just over 30k, so it's not worked hard as you can imagine.

[Graham-W]

I'm very pleased for you bizzylizzy. At least VW are accepting the fault and remedying it. Thanks for getting back to us. It's nice to get some feedback, especially when it's good news.

[bizzylizzy]

Ahh thank you Graham-W that's very sweet of you. I'm hoping and hoping it's going to be good news. The charming lady I spoke to at VW said the chances were extremely high and the local VW garage agreed. They already have the parts in stock which pretty much points to them being prepared. One odd thing. If it is the fault in question (I've mislaid my piece of paper, but I do have the fault number somewhere) - it can be diagnosed and rectified in two to three hours. So why are people quoting bills of £1500. How expensive can a small part be? Very odd. Anyway, the car goes in next week and I'll let you know what happens. If the wrong number appears on the diagnostic machine I will have to get the work done elsewhere when (and if) I can afford it. So everyone cross their fingers for next week.

[Purple_Popple]

Nothing wrong with German cars, VWs are fantastic reliable and built to last. I have owned 3 Golfs over the years, and I can say I never had much problem with them. You keep your lovely Golf Lizzy and happy motoring !

[bizzylizzy]

Phew, I'm back to report on what happened. The car went in yesterday, I made it clear that if any other fault other than the acknowledged problem showed up then we'd simply pay for the 'level 3 diagnostic' (bit of a Star Trek joke there) and take it away until we decided what to do next. As it happens, the expected fault did show up and everything was done free 'as a gesture of goodwill' by VW. They gave me a form to sign for the work, the repair was listed as 'Replace ABS control unit'. I hope this can help someone else out. By the way, I did initially write to VW using the email address listed for customer services, but the email bounced back as undeliverable 5 days later. Meanwhile I'd called customer services at VW mentioning the chat on the web and the BBC report for good measure. They couldn't have been nicer. The young woman I spoke to was charming. So a good result all round, well done VW. And an outcome that allowed me to have a good night's sleep last night without worrying about how we were going to afford an expensive repair. I hope anyone else reading this will take heart and pursue the contact VW option before stumping up for a repair.

[beso]

bizzylizzy //Beso... LOL are you being paid to sell Hyundais :-) You seem very keen to push them.//

No. Never had to push. Always starts first time. ;-)

Seriously though. I did a lot of research on this and was advised that Golfs are very expensive for parts. This is in Australia though and it is also possible that the prices have improved since our currency has gained so much on the Euro.

Something I was very impressed by with the Golf was the fully laser welded body. No spot welded seams to rust. No black strips of plastic down the roof. No plastic covers over the seams under the hatch. Fully galvanised too.

Hyundai poached staff from VW and Audi and have a prototyping workshop in Germany. In Australia we have ads asking "Why buy something like a Golf when you can have a Golf."

However I did read about lots of problems with the TSI.