So glad i watched this as i was seriously considering an R having been a VW customer for the last 25 years. I bought one of the very last MK5's GT Sport which VW threw a bit of kit at as it was the end of the line such as leather, darkened headlight lenses, heated seats, privacy glass...a lovely 3 door car and then last year at 8 years of age the so well documented "through rust" problem appeared on my 2 front wings as a result of the sound deadening material holding onto the moisture thus causing the rust. Long story short VW did not want to know despite the car having a 12 year corrosion warranty and every service receipt. My car has had more services than its age ! They said to me they had changed the warranty to 10 years with the dealer picking up year 11 and 12 and of course when i contacted the dealer they did not want to know...I must have missed that memo... Thanks for taking the time to do this video, i am sure it wasn't easy..

Golf Mk5 R32 every day of the week. I have had mine since new in 2007, now covered 140,000 without any major issues other than general wear and tear. Only get £7,000 if I sold it but what would I get without spending north of £30k . No way. Even at £7,000 and full service history any buyer would be getting an absolute bargain.. I have had it since age 55 ( now 68). and has all the power you need on the open road. One of those rare cars that is totally over-engineered. It is a serious (albeit heavy) lump of metal but still gets regular stares from those that know what it is... I shall be keeping it to the end... a few years yet I hope...

I think you’ve been very unlucky there Andrew, I’ve had 2 new R’s 7 and 7.5, both DSG, and neither have never missed a beat, the 7 was a 64 plate on one of they cheap lease deals you mentioned, had it for a 2 year term and ragged it from day 1, only thing it needed was 2 front tyres after about 7k, I then proceeded to buy a new 7.5 on the strength of how much I loved my first one, I was a bit more careful with that one as it was my own money lol, the only issue I ever had was the alarm going of randomly which my mate sorted by turning the sensitivity down through Vagcom. P.s keep up the good work I enjoy your vids, am a VAG nut same as yourself👍

Know how you feel Andrew. I have a similar story. Back in 2015 in my old job I gave up my car allowance and moved back to having a company car as I was doing an 80-odd mile round trip to the office every day and got fed up with doing that in my own car. I took on a stock, bar black pearl metallic 64 plate GTD 5 door manual to use whilst my factory order for the same car in Carbon Grey was processed. The black car was nearly a year old at this point, had done alot of miles already and whilst generally tidy the wheels had been whacked. It also didn't have Nav which bothered me a bit as I was used to having it in my previous car. I could have kept it but as I was able to get a brand new one, in a colour I preferred and with MIB2 Discover Nav, Winter Pack and Kessy as well it seemed a no brainer. Anyway whereas the Black one seemed really well built, with no issues (other than dumping its oil due to a badly done oil service...another story) it was great and didn't put a foot wrong in the several weeks I had it. The new one was trouble from the offset. I'm going to struggle to remember all the issues with it but these are the main ones:- Passenger rear light cluster poorly fitted, had to be refitted under warranty Passenger side vent trim was gloss black (like the GT's) and not carbon look like the rest. Wrong one fitted on production line and had to be replaced under warranty. The MIB2 infotainment was full of bugs and would crash and fail in various ways all the time. Sometimes it would come on but no audio would be available. Other times the screen would be dead (it would bleep when touched but just be a dead black screen). Also sometimes the DAB would just randomly stop working. Some of this just became a bugbear as I figured out the soft reset on it but a warranty claim and updated firmware later it wasnt alot better. Certainly wasnt very handy when it lost it marbles when you were trying to navigate somewhere lol The alarm would fault all the time. It wouldn't go off but the status light would go solid red very often indicating a problem. Went in for warranty investigation but VW couldn't find anything wrong with it. Final nail in the coffin was the handbrake developed a penchant for switching itself off when you opened the drivers door to get out the car. It did it outside my house with my young son strapped in his child seat and rolled off towards a series of parked cars and the junction at the bottom of my road. By pure luck I was able to run after it and get in it and stop it. This was all within the first 6 months. I was so sick of it at this point that I pretty much threw the car back at my fleet dept and took on a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer which ironically wasnt at all bad to drive, much more comfortable and didn't go wrong like the Golf. I wanted to hate it but ironically rather liked it and even ended up owning one for a time as our family wagon. Lessons learned though I should have kept the black GTD. I had heard a rumour that VW let most of their regular production staff go on holiday for most of August every year, those people replaced with cover workers. Not sure how true this is but my car definitely didn't feel as well put together as a regular VW and was probably built around that time. I did later buy a used 6C Polo GTI which gave me 18 months trouble free motoring but after that episode I very nearly blacklisted them......had it been my own 28k financed to have it I'd have been livid 🤣

2015 MK7R DSG here, APR stage 1 + DSG stage 1, absolutely no issues whatsoever. Oil changes every 15000km (and not 30000 km like VW says) and change the DSG transmission fluid after 60000km. always use premium fuel 98 oct., warm it up until the oil temp reaches 90° before driving hard, check you have the latest turbo revision (722H) and you'll be fine.

Having had 13 VW’s in my life, Scirocco, Golf, Polo, Up, this is one of the best reviews I’ve watched. It speaks volumes about VW GB & dealer attitude to customer retention as much as it does about a specific model. Thank you.

Interesting video. I purchased my 5 door lapiz blue DSG Golf R in 2014. (ordered Jan 2014 - delivered June 2014) Opted for a few extras such as leather, reversing camera, sunroof, adaptive suspension, DSG gearbox and discovery Pro Satnav. This took the 'on the road' price up to around £38,500 mark. On delivery I checked the bodywork over for any paint imperfections - only one that I could find was a small area of paint near the front bumper N/S air scoop. On examination this looked like a 'run' in the paint finish but it was in such an inconspicuous area that I felt that correcting the paintwork (with all the associated dismantling etc) may cause more issues with potential damage and miss matched colour, so I decided to live with it! Only mechanical issue the car has suffered is the rear brake friction material coming away from the backing plate. The pad material promptly wedged itself between the wheel and the brake calliper. VW replaced the rear disc and pads (both sides) - this was all covered under warranty as the car was around 6 months old with just a few thousand miles on the odometer. The car is now nearly six years old and has covered about 15,000 miles. I consider myself a mature driver so the car has never been abused or thrashed. I now use a trusted independent VW garage for all my servicing requirements as they seem to be more conscientious regarding the mechanical work they undertake when compared to the main VW dealership. Personally, I would never buy an ex lease or PCP car as I feel these cars are not ‘loved’ and consequently are driven accordingly.

I have an R and yes my water pump/thermo stat had to be replaced. It’s a 2014 model so not a face lift but I still love it. The key to owning one of these is to take out a VW extended warranty. £35 a month for piece of mind. I respect your comments and if I didn’t already own one could have been put off. But I’ve had mine for 3 years purchased as an approved used car and have immensely enjoyed the ownership experience. Keep telling it as it is. These aren’t cheap cars to run you need to look after them and hopefully it’ll look after you. I avoided tuned cars as that seems to be a popular thing to do to this car but generally I think it’s more likely to give you even more problems down the road.

Really informative video mate glad to hear someone actually talk about the issues with them rather than just sing praise!👍🏼

Andrew, as you know I bought two Mark 7 Golf Rs, both from the same main dealer. Less said about the first which was a three year old one owner car (returned within days as it had major paint issues from a bodged repair)and the second an VW management car as a replacement. A nice car, but I never fell in love with it for several reasons. And it didn't seem very well made. It had a weird issue of steam coming out of the front right bumper aperture. I took it to APS as always, and they could not experience or identify the problem, no fault on their part I must add. It just was an intermittent problem, as it turned quite common and experienced by other owners. Having owned several Mk 4 R32s, the R was a big disappointment in terms of driver appeal and driving experience once the novelty of a newer car had passed. It didn't look very special either. In fact I had several people comment when I bought the R that they thought it was just an ordinary Golf. At the time it had the Cadiz alloy wheels which I later changed at huge expense to Pretorias, which benefited the appearance, but did nothing to add to the driving experience. Listening to your tales of woe with dealerships, confirms why buying from you and APS is the way to go. I enjoyed this and the TCR video, keep up the good work!

Bloody hell, nightmare. I had a 66 plate R 3 door, pan roof, prets, DCC, DSG, loved it. Got it new (6k discount). Wasn't the most exiting car but in bad weather it was faultless. Luckily I never had issues except for an uneven panel gap between the bonnet and wing. Until I watched your vid I was regretting selling it, now not so much!

Had a Mk7 GTI PP for 3 years, no issues at all over 40k miles. Then moved to an R for 2.5 years. Much preferred the R but experienced clutch slip, luckily repaired under warranty (from garage i bought from not VW) but I believe bill was just under 2k. No other issues except rear discs corroding. Both were manuals.

Great to see a dealer giving genuine opinions on cars. If its shit and you have had a bad experience then tell....then consumers can make an informed decision if it's a car for them or at least look out for problems when viewing. Ordered an Up GTi after watching your videos....lol

Loved my R. Extended the lease for a year. So so gutted when it was picked up. Daily driver. The best smiles per gallon from any car.

Great video!! Didn't know the Mk7 Rs had these issues. I have a Mk6 gti had to replace my first water pump at 10k second at 20k. 46k now so far it's been great. I plan to keep it forever , car is a blast to drive. It's a shame that they are still having issues with water pumps and thermostats.

Really informative video, as someone who was a trader for a few years, buying from BCA, I know the feeling well, when you are driving home from the auction house, and you start to realise the faults.. My last VW from BCA was a 2010 Scirocco 2.0 petrol, ( as a personal car) so many issues with the engine, i now have a mk 7.5 gti PP on lease, Again the deals are very very good for leasing.

Had a mk7 r from new for 4 years and never missed a beat , my mate the same never a problem to . Brilliant car

Thanks for the video - although it did initially make me a little uncomfortable about owning my 66 plate 17MY 7R - however I hope I have countered some of the common issues, first I have an Autowatch Ghost fitted, so that should keep it firmly on my own driveway, a Sachs Performance Organic clutch (as the standard one went almost overnight at 36,000), I insisted on the Haldex oil change at 30k rather than leaving it to 40k (on advice), always run 4 identical tyres and obviously treat it with care warming up etc - now, I believe I have one of the very best so i'm hopeful of keeping it a bit longer, but, what would you recommend as a replacement? Just cant really find anything that wont cost an arm and a leg to replace it with!

Good informative video. So much for fsh with technicians so competent they trash your gearbox. Thanks for letting me know about the company you used to fix the gearbox issues, now I know where to take my 2019 GTI 7.5 PP in Atlantic Blue when the dsg dies 🤣 Bought the GTI as a keeper and owned it for just over 12 months now, so far collect 3 points in 6500 miles 😭. It won't be as reliable my old 1.9 Tdi PD Golf mk4 which I owned from new, mostly home serviced and did 185k miles without any issues, by far the most reliable car I've ever owned. In all that time 1 x broken rear coil, 1 x exhaust, 2 x brake discs all round, numerous pads, a few timing belts and that was it. Amazing. Scrapped it in the end as the dealers were only giving me about scrap value and I didn't want to regret selling it to someone else.

I bought one in 2017, Oryx White 3dr DSG with DCC, 15 plate. I went to Scotland from Suffolk for it, had a little road trip in Scotland and then all the way back to Suffolk. Put a set of Pretorias on it, new Michelin 4S' ... i think i must be one of the lucky ones, it never missed a beat, had it about a year and a half and sold it, paid £21500, sold for £19750. Absolutely brilliant car, couldn't fault it, but .. every night i'd get home and look on AutoTrader for something else! The Golf was almost too good maybe. Dunno! Bought a 997.2 Carrera to replace it and never looked back. I still lust after a Clubsport S though, remember watching your videos on yours back then. Sorry to hear you had so much hassle with them, great cars when they work!

I have a 2017 1.4 TSI and the golf is 3 years old now, I have had a few minor issues like fuel cap opening when driving, auto hold occasionally sticks on and infotainment system won’t work. Does anyone know if Golfs has any other faults which are likely ?

I bought one 2014 - from Peter cooper southhampton UK - total nightmare , sun roof leaking and 101 other things. Branch manager couldn’t give a damn. !! Never use them horrible service !

Hi Andrew love your videos ... need your best advice I have a audi s3 2017 and water pump is leaking I know its a common problem should i fix it or leave it and keep topping up coolant . And eould it do any damage if I left it ??

I’d love to see a comparison of different MK1/MK2 golfs models, would be a really interesting retro video.

You can't deny Andrew's educated and experienced opinion. There have been some massive issues with pre-facelift R's. I do feel the R gets a bad rap for being too capable though. It's subjective; some people obsess over a bit of drama with the backend; some obsess about going round corners on rails. Meh. As dull as British (urban) driving can be, it rains here for half the year. I've driven both R, GTi PP and now own a T-Roc R...The AWD in rural Britain (for a dad of two) is unbelievable in wet/damp/greasy/frosty/muddy etc. Great stuff, best COVID content around 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

Hope the issues are only with the R and not the MK7 GTI which I have just brought! You mentioned about poor paint finishes on VW in the past was this just the golf range and what are the model years effected? Keep up the good content 👍

I have owned many prestige motors i was advised by many to buy the golf r so i did the 7.5 got one fully loaded with all the spec 42k it cost me.. i started having problems with my keyless start batteries kept goin dead and wouldnt let me in motor imagine that 42k car and i couldn't get in! I told them about it and all i was told we dont cover keys under warranty you need a Battery for the key so replaced it . Again a month later it happened n then maybe afew weeks later til I litrally dropped the car off at vw and refused to take it informed a manager to drive my car and let him face the problems i faced.. i lover the car as it really drove well but the problem never stopped and all i was told is change the key battery's. Gearbox failed on me also which after 5k miles and battery started playin up after 10k couldn't believe the challenges i faced.. i was always given a polo as a curtesy car for weeks. Im a mechanic by trade litrally had enough of then so i maintain it myself now and just hope the gearbox doesnt fail as its not something i can do inhouse..!!

From my experience with the newer vw’s it’s a hit or miss. It seems most people have good luck with them but the ones that don’t have a nightmare with ownership. A lot of times it’s not the actual car but the dealerships that screw people over.

Very helpful video....I'm considering an R, manual gearbox too.... but this has been a real eye opener. The spec thing with ex lease cars would explain the vast amount of dealership R s with low spec extras, all makes good sense. Good work...

I'm very happy with my Mk7 R estate. Perfect family car! 😉 had the same coolant leak but was done under warranty so no big deal.

I came to my 7R from a 2001 VW Cabrio that I put a Mk3 VR6 in. Yes weak clutches in this car are a common issue for the minority that take the manual (myself included). Maybe VW couldn't put a proper pressure plate on due to the crankwalk issues some cars with aftermarket clutch kits are experiencing, and certainly if there's no Mk8 R 6MT, it would seem VW prefers to lose some customers than fix the thrust bearing issue on the EA888. If I tried to accelerate from 20mph in top gear in my VR6, it just doesn't have the torque to do it in such adverse gearing. Eventually it might overheat. If I try to accelerate from 20mph in top gear in my R, the clutch will slip. Learn to drive the car right and it will treat you right. Coolant system leaks and paint that isn't particularly durable? Yeah, I bought a VW. Clear coat is peeling on my Cabrio and it's on a third thermostat housing now. If you are a specialist dealer for these cars you need to be able to put in a clutch and a coolant module in a day. If I can do it in my garage you can too.

Had my 14 plate DSG R for 5 years now and it has had a fuel pump issue fixed under warranty but apart from this it has never missed a beat and I still love driving it especially in the wet when it is staggeringly rapid and balanced and confidence inspiring.. But I liked this article because people after an R need to know their common faults so they don't lose money and have a bad experience of ownership and end up as satisfied and thrilled as I have been!.. And still am!..

A fascinating video. If you have experienced all of these issues imagine what it is like for a member of the public trying to obtain redress if their vehicle has a fault. Its why I always inspect my car on the dealer forecourt immediately after it has been serviced. Many dealers take for granted robust cars and get away with shoddy servicing. Another tip is to ask to inspect a car immediately it arrives at the dealership off the transporter, before they touch or PDI it.

I've got a 2015 dsg R, water pump went which is a known problem but been fine since, I know alot of people with these cars and never missed a beat. Manual ones are known for chocolate clutches

'16 Lapiz R owner: can confirm the paint and clear coat job is absolutely sub-par. Otherwise its an absolute riot on the backroads!

Very good info. The Mk7.5 R’s in the US were and are still selling for sticker or above and i had no idea. The supply is that low or demand is still that high I’m not sure. Now it’s discontinued and there’s only a handful left, but I’m not going to spend $40k on a Golf. We have a 2012 Mk6 R in the family approaching 60k miles and it’s be absolutely flawless. Did the stage 1 tune at the last servicing and that transformed the car to what it should have been from the factory. Thinking of picking up a second one or maybe a Mk6 GTI, but I do like the Mk7 for the differential.

Very interesting and informative video, thank you. I wander if some of the common faults were ironed out in the 7.5 making it a safer used buy?

Very interesting, thank you. An awful lot of grief from R 7.0 for you indeed. I’ve a 2019 7.5 DSG, 5 d in Black. A Keeper. All the faults seem to have been solved 🤞. So maybe I did myself a favour waiting so long to buy, late in the model life. Go quick, effortlessly, undramatically. Any day, any weather. That’s the R magic.

A far cry from a love affair, but explained exceptionally well enough Andrew to articulate to your viewers why you feel the way you do. Ironic that such a high percentage of your dealings have been unpleasant, that mustn’t bode well for the percentage of failures and reliability generally either one would assume. I accept many owners won’t have had issues, but those that have will likely relate to the content well. Thanks for the insightful video as always, and sharing some of your stories and experiences from the past, in addition to promoting some things that you can check if in the market for one. Take care, keep safe, all the best.

I have a mk7 gti and the thermostat housing was failed when I bought it approved used from Volkswagen, I knew it was a common issue and luckily so far my dealer I take it too have always honoured all warranty work the place I bought it from are the usual dealer though sold it with issues took a year to fix issues, like the dents in the door they caused promised to fix, only after having Volkswagen U.K. myself and my dealer hound them would they authorise the work, they have since been bought by a new franchise

I brought a lapiz blue golf r second hand a few years ago b4 I went into the m cars and loved it. stage 2 tuned it running around 400hp 0-60 in under 4secs. Great little car not a problem with it...but as much as I absolutely loved the lapiz blue paint it was the most sensitive paint I’ve ever had. You couldn’t lean up it in woolly joggers without leaving a mark

My clutch started slipping at 25,000 miles it’s used to mainly do it up hills, I did nothing with it and it stopped after a while, I had the car till 70,000 miles on the clock, great car 👍

Okay it wasn’t an R but my mum bought a mk7 1.6tdi with 28k on it, it was just two years old and had nothing but trouble with a intermittent creaking/ knocking sound from the front of the car. I’d heard it on a few occasions and sounded like it was from the passenger side, Kettering VW where she bought it we’re very unhelpful to say the least. Even when they’d had it in and kept it for a week, had no answers and kept saying it was nothing to worry about until the last time she took it to them they diagnosed the knocking sound as a tensioner so said they would replace the cambelt tensioners and waterpump, but actually had mistimed the engine, completely ruining it. After a lot more hassle and to-ing and forth from the dealer they finally (after a lot of delegation) agreed to put a brand new engine in because of their incompetence and saw the paperwork stated it was over £5k of work. Funnily enough my mum never went back to Kettering VW after the bad experiences there and after a couple of uneventful thousand miles could hear the creaking again!!! This time she took it to the main dealer near where she works in Milton Keynes & they diagnosed the creaking as shot subframe bushes but at least she does recommend Milton Keynes VW. It definitely put me off mk7s in general and using main dealer because of their heel dragging, so I can totally believe it was VWs fault for you getting stuck with a £5k bill on the DSG gearbox, when clearly they should advise the correct mileages for things to be done. Anyways very informative video and has convinced me not to get a 7R. I really love the mk7 Gti club sport- did you have any problems with yours Andrew? Thanks and keep up the VW content 👍🏼

I've owned a 2015 Golf R Wolfsburg version hatch since new, and it has been flawless. The only issue I've had is with the AndroidAuto/AppleCarPlay software which had glitches, but was fixed with upgraded software. Have had it tuned now for 2 years and it's been the best car I've owned. A daily driver that is as quick as a stock RS3. Love it !

Loved my mk7r managed to get a 3dr with great spec! Unfortunately had the thermostat housing fail a couple of times (bought on 30k did under 6k during my ownership) annoying that even after you've replaced the housing it can fail again! Completely put off the mk7 gti/r range after only ever owning vw cars so I'm now in an a45 amg. Great video, information people need to know before they consider these cars 👍

Thank you for your video I’m thinking of buying a Golf mark 7.5 R, currently own 2021 s5 sport backs TDI V6 but find it very heavy on fuel especially round London, in your opinion how economical does R compare?

I work at a dealership in the US. VW clutches fail without warning. Ring in the pressure plate is usually at fault. If the hydraulics loose pressure suddenly the master cylinder will not bleed and must be replaced. I have seen this many times.

Great honest video. I bought a dealer demo, 4,000ish miles and circa 6 months old, complete DSG brain failure left me stranded in Leeds in less than a month. The dealer had the car for 6 weeks, most of the time hooked up to Germany trying to reprogram the ECU, they gave up in the end and put a new gearbox in. Then it developed the coolant leak. It was Lapis blue and almost every time I filled it up at the garage it received a nice comment and admiring looks. If i'm honest the Edition 35 I part exchanged was the better car, and now i'm in a 997.1 C4S tiptronic!! Fingers crossed the gearbox doesn't go in that. Keep the videos coming Andrew

Bought a brand new R last July from VW main dealership in Bridgend. Broke down 3 times and in the work shop for around 4 months in total. The underlying problem is the Engine Management Sytem which has led to engine being completely removed at least once. Car is still in workshop as we speak. Only done around 3,000 miles. Car is great when it works but that's not very often. Am waiting to hear from VW whether I have a legal right to return the car.

Nice to see some insight, detail and a background story to a car model's problem and not just "ah its crap". Thoughts on buying new nowadays would be a good video even if focused on just the German VW umbrella. I'm of the mindset that if buying a car new when it is just released you are a BETA tester. Whilst the companies do tons of testing in hours tested and millions spent, they dont do a test on manufacturing say 10000 a week with absolutely no problems and all in sufficient target time. I wouldn't be purchasing any new car/model until at least a year after it was introduced so all the richest of folk can have the problematic cars and heartbreakers for then VW or other VW brand to make running changes to. I think this would make a great topic for a video. Why can't people have the patience for the new car to mature and problems be solved by the company before purchasing? Thanks for the effort you out into the channel, really enjoy watching your videos as your always calm and sensible in your videos. Thumbs up 👍

It's a shame for such a car. And for VW. I bought a Mk5 GTI in 2005, and is was stolen. I was not the only one: that same night 7 GTI's were stolen in my city. Did cost me a lot of money. Bought a Touran. Horrible car: everything broke in the 3 years we had it, and every bill was over €1000,-. I did not dare sell it to a private person, but brought it to a second hand dealer and I was glad to even get money for it. Bought an UP! The dealer did the 20000 and 40000km service, I do the rest till now,160000km. In total services have cost me €650,- for 160000km. No single issue at all. The UP is better built than other VAG cars I'm afraid. Same quality as my MX5, in 9 years no issues at all.

Great video as always. Its the negatives towards the mk7 R that has put me off owning one. I currently have a mkiv 2.8l V6 that I've owned since Sept 03 and loved it. Car is a March 03 with all the extras as wa a demo. Would I move to a newer one - nope due to the reasons you bring up.

Hi, very informative video. I am considering an R but am put off for several reasons and this video has confirmed some issues I have heard else where. Is the 7.5 GTI Performance prone to the same issues? Thank you

Superb video, have been looking around online for used golf R's and was undecided, after watching this and your other video about the coolant leak issue, I shall just probably stick to the 7.5 on for my searches.

I love VW's. My first car was a mk1 Golf Driver min 1988. My VW motoring history then followed with a mk2 Golf GL, Scirocco mk2 GTX, mk2 Golf GTI 16v, mk3 Golf VR6 Highline, mk4 Golf V6 4Motion and even a Corrado VR6 which I still own. I loved them all. The Corrado is amazing. So I am exactly the sort of person VW should be selling a new GTI or R to. Unfortunately the last VW I bought was a mk6 GTI. I had no end of problems with the mk6. I could instantly tell the quality had dropped. It felt thin and cheap compared to the previous cars. Some big issues that come to mind were corrosion, a clutch failure, suspension issues, various engine issues and finally a complete engine failure at only about 74k miles. It's put me off of modern VW's. I simply can't trust them. Apart from the Corrado I'm currently leasing an Evoque. Perhaps the Evoque will be unreliable, as many Land Rovers are, but it's not my car and I can just hand it back and I doubt it can be as unreliable as my mk6. I'd consider a mk8 GTI or R but only on a lease. I don't want to take the risk of owning a modern VW any more. VW have lost a long standing and previously loyal customer. Luckily when I need my VW fix I'll get get the Corrado out of the garage.

I left the motor trade a year and a 1/2 ago, but used to work for VW, (Martins) looking back on them, the people who were most satisfied with the Golf R’s were people who wanted a normal Golf and rarely part ex’d R32’s or even GTI’s. Very rarely did we sell to VW enthusiasts. You very quickly touched on the scary test drives, but used to fill me with dread when an entitled person used to waltz in to the showroom and say they were interested in Golf R’s but needed to test drive first, because the chances of them buying the car afterwords was remote.

A good video, enjoyed hearing about your experiences with the R. Would be good to hear about the running of one in future. Just bought a MK7.5 GTI (DSG) recently, any plans to do a video on them?

Sorry to hear that you have had so much bad luck with the Golf R's I drive a 3 door Peugeot 208 GTi and was thinking of buying a Volkswagen Golf R in the near future but since watching your video I am a little put off.. With your experience which 3 door hot hatch would you say is the most reliable? Would be very grateful for your expert advice.. Thanks for your video.

Fab video Andrew. Great detail into a Golf R and it's problems. Your not the only one to mention these problems as heard of plenty of other buyers and sellers. I was actually interested in buying one a few years ago but got put off with how many are on the road, the problems mentioned and the reputation of these getting stolen and owners being beaten/assaulted for the car. 👍

Bought a mk7 manual golf r in 2016 with 10000 miles on it for 23k. Servicing intervals were a bit of a shock, only ever having owned standard cars previously, but it now has 65k miles and I have had zero problems with it. Desirable, fun, reliable, practical and retains decent residual value, best car I have ever owned hands down.

Nice video Andrew - Similar to my experience - I ran a 2016 DSG 3 door (40k miles) for a year / DynAudio / Non DCC. Needed two thermostats (the common leak) - One done under VW warranty / One 3rd party warranty (VW not interested - despite same part failing). Under bonnet insulation peeled up (common heat issue) VW not interested - “master” tech suggested it had been washed (over the phone without seeing it....). Went APR stage 1 in the end - car went really well - but brakes are very poor for that performance / weight. (Did the Nurburgring last July): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jKhpnchm1tTNk2w.html Moved to use a local specialist (Quattro Tech) find them friendly / honest and care more than certain VW techs (all down to individuals of course). I would consider a Clubsport S / or edition 40 (DSG / DCC / map it) - but am wary after the R...

When I saw the table was out I thought it’d be a good ‘un as you mean what you say as always - great to see some accountability for VAG brand as opposed to blind R fanboys - nothing worse than a poorly manufactured and supported new product from a brand that’s sold on quality and at a premium to consumers - your 997 Porsche looked fabulous though :)

Fascinating insight into this side of the business and on the car, combined with the other video on its faults. I would definitely enjoy more content like this. Nice to see hear about what you do behind the scenes a bit in terms of the business side.

It definitely sounds like you nearly reached the end of your tether with the R after all of that... You also had a Clubsport S for a few years. How did you find this particular model compared to the ownership experiences you had with the R? You mentioned that the clutch was slipping on a few of the manual R's,is that also likely to happen with the CSS? They are roughly the same sort of power etc. so if clutch slipping affects one you would imagine it might also affect the other. I would like to try a CSS at some stage,you dont see them too often though where I live,a fee R's alright.

My first ever vw killed my love of vw... My second vw confirmed this... My third VAG car completely destroyed my faith in other people's opinions, my own faith in German engineering, and it's own engine too. Never ever ever again.

Good video, I bought a 2016 3 door manual in January with 24k on the clock and the clutch was slipping. Sinclair VW in Bridgend (South Wales) were brilliant and changed the clutch with no question asked. No coolant issues to report as of yet and really enjoying ownership. My advice to anyone would be to buy from a main dealer 👍🏼

Food for thought... I’m a bit worried about the longevity on my TCR now! And maybe you need to register “MercWizard” and “BmWizard” as a backup plan as clearly VW’s may not be quite what any of us thought we were buying into. Another great and very professional vid. Keep up the good work 👍👍

Literally the best all around car VW has ever made 😂.

Driving GTI 7.5 Performance Pack with DSG from 2019. Have you experienced any issues with gear changes from 2 to 3rd gear? I feel a kick if accelerated more aggressive on 3rd gear, but that doesn't happen in all scenarios..

Sadly these issues aren’t confined to the 7 Rs - the thermostat housing failed on my 67 plate 7.5 GTI at just under 2 years old and 21,000 miles. Total loss of coolant. Luckily covered under warranty. I’ll be extending the warranty as I’m sure it will happen again. The paintwork marrs and the windscreen chips really easily. I still love the car though. Guess I was spoilt by the quality of my old 53 plate 1.9tdi 130 Passat which I owned for 13 years and 70,000 miles without any issues.

Thanks for the video. Great insight into ownership. Was considering one as I am in love with the mk7/ 7.5 R. Defo won't be buying one now. Leading heavily towards a m135. Still sceptical though as I've always owned lexus' and never had to take cars back to the dealer for any issues. Shame they don't make exciting practical cars!! You don't really see used reviews like these for popular models. Keep it up.

I'm going go buy my R at the end of the lease but will definitely extend the warranty. It's been 100% reliable for the last 30k miles so maybe I have a good one. Going to get all stone chips and kerbed wheels repaired, detailed inside and out and paint protected. It'll be like having a new R :)

I've had a 2019 Golf R 7.5 with DSG and DCC with everything else on it and it's been faultless!! Only small moan is the sunroof can be noisy when shut. Other than that it's been brilliant. I'd recommend it over the 8 which has lost the character and looks of the 7.5 and the interior dash is a nightmare.

Quite of a few R’s come from the factory low on transmission fluid. I suggest anyone who buys one does a DSG fluid service right away.

Great video. I actually enquired about the golf R that had the gearbox issues. It had just been sold. I was gutted at the time, I’m glad now.

Really interesting listening to this. Got a Golf GTI and always wanted a GolfR. I think you’ve put me off it now. The only thing I would say is I do find there customer service as about as much use as a chocolate tea pot!!😡. Great info as always mate. Thanks.

Really cool video once again. I have a Skoda Fabia VRS mk2 what are your thoughts on the 1.4 twincharger engine I’ve been told horror stories about them failing it’s done 60000 miles should I move it on before it becomes a problem thanks

So to check the mk7.5 should be considered potentially better since they may have fixed some of those issues? This being the case would you say they'd be the same for a facelift Leon st cupra 300 awd or have the seats and other brands avoided some of the vw problems?

I have owned 3 Golf R’s and have to agree the paintwork isn’t great. My first one had a leak but VW fixed under warranty. Took them 3 visits and 3 weeks to fix. Had to tell VW to service the haldex at 20k but they argued it was 60k. They later agreed it should be done every 20-30k. To be fair to VW they also fixed an alloy wheel that got slightly damaged as a result of the electric handbrake sticking when the car bumped into the kerb when I was parallel parking. I loved my Golf R’s and would buy another one as they are a great car to drive, cheap to insure and economical

I just found a 2019 Lapiz Blue R that I was interested in potentially buying, but I'm pretty sure you've talked me out of it. These things are very cool, but I don't want the headaches that come with them. Thanks for the info!

Bought my R from Blade in Gloucester in 2019. What a hellish experience that was. Glad they've been taken over by Heritage now.

Had an R estate for two years with no issues at all, one of the best all around cars I've ever owned.

Hi Andy, I know exactly how you feel regarding issues with main dealer servicing in the VW/Audi stable especially with warranty issues. I ended up writing a 7 page complaint to Audi UK regarding awful servicing standards and warranty issues that resulted in receiving a cheque for over £2K I now only trust 1 Audi dealership to service my recently purchased TT RS whilst it’s under warranty, it’ll then go to my local VW / Audi specialist who’ve looked after all of my out of warranty cars for years.

A fascinating insight into the UK used car market! I've heard a lot of people saying that quality has been sacrificed in recent VWs. Makes me realise how good value my Mk5 GTi DSG actually is. 136k miles and the leather interior is as good as new.

16:36 Most used golf R's have probably been tweeked and then set back to stock for the sale.....could be another reason for issues. I hve a stock 2014 dsg R no issues yet. 90000kms. Daily driver. Full coverage motorplan just incase.

My manual R clutch went at 18k, only had the car a few weeks. Main dealer wouldn't say if warranty would cover it unit they stripped it down and we all know what they would of said. He said we can replace it with the standard one for over a grand. No thanks replaced it with a helix cluth and new dmf for the same price and can take alot more power, blue stip on door stopped working. My ep3 never let me down like this.

My OCD is bothering me too much about that back wheel, is it curbed ?

Very interesting..... I am considering a 7.5R and it’s likely to be a DSG as the manual are difficult to locate. I recall a comparison you did between a Clubsport S and an Edition 40 Dsg which you raved about as it was more of a daily driver than the CSS,so which would you recommend on a newer model, R or a GTI PP or even a CSS? I take the mechanical issues could be found on any of the three models? Cheers

Ive only had my 2019 Rabbit GTI for a year, but so far no issues thankfully. The only drawback so far is that the Urano Grey paint is very sensitive...Wondering if it's because they only made 1200...figured it would be of better quality since it's limited edition, but who knows!

I’m panicking now, I’ve had my brand new 7.5R for just under 4 months now, and an interest free lease deal for a main dealer. I LOVE the car but will be expecting problems from here on in. I kind of get what Khs Mn is saying and have watched the video all the way through. There is some really informative stuff in here but most of it to me is all to familiar in that the car industry whilst may have moved on in some regards, underneath it’s struggling and will probably continue that way. Poor service, uninterested dealers / cash strapped franchises, low paid couldn’t care less staff. I have a very experienced technician friend who works on what some would deem the ultimate cars, at a Ferrari franchise. He is hugely into classics and cites new cars these days as white goods. I’ve heard car companies referred to as finance companies that happen to have cars as their main stock. I guess the bottom line is, if you’re going to own a car, you might be lucky, keep up the service schedule, drive reasonably, and with a fair wind you might be ok. Otherwise buyer beware. Yours might be ok, or it might be a lemon!

I’ve a MK7 2017 and that had a coolant leak and DSG gear selector issue. Luckily both fixed on warranty and not had any more issues.

Interesting video, I have a 2017 7.5r estate and I have enjoyed the last 10k miles. It’s good to have performance when needed. The dealer prep when I bought it a year ago was not great but now it has been detailed all is good. I am planning on selling as I am working from home more so I wonder if the market is still there for them, hopefully it is! Not sure what I will replace it with as I think it is a good all round car

"if only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen" those clever add men eh!, how times have sadly changed. give me mk2 golf gti anyday. great video again andrew, such a shame the magazine went, I was a long time reader and big fan of autometrix, they did some fabulous articles and buyers guides. let's see what the mk8 can bring, hopefully you will have better fortunes with that model. I've got a late mk2 16v and a mk3 vr6 which weve had for 20 years now, both solid as a rock, but the best car I've had was my old b3 80 16v sport, the build quality was unreal, the likes of which I doubt we will see again, manufacturers aren't interested in longevity, just sales.

I was thinking of buying a Golf R in the near future. My last VW was a Mk4 V5 which caused me no end of grief and I was hoping that things may have improved. Sadly that doesn't look to be the case. I don't see the point in paying a bit extra for a VW when other marques are no worse in terms of reliability.

Well owning porsches for 20 years and took a while in retirement to find a good car went down the route of performance GTI fully loaded, all went well for 16000 miles to get a tiny water leak ,after discussion the bill was said to be around a grand and then 780 My own dealership couldn’t look at the car for a month either luckily I had read on facebook about the waterpump issue & contacted VW and I explained their faulty plastic water pump situation sensibly but polite & they contacted me 48 hours job done zero charge, so in all honesty VW HO deserve a good mention, dealer after finding the issue on service mot their maintenance plan was annoying but another garage saw it in 2 weeks dealer same company but different town, car was 4 yrs old but its still mint serviced every year regardless,like new and enthusiast owned..if it happened again i would get the waterpump mod in metal from specialists.

Buying a R is a mine field which is why I bought mine new. Had 2 of them. 1 of which had a unidentifiable fault from vw master techs. The car at speed would vibrate through the wheel, I checked all the commons areas. I was just about to book it in with an independent specialist VRS. But I lost heart and give up swapped it for a approved used m240i, the golf was only 6 months old with about 2k on the clock

Thanks for this video I was considering buying one Buy I think I will play it safe and look for a club sport 40 Which you did a review against the TCR.

Wow , what load of issues!! Would you recommend an aftermarket warranty ( wise ) when buying a potentially very expensive to repair motor? Also how easy is it to check servicing / repairs done at a dealer before purchasing? Great video as ever 👍

From watching the whole video, it's clear that you've had various issues, some recurring, over multiple caRs. Eek. Not ideal, and not what I'd expect of any high-end VW tbh. I think I'd be pretty bloomin' cautious around them as a car dealer too - who can blame you for that? 'Known' (potential,) issues (and hence fairly high costs if afflicted,) Vs a not very sparkly profit at the end of it, for all your toil (and grey hairs?!) No ta. But, by sharing this kind of info you really help potential buyers, and I am very grateful that you took the time to make this vid and share it. Cheers. :)