We’re looking at buying a Golf VII. Has anyone had any issues with the air con blowing up at about four years, as both our Golf V’s did?

Didn’t the VII only launch in 2013?

Anyway I’ve had 46k of trouble free driving out of mine. Best car I’ve ever had, miles better than the A6 it replaced

Great car! two and a half years and 32k miles. what model are you looking at?

Probably a Match. We both had 2006 Golf SE’s for our last cars.

have you driven one yet? electric handbrake and adaptive cruise took some getting used to but i don’t think i could go back now

No,, test drive booked though. Both current cars (Astra and Avensis) have electric handbrakes so we’re used to those.

Had my GTD for a year and a half now. 45k miles and it’s not missed a beat. Brilliant car. ACC is a game changer.

Does anyone know if all the petrol engines have start-stop, or is it just the Bluemotion models? VW website not clear on this.

I’m sure they’re all start stop, if you’re in the habit of keeping your foot on the clutch at lights etc it wont kick in anyway

Yeah ACC makes driving an entirely different experience on the motorway

^ coupled with auto ‘box, auto lights and auto park brake, it really is worryingly easy to drive w.o. effort compared to my old mark II & V manuals (the latter w.o. a/c issues).

Did 110,000 miles in mine in 3 years only issue fuel pump packed up the day it was due to go back to lease company. No air con issues, it was the 2.0tdi

I’ve got a Manual 63 plate GTD. No issues only had mine for about 4k miles its 54k on the clock with no issues in its history just regular servicing. ACC is amazing and would be even more amazing with DSG auto box. When you just have the manual you have to change down if the traffic flow get too slow for the gear you’re in its a real hard ship. Although i was put off DSG by stories of them being a bit poor in the snow.

I can’t believe no one has mentioned a Skoda Octavia yet.

I can’t believe you haven’t mentioned that you can’t left-foot brake in a VAG…

the latter w.o. a/c issues

I should point out that my father in law’s A3 and brother in law’s Passat, both about the same age and vintage, also had the air con compressor die.

I can’t believe no one has mentioned a Skoda Octavia yet.

You can mention it and the Leon (which I really like the look of) if you like, but there’s no dealer for either locally and there is a VW franchise.

I’d wait a little bit. VW are about to announce the facelifted Mk VII, rumour has it in November. Which should give you the option to grab the latest version, or pick up the slightly dated model at a better price.

have you driven one yet? electric handbrake and adaptive cruise took some getting used to but i don’t think i could go back now

Had a 2.0 TDi to deliver and discovered the adaptive cruise control by accident, and I was seriously impressed by it.

^ coupled with auto ‘box, auto lights and auto park brake, it really is worryingly easy to drive w.o. effort compared to my old mark II & V manuals

This is so very true! I had a 2.0 GT TDi yesterday, drove it from Bridgwater to Newport, and it was just so very easy to drive, 6Music on the radio, hammering around the M49 at Avonmouth with an almost completely empty road ahead…

I can’t believe you haven’t mentioned that you can’t left-foot brake in a VAG…

Who left-foot brakes anyway? And it’s really something you don’t want to do with an auto!
Switching back and forth between manual and auto cars two or three times a day, like I do, it can really catch you out forgetting that you’re in an automatic and put your foot on what you think is the clutch…

I have a 13 plate 2.0TDI GT and love it…had it 2 years without issue.
You can override the stop/start if you don’t like it.
I do nearly 250 miles on the M1 a week but have never used ACC – am I a berk?

I actually think the Stop Start is probably a Good Thing; just wasn’t clear whether the all did it.

Didn’t VW offer a Mk 2 Golf with Stop Start?

Incidentally, I am I the only person who fits roof bars with a torque wrench? Is this unnecessarily sad?

have a ’13, no probs but the electric handbrake is annoying.

No backing into parking spaces with the door open to see obstacles. Seatbelt on or it wont move.

Once parked downhill with car right in front and it would release the handbrake too early (i.e. before the clutch was balanced). Inched closer and closer to the other car.

I can’t believe you haven’t mentioned that you can’t left-foot brake in a VAG…

You can (2l manual). Maybe you can’t with a dsg but who wants an auto anyway.

have a ’13, no probs but the electric handbrake is annoying.

No backing into parking spaces with the door open to see obstacles. Seatbelt on or it wont move.

Once parked downhill with car right in front and it would release the handbrake too early (i.e. before the clutch was balanced). Inched closer and closer to the other car.

If we are being fair both of these are driver issues not an issue with the handbrake.

I’d wait a little bit. VW are about to announce the facelifted Mk VII, rumour has it in November.

2018 is a long way off yet.

Oh facelift, time I had some sleep. 😳

Wzzz the reverse parking issue you are describing is the auto hold, which you can turn off at the push of a button

If you haven’t already done so check out the lease offers on the Match, at one point it was around £5k to lease one for two years. There is a lease deals thread on PistonHeads that’s worth keeping an eye on if you fancy going down the lease route.

Auto handbrakes have their uses but are a pain when trying to manoeuvre into tight spaces in my experience. Our BMW auto won’t let me reverse with the door open, when you try to do so it just puts the gearbox back into park.

Oh facelift, time I had some sleep.

Aye, and from the pictures and knowing the VIII is due in 2 years it’s not looking like a big facelift either.

Seatbelt on or it wont move

There was a thing on the telly that said in certain Southern European countries you can buy buckle blanks to defeat such things. On the other hand, I’ve never reversed the car with the door open…

My mum had a Polo with stop/start 20 (?) years ago

I would be cautious about waiting as VW will be under pressure to raise prices with €/£ exchange rate

Wzzz the reverse parking issue you are describing is the auto hold, which you can turn off at the push of a button

Even with auto hold off, the car releases the handbrake when you bring the clutch up. And it does this too early on steep hills.

* on steep hills, in reverse, pointing downhill with a parked car in front and parked car at the back.

I think it assumes you are “setting off” not manouvering out of a parking space.

Who makes VW’s roof bars, by the way?

On my second mk7 golf, had a GTD and 3 weeks ago picked up my R estate.
The electronic handbrake takes getting used to like the DSG but when you do both a fantastic imo.
Stop/Start on the other hand was a right pain in the manual GTD and was turned off at the start of every journey, on the my new car with DSG it is much better – there is also the option to disable it using VCDS.

Can’t say I’ve has any issues with the stop start barely notice it’s there most of the time.

Wzzzz you need to be quicker with the clutch. It’s not difficult to then hold the car on the clutch and manoeuvre.

I think the automatic handbrake makes you forget how to hold the clutch, I got caught out the other day but just applied the brake again, dipped the clutch and gave it a few more revs and away it went with no issues.

On my second mk7 golf, had a GTD and 3 weeks ago picked up my R estate.

Ohhh… The R estate is on my next car list when the GTD goes back. How do you rate it Simon ?

I just found a workaround:

Take seatbelt off, that way the handbrake doesn’t auto release. You need to push the button.

So in those very close, parked on a steep hill situations, I can balance clutch and release handbrake at a moment of my choice. As you would do in a manual handbrake.

No backing into parking spaces with the door open to see obstacles. Seatbelt on or it wont move.

the original owner of our Golf had the camera installed, so this isn’t an issue for us. the boot VW badge flips up and a little camera pokes out, like james bond….

Does it not have mirrors or windows?

Does it not have mirrors or windows?

You forgot ‘…and driver skill.’