Set me straight on the MK7's Reliability

[BigMac629]

I have a 2016 GTI SE with 41k miles and have only had a couple of minor issues that the dealer replaced under warranty. One was them updating the software because it had a couple of glitches and the other was replacing the front dash LCD screen because the odometer reset button was finicky. Very minor and the dealer was happy to replace. I can’t recommend this car enough!


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[heiney9]

Thanks for the replies all.

Is it true you have to strictly stick to the maintenance schedule to keep them running?

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Why would you not stick to a maintenance routine on any car. $25-30K outlay should prompt anyone to maintain the vehicle. If it's a question of finances and not being able to afford the maintenance buy a cheaper car.

Yes to your question for any car you buy. If you're not going to maintain it by manufacturer's standards then don't buy one. If you wish you can DIY the maintenance issues so you're not giving the stealership any money, but yes you need to follow the maintenance schedule, which really isn't that rigorous.

Have you even checked to see what/when maintenance has to be done? Me thinks not, since it's not all that involved.

 

[heiney9]

For instance name another performance car that requires differential fluid changes 20K, transmission service 40K and new spark plugs at 60K.

Fixed it for you. GTi's aren't shitbox econo-cars. They have tech and go fast goodies that need attention a bit more than the average commuter car. It's not a fault, it's the price of entry to drive a very good performance oriented car. Knowing that upfront is a must. If one doesn't think it's worth it or want to follow the maintenance schedule, there are 1000's more cars (boring cars) out there to own.

 

[heiney9]

I can spin the wheels going through an intersection at 30mph.

Do you have the limited slip?

That must be the difference because I barely hit the gas and one of the GD tires starts spinning.

Limited slip has very little, if anything, to do with straight line traction. So it's not that. I rarely spin my tires, but I practice throttle modulation.

 

[BaronGTI68]

I have about 10K miles on my 2017 SE and have been pleased so far. One slight warranty repair that was over-the-top in terms of anal retentiveness and that's it.

I steered clear of VWs during my Subaru phase and might have wound up i yet another WRX but I needed to treat myself to a more refined driving experience. Not a priority for me but I'm astounded how little wind/road noise I have at 65MPH for example.

 

[tknj99]

Limited slip has very little, if anything, to do with straight line traction. So it's not that. I rarely spin my tires, but I practice throttle modulation.

I see your DSG as well.. that rules out the MT being the difference as well and im sure these Hankooks aren't the deciding factor. so yea, it must be that we aren't mashing the gas

 

[adam1991]

For instance name another car that requires differential fluid changes 20K, transmission service 40K and new spark plugs at 60K.

I drove my last car 90K miles followed the maintenance plan and did none of the above.

Bought the first 2002 Honda Odyssey in town. EX-L RES. Most expensive car the dealer had delivered to date.

All new 5 speed transmission.

I followed the service intervals, including the transmission fluid change (drain/fill x3, everything done at dealer) at 45K miles.

At 73K miles, the transmission needs replaced. ??? Yeah, I knew about the 4 speed models; this one too? $5000.

This was right after the economy crashed; Honda pulled ALL the way back on its goodwill programs, and I struggled to get ANY accommodation from them whatsoever. Even the dealer, whom I'd known for 25 years, said "good luck with that". Honda stuck to their "this is an anomaly" story. I finally got them to accommodate half. This after hearing stories for years, direct from my dealership techs, about them replacing V6 model transmissions for free right and left before the crash.

Anyway: in a discussion with my tech, whom I'd known for 25 years, he said "idiot--you should have changed the trans fluid more often." ??? WTF? Yep--I was supposed to know about all this and ignore the documented service interval and do it significantly more often.

So, yeah--Honda had a 45K transmission fluid service, AND it was totally inadequate to protect the transmission.

(If things like this are going to fail and require expensive repair, I'd rather drive a hybrid with a reliable mechanical drivetrain and deal with battery replacement if and when it rears its head.)

 

[adam1991]

Have you even checked to see what/when maintenance has to be done? Me thinks not, since it's not all that involved.

DAP makes it easy:

https://www.shopdap.com/blog/service-schedule-for-mk7-gti-2015-2016.html/

 

[adam1991]

Fixed it for you. GTi's aren't shitbox econo-cars. They have tech and go fast goodies that need attention a bit more than the average commuter car. It's not a fault, it's the price of entry to drive a very good performance oriented car. Knowing that upfront is a must. If one doesn't think it's worth it or want to follow the maintenance schedule, there are 1000's more cars (boring cars) out there to own.

For years and years, Honda deliberately built interference engines that required regular valve adjustment and replacement of timing belts.

They documented all of this to everyone.

People whined, moaned, wrung their hands, and tried desperately to stretch that timing belt out as long as possible (see what I did there?).

Why didn't Honda go with the flow and build their engines otherwise? Because it was how Honda decided to achieve an overall Honda experience. To get the Honda experience that everyone loved--low entry price combined with reliability--the maintenance items were the tradeoff.

And look at the reputation Honda gained, despite having these maintenance items. This was back in the 80s and 90s.

Life is full of tradeoffs, and yes, having to do these things on a modern high-po car is just How It Is. Go drive something else if these things bother you. (Frankly, they shouldn't bother anyone any more than Honda's valve adjustments and timing belt replacements bothered their customers.)

 

[adam1991]

I steered clear of VWs during my Subaru phase and might have wound up i yet another WRX but I needed to treat myself to a more refined driving experience. Not a priority for me but I'm astounded how little wind/road noise I have at 65MPH for example.

Ah, another driver of Japanese iron who decided to try out VW. I'm the same as you. So far, no regrets.

I figured, life is short--and how bad can it be, especially compared to how far down the Japanese have come in reliability? Add in the GTI legacy, and I love driving a platform with a long history.

 

[Diggs24]

Bought the first 2002 Honda Odyssey in town. EX-L RES. Most expensive car the dealer had delivered to date.

All new 5 speed transmission.

I followed the service intervals, including the transmission fluid change (drain/fill x3, everything done at dealer) at 45K miles.

At 73K miles, the transmission needs replaced. ??? Yeah, I knew about the 4 speed models; this one too? $5000.

This was right after the economy crashed; Honda pulled ALL the way back on its goodwill programs, and I struggled to get ANY accommodation from them whatsoever. Even the dealer, whom I'd known for 25 years, said "good luck with that". Honda stuck to their "this is an anomaly" story. I finally got them to accommodate half. This after hearing stories for years, direct from my dealership techs, about them replacing V6 model transmissions for free right and left before the crash.

Anyway: in a discussion with my tech, whom I'd known for 25 years, he said "idiot--you should have changed the trans fluid more often." ??? WTF? Yep--I was supposed to know about all this and ignore the documented service interval and do it significantly more often.

So, yeah--Honda had a 45K transmission fluid service, AND it was totally inadequate to protect the transmission.

(If things like this are going to fail and require expensive repair, I'd rather drive a hybrid with a reliable mechanical drivetrain and deal with battery replacement if and when it rears its head.)

Same issue on our 2001 Civic. Got them to cover 25% but still left a bad taste in my mouth. Not a Honduh fan.

 

[adam1991]

The reason I'm in GTI today can be traced back to that experience.

I am looking very, very hard at non-Honda cars all the time. If I need something, I want to be ready.

For cheap and reliable transportation, Toyota still seems to have that knocked.

But maybe--and this is a big maybe--if Acura were to bring out their version of the Civic Type R, in adult clothes and with a DCT, I might go look very, very hard at that.

 

[SpaceGhost]

Fixed it for you. GTi's aren't shitbox econo-cars. They have tech and go fast goodies that need attention a bit more than the average commuter car. It's not a fault, it's the price of entry to drive a very good performance oriented car. Knowing that upfront is a must. If one doesn't think it's worth it or want to follow the maintenance schedule, there are 1000's more cars (boring cars) out there to own.

The sad part is you actually think a GTI is a performance car. That is very sad you're making me weep a little

 

[SpaceGhost]

Did your last car have a turbo and a wet DCT? I think many automakers artificially extend their maintenance schedules to give the impression they're cheaper to maintain. Remember the brag charts? You're out of warranty by the time something fails so it's hard to tell how much maintenance is enough. I'm doing only what's on the schedule with this car. I go by time now that I'm retired and don't need to commute.

I know lifetime means like 100K that's when you usually do spark plugs and automatic transmission fluid.

I don't really care of course if I have my car at 40K, I'll do the DSG. Don't have a limited slip and can take care of all the other maintenance myself. I've just heard that same story that VW's are only unreliable if you don't do maintenance, but again what is the assumption here that Toyota and Honda drivers are doing more maintenance? I don't buy that at all.

 

[imthanick_a]

2 years of ownership as of yesterday, 32k miles, JB1 for 20k-ish of those, no issues other than a rusty e-brake and leaky sunroof (which was fixed under TSB), and the fuel evap filter recall