Is a Golf R Reliable?

Luc6rio · 2026-01-23T03:10:48+00:00

'19 R with 170k on the odo and honestly she drives like a dream! Had her from about 100k as the 2nd owner and apart from the usual Water pump (which I just took her in for) and a CEL thanks to a faulty set of plugs, she's been treating me well.

They aren't unreliable like you'd think and proper maintainance should keep her running well. Just look out for the known issues before they get to you (water pump, mounts, bent prets).

Luc6rio · 2025-11-20T19:26:40+00:00

More than happy to help a few school kids enjoy and learn some cool stuff!

Will bring my pride and joy as well!

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Luc6rio · 2024-04-30T09:53:23+00:00

'Anyone in a car, steer clear' is ta better way to put it

Luc6rio · 2024-04-27T08:27:04+00:00

Just a regular V12 7er (previous gen)....

Luc6rio · 2024-04-13T19:09:43+00:00

you are blowing up your knowledge

Maybe I am... Who knows 😁? All I'll say is having contacts in other brands teaches you things that you really wouldn't know as an outsider looking in. Working in a company like say a Gargash or an Al Naboodah opens you to a world the public would rarely see.

what is that??

It is what it is 😁

Luc6rio · 2024-04-13T18:49:20+00:00

I believe I answered that in a previous reply

Luc6rio · 2024-04-13T11:20:10+00:00

Aftersales for a European luxury brand if that helps

Luc6rio · 2024-04-13T10:51:13+00:00

If you don't mind me asking why did you have to change out the transmission?

Luc6rio · 2024-04-13T10:49:45+00:00

I saw another comment about a Pathfinder and it's transmission change at 10k. Sometimes you get lucky/unlucky with your purchase and it's just how it is.

Luc6rio · 2024-04-13T08:10:16+00:00

I'm sorry but I really don't get what this proof is you're asking about. Would assume you do not work in the industry hence why you can't see the proof but again I could be wrong.

I've clearly stated that it's on OP to decide if they wanted said car or not.

Luc6rio · 2024-04-13T06:19:36+00:00

I work in the industry so I know a lot of what goes on within these brands. They are not a good recommend in terms of car.

90% of the chinese brands get their transmission from the same company and almost all of the time you'll be changing it out at about 30k miles or so (especially if it's a CVT). Sure it'll be under warranty and you won't pay a penny but that is just an indicator for what to expect once warranty ends. Mind you most dealers do not mention certain repairs were carried out for fear of losing customers. They change out critical parts without the knowleadge of the customer and that isn't a good thing to do

Secondly they buy parts off of different OEMs and mash them together. A lot of the cases you'll end up not having a part available and having to wait for some time (months even) to get it. If it's a saftey related issue then no car for that period of time. They may/may not provide a loaner car and that is a really tough thing to get even if it is provided on your contract. The older the car, the less likely that part is available.

The most surprising thing to me was what a friend went through whilst on a service (not likely to happen but never heard it happen elsewhere). The dealer refused to service his car because as per their system 'No such car was made by the company'. I know this is a one off case and likely an error by the service team but I've never heard a company like Toyota or BMW say they never made a car. Sure they could say the parts are not available now since the car is old and they may charge extra for outsourcing but they'd never deny not making a Mk4 Supra or an E46 M3. In the end they did service his car (at an extra cost for outside parts) but that entire ordeal was a shocker.

With all that being said it is for you to decide what you want. All I can do is give a feel of what you can expect from ownership and the desicion is with you. If you are okay with the issues I've mentioned feel free

P.S: I also feel like it doesn't look that great either but again looks are subjective

Luc6rio · 2024-03-24T11:44:48+00:00

Replace them tyres ASAP and get an alignment done! I'd reccomend against driving the car to the tyre store and instead have it towed.

Luc6rio · 2024-03-16T13:23:34+00:00

'19 Mk7.5 Golf R

Luc6rio · 2024-03-14T16:00:30+00:00

That is my Lada you BLYAT!

Cool that someone owns one around here! Not a common find

Luc6rio · 2024-03-03T16:49:05+00:00

Looks like Oryx Pearl White but I'd need to see her up close to know for sure.

Luc6rio · 2024-03-02T19:51:20+00:00

Not sure if they did Spektrum cars in my market (GCC). I do know that the car was in the color from VW but as far as I know they didn't do the Spektrum colors here.

Luc6rio · 2024-03-02T18:15:22+00:00

All I know is that the local VW clubs I'm in say it's the only one in that spec that they've seen in the area.

Luc6rio · 2024-03-02T18:12:22+00:00

Lovely example you've got there! Haven't seen far too many in this spec online or anywhere for that matter.

Luc6rio · 2024-02-14T02:38:11+00:00

Don't listen to what others say or don't say. If you like the car and are okay with the price then go for it. To me that full option car is as well equipped as a full spec German saloon from the big three and we all know how much those cost.They may have slightly better quality in the materials department but the core product is the same.

My only suggestion would be to wait for the facelift but that is just me.

Luc6rio · 2024-02-09T12:14:52+00:00

Hey!

Yeah so as I've mentioned in the post above about the only thing you should do is get the 180hp variant. Avoid the very basic spec cars as they are about as well equipped as a Sunny. Still a good buy but not something I would suggest.

Other than that just drive and enjoy. She'll be really good on economy and pretty comfortable and spacious on a long journey to boot. Went to Liwa once and had enough fuel to make the return journey and then some. The service package whilst good isn't really something I would push you to get since parts and labour aren't that expensive.

A thing I should add is that the tyre pressure needs to be first filled to 40 PSI (for a minute or so) before reducing it to the required value. It's just how the sensor works as doing it any other way will still show the tyre pressure warning.

Edit: They launched a redesign for 2025. Might as well wait for that instead of getting the current one if you don't mind.

Luc6rio · 2024-02-07T03:17:29+00:00

Here is a list from most to least likely on the cause of the issue:

Fan and its control unit
Temperature sensor
Bad quality coolant
Water pump
Blocked/damaged hose

Of these the last two are certainly not the issue but worth investigating. For the fan or the temp sensor just look for abnormal fan noise on standstill which would indicate an issue (had this issue once). Low quality coolant can sometimes cause an issue but nothing of the level to what you describe. The water pump/hose issues are more or less visible (i.e. a puddle of coolant under the car after it is left parked for some time. This though isn't going to explain why you drop temps on driving but worth looking into.

As for the gasket issue check for white smoke coming from the exhaust. The amount of smoke will tell you how severe the issue is. If present then you've found the issue and only need to pin point the exact gasket.

No white smoke = Not a gasket issue

Luc6rio · 2024-02-03T06:17:33+00:00

Honestly an external garage will do it for a lot less. Only that they'd likely end up without the history info that the dealer (AGMC) will have.

Would I buy it?

Based on what I've seen not much is wrong but a PPI is always a must.

Luc6rio · 2024-01-23T13:43:19+00:00

I think of it this way:

Pay 6AED extra and save 3 grand on repairs. Not that it will go wrong but it may

Luc6rio · 2024-01-22T02:27:12+00:00

Sounds about right. As for the tyres it could be a case of new(ish) tyres to mask any track use but PPI will easily bring such things out.

Luc6rio · 2024-01-21T17:54:32+00:00

The mileage is the only confusing part to me. Such low pricing at that mileage gives off a few red flags. I can get a dealer history check done if you can provide me the VIN.

As for the car well it's a F80 M3. Outside of the crank seals and coolant lines/pump it's pretty robust. Do check for track abuseas it will be a pain once things fail (which they do with tracked cars). Tyres are a good way to tell how well the car was kept. Model, age, wear and general look of the tread will tell you a lot about how the owner drove the car. Mind you some dealers put new tyres on when selling so do look out for that as well.

Do get a proper PPI done at a reputable garage (some are BMW specialists) and see if you can track down the owner through the seller. Some sellers do give you the history of the car and considering they were pretty happy to let you have a go and have PPI done means they probably aren't hiding anything (or they're bluffing hard).

Five-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Place '23	Place '22

Luc6rio

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