USED Volkswagen Mk6 Golf R - Common problems and should you buy one?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มิ.ย. 2024
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Often considered the King of the hot hatches, the Volkswagen Golf R sells extremely well. But now that the Mk6 Golf is over 10 years old, there are some serious bargains on the used market.
But is getting a used one a good idea? We do a deep dive on what goes wrong, what they're like to drive and whether you should buy one.
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Skip ahead:
00:00 - Intro
00:17 - What is it?
03:47 - Exterior issues
05:18 - Interior issues
06:12 - Practicality and features
08:15 - Safety
11:44 - What's it like to drive?
15:39 - What goes wrong?
19:50 - Should you buy it?
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Used car buyer's guide here 👉 • ULTIMATE used car buye...
Cheat Sheet here 👉 redriven.com/cheat-sheets/use...
#volkswagen #golf #golfr #hothatch #vw #volkswagengolfr #carexpert #carreview #carenthusiast #automobile #review
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Hi, ive had my 6R for 3 years. Its tracked 2x a month, its quite modified (no crackle tune!!!), still my daily (for some reason) and what i can say from this video is you guys really hit the nail on the head with your research. Respect earned! Very accurate in all regards, small deviations from my experience but that's cars. Keep it up
Even if you wanted one, it's hard finding one that hasn't been abused by P platers.
I thought you couldn't get one as a P plater since it's turbocharged?
Get with the times you can drive anything it's power to weight @@andychan4814
I think VW were offering really generous financing on this gen, which made it worse.
I don't think P platers really care about that@andychan4814
@@andychan4814 IIRC it's legal in VIC and maybe QLD? It slides just in under the 130kW/T power restriction, so yeah they're likely to get utterly flogged by the utter flogs that buy them
The Mk6 Golf R is by far the best looking and it's not even close. Own one for 10 years and it had a few issues but it was the best car I've ever owned. Regret selling it and going to buy another one when I can find the right one.
I have a mk6 gti and I have 185,000 km on the clock. I have not heard a single rattle in the interior. Dunno what people are on about.
If you are not prepared to spend at least $2k-$3k in maintenance costs every year then don’t even bother. If you can afford the maintenance the they are an amazing thing. Just be prepared to hand over your hard earned $$
I would disagree with this. Every car has basic maintenance needs, VW are no different or exorbitantly higher comparatively. I personally own a 2012 R and its been nothing but joy and easy repairs.
@@BittaThisBittaThat+1
They were amazing 15 years ago ....they aren't special anymore compared to the dual power plant hybrids with 350 bhp as standard.
@@BittaThisBittaThat I run a small mechanics shop in Melbourne. Yes every car has basic maintenance needs. However European high performance models such as the Golf R need extra attention. This is my professional experience from my own business. Which is if they are maintained to a high standard they are very reliable. If they are treated less well then there is the potential for more things to wrong.
@@anakinskywalker4113 care to explain what the "extra attention" is more specifically in comparison to a regular car? Also a break down of the 3k minimum annual costs you outlined would be good too.
You can switch out the buttons with a screen.
Wait a minute...
Does that mean
You can swap the screen with the buttons?!
I like the way ya think!😂
6:24 It's always so funny seeing GTI/R owners driving around with their seat in the lowest position they look like hobbits who can barely see over the wheel lol
I own a MK6 R and think the exact same thing. Looks absolutely ridiculous lol
I enjoy being able to see the road 😅
Thanks so much for this video!!!! Been scouring for a comprehensive used review of the mk6r as I just placed a deposit on one recently!!! Great work on the channel mate!
Without watching the video yet, this gen VAG products with TFSI suffered from same issues. I had a B7 2.0TFSI and it was consuming insane amounts of oil. Otherwise it was a pretty reliable thing.
Audi rebuilt my A4 2.0 Tfsi under warranty. Never used a drop of oil afterwards.
It was such a hit or miss issue too. My Mk6 never used a drop in more than 120,000km, a friend was adding a significant amount every thousand km.
Interesting. I think the 2.0T in Passat B7 is actually the early version of 2.0t ea888, which is alloy head with timing chain. Mk6 Golf R has the cast iron head with timing belt ea113, which is related to the one in Passat B6. The 2.0T in MK6 GTI is ea888, same as B7 Passat. But anyway, they do all consume quite a lot oil😂
@@milkymilkyisacat3154 My mk6 GTI with 180.000km used 500ml every 10.000km, no problem for me since I change oil every 15.000km. It has been very reliable the last 50.000km I owned it.
funny thing is no one mentions abut honda and toyota oil consumption. if vw has one engine that might consume oil everyone mentions it...
Check under the drivers seat, at the front there should be a polystyrene box holding the Bluetooth module. If it doesn’t pickup your phone after previously picking it up, unplug the wiring plug, wait a minute and then plug it back in. Also, there are actually storage drawers under each front seat. At least in the GTI edition 35 there are anyway.
If I had to choose. The Golf R 7.5 wagon would be the pick of the bunch.
I'm not sure why everyone doesn't just buy the R wagon. I've got a 206 R-Line Passat Wagon. I just love it. They are both way better than any SUV.
Yeah we just got a 2018 206tsi Passat wagon for kids and dog. Absolutely love it! Plenty of power and fully spec’d (minus sunroof). Bought it on 90k km with full service history. fingers crossed we don’t get any issues!
@@jameskelly4842 - ours is a 2016 with 60k which we’ve had since new. Only issue was the inevitable water pump which was replaced last year. No rattles. We also have a Cupra Formentor and I actually reckon the Passat is more comfortable on a long drive. Great car.
I have an MY11 and got it with factory BT. It was one of those “Week 37 and onwards builds in 2010” had it as an option.
I swapped it and the head unit out for slightly later revisions of the same models so I could get track/album information coming through from my phone as the original would just say BT-AUDIO only on screen.
I’d say that wouldn’t be the case on later model years though.
You mentioned swapping out the RCD510 for something newer that’s OEM that has CarPlay/AA. The newer head unit doesn’t support the dynaudio amp so keep that in mind.
Had one for more than a year, it drives beautifully and reliably. All i have done is regular oil change at the recommend interval and it has never given me any issue at all. The car is already 12 yrs old
Great review once again Adam 👏 But I think you missed one alternative that's very closely packaged to the Golf R...It's the Scirocco R....It's the reason the Golf R was abit bland...The Scirocco R has the has the sleek 2 door look (from certain angles front on or on the 3 quarter angle looks great but I can't stand the rear view) It's almost a mix or the R (same engine also seen in the S3) and VI GTI performance (much the same running gear with XDS)...They do cost alot in servicing but you people need to place the importance on maintenance and servicing before performance and upgrades...Its hella fun to drive but some of the people that drive them do turn me off the VAG cars...I did a work contract in the same street as one of Sydney's top VAG specialists and by the end I was and still am over the DSG fart...I currently searching for 235i/240i,Q2 quatrro or an Alfa Giulietta Quadrifoglio / Veloce (Super cheap and loaded with options but also problem child)
Mine has bluetooth from standard! Love my 6R - It's been stage 2 APR+ for 5 years and over 150k kms and never missed a beat!
Pretty fair review! We have a Mk5 GTI in the family that has the same EA113 (smaller turbo) and DSG and it's a good summary. We did very well with ours - 250,000km before the water pump needed replacing, and the DSG is still flawless and on its original clutch pack, and the car is tuned. No other issues other than a new water pump at 250k. It does love consuming oil. I put 1L in every 2 months at least. But given its insane reliability over the last 10 years, it's not something that bothers me at all!
Just clicked, dsg and timing chain and water pump 😂
6 R used the high-output variant of the EA113. Like the 1.8T it replaced, the main timing drive is from the belt driving the exhaust cam, and there's a small chain at the back of the engine linking and driving the intake
@@tally5k339 And the chain is far less prone to failure as the forums would have you believe.
Its has a timing belt fyi. Also not the standard abortion of a waterpump but yeah they still go
@@BittaThisBittaThat the poor r36 motor though. That really cops abuse
@@orion_033 Yeah people just love to hate on VW
Thank you for creating such informative videos on used cars. Can you please make a episode about the BMW 3 series e90?
Please do the review of m240i or m140
yes agree! GO the B58!
I used to have a mk6 103tdi, bottle opener is standard, it definitely had bluetooth too would be very surprised if the R didn't 🤷🏽♂️
Man, you are so much on point about the design. The VII is the sweet spot and the VIII is simply hard to watch. Take care !
Hi Adam, the felt lined bottle holders in the door are actually felt lined to prevent rattles. Not to keep your cold drink warm!
Great review... 😍
Car suggestion to review... Toyota Rav4 2016-2018😊
Hey Mate, I wanted to know did you guys ever did a review upon a Lexus GS (250 etc.) of MK4? I have only seen the one of GS F but not a normal one with either naturally aspirated or hybrid. Will there be a video about it?
I had factory Bluetooth in mine. It's bit oldschool with a BT module box under the driver seat. Sometimes it wouldn't connect to the phone so you unplug/plug it in again to reset and it works lol. Update the headunit and you can throw that box away.
i love that they are all missing the rear tow hook cover
Great channel
Iv got a MK6 R iv just fully forged mine & about to do the run in,running a G25-660 turbo as it suits my driving,iv got KW V3 coilovers fully Polly bushed “power flex” Wagner intercooler CFS rad new fans front & rear H&R ARBs iv literally done everything for handling even down to the drive shaft mount & dead set kit & everything underneath the car that can come off iv had powder coated glass black & iv put an ally bed on the rear with a brand new DQ500 DSG gear box with stage 3 TVS software to go on, paint work mint ceramic coated OZ rims BBK but soon to change to much better brakes & so much more,absolutely love them but getting an RS3 next year after iv had fun in the nearly built 6R
Ahh yes, would make note to mention that center support shafts like to wear and cause lots of vibrations, the heavy duty driveshaft mount is a must IMO!
Bro has the best descriptions of car drivers
I try. - AK
Do one for the mk6 golf gti please
The my12 models onwards had Bluetooth standard. Before then it was an option and there are a few different modules that were available with different functionality.
got a car through your link the same one in white👌🏻
I know you've done an R36 semi recently, but would love to see a video on a mk5 R32!
Coming soon! - AK
He's wrong about the haldex in this one. This gen of the haldex is the 1st one that was more proactive than reactive and is able to use various sensors to determine when to engage the rear before slip.
Maybe not from the outset but it grows on you it is a beautiful car.
I would not buy any VW with a DSG pre 2015. There is currently an active recall on the DSG trans in NZ vehicles. I would not buy any older VW product after being a service technician for 10 years working on mainly Euro vehicles.
True
Totally agree, but I would go further, I wouldn't buy any VAG product or BMW or Merc or any other European car you care to mention 😉
2011 GTI owner here, DSG has been nothing but brilliant, 180.000km at the clock.
Its important to note that this only applies to the 7 speed DSG from the mid 2000s.
The DQ250 which is in the 6R and many other VWs of that same generation is well tested to be a good unit. Yes it has its issues, but its streets better than the 7 speed.
@@BittaThisBittaThat The current recall affects all 7 speed DSG vehicles (Vin dependent) built up to 2015. Previous recalls in USA, AU China etc included the 6 Speed DSG up to the 2013 recall but mostly affected 2009 vehicles. There is a large amount of information about the DSG problems and the many recalls and after driving VWs with DSGs I still would not recommend any of them.
The Mk6 Golf can actually be retrofitted with Adaptive Cruise Control and some other active safety tech. The Mk6 Golf got some of these features right toward the end of the production run. In fact the Cabriolet production continued until 2016. So it got some technology upgrades from the Mk7 - which then enables you to retrofit those features to older Mk6 Golfs.
Please do a video on that beautiful red caddy
My daily driver is an Mk6 Golf R "Rising Blue" DSG with 55k kms on it. So far, so good-the car condition is great, it has never been tracked, etc. I got an offer for $30k, but I find it hard to sell it for that price, even though it seems much!
Hey mate can you please do a review on the c43amg 6cyl turbo?
Could you do a vid on the mk7 golf tsi 1.4
Bluetooth was standard feature from MY12 onwards. An option only prior to that.
An accountant that does kickboxing to keep fit 😂😂😂 awesome
10:08 carpet-lined door bins to “keep your cold drinks nice and warm” hahahahahahahahaha
I love my Ed35 GTI and yes it has bt it’s just a fwd golf R. Same engine.
Petition for AJ to wear his short shorts again.
Make it happen ReDriven!
They were in the wash this day. As soon as it warms up, I’ll put the shorts on again. - AK
Having worked at a vw dealer for 12 years the interior quality is far better in a mk6 than a 7. Soft door cards in the rear thicker carpet. More soft material overall. B pillars are actually covered in material. Always found it funny when the mk8 came out the aluminum subframe was a big deal when all mk5-6 came with it. Also to be mentioned gearing in the manual mk6 was much shorter. But despite owning one these cars are getting dated. What makes them special is that they’re rare and they sound better than most 2.0t out there. Also on another note way more reliable than a mk6 gti
I thought it was reliable until I bought one. I just bought one 2 months ago and couldn’t even drive it normally. I’m having issues with my engine just shacking a lot. It started with stuttering and got worse and worse. Maybe you know what it could be or anyone else here. Besides that still loving the car :)
It doesn’t shake when I start the car cuz it’s on high rpm at te beginning. But as soon as the rpm’s go down it starts shacking abnormally. Brought it to the garage told me they couldn’t find any fault codes.
Do a video on the Volkswagen Crafter 2018-current models
I'm honestly surprised you aren't sponsored by Car Vertical. Personally not a fan of Golfs because of the maintenance bills.
mine has blutooth, but im not certain its an oem deck since it has audio storage built in. im not sure how it works but previous owner lefft my car with about 600 songs ranging from linkin park to cypress hill on the head units hard drive lol
Please do an Alfa Romeo 159 one.
I’m on the process of buying a 82k miles one owner and I really needed this video
Don't buy it. It'll cause you too much grief. It's a VW!.
@@Bill-ki4zfI heard that if you keep up the maintenance it should be fine and of course don’t be an idiot and do pulls all the time
You better not live in Denver… haha
@@samuelsamano3777 lol no I don’t why?
@@ShadowXSniper1 because a dealer out here had a one owner 82k mile blue mk6 that was listed for 18.5k. Missed out on last weekend :/. I thought I found the culprit haha jk man.
Great reviews on most of your cars. I was thinking, what about a review on the 2012-2015 kia rio. Haven't seen that on your reviews?
As an American, it makes me a little sad that we don't get any of these cars that you mentioned as competition for the Golf R. Some of them look really amazing.
Story time. I went to look at a mk6R and drove up in a manual accord euro. Brought the cash to buy. Drove the R, was underwhelming and i had driven a manual mk7 gti, dsg mk7 R and dsg mk7.5 R, all of which i liked. I was going to buy anyway and was figuring out which friend would drive the R back for me. Lightbulb moment, i didn't like it enough to even drive it back from Sunny coast to Brisbane. So i didn't end up buying it.
Do a review on Holden VE SV6
Have one of these that's been running stage 2+ for the last 6 years, with a previous owner that thrashed the hell out of it. Aside from a few surprises during the major service caused by poor workmanship, it's been super reliable. 100% agree on the dead steering feel though. It might be specific to mine, but it is a bit of a petrol guzzler, and does burn through a bit of oil.
Maybe I just haven't driven enough sporty cars, but I don't really get the dead steering feel in mine. Can definitely feel the road through the tires and what the car is doing, but maybe it's just a lot less than what people are looking for? idk lol. It has an APR stage 1+ on it. Uses oil as well lol. Been a great car so far, had to do a timing belt/water pump and the chain, and a few other cheap wear parts at 100k miles.
I remember looking at one new and the dealers wouldn’t let me test drive it, so just walked away, at that time they were selling over $60K
I had a Passat of a similar vintage to this Golf and it rattled like crazy. My entire ownership of that car was just tracking down one rattle after another.
Please do a 435i/440i Gran Coupe.
I love it ❤ Best performance for your money 🎉
Just bought mk6 today 😍
Jim's nightmare is a review of a ' 380 ' he is out of a job that week.
He can still spend a minute talking about leaking valve cover seals
Power and torque figures are for the European market.We are classified as hot climate so the Power is downgraded to 188Kw and 330 Nm . I have a 2011 6R 6 sp manual and while it isnt the fasted it gives t me pleasure and thats what I like. Noice review
Clicked on this video and immediately got a DSG error on my Golf
Do Scirocco next
Scirocco’s are fantastic cars had one for 6 years no issues at all
Same same but different lol
Can you please do a 2016-2017 s3 sedan review?
Coming very soon. - AK
The power and torque output listed is incorrect, they don’t have 199KW and 350 Nm. These produce 188KW and 330 Nm. Australia and other countries with hot climates, received the detuned version.
A Stage 1+ ECU tune like mine has, jumped figures to 193Kw and 396 Nm ATW. Get a TCU tune as well.
Swap out the head unit for an RCD330 AndroidAuto/AppleCarplay unit.
Sv6 commodore needs a review
Interested to see a MK4 Golf R32 vs MK5 Golf R32 vs Audi TT MK1 3.2
I have a 3rd gen Lexus GS430 in Melbourne if you guys ever want to review one :D
Even in the US these seem like a steal (Only 500 2012s), I bought a low mileage one in August last year after owning a mk5 GTI, Completely agree that the GTI was more fun around town, but when it comes to driving fast the R is better in every scenario. Watch the cam follower, do the maitenance and enjoy. Sometimes I wonder if I should have looked outside the golf family, but then everytime I'm back in my R driving I can't help but marvel at what spectacular car it is.
and yes, mine has bluetooth
20 years ago, VAG made decent cars with few problems. And then, they became a shit show.
Exactly the comment I was going to post. They've become a disgrace to the brilliant engineers that work for them all in the interests of keeping shareholders and managers happy.
12:10 Please review a ZL1 Camaro (HSV delivered/converted) if you ever end up filming in Melbourne you can use mine if you like. I'd love to see an unbiased review cos I'm not sure if the ones I've seen weren't basically just adds for them.
P.S: Love the channel, I'm not surprised how well you guy's have done with it because I don't know of any other channels that are similar.
Mate can you message us on insta or fb?? - AK
No worries, I just sent a msg request on insta. I don't have FB and rarely get on insta so I hope you get the msg. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
i have an 034 solid dogbone mount, the whole car rattles quite bad haha
You need to work your way down now. Golf R32 Mk5 next!
Can you review more normal german cars? You always just review the high end sporty models. For example reciew the regular golf 4,5,6,7,8 etc
6R, looks aggressively among, I wish could come with seat like Mk4 GTI leather. Or Mk4 32 seat, best of all.
I would love to see a review of how the used Volvo XC60 2017+ models stack up compared to their competition
+1.
Guess what we’re filming this Friday ;) - AK
I have had a MK6 and a MK7 (not R) and the MK6 was, to me, a better car, I loved the MK7 but the 6 just felt a better car although I had a heap of problems with the Bluetooth in it.
The bottle opener IS a standard thing!
I have a stock 2008 is350 JDM if you're interested in featuring it and if you ever happen to be in Melbourne.
Where's my barge pole when I need it???
Buying a used gti or R is like gambling. Most owners (myself included) usually done some mods. It is tough to find a clean, bone stock ones
Mk7 GTI (same price) or R (start from a few thousand more for a high km variant) are much better value.
That said, the seats are the more comfortable than the MK7.
old man has a MK6 TDI - 400,000 + km's on it, he's keeping it until it dies, it wont fucking die. The big issue with his car is the radio antenna is in the back window so the wires over time that run through the loom in the opening area, have broken, new loom needed from front to back - not worth it.
Also retro fitting OEM is really only working with plug and play with the MK6 not the MK5 this is due to canbus, if you want to do this in the MK5 you need a canbus adapter to stop the battery drain.
What about the scirocco r, basically the same car but with a leather interior and much better looking.
Love watching reviews on any sedans.
I don't understand why Volkswagen is one of the biggest brands in the world when they are one of the most unreliable plus the way they treated their customers over diesel gate was shameful. Buy a Toyota, Suzuki, Honda or Mazda instead.
Agreed, that's exactly what I tell my clients when asked which brand they should buy next once they've had enough of the VW issues. Such POS.
But they are dull and life's too short to buy and own a Toyota. Given the amount of abuse most Golfs cop and the amount of horsepower they can develop with some minor tuning mods, they are far more robust than they get credit for. I've owned 3 Golfs GTI's and R's and all have been excellent and reliable cars.
I will run my 2009 Kluger into the ground. It has 190k's , only spent $130 fixing drivers window that wouldn't go back up...all services done by me....have owned it for 13 years so far....if you need excitement from a car , sorry...
They're great if they're under warranty and plenty pf people turn their cars over every 5 years so VW's are perfect for that
Their bare basic models are pretty reliable, but we don’t get them here in Australia at all… pretty much every model we get have turbo and DSG…
In markets like China, your base spec VW gets a basic 1.6-1.8 NA engine with normal auto gear box like a Corolla and they are pretty reliable.
Beeped Jim is awesome
I had bluetooth in my 6R with the factory head unit!
Go figure!
The mk.5 it's not a v6 it's technically a VR6. you should know this
MK6 is the best looking one
Finally a car i actually own, got a manual white no sunroof. i got this and not the golf 7 gti because its too conservative moves under the radar, some of us like that lol. EA113 hasn't let me down (yet).
and yes it comes with a bottle opener lol
@@heronshorts - I had a Mark 6 GTI Adidas and it also had the bottle opener.
Unlike you, I do NOT like the mk7 styling. The edges, the tail lights, the front bumpers, and in my opinion, the 4 exhaust tips on the R do not go well on a 4cyl car. They were 'okay' on my Corvettes due to having 8 cylinders and double to triple the hp of the Golfs, but yeah they're out of sorts on a small hatchback. I love the 2 tip exhaust in the center on the mk6 R and mk5 R32. Reminds me of the 2 tip Borla Exhaust I had on my first Corvette back in 2006.
I also prefer the styling of the mk4 R32 over the mk5. The mk5 isn't bad, but the tail lights are kind of a downer.
Interior wise, you have less head room in mk7's over mk6's. The seats aren't as comfortable(I found they were spaced out badly where my legs went over them), and I'm not that big of a guy. And I found the interior to feel cheaper in the mk7. Also, give me the simplicity of the dash anyday over all of the electronics the newer cars are coming with(I did put a different climatronic unit in my 6R to update it a bit).
The mk7 is definitely more mod-capable than the mk6. That's how it usually goes. But at least we have choices and each generation has their huge followings.
I'll keep my APR k04 mk6 GTI with DSG and mk6 Golf R(haven't tuned it yet but i already have coilovers/swaybars/wheels/intake/dp/cbe/euro lights to install when I have free time). Both cars have been absolutely great.
The golf 6R is the best💙🇧🇼
Nothing better than my i 120n 2022
Opinions are like belly buttons!
Everyone has one.
Having a mechanic speak was a genius idea for the video
Err this is the best looking one IMHO
My old mk6 GTI has Bluetooth from factory