Buying Guide for Volkswagen Golf Mk4's (Things to Look Out For) 

A golf unreliable? Fuck off

Tip one: if the check engine light is on. You're all good. If it's off: slowly walk away

I swear to god. I literally bought a 20th anniversary gti like MINUTES before this was posted. Like, signed the title, drove to a place to eat, and got this notification lol.

I will turn 18 in 2 months and will get my first ever car, I think a VW golf mk4 would be great as a first.

These are the simplest and easiest to repair cars in the world

MK4's design is timeless ! i also have the door lock module rear door issue but it unlocks when i press unlock again.

My old 1.4 drank more than i do on the first friday from payday.

This really sums up my Golf IV GTI experience for the last 8 months. - Broken window mechanism - Broken door lock mechanism - Broken startermotor - Broken N75 - Broken MAF - Broken rear mufler But I still love the car to bits haha

I have rust in all three of those places 😂

Or buy a MK4 Ibiza Cupra with the exact same engine as this but with an interior and build quality so cheap it actually rattles your eyes when it comes on boost 😅

Do you live next to a prison?

I think the MK4 is the best Golf ever....and oh my good the MK4 R32 is wonderful !

I've just got the 2001 gti turbo. Had 1 owner from new and it's clean as 48k miles. Drives like a charm

I had a MK4 as my first car. Stil my favorite, but you literally described every problem I had HAHA

I may be a bit late but I just bought a 2000 gls and am looking forward to it

Just Buy a MK2 instead no electronics to go wrong

youve got too many doors anyway

You said it all at the end of the vid,its 15 plus years old they are quite bulletproof if maintained correctly.Its called wear and tear all the bits mentioned are easily remadid for little money if you've got any semblance of mechanical knowledge,the mk4 is an iconic vehicle show it some love and it won't let you down.

My mk4 se 1.6 gets almost 700kms city driving on one tank, gives me no trouble at all.

I bought a golf V5 a few years back. Still got it and it's never failed me. It's so good I went and got myself a GTI as well. Now I have 2 very reliable golfs. Best car ever!

Current problems on my Golf Mk4 1.6 petrol. Bought for £900, need nothing else from a car, love the thing, superb! 1 - The steering wheel is a bit out (might need front bushings need replacing?) 2- Door modules (Left rear needs doing, front passenger redone) 3 - Rear washer jet broken (Need to have a proper look at this) 3.1 - Rear boot module is broken 3.2 - Wiper stays on 3.3 - Alarm goes off when locked (thinks the boot is open) 3.4 - TEMP 'FIXES' pull wiper and re-fit central locking fuse on every use 4 - No rear speakers in back doors (Despite grill panels) 5 - Speedo sensor replaced (the fuel and speed dials bounced up and down) 6 - Exhaust cat has broken (Rattles around, sounds like a bigger engine) 7 - Thermostat was broken (so engine was stuck on 70 degrees) 8 - Rear right tail light bulb (any) keeps on blowing (And reg plate light) 9 - Right wing mirror adjustment motor broken 10 - Squeeky belt (Not sure if cam or aux) 11 - Standard brakes are a bit soft 12 - Wire loom on boot hinge has a tear in plastic and wires, but doesn't amount to any serious problems. Might be joining with boot locking module fault? 13 - 300-350 miles on £40 of petrol, kinda average, but would like better mpg 14 - Cup holders - Installed pop-out cup holders in dash and installed rear cupholders under the rear ashtray 15 - Wheel centre caps keeps popping off and going awol. 16 - Air Conditioning doesn't work at all (AC button is a big tease) 17 - Standard headlights are a bit dim 18 - Only one key 19 - Hot air into the car is hot, but the thrust of air is low 20 - Petrol cap rubber cord deteriorates and snaps off (Very cheap off ebay, same as A3 etc...)

You missed one of the most common faults on a mk4 Golf: water pooling on the door sill after heavy rain, because of a leaky seal on the window carrier behind the door card. Also, the electric window regulators need to be lubricated on a regular basis otherwise they will break. Always do this if you have to change a door lock module or seal the window carrier because of the water ingress problem I've mentioned above.

The most solid car ever. Thinking of putting bullet proof windows in mine and selling it to Saudi Arabia as a VW Tank. Absolute Go-Kart but can't do corners fast as it will definitely slide and smash into whatever is in your way. Sound on the straight though. 👍🏼

Age,maintenance and abuse are the factors to blame, golf are built well, but still need care. Love my R3Toy.

Iv got a 2002 mk4 golf gt tdi 130, av had it for 4 years, pisses me off so much at times but will not replace it 😆. So far av changed dual mass clutch and flywheel, driver window regulator twice!!, door lock module driver side, top strut mounts, inner cv boots both sides, new key, thermostat and lots of othet little things. On top of that its been hit by idiot drivers twice. But love it to bits, btw love the channel keep it up 👌👍

I had the door locking problem and the leaky sprayer in the back-except that the leaky sprayer shorted the lock sensor, making the car “think” the boot stayed open when I locked the car. This caused it to start randomly going into alarm one night. I had to disconnect the battery so everyone could sleep. Water was also getting in through a leaky window mechanism in the drivers door. Having had the water leak fixed and the back door locks replaced with aftermarket locks, the garage (a certified VW mechanic) could not figure out why the boot was “open”. I got the car back, and within a week the shorted boot sensor had completely drained the battery. Despite my extensive water issues, I haven’t seen rust... Another thing: sometimes in cold weather, the check engine light comes on with an error message that something is wrong with the “Abgas” (exhaust). It normally goes a way after a week, and I have been told this is due to a slight shift/contraction/expansion of the catalytic converter, that is picked up by the sensor. No thermostat or air pump problems yet though. I also had the spark plugs replaced because it started running on 3/4 cylinders due to old spark plugs melting because petrol mixtures these days burn hotter-even Euro 95 apparently.

I have an mk4 😖 but I love it and will forever

Bang the rear door, on the right hand side of it as it meets the rear quarter, in-line with the handle- with your hand in a fist and get your mrs to keep lock and unlocking it as you bang the door and it will open mate 👌🏼😂mine does same in really cool weather!! Hope this helps you out mate

I drove from London to Istanbul in a 2002 Golf. I bought it at an auction. Quick once over, and then I was off. It never missed a beat. I sold it in Turkey and actually got all my money back. These cars are bullet proof.

For these it's common that performace air filters tend to release small amounts of oil which is enough to hurt the MAF sensor

Coming up to 200k miles on my 01 GTI and still strong af.

My dad had a 52 plate Golf GTI MK4 and it was rock solid,not even one bit of rust on the bodywork at all.

Young man! THX for video, but.. it's a dream for many, a challenger for a few.

Unreliable? Seriously? My golf is 20 years old and reliable as hell. Sorry you have no knowledge of cars. Your back door is completely fixable and easy to do. The light in the back? You can fix the leak in the rear wiper or completely delete the wiper like a lot of people do. Your car is older, stuff wears out, you're going to replace things. 🤷‍♀️ your windows won't go up, that's a thing. Your sunroof motor will die, that's a thing. Oh, the coolant overflow tank sensor will tell you lies, like, you're over heating but you're not, $40.00 replacement part oem, all fixed up. 🙄 things go on older cars but I'll never get rid of my MK4. She's the best thing ever.

Just bought a 2.0L MkIV, been searching for a turbo kit! but cant seem to find one, the 2.0L engine would be a beast with a turbo

Just bought a 51 plate 1.9 tdi and the front arches are slightly rusty. I'll get them fixed up and definitely keep an eye on the other areas you mentioned🖒

Had one for two years. 1,6 16v, 110k miles, Thermostat done, boot light switch not working, can't lock it at all, a litre of oil every 200 miles. Best "ordinary" car to drive I've had. So I've bought another one tonight with 192000 miles.

DONT FORGET THE: check engine +epc light = brake light switch(driving with no brake lights) lol glove box splitting in 2 pieces and wont shut glove box light not working arm rest clip breaking and flying open when you put in upright position starter motor to fuse box cable = slow start up drivers door lock module = no fuel pump prime and hard to start rear wiper motor just dying charcoal canister hose splitting= smelling fuel in cabin when reversing LOVE THE GOLF MK4 !

Never had rust, door lock modules and reset washer leak are the big ones really. Easy fixes.

My first car was a Mk4 golf that I bought for 500 with a blown head gasket. Replaced the head gasket, timing belt and thermostat. Never had any problems with it for the 30k miles I put on it and it had 260k on it when I got it

I'm taking my BMW Z3 off the road and looking to get a golf 1.9 GT TDI to save on fuel and on insurance. I have to say i'm warming to the idea! Look like decent, reliable, cheap little german hatches.

I'm gonna get the pd130 when my insurance is due a renewal, I've got a mk5 1.4, can't wait for something a bit faster again

I'v change 4 door lock module on 2 different golf4. ('lock chest' is it called in swedish), cost around 300dollar for one at car repair here. Standard problem on Golf4. And my Temp shows 0 in my dash, right now. And i can here a reving up noice from under the car when start car from cold. 3-4second later its gone. Dont know if its the fuel pump or something like that.

Traditional problem with golf locks. The machine warning lamp on and the rain waters run from the rear doors in the cabin.

My da had his mk4 FE 2004 for 14 years and 2 people had it b4 for 3 years. So shut up about unreliable

simple faults and are easy fixes,still good compared to other makes of vehicle of this age.its mainly dirt/water that messes up the electronics.

Legit the same as a 6n2 polo apart from the rear arches rust and the gear box’s are made of butter

So i've got my mk4 1.4 16v since may this year and everything you said is so accurate. My golf starts alarming in the middle of the night, when i forget to lock up twice (Locking 2 times turns alarm off) Also i have to refuel oil every 1000 km cause its already at minimum. Just the same doors like on your golf are having problems. The trunk light doesnt always turn on, i will check the lock mechanism like u did and my left rear door wont open together with the rest, but i can still open it from the inside :D Also my starter seems broken bc sometimes the motor doesnt start at first time( could also be the fuel pump) But works perfectly at the second time, usually with the sound of gears grinding against each other, like when you put a gear in without clutching. Ah and also my right tail light doesnt work, just like every 2nd golf mk4 you see on the street. Not a broken bulb, changed it, has to be some wiring problem :( But I still love this car. In case of any grammatical mistakes, im german, im allowed to do that.

Mine mk4 has 385.000 km and still going without any issue 😍

I’ve got a bora same as a golf underneath. So far I’ve replaced or need to replace. the egr (with egr delete), replaced leaking intercooler, temp sensor, thermostat, handbrake, seized rear calliper, abs/speed sensor, boot doesn’t open, bonnet latch doesn’t always close properly, battery replaced, slip ring, clutch replaced at 138k (engines remapped), flywheel, clutch release bearing, slave cylinder, turbo, leaking oil sump, people kept telling me these cars are bulletproof that’s why I bought one lol. I’ve had my car just over a year I’ve replaced most the stuff it’s only 152k now

I do have golf 4 1.6 SR - Saugen Rohres But I just want to modify nice

Already have one 1.6sr 8v and yep electrics, they are just annoying door module on the right(for me passengerdoor) doesn't work, same for the rear, the rear doors only open with the button in the interior not with the key. thermostat stays open(luckily no check engine light). But I love it strangely enough...

I have the same issue with the immobilizer. Almost shit my pants when it first happened because my car's dash is in German and i'm dutch, and there was suddenly a WEGFAHRSPERRE AKTIV error on my dash. After taking out the key and re-inserting it it starts just fine though.

I had an issue with my golf last winter when the battery kept going flat (once while driving). I don't remember the exact report but the garage put it down to lack of use (lots of short journeys) and increased power usage from lights, heating etc. And it passed battery and alternator tests.

I have a 2004 Golf. When I unlock the driver door with a key. The nub go up but the door want open until I hit the door with my fist. I have this on video.

i fookin hate my golf's locking module error. just... pumps my blood pressure up to the damn mount everest when i cant let someone on cuz both rear modules are fucked

Ive bought a vr5 mk4 and I fucking love it

I have a 2005 silver 1.8 t 37,000 miles and I have owned it for just over a year and I already had to replace the left door aculator (locking mechanism) ,fuel pump, o2 sensor but she is running nice still a 48k no check engine light

Great videos, Subbed 👍🏻

Got a golf mk4 1.9 TDI last summer, it was the 90cv model, I remapped it and is now about 150cv. It has done 240k km and still going strong. Had some problems with the door locking module a while ago, I took it out, cleaned the micro switch and it seems to be ok now..

Hey just wondering if anyone has the immobilizer issue just curious if you press hard on the speedo right were it says 60mph/100k had a problem with a teledo and it was just a wire behind the face of the speedo might be someones problem that there wrecking there head about

I have a 2 door gti glx so differnt engine but I had some erosion on my wiring harness you can tell if it's bad if your wind shield wipers stop working

I have an mk4 1..8t with 193000 miles and it runs great

ESP light is very common with the mk4 golf

Same issues on a golf 5 bro

The switch on the door panel to open the trunk and fuel cap falls in

I have an 01 TDI and the only issues I had besides the original owner never swapping parts out so I had to replace a bunch of old worn out parts, was the ABS sensor, those are obnoxious because I live in Maine and they are super anal about car inspections. But other then minor repairs the body is 95% rust free and at 190,000 miles still goes strong!! It’s a fuel efficient great little car that I love owning despite the war of parts lol

At least they don’t have the common dual mass flywheel problem like the Mk5

I bought a mk4 gti and my handbrake light would stay on when the handbrake was disengaged. It would beep at me whenever I would drive off. The issue ended up being something in the wiring so that whenever I have the a/c circulation button pressed in it would cause the brake light on the dash to come on

I have a mark 4 with an 1.4 engine and the last time I filled it up with oil was 1 year ago but it's electronics are fucked up

What year should I buy

i have the exact same car. Some times i regret, i havent buy the coupe, i have the four door, thats my only regret

Had three usually window drops and door lock every time on my old one everything broke boot wouldn't open window dropped never had engine light though strange but I can't bring myself to get another car so it'll have to be another mk4 😂

I've 1.6 ,bought it a year ago so far ive only the check engine problem and once it just stopped working but i think its cause of the cheap petrol :D

Yours is still a kid 104k mines on 174k pulls like new

Just got an 01 Cabrio recently. My first VW, it's a nice car! Not a fast engine, but it's comfortable and can't help but smile with the top down :)

what thermostat is that that you are taling about ?

2003 GTI 1.8t everything that has been replaced on my car: Motor mount Thermostat 3 tires Entire exhaust including flex Light bulbs MAF sensor Rust paint repair Air Pump Abs module 2 wheel bearings Headlights Straightened control arm New key

My mum has owned a 1.4 Golf since new back in 2003 . She still has it and it’s been a really great car. Never failed to start and been great mechanically so far! One of the issues we’ve had is coil packs. When the car was new with less than 500 miles it blew coil packs and the VW technician came and changed them twice and said he’d change the car if it did it again. Then it didn’t happen until recently but has happened a few times in the past few years. other problems we’ve had are as you say really related to door locks and sensors. But these things are to be expected of a car of this sort of age! Brilliant cars.

The temperature sensor is another common fault, but a very cheap and easy fix. The lock modules are pretty easy to replace, just a little time consuming. The control arm bushings seem to wear out fast, same with the strut mounts..

The intercooler broke on mine

I live in the U.S ,but I rarely see the Golf 3’s here. I only saw one yellow hatchback in my middle school 3 years ago.

Hi brother! good project! what is the name of the rear bumper? which company? I've been looking for him for 2 months now... to no avail...

Welp, I already bought one with a 2.0l engine.

Hey man! I’ve just recently been saving and thinking of buying a Mk4, really appreciated all the tips you and common problems you exposed with the model, I’m definitely very adamant about it being a golf at least, what I was wondering was what you thought would be a decent price tag currently today and some things to attentively check when I go to buy my second hand one, appreciate any help :) cheers dude Ps: when I said price tag I meant as in for example here in Portugal I find some Mk4 being sold for around 2500-4500€, do you think maybe this is due to them already being pretty busted up? Since repairs on these cars do not seem to be the cheapest I’m really waging pros and cons here, a car being sold for 2500€ that has never had any parts switched out would probably be a worse buy than a 3000+€ one that has had multiple parts renewed like sills, suspension, brakes, handbrake, maybe some electronics stuff, right?

Thinking of getting a Golf VR5. Love the sound. The sound really hooked me to the engine, when my friends were installing a custom exhaust to theirs and they started it without the exhaust on. However, I am aware that the VR5s can be money pits. So I am still rather neutral whether or not to get one. Great video, mate. Just found your channel.

Haha brilliant commentary 😂

Me a Z33 owner watching this and him complaining about oil 😂😂😂😂 oh I’m used to it won’t be a problem for me

Watch out for broken interior lololol mk4 glove box rip

I got a 2006 variant 1.6 quite cheap and it had a multiple of small defects and other worn things. Boot handle switch, door lock module (pain in the a** to replace), abs sensors, rear schocks, fuel pump, brake calipers, timing belt.....etc Now after the majority of thimgs fixed it is a great car but not cheap....

I've got a mk4 jetta and obviously have the same fucking issues. Secondary air injection pump is bad. Bank 1 o2 sensor is bad. Rear power locks dont work. And the fucking trans shift for 2 to 3 feels like your hitting a pothole. But it's only got 112k miles runs great 1.8t is super tunable and fun, the shift is due to the tiptronic 5 speed nuff said (manual swap this summer) and is just fun to drive. oh yea and almost no rust!

for the rear door, it's happen for me...what i do is just drive a car for few meters and close then open center lock and it's work>>>>i don't know why??!!!

If you're lucky (as I was with my Mk4 2002) you can fix the unlocking door by dripping WD 40 down the sides of the button so that it runs into the mechanism. Hey presto!

We own one with 158K miles on the odo. bought it brand new, mechanical failure to date: crank position sensor. Aside from that wear and tear and basic maintenance.

My dads golf 4 makes an ratling noise out of the gearbox, when driving in reverse. I think the reverse gear is a bit worn. but it still drives after 7000km. should it be fixed? its an 1.6 from 2001 and has 270.000km on the clock. the front struts are also bad, and the cheack engine light is on. i think its time for him to buy an new car

Classic style... but God forbid mechanically programmed to fall. Expect bills... endless repairs. It was a painful experience owning one of these.

My same back door does the same thing that’s weird

I'm thinking about buying the 2000 mk4 1.6l with 194k kilometres with full history service and also the car it has most parts factory and service every 5000 kilometres what are your thoughts?

In the U.S.most states won't allow a vehicle to pass inspection with s check engine light because of emissions. This only applies to cars that are OBD2. atleast in Newyork that is. Obd1 cars are emissions exempt. But it really makes getting older cars completely legal a bitch

My 1.4 drank oil so bad! The EML light come on. Turns out it was a little plastic valve on the charcoal canister (purge valve) changed it for a second hand charcoal canister then the problem disappeared. Just another common fault apparently