man buys VW Golf

[Somerset Suffolk]

February 2002 I bought a brand new MK4 130 ASZ GT TDI golf ...

 

11:03 today.....

 

annnnd across the line .....

was on the Somerset levels just past Muchelney 

Still on original exhaust and clutch, 

Does not have original windscreen (3), steering rack (2) MAF (2) Brake master cylinder (2)  door locks (6 ?) and wife (1)

I still like driving it 

 

 

[Matty]

2 minutes ago, Somerset Suffolk said:

February 2002 I bought a brand new MK4 130 ASZ GT TDI golf ...

 

11:03 today.....

 

annnnd across the line .....

was on the Somerset levels just past Muchelney 

Still on original exhaust and clutch, 

Does not have original windscreen (3), steering rack (2) MAF (2) Brake master cylinder (2)  door locks (6 ?) and wife (1)

I still like driving it 

 

 

I know this is as popular a statement to make on here as announcing my herpes, but by god they were just a good car. Id a 20vt an early 150 brake one. Loved it!

[Matty]

Wierdly i had your wheels too 🤣

[bunglebus]

Nicely done, I passed that milestone on 19/07/17, should hit 300,000 this year. Windscreens have come and gone, just like suspension arms and door locks, but the engine, turbo, exhaust, clutch etc are all unmolested

 

[jonathan_dyane]

They do drive very well although yours has more BHPs than mine.

What MPG do you find you average? 

I need to get my windscreen replaced soon and mine is on second replacement steering rack.

Rust will get it eventually..

[D.E]

The Golf IV is a great car, another example of VAG going nuts in the 00s with offering a hugely varied choice of engines and specs, from the snail paced SDI to the R32, GTI, V5, and a decent looking saloon (on the continent VW offered an estate version of the Bora as well). 

 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I have an estate one of these, with the same 130BHP engine map.  Owned it for ten years and currently on 218K after getting it on 48K.  It's been a great, great car.  Has the ABS/Traction Control issue and the passenger door won't unlock but these are excellent.  Well bought and kept for 24 years!

[bangernomics]

I was quite a fan of the sdi, plodded well and was reliable.

[Somerset Suffolk]

Montreal 2 Alloys came as part of the "sports package" - stiffer springs and lowered by 10mm .... from new it handled like a bath tub full of custard but gripped well and the epic torque meant it felt like you're being pulled towards the horizon by a very strong piece of elastic ....  its still on the original dampers but with multiple coil springs - a girl friends MK6 Fiesta shows how lard like MK4 Golfs handle ....   48 to 52 MPG, with 60 MPG on a very gentle run

Serviced by VW for the first 7 years (quite well) and then me with genuine VW parts and semi synthetic oil 10k or 12 months - brake fluid changes every 2 years (the original "top hat" seal on the master cylinder failed probably due to me damaging it cleaning the EGR valve ) -   I occasionally wash and hoover it .

4 cam belts and I jet wash the underside twice a year - cills are still  good despite tyre fitters best attempts  - it has had a couple of replacement front wings due to the stupid VW foam on the inner side of the wings -  its had quite a few window winder mechanisms and I can remove a door card and replace one in about 35 minutes.

A tractor once tried to go over the top of it ...

My sister sold me her Seat Arona Fr (150) which I like, but I'm keeping the Golf for tip runs, large loads and general happy pottering around in.....

[alcyonecorporation]

Is 'OHH' what the car exclaimed when the tractor went over it? 

[stuboy]

why so many windscreens?

[jon.k]

Still original DMF? That’s good going isn’t it? I had a 115 estate, I loved it. 

You must have looked after it really well. I  bought mine as my first post “modern” car, on 150000 miles. I naively thought it would be indestructible, “just run in m8” and I didn’t do much of an inspection or research, only to find that radiator, steering rack and dmf all needed replacing over the next few weeks. Still, it was a great car after that. Nice to potter around in and great on the motorway whilst sipping fuel.

[Somerset Suffolk]

13 hours ago, stuboy said:

why so many windscreens?

first was stone thrown up by a lorry, second was a brick thrown at the screen !  Vandals (kids from the next village who were refused entry at our community social club damaged several cars) 

[Tenmil Socket]

On 17/06/2026 at 21:53, bunglebus said:

Nicely done, I passed that milestone on 19/07/17, should hit 300,000 this year. Windscreens have come and gone, just like suspension arms and door locks, but the engine, turbo, exhaust, clutch etc are all unmolested

 

Original clutch on approaching 300,000 miles… wow!

[alcyonecorporation]

On 18/06/2026 at 19:59, stuboy said:

why so many windscreens?

1. Car ululations
2. Tractors 

[Bmwdumptruck]

Part of me wished we’d kept our first Sharan, which was a 1.9pd tdi 115 iirc.  We bought it off a mate who’d bought it new, 5 years old with about 60k on it.  We did have to do a clutch, refurb the box and replace the intermediate shaft by about 100k, but my mate towed a big caravan with it so we kind of expected that and the price definitely allowed for it too.  We eventually took it to about 145k when the Turbo started causing limp mode issues.  Was looking at doing the turbo when we saw a late 09 last of the model 2.0tdi 140 for sale with just 30k on it.  Couldn’t resist it even though it was a rather hefty £12k….  But omg was it thirsty by comparison.  
I kept an eye on the old one, it carried on till a year or two back and eventually disappeared with about 198k at it’s last mot.  If we’d not seen the later one I’ve no idea how long we’d have kept it, but we added about 60k to that one and then the wife ended our Sharan ownership when she went out by herself and bought the Mazda6 Tourer we’ve now had for about 7 years.  
But I do wonder if we’d kept the 1.9 and I’d looked after it my way, similar to yours by the sound of things, regular oil and proper brake services etc, if it would have continued without too many issues.  Certainly the mot fails and advisory’s suggested it didn’t get the same care after we traded it. 

[Somerset Suffolk]

@Bmwdumptruck

It is the only brand new car I've ever bought so I've incentivised to stick with it and probably due to a bit of OCD,  have maintained it as best I could ! plus I really like it.

Interestingly, when it was about 5 years old, it did go into and out of limp mode - the VW dealership who had taken over from the original family owned dealership, said it needed a new turbo - I really doubted that it was the turbo as it seemed to clear itself once it had been turned off and back again - it did keep doing it, and after searching various forums, (not this one !) it was suggested that there was a dodgy batch of Bosch MAF sensors - bought a new MAF sensor and its never gone into limp mode ever again.

kismet and regular oil changes .....

 

[2flags]

On 17/06/2026 at 18:51, Somerset Suffolk said:

February 2002 I bought a brand new MK4 130 ASZ GT TDI golf ...

 

11:03 today.....

 

annnnd across the line .....

was on the Somerset levels just past Muchelney 

Still on original exhaust and clutch, 

Does not have original windscreen (3), steering rack (2) MAF (2) Brake master cylinder (2)  door locks (6 ?) and wife (1)

I still like driving it 

 

 

I know that road well. During the floods of 2013/14 there was a car submerged for 11 weeks! Gets wet there during the winter!

[Somerset Suffolk]

7 hours ago, 2flags said:

I know that road well. During the floods of 2013/14 there was a car submerged for 11 weeks! Gets wet there during the winter!

yes ! the Mk1 Seat Leon - got auctioned off  for charity and a kid prank bid it up to a silly amount - kid turned out to be local !  😐

[2flags]

Yes, I bet his dad shit himself when he got the notification from ebay. 'You have won the Seat Leon, please pay the £10,000'. [or whatever the amount was, can't remember off hand.] Child banned from internet!! 

[Somerset Suffolk]

On 18/06/2026 at 09:42, Somerset Suffolk said:

cills are still  good despite tyre fitters best attempts 

well on closer inspection there were a few small bulges at the rear of the cills in the crap mastic that VW seemed to use in the noughties ... and a little poke with a screwdriver .....

patch welded (forgot to take a pic - think pigeon with diarrhea )  stone chip and generic silver paint - this was on the off side "normally" its the nearside that goes ?  the nearside just needed the original underseal re applied - MOT in February