Culture or Quality?
My friends in Germany,
Proud owner of a 6 year old mk7.5 GTI, 56,XXX miles. Rigorously maintained, big turbo setup. Only “issue” thus far has been a starter failure, fixed with replacement. No oil/coolant leaks, mixing fluids, misfire issues, etc.
American reviewers frequently rate VWs for higher risk when it comes to engine failures and extremely low for reliability. Dedicated VW owners know that maintenance matters, but it appears the general public has no idea that’s the case.
My question is this—do you see the same problems in the home of VAG? Are engine failures frequent? Do people buy VW and dump them after a few years because of multiple failures/issues? Obviously there’s outliers, but I’m more interested in firsthand accounts on if this is a cultural phenomenon related to poor maintenance or an actual design problem that leads to “high” failure rates. Let’s talk!