The Worst Part About My Volkswagen GTI

"Matthew Keyser" (teisco15) 05/25/2016 at 18:28 • Filed to: None

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Now it may sound strange that the worst thing on my 2007 Volkswagen GTI is the gear selector, but allow me explain myself.

“What about the reliability!? Surely that must be worse!” you may be thinking to yourself but in all honesty, the only time so far that my little GTI has let me down has been down to coil pack failure. Five minutes later and a new one was installed and all was well.

The issue with the selector has nothing to do with the mechanics of it either. It’s a very nice shifter with a moderately notchy feel and a long enough throw to make it fairly hard to miss gears.

I once said that if you want the DSG you are better off with the Audi A3 and if you want the stick you should go for the GTI, and after clocking my fair share of miles in both a DSG A3 and my three-pedal GTI, I stand by that claim.

The real issue was discovered this weekend which was the first time since buying the car that temperatures were well over 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the sun made it’s presence known.

The issue is the fact that on sunny, warm days, the gear selector becomes quite literally the hottest thing I’ve had to touch multiple times.

I say multiple times because when I was little, I was instructed not to touch the trouble light in the garage and my five year old curiosity piqued. Not very long afterward I also attempted to grab the sizzling platter at a restaurant. Both events ended in tears and my little hand contaminating a perfectly good cup of ice water.

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m nit picking. I have very few negative things to say about my Volkswagen GTI, but as the time goes on I’m sure I’ll find some.

While you’re here, what’s something unnecessarily annoying on any car that you’ve encountered? Let me know in the comments below.

EL_ULY > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 18:33

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A hot knob is indeed uncomfortable

Something annoying with my cars besides everything ever, 1st gear lean on 95' M3

ttyymmnn > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 18:36

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Just keep one of these in the glove box and put it over the shifter when you’re not driving. And the best part is that you get to drink the Crown.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > EL_ULY 05/25/2016 at 18:37

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Uhuhuhuhuhuh hot knob

Takuro Spirit > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 18:41

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This post was very anti CLIMATIC

extraspecialbitter > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 18:44

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The Porsche 991 Carrera S is annoying fast.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 18:44

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I feel like this might be one awful thing about the R Design wheel I want for my Volvo. It’s got a strip of aluminum on the top. I’m in Florida. That has to get got as hell.

crowmolly > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 18:45

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Yup, you need to throw something over it during the summer.

This was my worst (not my car, but one like it):

vicali > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 18:50

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Had a wolfsburg knob on my mk3 Jetta;

The Kamei rubber one in my mk2 was nicer to use.

E92M3 > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 18:58

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Only 1 coil pack failure? Guessing you haven’t had it long..

Isn’t it supposed to have the dimpled golf ball plastic shift knob anyway?

46and2aheadofme > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 19:00

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XTerra: TPS light comes on whenever going over a mountain pass.

E90 M3: Wheels are hard to clean.

E60 M5: Driving it around town at a pace that doesn’t risk arrest is a whiplashy PITA.

Ridgeline: People comparing it to an Avalanche.

‘79 Suburban: Entire exhaust rusted and fell off (in IN at the time).

‘69 Beetle: Getting passed by semis going over the Sierras.

‘78 Chevy Longbed: Engine gave out and it’s waited for rescue from Dad’s garage for way too long.

There were a few more along the way but these are the highlights!

Noah - Now with more boost. > ttyymmnn 05/25/2016 at 19:13

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lol!!

lone_liberal > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 19:15

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I had a similar issue with my old Mustang, but in that case the metal trim was on the steering wheel . It’s hard to do 9&3 when your hands are sizzling.

Matthew Keyser > E92M3 05/25/2016 at 19:42

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Sadly not. My car was built during the time when VW wasn’t selling a Golf in the US, they just sold the same car that the rest of the world got, just calling it the Rabbit. When the MK5 GTI came out, it wasn’t a “Golf GTI” or a “Rabbit GTI,” it was simply the Volkswagen GTI.

LongbowMkII > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 19:48

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The worst part of the Murano is the alternator location. Happily underneath the front bank squeezed between the ex manifold, ac compressor and the lower radiator hose. Transverse v6's are the worst.

If you hadn’t guessed my alternator crapped out (again) just after bragging about its low maintenance reliability.

Sigh.

PorkchoPlissken > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 19:59

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The difficulty of accessing spark plugs.

Chasaboo > Takuro Spirit 05/25/2016 at 20:39

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FAIL.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 20:43

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psshhh try a convertible with a alumnum knob in the sun. It rather have a hot hand then suffer not shifting gears myself

GTCL > Matthew Keyser 05/25/2016 at 21:44

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I liked driving my old GTI. Shifter was great. I had the same shifter in it. It doesn’t get even close to the surface temperature of the sun that my aluminium shift knob gets in my mustang. I always have to check my palm to see if it has the imprint of the shifter like the Nazi in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Reliability of the GTI was a different story. I had an 05. It suffered coil pack failure, multiple cam follower failures, required a new hp fuel pump, new cam shaft, new a/c line that broke when I was pulling into a parking lot, and a busted radiator. My wife wouldn’t let me spend anymore money to fix it, so she made me trade it in for the ‘13 mustang GT. I’ve spent $9 on a new oil pan drain plug this far....and a few hundred on a new set of tires