Kaufempfehlung Golf 3/4 TDI | Posts 16+

I drive a G3 AHU (the newer 1Z...). It's a 1997 model with side airbags. I unfortunately don't have much to compare it to with the G4, but I'd still like to share my subjective impressions.

Seats:
Regarding the seats, I would like to add the following: In the Golf 3, they are the last word in comfort for people over ~175-180 cm (approximately 5'9'-5'11'). A journey of more than 2 hours regularly causes me back pain. This is especially annoying on trips, such as when going on vacation.

Replacing seats with Recaro seats can be difficult due to the side airbags, as seats with airbags are rare, and an alternative deactivation process is often complex.

I don't know your heights, but I would definitely recommend trying out the G3 model in person and paying attention to the upper edge of the backrest. If you feel that edge against your back, I would advise against buying it or considering an exchange.

Ventilation:
The climate control system is very basic, especially when combined with the car's features. It's particularly frustrating at high temperatures, as you're often limited to selecting only the windshield defroster or the driver's side vent. Effective cooling (i.e., both sides active) is not possible.

Chassis:
In its original state, the G3 is, in my opinion, far too soft/mushy, and almost dangerous in corners with cross joints/bumps. I replaced it with one from the accessories and am now satisfied. (No, I'm not a 'lower/stiffer...' fetishist.)

Engine options:
I drive 90km every day, of which about 75km are on the highway at speeds of 140-160km/h, and I find the 90 horsepower to be perfectly adequate for this. It becomes quite sluggish above 180km/h, but I rarely drive that fast (mostly because it's either limited or too crowded).

Regarding the G4:
I might check here sometime: http://www.michaelneuhaus.de/golf/golf4modjahr.htm
Here is a list of the updates and improvements made to the G4 model. This should help identify the common problems experienced with the early versions of the G4.

Regards,
Private.

PrivatBereich wrote:

Ventilation: The climate control system is very basic, especially when combined with the car's features. It's particularly problematic at high temperatures, as you're often limited to selecting only the windshield defroster or the driver's side vent. Effective cooling (i.e., both sides active) is not possible.

I used to have a Golf 3 without air conditioning, and now I have one with manual air conditioning. I find the air conditioning much better than just the ventilation. I'm not sure what you mean by "more effective ventilation." The only thing that comes to mind is the rather poor heating performance of the 1Z in cold weather. The manual air conditioning cools very well, even at 32°C in the shade. Somehow, the Golf 4 has the disadvantage of the obviously larger window areas, which leads to a high temperature build-up, especially in traffic jams or in the city. Also, with the Golf 4's Climatronic, I have to close the middle vents because, at a Climatronic temperature of around 20°C, it creates a strong draft in the Golf 4. This doesn't happen in my Golf 3.

Quote:

Chassis: In its original state, the G3 is, in my opinion, far too soft/mushy and almost dangerous in curves with cross joints/waves. I replaced it with one from the accessories and am now satisfied. (No, I'm not a "lower/stiffer..." fetishist.)

I haven't heard that from any other Golf 3 driver before. I liked the original FWK (automatic transmission), it had no problems in curves or with speed bumps. Unlike the extra comfort-focused FWK in the Golf 4, which makes you feel seasick.

Quote:

Engine options: I drive 90km every day, of which about 75km are on the highway at speeds of 140-160km/h, and I find the 90 horsepower to be perfectly adequate for this. It becomes quite sluggish above 180km/h, but I rarely drive that fast (either because it's limited or because it's too crowded).

Apparently, the ALH engine in the Golf 3 is somewhat better than the 1Z. It's probably not realistic to get much more than 180 km/h with these engines. My speedometer shows almost 200 km/h, while the GPS says 180 km/h. I drive over 120 km daily for my commute, but mostly on country roads, not highways. The 90 hp engine is a bit overwhelmed in that situation; you really have to think about when to overtake a truck. There's no question of confident overtaking. However, I'm currently getting 4.8 liters per 100 km with the diesel .

Overall, the Golf 4 is definitely the better choice, provided you can get used to the seating position, the suspension, and, in my opinion, the underpowered 90hp TDI engine.

@donalexo:

Definition of the Golf 3. I used to own a Golf 4 from December 1998 with an ALH engine, and like the 1997 Golf 4s, it was a product that only reached its full potential after I bought it and started using it. I would only recommend the Golf 4 from the model year 2000 onwards, as the earlier models had many issues.
The 90 horsepower engine is sufficient to good for the Golf 4, but it works even better in the Golf 3 (due to the lower weight).

Hello!
Here's a comparison of the Golf III vs. Golf IV from a workshop perspective, at least covering the things I'm familiar with (personally, I haven't had much experience with the Golf IV due to a career break and jobs in independent workshops...).

Brakes
'I personally appreciate the improvement made to the rear axle. It saves a significant amount of money and, more importantly, labor, because the wheel bearings are no longer pressed into the brake disc (which also makes the discs considerably cheaper). Incidentally, the 'standard' play in the rear axle wheel bearings has been eliminated.'

Front axle
Here's the question of whether it's cheaper to use ball joints with a taper and nut, or ball joints with a locking screw, as has been common practice at VW for years. In any case, the parts with the taper and nut are a complete disaster! As is usually the case with suspension components, they use stop nuts, and the space between the driveshaft joint and the threaded connection is too tight. This leads to the following problem: you loosen the nut, eventually hit the driveshaft, and push the taper out of the wheel hub. And because the stop nut is very tight, you have very little chance of loosening the ball joint at that moment. I also find the solution with the shock absorbers to be somewhat awkward compared to the Golf III. I preferred the 'old' system...

Let's move on to the truly most ridiculous changes that were possible...

Engine compartment:
What improvements, please, did the engineers promise with the changes they made in the engine compartment? How can someone be so clueless? Okay, the slightly shorter intercooler duct (intercooler on the right instead of on the left, as in the Golf III) could bring advantages, but if the duct that runs through the right wheel arch isn't as flat as a flounder, then the advantage is lost, and they could have left it as it was. But why was it necessary to squeeze the expansion tank and the power steering fluid reservoir to the right side? Then there are the stupidly changed engine mounts... long story short: changing the timing belt on the IV is the worst compared to the III! You have to screw until your fingers are smoking, an engine bridge is needed, the space is extremely tight when it comes to tensioning, and all the intercooler ducting and everything that was crammed in on the right side has to be removed! By the way, the water pump driven by the timing belt - they should have learned from Opel or from the experiences with the small engines that this is a bad idea.It's incredibly annoying to change the headlight bulbs, especially the one on the left side. There's barely enough room between the battery and the headlight to fit a hand, and it's very tight!
Overall, this makes the Golf IV much less user-friendly for maintenance compared to the Golf III, in my opinion.

If I were to give buying advice, I would also consider the following: The Golf III is lighter, has better aerodynamic properties, and, in my opinion, is the more refined model of the last two years. Furthermore, Volkswagen typically releases a lot of optional equipment just before a model change. So, definitely go for the Golf III, preferably from the last year of production. By the way, I personally find the design of the Golf III more appealing than the Golf I.

Best regards,

Dominique.

@donalexo

Why not a Skoda Octavia? At work, we had a Golf IV (unfortunately not a TDI), which wasn't really that great. The interior rattled, and the overall impression was just average. I actually prefer the Octavia; it's also bigger (at least it seems that way). The manual air conditioning in the Golf IV didn't really get very cold, even though it was better than the air conditioning in the Golf V Touran. I couldn't really test the Climatronic in the Octavia; it was simply too cold to switch from ECON to AUTO (because I needed that last bit of power *g*).

If I had to choose between a Golf IV and an Octavia, I would choose the Octavia.

Best regards, WarLord.

yepp...

alex, could you come by my place at MIPA and take a look at my Octavia ?

CU Gremlin.

Hello everyone!

Thank you again for your contributions!

Today, we drove a 1998 G4 with an ALH engine. The chassis and body still made a solid impression after 147,000 km, although, in my opinion, the suspension is too soft for the basic setup.
However, I was also a little disappointed with the ALH, as I had hoped for a bit more torque at low RPM, thanks to the VTG (Variable Turbine Geometry). According to the speedometer, the top speed was around 190 km/h, which isn't exactly groundbreaking. Reading the diagnostic data (yes, I had my diagnostic tool with me) didn't reveal any errors.
My A3 with the AGR engine is noticeably more powerful and also achieves a higher top speed.

The vehicle is supposed to cost a hefty 7,700 euros. My wife is completely smitten with the car, but I think it's a bit overpriced.

What do you mean?

Regards,
Alex.

Ventilation:
The climate control system is very basic, especially when combined with the car's features. It's particularly problematic at high temperatures, as you're often limited to selecting only the windshield defroster or the driver's side vent. Effective cooling (i.e., both sides active) is not possible.


Hello,

I can relate to those experiences; it's possible that the cooling performance of my system has also decreased.

Are the dashboard and windshield vents simultaneously activated by the Climatronic system?

Regards,

Tobias.

Are the dashboard and windshield vents simultaneously activated by the Climatronic system?



In AUTO mode, this is not the case; starting with version 2.0.0, only the male vents activate when the system needs to cool. It seems the software developers have never actually sat in the car.
Well... you just press the defrost, nozzle, and footwell buttons, and then it comes out of all the vents. And then the car cools down quickly.

When the system needs to provide heating, it's almost perfect.

CU Gremlin.

Hello everyone!

Thank you again for your contributions!

Today, we drove a 1998 G4 with an ALH engine. The chassis and body still made a solid impression after 147,000 km, although, in my opinion, the suspension is too soft for the basic setup.
However, I was also a little disappointed with the ALH, as I had hoped for a bit more torque at low RPMs, thanks to the VTG (Variable Turbine Geometry). According to the speedometer, the top speed was around 190 km/h, which isn't exactly groundbreaking. Reading the diagnostic data (yes, I had my diagnostic tool with me) didn't reveal any errors.
My A3 with the AGR engine is noticeably more powerful and also achieves a higher top speed.

The vehicle is supposed to cost a hefty 7,700 euros. My wife is completely smitten with the car, but I think it's a bit overpriced.

What do you mean?

Regards,
Alex

Hi,

I once had a G3 with 66 kW (engine code: ?), which ran much better than the G4 ALH that I'm driving now. The workshop explained the reason for this to me as follows:
The G3 was only rated at 90 horsepower on paper. In reality, those 90 horsepower TDIs actually produce somewhere between 95 and 105 horsepower. I never had it checked on a dyno or with a diagnostic tool, but it seemed that way to me.
'Apparently, the insurance companies were informed about the issue and threatened to reclassify the vehicles (according to the dealer). Subsequently, and presumably also to prevent excessive soot emissions during acceleration, VW significantly revised the engine management system and reduced the power output.'
My G4 is performing noticeably worse than the old one. I quickly and clearly noticed that. Let's see how the new G4 Var with 74 kW will be...

Greetings.

Eike.

Here's a small additional note regarding the G4 test drive:

The vehicle experienced significant warm-start problems when starting the hot engine (after approximately 20 km of continuous full throttle on the highway).
Of course, I immediately checked the pump timing with the diagnostic tool, and sure enough, the pump was running relatively late. It was positioned roughly in the middle between the ideal setting and the late limit.

It should still start reasonably well, though, right? This whole thing is making me a bit suspicious.
With a faulty relay 109, the engine makes a similar sound when starting (based on my limited experience ). The engine has to "organ" for much too long before it starts. During a cold start (if you can even call it that when it's over 30°C in the shade), I haven't noticed anything like that.

Perhaps this also indicates a weak battery (long shelf life at the dealer???) or a failing starter motor in high temperatures.
What do you think? What is the most likely technical cause?

Do you think 7,700 EUR is a reasonable price for this vehicle? The car is in very good and well-maintained condition. In addition to power windows on all 4 doors, it also features SHD (likely referring to a specific feature or system) and tinted windows.
My wife especially likes the "jazzblue" color with its pearl effect!

Thank you for your opinions.

Regards,
Alex.

Hello Alex,

Of course, I can't give you a buying recommendation, but I've owned two Golf IVs with the ALH engine, the first as a 3-door and the second as a station wagon.
I have found both vehicles to be very reliable, aside from the usual quirks common to G4 Mack trucks.
When I say 'quirks,' I mean:

'Creaking/cracking noises coming from the area of the B-pillar when starting the car (When purchasing, pay attention to the locking pins, as the new ones are chrome-plated and completely resolve this issue).'

In winter, a squeaking climate control fan behind the glove compartment. The solution was a replacement part; lubrication with oil didn't work.

LMM (lambda measuring module) failed a total of 3 times in both vehicles.

For the first time, a VTG train car was found to be infested with mold.

Wind noise at higher speeds coming from the area of the A-pillar -> Check the door seals or have new, thicker seals installed.

Squeaking brakes and, in some cases, grinding noises coming from the front of both vehicles.

These were all things that were covered by the VW used car warranty, so I didn't incur any costs. Of course, this only applies if the car was purchased from a VW dealership.
From an engine perspective, I have no complaints. I believe that with the right injectors, even the G4 ALH can be made to perform very well. The cold start problem with the ALH is well-known. Often, it's simply the battery, even if it was initially diagnosed as being okay. I would also like to point out that the timing belt needs to be replaced in another 33,000 km (approximately 20,000 miles). However, if you replace it yourself, it's not a major issue. I think 7,700 euros is reasonable if the car is purchased from a VW dealer with a corresponding warranty. I probably wouldn't buy it from a private seller.

eike wrote:

I once had a G3 with 66 kW (engine code: ?), which ran much better than the G4 ALH that I'm driving now. The workshop explained the reason for this to me as follows: The G3 only had 90 horsepower on paper. In reality, the 90 horsepower TDIs actually produce between 95 and 105 horsepower.

If the variation in production is really that significant, it would explain why my first Golf 3, with a 1-liter engine, had slightly better acceleration than my current one. The first one could easily keep up with a 100 horsepower common-rail diesel, while the new one can't.

@donalexo
I can find a VW with 77,000 kilometers from a dealer with a corresponding warranty, provided the car is well-equipped. I wouldn't pay that much for a basic model with manual air conditioning. As for the top speed, it's quite decent. Try checking your A3 with a GPS; I think you might be surprised. If those 90 horsepower engines really reach 190 km/h according to the GPS, then I'm impressed. My old 1Z almost reached that speed as well. The new one shows 190 km/h on the speedometer, but the GPS only shows around 180 km/h.

Hi,

Here's what else I thought of: The G4 has a weakness that can be quite annoying: the door seal. When driving in the rain, it occasionally drips from the door seal into the car. When you open the rain-soaked vehicle, the seat often gets wet too, if there's still water on the seal.
They really messed things up there.

Greetings.

Eike.

Hello everyone!

The decision has been made, and it favors the Golf 4, which was already tested beforehand, with an ALH engine and 147,000 kilometers on the odometer.

The car can be picked up on Tuesday! I'm really excited!

Thank you again for your suggestions.

Regards,
Alex.

Hi Alex,

Congratulations on your vehicle purchase! In my opinion, the ALH is a very reliable engine.