| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI repairs by problem area
Engine (42%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (4%)
Brakes and Traction Control (9%)
Suspension and Steering (12%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (23%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (3%)
Other (7%)
Chart based on 139 repairs.
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (5%)
$1000 - $2499 (14%)
$500 - $999 (9%)
$100 - $499 (48%)
< $100 (23%)
Chart based on 56 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI
Engine not specified
| 175000 mi | Skipping badly. Check engine light blinking. Had timing belt replaced before. Could be cat converter or coil pack. |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 90hp 1.9L I4 Diesel 5-speed manual FWD
| 178380 mi C $2000 |
Replaced turbocharges. Hydrodynamic bearing failure |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 90hp 1.9L I4 Diesel 5-speed manual FWD
| 339000 mi US $800 |
Replaced turbo. |
| 357000 mi US $70 |
replaced large radiator fan |
| 378000 mi US $70 |
replaced glow plug harness |
| 400000 mi US $120 |
replaced exhaust flex pipe |
| 425000 mi US $350 |
Diesel fuel leaked from injection pump into the alternator destroying the slip rings and brushes. Leak sealed and alternator replaced. |
| 426000 mi US $110 |
replaced mass air sensor |
| 442000 mi | Mas Air Flow Sensor was not sending a signal. MAF was replaced by remanufactured part supplied by parts store under warranty at no cost. |
| 108000 mi US $35 |
Coolant temperature sensor Glow plug harness |
| 116000 mi US $450 |
Replaced entire exhaust after OEM pipe hangar broke and aggravated rusted area behind the catalytic converter, causing pipe to shear. |
| 137600 mi US $600 |
Timing belt |
| 98000 mi US $340 |
Exhaust Repair, brake light repair |
| 101000 mi US $300 |
Failed glow plug, replaced all 4 proactively. |
| 141300 mi US $300 |
Turbo malfunction, cleaned and lubed, vacuum control lines replaced |
| 147200 mi US $1250 |
Exhaust replaced |
| 156000 mi US $450 |
Intake manifold clogged with carbon deposits |
| 157000 mi US $1500 |
Turbo replaced prior to failure, due to repeated CEL and out-of-spec turbo shaft play |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
115-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 48000 mi US $120 |
Replace thermostat |
| 65000 mi US $250 |
Oxygen sensor replaced. |
| 110000 mi US $31699 |
Check engine went on due to problems with fuel pump. Owner st least patrtially at fault as lately was driving with less than half a gallon only in the tank. |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
115-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 106000 mi US $1900 |
The car was overheating because the water pump failed. |
| 85000 mi US $1500 |
also had to repair the ignition system |
| 89000 mi | Car misfired on start. Cause was traced to a loose wire on plug 3. |
| 94000 mi US $100 |
The crank shaft position sensor needed to be replaced. Car was cutting off after a short period. |
| 96000 mi US $150 |
Had to replace oil pan due to stripped oil plug thread. |
| 76000 mi US $250 |
spark plug cables rusted. Needed to be changed. |
| 92000 mi US $1400 |
Engine overheated; necessitated replacement of cooling fan, water pump, timing belt, temperature sensor |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
turbocharged 90hp 1.9L I4 Diesel 5-speed manual FWD
| 64000 mi US $1650 |
Car was in the shop:1) to replace shocks and install a lift kit; 2) timing belt replacement; 3) leaking diesel fuel injection pump. Pump was on national back order with VW (!), so I had it rebuilt and reinstalled. Cost of shop visit includes the suspensi |
| 77000 mi US $300 |
Needed intake manifold and EGR cleaning from accumulated sludge. |
| 78000 mi | engine goes into limp mode with no other indications of trouble, no CEL. Error codes were ambiguous. Mechanic, a TDI specicialist, says he's never seen anything like it before. Problem is less frequent now, but occasional. |
| 122200 mi US $188 |
Needed to replace the glow plug harness and two glow plugs |
| 69440 mi C $10 |
Turbo started to make sucking noise. Finally got around to bringing it into the shop (needed an oil change anyway). The pipe was still connected, but the clamp was missing. Shop replaced clamp. Cost $80 for LOF and new clamp. |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
turbocharged 180hp 1.8L I4 6-speed manual FWD
| 75500 mi US $2500 |
Ten-year-old Garrett T-28 BB Turbo went south. APR III system. If original owner it's covered. Unfortunately I'm not. Can't fully rebuild BB Turbo. $1,650 cost of Turbo- the rest labor to take out and install. Not related to any other issues. |
| 54000 mi US $5 |
Secondary air injection pump rivets failed, pump falling apart and whistling. Repaired pump by drilling out rivets and replacing with bolts. Estimate of $912 for replacement of part by dealer. |
| 56000 mi US $45 |
Engine was not reaching operating temperature. Found thermostat was sticking open. Replaced thermostat. |
| 43500 mi US $190 |
Leaking vacuum line for intake. Replaced. Valve cover gasket and cam chain tensioner seal leaking oil. Replaced. |
| 61000 mi US $250 |
Coolant leak from flange on side of head Vacuum hose broke while being removed for coolant flange repair. |
| 89900 mi C $3000 |
Exhaust down pipe broke at flex point |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
turbocharged 180hp 1.8L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 133500 mi US $550 |
Fuel pump replaced. |
| 140000 mi | Check engine light came on. Shop determined the catalytic converter is going. Estimated repair cost of $1500. Check engine light went back off. Chose not to repair. Will be car shopping this winter. |
| 143200 mi US $575 |
Replace leaky valve cover gasket. |
| 157000 mi US $340 |
Replaced clamps. |
| 145800 mi US $377 |
Replace thermostat |
| 135300 mi | Engine replacement |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
turbocharged 180hp 1.8L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 62000 mi US $2000 |
The overall cost of my issue was around $1000 in parts and the dealer charged me a little over $1000. This is one of the main reasons I might switch car companies, just because of the cost of repairs..... |
| 64000 mi US $125 |
Bad cooling sensor, intermittent check engine light. |
| 145000 mi US $375 |
Thermostat jammed causing overheating. Leaking rad hose also replaced at this time. |
| 151000 mi US $145 |
Within 10 days: CEL came on, car started to overheat, A/C went out and clutch started to slip. I was quoted between $4500-6000 in total repair costs. The only thing spent money on was replacing the cooling system fan switch. Sold to mechanic. |
| 97000 mi US $160 |
Check engine light came on for faulty coolant sensor. |
| 97600 mi US $460 |
Check Engine light came on again. Hoses needed to be replaced. Check engine light came on yet again. This time taken to dealership and more hoses were replaced and parts relevant to the coolant system. |
| 120000 mi US $100 |
Failed ignition coils. I have had to replace ignition coils about once every 2 years. Symptoms are a loss of power when accelerating and a rough idle. |
| 100700 mi US $58 |
coolant malfunction reset |
2002 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
115-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 58000 mi US $150 |
Car overheated while driving and engine light came on. Went to shop and they replaced the thermostat. Works fine now. |
| 61300 mi US $545 |
Engine sensor was broken and had to be replaced. |
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