| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI repairs by problem area
Engine (46%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (10%)
Brakes and Traction Control (3%)
Suspension and Steering (9%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (18%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (8%)
Other (5%)
Chart based on 166 repairs.
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (2%)
$1000 - $2499 (7%)
$500 - $999 (9%)
$100 - $499 (23%)
< $100 (60%)
Chart based on 57 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 256hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual AWD
| 69000 mi US $1000 |
clutch replaced due to slipping |
| 44000 mi | Oil was leaking into the coolant from the oil cooler. |
| 36580 mi | Fault code p0456 replaces faulty n80 emission valve |
| 24000 mi | Check engine light came on with codes p2015/p2010: Intake manifold runner position sensor failure. The motor/sensor module was replaced and codes cleared. |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 200hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD
| 20000 mi | Slowly kept losing coolant. Faulty water pump. Replaced along with seals. |
| 38000 mi US $1900 |
Clutch starting slipping under heavy throttle in upper gears. Thanks, previous owner. |
| 57000 mi | CEL on, code P0299. No boost but no other symptoms. Wastegate stuck open, dealer replaced turbo. Darn good thing I was just barely in the 5/60 powertrain warranty. I think this would have been a multi-thousand dollar repair. |
| 67000 mi US $700 |
CEL. Bad intake flap servo. Just out of power train warranty, after many phone calls VW agreed to pay half. |
| 25000 mi | Coolant pump leak. It had started leaking slightly. To be fair, it would have been preventive if I had acted as soon as I got the recall notice instead of letting it go for six months. |
| 112000 mi US $1000 |
Carbon build up |
| 50000 mi US $1500 |
Intake Manifold had an issue, CEL was on. They fixed it. |
| 50000 mi | A hose wasn't reattached during intake manifold repair, causing vacuum leak and vibration noise at higher RPMs. |
| 21900 mi | My GTI dropped all its coolant on the driveway overnight. It needed a new thermostat housing. Fixed under warranty. |
| 13000 mi | Water pump failed, and it was replaced under warranty |
| 40000 mi | Water pump replacement |
| 69631 mi US $230 |
Intake manifold replaced due to check engine light on. |
| 112947 mi | Turbocharger replacement |
| 7500 mi | Coolant leaking, water pump replaced |
| 55500 mi US $125 |
Engine recorded 3 p2015 faults. Troubleshooting by dealer found loose vacuum hose. Replaced hose. Kept car overnight to ensure faul would not repeat. |
| 56000 mi | Diagnostic recorded multiple engine misfire faults. I spoke to service manager at the dealer, he suspected issue with carbon build up and recommended driving the car harder (twist my arm) and switching to regular gas before resorting to manual cleaning. I did both and problem has not repeated for 3k miles so far. |
| 101000 mi US $130 |
Cylinder misfire, replaced ignition coils and spark plugs |
| 122000 mi US $3565 |
Coolant Expansion Tank was leaking and replaced Replace timing chain guides, tensioner and cover serpentine belt cracked, replaced |
| 132000 mi US $2135 |
Engine Rear Main Seal leaking Oil leaking from camshaft cover at top of engine |
| 78000 mi | Check engine light and very rough start. Dealer diagnosed as an intake manifold failure, broken flap. While teh intake was off and being replaced the dealer also performed the car's first carbon cleaning. After repair, Volkswagen notified me of an expended warranty for this issue and they reimbursed me fully for this repair. |
| 12000 mi | Replace leaking water pump |
| 54000 mi US $700 |
Water Pump was leaking. |
| 59000 mi US $800 |
Radiator damaged and leaking. |
| 43000 mi US $330 |
The diverter valve on the turbo failed. I told the dealership what was wrong, but they still charged me for diagnostics and claimed it wasn't covered on powertrain warranty (even though the turbo was listed as covered). Frustrating. |
| 21000 mi | Upper radiator hose developed a small leak, hose replaced. |
| 30000 mi | Water pump leak, water pump replaced. |
| 55000 mi US $800 |
Intake manifold flapper valve replaced. |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 200hp 2.0L I4 6-speed automated manual FWD
| 69000 mi US $400 |
Running horribly, constant misfires at lower RPM. OBDII reader indicating cylinder 2 most problematic, but happening on all four. Replaced spark plugs and coils. Issue not resolved. Dealer recommend "intake manifold decarbon and cleaning", quoted $1200. Acquired the parts and tools to do it myself. Took two days. Very difficult disassembly / reassembly (requires replacing injector seals too). The carbon scraping - WITH a media blaster (walnut shell), wire brushes and picks, took nearly a full day. After much research, this is a common issue with this engine due to the direct injection design; Subsequent model years had a fifth fuel injector inside the plastic intake manifold to ensure the backs of the valves get sprayed with fuel/ detergent to slow the build-up. |
| 3000 mi | The low coolant light came on; also had a quick drop in operating temperature while driving. Took the car to the dealership, and the water pump was replaced under warranty. |
| 16100 mi | Water pump failure |
| Rattle from turbo waste gate. Clip was attached to stop the rattle. |
| 38500 mi | Water pump was leaking coolant in the engine bay and onto the garage floor. Water pump was replaced. |
| 47891 mi US $50 |
Check Engine Light. Pulled P2004 and P2015 codes. Intake Manifold valve was stuck open. While the intake was off, I had the carbon buildup cleaned too. |
| 70000 mi | Dealer replaced the "Intake Manifold" after several engine light codes surfaced. This assembly must include the sensors that malfunctioned. |
| 48047 mi US $211 |
Engine seized. Valve dropped into piston and melted together. Debris found in exhaust and turbo. Engine and turbo replaced under manufacturer warranty. Price not disclosed. |
| 58565 mi US $289 |
One ignition coil failed. Coil and spark plug required to be replaced. Estimate was $289 for just this work, but I agreed to have all 4 coils and plugs replaced at a cost of $541.88 including taxes and fees. (For the purposes of this report, I entered $289 as the charge.) |
| 41000 mi US $300 |
Intake manifold, turbo diverted valve, and carbon clean. |
| 46000 mi US $311 |
Engine had multiple oil leaks due to failed pressure valve fixed under extended warranty. Total bill $1900 |
| 116000 mi US $400 |
Replaced coolant tank due to being cracked. |
| 68000 mi US $125 |
CEL error code indicating carbon buildup on a valve. Code cleared and started using VW fuel additive, car runnning OK since |
| 25000 mi | Leaking coolant. Replaced water pump under warranty |
| 49060 mi US $125 |
Check engine light came on with a P2015 code (Intake manifold runner position sensor switch circuit range performance). Replaced the intake manifold Cleaned carbon off the valves while the intake manifold was off the car being replaced. |
| 4000 mi | Leaking engine coolant and low coolant indicator. Found to be coming from water pump. Water pump to be replaced. |
| 10000 mi | Check engine light was on. Technicians test drove and could not find problems, so the light was reset and I was told to "just keep an eye on it." |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 140hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 6-speed manual FWD
| 33600 mi | Did not start in cold 32F/28F/and then thaw cycle. Then after several retries, started but quit. Finally started. Web research indicated common issue and 'cold weather fix kit'. Dealer could not reproduce the issue and would not install fix. |
| 36700 mi | Previous complaint on hard/rough start around freezing (but not sub-freezing) temperatures. This time VW dealer installed intercooler kit to avoid ice build-up. |
| 40000 mi | Exhaust diverter flap failed, eventually covered out of warranty by VW. Since then flap now covered to 120,000 miles by new extension of factory warranty |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 140hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 6-speed automated manual FWD
| 38000 mi | Catastrophic failure of high pressure diesel fuel pump. Repair required extensive replacement and cleaning of other systems on car |
| 63000 mi | High Pressure Fuel Pump shattered causing pieces to get into the fuel filter and fuel lines. Fuel system was replaced, even though vehicle was 2k outside of warranty. There have been reports to NHTSB. Maybe contaminated fuel caused it. |
| 8300 mi | check engine light: engine control software required update |
| 39000 mi US $98 |
Failed exhaust flap, part of VW TSB. |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
170-horsepower 2.5L I5 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 98000 mi US $600 |
Valve cover cracked and leaked. |
| 41000 mi | Tech found oil while replacing spark plugs. Replaced valve cover and gasket under CPO warranty. |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 4dr Hatch
170-horsepower 2.5L I5 5-speed manual FWD
| 58280 mi | Water pump replaced under warranty |
| 99820 mi C $300 |
Exhaust sleeve replaced too. Also, rear trunk latch has been clunking -- I extended bump stops to tighten hatch latch. |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
turbocharged 256hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual AWD
| 13300 mi | Intake flap motor failed causing CEL |
| 27000 mi US $2500 |
Replaced clutch bc it was starting to slip |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
turbocharged 200hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD
| 20000 mi | Water pump leak caught on 20k service. Waited a week for water pump to arrive. Replaced. |
| 26000 mi | Leaking water pump. Water pump replaced under warranty. |
| 20000 mi | Water pump leaking. Water pump replaced. |
| 30000 mi | Water pump broke again. Fixed under recall. |
| 24000 mi | Blown water pump. Replaced under warranty. |
| 18000 mi | Intake manifold needed to be replaced due to malfunctioning intake runner flap. Caused check engine light, misfires, and stalls. |
| 75000 mi US $300 |
Replace intake manifold and clean valve, valve stems, and intake port. |
| 104000 mi US $1200 |
Replaced rear main seal. 2nd in two months. 1st new seal leaked from factory. |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
turbocharged 200hp 2.0L I4 6-speed automated manual FWD
| 81000 mi US $500 |
Coil Packs failed resulting in severe misfires. Replaced all coil packs and spark plugs. These were the original packs and plugs, and the car had been "chip tuned" for about 50,000 miles prior to failure. |
| 20300 mi | Experienced repeated difficult start, rough idle, and stall symptomatic of failing ignition coil(s) or fuel pump. Dealer unable to replicate, no CEL or misfire codes. Presumed to be bad gas (doubtful). |
| 28000 mi | In tank electric fuel pump replaced |
2013 Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit / GTI 2dr Hatch
170-horsepower 2.5L I5 5-speed manual FWD
| 39000 mi US $50 |
throttle body failure |
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