getting back to topic
..
I've had a few VAG products over the years :
1971 Beetle 1600S - (owned it for a year and half between 1998-00 - Never an engine issue, unless you count the perished fuel lines that made you high on petrol vapour and the constant swimming pool at your feet)
1985 Golf 2 8v GTI - (owned it for a year in 1995 - Ran flawlessly - never any issues)
1992 Golf 2 16v GTI - (owned it for two years, between 1996-98 - Ran flawlessly - never any issues)
1993 Golf 3 1.4 (don't ask) - (owned it for a year in 1994-95 - Ran flawlessly - never any issues)
1995 Polo 1.0 (also.. don't ask) - (owned it for a year 1995-96 - Ran flawlessly - never any issues)
1996 Golf 3 1.8 SE (owned it for a year 1996-97 - Ran flawlessly - never any issues)
1995 Corrado VR6 Storm (owned it for a year 1997-98 - supposed to be a VW approved used car, but exhaust fell off and electronic REV counter failed requiring a new dashboard - all fixed under VW dealer warranty)
1998 Golf 4 1.4 (owned it a year 1998-99 - Ran flawlessly - never any issues)
1995 Audi RS2 Avant (owned it a year 2003-04 Required new DV, Porsche brake disks to be redrilled/cleaned, new wishbone and lots of bushings )
2005 VW Caddy 1.6 Life MPV (based on Golf 5 underpinnings) (owned it 2 years - 2005-07 - Thermostatically controlled radiator fan had a mind of it's own and needed replacing under warranty .. that's it)
and now we run a 1999 New Beetle (obviously based upon the MK4 Golf). We've had it a while now and have done about 58,000 miles on it with no issues.
My Golf V GTI is a 2007,which I've owned since new for two years, it has required nothing and up until recently has been running the stage 1 bluefin software for the last 24,000 miles. It's now on the stage 2 software and has done a total of 26,800 miles and still looks and feels like the day it was delivered.