Our cars: VW Golf 2.0 TDI 170 GTD 3dr - March

Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI 170 GTD 3dr
Mileage 25,900
If I've got one slight niggle with my Golf, it’s the amount of road noise it generates – and over the past couple of months, that noise has increased greatly.
Up to around 60mph the car sounded increasingly like it had a worn rear-wheel bearing, so it was time for some investigation.

I took the car to Mann Egerton Volkswagen in Swindon (0845 123 9947), because only a couple of months earlier they’d given the Golf its first service at 18,000 miles, and I’d been impressed with the service and £254 cost.

Three hours after dropping off the car, I got a call to let me know that the wheel bearings were all fine, but that the two rear tyres had worn down heavily on the inside edges, to the extent that they were now shaped like 50p pieces. The dealer offered to replace the rubber and advised that I should get the suspension alignment checked and adjusted at the same time. I scoured the internet for replacements.

I settled on a set of Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TTs (£98 each, delivered, from Blackcircles.com), and took the car to Teddington Tyres (020 8943 9550) to have them fitted and the alignment done for £148.60.

An hour and a half later, the work was done. Apparently, all four wheels had been pointing in different directions, and had likely been doing so since day one.
The difference was as remarkable as it was immediate. The Dunlops are quieter than the Bridgestones that were originally fitted, and the car feels grippier.
The suspension tweaks have also made a difference, because the car feels more nimble.

Nonetheless, it’s odd that the suspension alignment was so badly out, because the car hasn’t hit any bad potholes or kerbs.

If you’ve got a Golf and have had similar issues, please get in touch.
Someone else who’s enjoyed the grip is colleague Pete Tullin. Unfortunately, at the same time, he’d hung a bag of curry on the hook on the parcel shelf that’s meant to hold up the boot floor when you’re changing a tyre.

The bag slipped off the hook and the boot now reeks of vindaloo. He’s paying for a valet.

Euan Doig
Euan.Doig@whatcar.com