VW Golf MK7 & MK7.5 Rear Suspension Noise

Don't buy a used VW Golf MK7 or even a MK7.5 model until you read my story relating to the VW Golf MK7 rear suspension problem that has plagued many vehicles within the VW MK7 range since the model was introduced at the back end of 2012.

This is my story dating from August 2014 to August 2020 that relates to rear suspension noise.

The suspension noise generally effects those vehicles fitted with multi-link independent rear suspension. The sound is like a hollow popping, bobbling, rattling sound or as described by some as a load of logs rolling around in the boot. The actual rear suspension just rattles over certain imperfections in the road surface such as sharp ridges, broken or uneven tarmac, speed reducers, manhole and other inspection covers etc.

The problem according to Volkswagen lay with the rear shock absorbers - but they could not or would not fix it!

Soon after the model was introduced, owners complained of an unusual and intrusive noise from the rear of their cars. Everything was blamed for the noise, such as rear seats, exhaust, rear hatch, boot floor, parcel shelf, tyres and everything in-between. Naturally VW would have you believe that you are the first person to report such a problem. Eventually after approximately 12-months VW came up with a “revised shock absorber” that would eliminate the noise. The only problem being, is that for many owners the noise has not been eliminated.

On June 4th 2015: It was official, well according to an e-mail I received from the UK Executive Office of Volkswagen - the Golf MK7 rear suspension noise was a “characteristic of the model” and not a fault.

Really! - so why VW did you keep changing the shock absorbers and other suspension components if the noise is a characteristic. If it was a so-called characteristic then it would be on all cars within the model variations that are afflicted by this noise, but apparently it isn’t. Therefore is this a manufacturing defect only afflicting some cars?

Volkswagen, out of interest, when did you decide that this fault should now be conveniently be referred to as a characteristic and who decided this, the dealer, VWUK, VW Germany or someone sat behind a desk in Milton Keynes? If this is the official line taken by the manufacturer then prove it.

It took you a long time indeed to call this a characteristic and I wonder why! If you genuinely believed this noise was a characteristic then tell your customers before they part with their money. Why not put this in the sales brochure that a characteristic of this model is a rattle from the rear suspension.

This is the reason owners experience a rattle. The piston rod is loose within the barrel of the Sachs rear shock absorbers. Just let the video run and you will see what I mean as I hit one of the shock absorbers. If the wheel is raised off the ground it then becomes far more obvious.


On June 25/06/2015:
The noise was then referred to by VWUK as a residual noise and not a "characteristic of the model". Volkswagen you were making this up as you went along - you were truly hopeless. You left many owners world-wide over the past 5-years without a hope in hell of you resolving the issue. Even now I receive many emails from north, south, east & west of our planet from people just like me who were regretting their purchase simply because of a pair of poorly manufactured shock absorbers.

Why am I publicizing my experience on this web site. Because Volkswagen deserved it as many owners are, or have been in a similar position to myself of spending good money on a car that came with a rear suspension system that could sound worse than an empty Ford transit van over certain road surfaces. Volkswagen deserve it because we expect better these days. At the start of my problems we were in the year 2015 and shock absorbers had been around for over 100 years, so by now you would have thought that engineering of these simple components would have been improved and perfected - not so in the case of VW.

I created the original website in 2015 to help existing owners who might benefit, and for potential new owners of the these cars who need to be aware there is a possibility of buying the same problem unless Volkswagen have done something to improve the design & manufacturing of the components. If the likes of Bilstein & Koni can produce a shock absorber that does not rattle then VW should also be able to do the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aOK-BAk_To 25k views
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMk9-DBHYxw 7.4k views
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN3-8Ib4k_g 36k views
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bvS3g2vXFI 49k views

I am telling the truth about the rear suspension noise affecting variants of the VW MK7 model and Volkswagens arrogant attitude and response to its customers.............. read more on my story.

Updated 08/08/2020