VW Not For Sale: 450,000 On The Clock

Volkswagens have long been admired for their reliability and longevity, but some cars really stand out. So please be upstanding for Roy Dyson’s Mk IV Golf S TDI: 450,000 miles and counting.

So let’s go back to the beginning of the story. Are you sitting comfortably?

Once upon a time (2001) a man called Roy retired from his wholesale food delivery business and moved from Lancashire to Devon, leaving behind friends and family up north. Ray and his wife Doreen decided that they wanted to visit friends and one of their sons in Cirencester so they bought a silver Golf S TDI with just 6,021 miles on the clock.

Being retired, and with a lot of time on their hands, the couple embarked on many day trips and weekends away, along with their frequent journeys back to Lancashire, and the mileage soon began to accumulate, with 30,000 being achieved by December of the same year. The 100,000-mile mark was recorded during July 2004, 150,000 miles were reached in June 2005, the 200,000-mile mark was achieved in August 2006, and the quarter million mile mark passed by in June 2007.

Not all was well though. Shortly after clocking up 300,000 miles, the Golf suffered its only recorded breakdown, when a failed alternator was replaced by the AA at the roadside. This would be the only time that the car wouldn’t make it home under its own power; and that includes the time that Roy and Doreen got stuck in a snowstorm and had to spend the night in the car.

The car has needed very little attention apart from regular oil changes and attention to the braking system, and was rewarded with a free service at 440,000 miles. What a lucky car!

So what has changed in this fairytale carriage?

It still has its original engine and cylinder head; it uses very little oil between services and it still averages 54 mpg using regular diesel.

But it hasn’t got the original clutch, brakes, wheel bearings, cambelt or tyres;.So, no surprises there. If it did I should imagine the local police would be visiting them quite often with fixed penalty notices.

And, in the tradition of those people who make it to 103+ let’s see what has been done to ensure longevity.

I should imagine a glass of whisky and a cigarette wouldn’t do it too good so that’s something out of the norm. But then it is a car!

Roy hand washes the car every two weeks, and regular servicing and having parts replaced as soon as they are showing signs of wear, rather than waiting until things break or fall off, is certainly a help towards the reliability and longevity.

But, above all, it’s a real testament to Volkswagen build quality and durability, as well as demonstrating the value of regular servicing, and all the signs are that the Golf will still be running just as strongly when it reaches the 500,000-mile mark, some time next summer…