So I can look at a 5 year cost to own on comparable vehicles.

A 2011 VW Golf costs $2824 in repairs over 5 years
A 2011 Corolla costs $2224 in repairs over 5 years.
(Figures sourced from Edmunds 5 year cost to own)

That's $100 / year difference and that doesn't tell me much other than 1 could have a more pricey part but it CERTAINLY doesn't indicate lack of reliability.  If that's fairing poorly then I can live with that if the Golf say is a better driving car or is better equipped in features that I like.