MK5 Golf R32 - number 3…

Yup it's a fair cost over the year, some years you get lucky and sometimes you don't. I also go out of my way (Stealth racing, 100 miles each way, Worcestershire) for major works. VRS have a great rep and I would go there too however already have the relationship with Stealth.

tbf on my cost this year i did have the top end rebuilt and 263 cams, timing chains, clutch done. It's not normally that much.

I visited Vince at Stealth a couple of times with my old mate who had a couple of Corrados. Great guy with allot of knowledge.

I did hear he had the tool required to replace the subframe bush without actually removing the subframe so was planning to visit them soon.

However, my steering rack is now knocking and whining like a goodun. So the subframe now needs to come off anyway

Don’t suppose you’ve replaced yours yet and have any ideas where to get one? VW want £1,500 for the part alone.

Well last week was eventful, and expensive.



Dropped the R32 off to VRS for its suspension refresh, main service and all diff oils. They had the car a week overall, which meant we were down to sharing my wifes Tiguan for a busy half term. Ordinarily, this would have been fine except when I used it to drop kids off to Nursery/holiday club one day, there was an awful noise which transpired to be broken front spring and top mounts...

So I was kindly leant this old 118D m Sport from a friend to get around in. Its done 150k miles but still felt solid, also sipped fuel, its been a long time since I last saw 48mpg from a car…rookie numbers i'm sure for such a car.



Anyway Tiguan now back with new OEM springs and top mounts/bearings, still need to get 2 new tyres before its MOT in a few weeks.

R32 also collected and very happy, I can’t stop grinning in fact. VRS went with VW Racing-line dampers and springs all round, rather than Bilstein B8 and Eibach springs. It is unbelievably smooth and responsive now to drive. Turn in is crisp, its still settling but the ride height is maybe only a smidge lower than OEM, damping is much better and even some of the interior rattles have gone! With the new suspension and diff oils changed and a proper 4 wheel alignment, I can really feel cornering speeds are now much faster. The grip and stability are on another level. They also repaired the rear alloy wheel so no more droning around 60mph.







Their painter got the last 2 digits of the colour code the wrong way round when tackling the rear brake calipers, so they very nearly ended up baby BMW blue, thankfully they realised that wasn’t quite right and had another go.



As usual I can’t recommend VRS enough, got a surprise appearance from Calvin from CCD, who turned up when I collected the car #onit etc

but not

Apparently, the 19" Tiguan Wheels just about fit the R32 if you're into that look, and you don't have to worry about the corroding centre caps, ha ha!

I upgraded to the Gen 3 Steering Rack last month. It was time consuming, but I wouldn't say difficult; around 8 hours in all I'd say once you've added fitting the modified loom. Also treated it to three new engine mounts.

Some people stick with the Gen 2 rack but it's definitely worth upgrading if you have problems. The Gen 3 rack is noticeably beefier and has a larger wiring loom to match. I've read some people are on there third Gen 2 rack and i'm not sure why people put themselves through that pain.

Had four new Goodyear Assymetric 6 tyres fitted and a Hunter Wheel Alignment to finish it off. What a difference!


The next thing keeping me up at night now is the wheels. One UK winter and the Omanyts are starting to spider web. I HATE diamond cut wheels but at the same time don't want to loose the OEM look and cut back the wheels.

My options really are;

- Paint the whole wheel as you have
- Diamond cut them, but this will change the profile of the wheel slightly and the corroding will come back much easier that OEM finish
- Go for a set of Passat R32 18" wheels. These are 1/2 inch wider and stick out about 5 mil more, so are a nice OEM+ enhancement.

I’m usually pretty happy if I get 18k out of a set of rear tyres.

I’ve generally got on well with Good Year Asymmetric 6’s. They tend to be a bit cheaper than Michelin’s too.

I don’t think your running costs are too bad when you consider how much a new car could cost in depreciation alone. I’m also in the camp of trying to keep in an olde car with a nice engine for as long as I can.

Saw a grey 32 today. They still look amazing to my eyes, I think they are aging well. . I miss my edition 30

Bodywork and rust is a concern, particularly on higher mileage cars driven all year round. How long have you had your 32 for and how many miles have you done in it?

Just checked the invoice and they didn't put the paint code on for the calipers, sorry.

I got VRS to put an APR stage 1 remap on my wife's Tiguan when we got it as it was our only car at the time and I was a bit underwhelmed by the stock 200bhp. Its as quick as the R32 now, with 250bhp and 313 ft lbs!

Another week, another 200 mile round trip to visit a site for work, one of the contractors told me I was crazy for bringing it to a building site. I'll take it as a compliment but in reality it's more than likely its just not a car seen that much on the road anymore.

Need to give it a good clean and headlights restored and protected from UV hazing.