VW Golf R32 MK5
Discussion
6cylGolf said:
Very nice
I loved that car but got rid of it in the end because i couldnt live with the fact i was the 10th owner. Thought it would be fine but it kept eating at me
Dbp, dsg. 3 door.
I wonder how many of the 9 owners before you had the same thought I loved that car but got rid of it in the end because i couldnt live with the fact i was the 10th owner. Thought it would be fine but it kept eating at me
Dbp, dsg. 3 door.
So many of them have huge numbers of owners - very pleased to be number 3. 6cylGolf said:
I dont know what state your drivers lower bolster is. The foam breaks apart. I repaired mine by getting a new seat base foam. 80 quid from vw in 2012. Lower cover clips off very easily off the base on the recaros, no stiching just metal clips
Great tip, thanks! It's holding up okay at the moment but might be nice just to have it completely fresh. 
stunning car OP - I miss my MK5 R32 immensely and ive moved into V8 territory now with a C63.
Similar to you i bought my R32 at 23 and couldn't understand why they were stereotyped as being slow - they are fast enough to keep up with most things on the road. Granted, specifically for a 3.2 they aren't as powerful as say an E46 M3 but their totally different cars anyway. Id have one over a GTi anyday - remapped or not they sound like washing machines!
I love my C63, but driving down the same roads as i did with my R32 at night and/or in bad weather, i definitely miss that four wheel drive. Defo something you take for granted with the R32. what tyres are you running? i was on good year eagle F1s on the BBS's and Michelin Pilot Sport 3's on the standards 18s. The Michelins are utterly fantastic.
here's mine on the BBS CH-Rs.
RE the flapper mod on your exhaust, the standard system has been replaced with the Milltek on yours - the valves are attached to the standard rear box. Is your milltek resonated or non res? I put a non res on mine after loads of members urged me to on the R32OC, however after a month it came off as i couldn't face the drone. The resonated is quieter than the standard system.
Trust me when i say that the standard exhaust sounds stunning in all the right places without being intrusive and does not need replacing!
Similar to you i bought my R32 at 23 and couldn't understand why they were stereotyped as being slow - they are fast enough to keep up with most things on the road. Granted, specifically for a 3.2 they aren't as powerful as say an E46 M3 but their totally different cars anyway. Id have one over a GTi anyday - remapped or not they sound like washing machines!
I love my C63, but driving down the same roads as i did with my R32 at night and/or in bad weather, i definitely miss that four wheel drive. Defo something you take for granted with the R32. what tyres are you running? i was on good year eagle F1s on the BBS's and Michelin Pilot Sport 3's on the standards 18s. The Michelins are utterly fantastic.
here's mine on the BBS CH-Rs.
RE the flapper mod on your exhaust, the standard system has been replaced with the Milltek on yours - the valves are attached to the standard rear box. Is your milltek resonated or non res? I put a non res on mine after loads of members urged me to on the R32OC, however after a month it came off as i couldn't face the drone. The resonated is quieter than the standard system.
Trust me when i say that the standard exhaust sounds stunning in all the right places without being intrusive and does not need replacing!
irfan1712 said:
stunning car OP - I miss my MK5 R32 immensely and ive moved into V8 territory now with a C63.
...
I love my C63, but driving down the same roads as i did with my R32 at night and/or in bad weather, i definitely miss that four wheel drive. Defo something you take for granted with the R32. what tyres are you running? i was on good year eagle F1s on the BBS's and Michelin Pilot Sport 3's on the standards 18s. The Michelins are utterly fantastic.
...
RE the flapper mod on your exhaust, the standard system has been replaced with the Milltek on yours - the valves are attached to the standard rear box. Is your milltek resonated or non res? I put a non res on mine after loads of members urged me to on the R32OC, however after a month it came off as i couldn't face the drone. The resonated is quieter than the standard system.
Trust me when i say that the standard exhaust sounds stunning in all the right places without being intrusive and does not need replacing!
C63 would be a good upgrade for it I think: still a sensible car but making a ridiculous noise! ...
I love my C63, but driving down the same roads as i did with my R32 at night and/or in bad weather, i definitely miss that four wheel drive. Defo something you take for granted with the R32. what tyres are you running? i was on good year eagle F1s on the BBS's and Michelin Pilot Sport 3's on the standards 18s. The Michelins are utterly fantastic.
...
RE the flapper mod on your exhaust, the standard system has been replaced with the Milltek on yours - the valves are attached to the standard rear box. Is your milltek resonated or non res? I put a non res on mine after loads of members urged me to on the R32OC, however after a month it came off as i couldn't face the drone. The resonated is quieter than the standard system.
Trust me when i say that the standard exhaust sounds stunning in all the right places without being intrusive and does not need replacing!
I'm running Goodyear Eagle F1s at the moment. Two are going to need replacing in the next six months so might plump for the Michelins at that point - heard nothing but good things! As my first 4WD car, it still surprises me how much grip there is. We had snow this week and I just drove around normally. This leads on to the point below...
Exhaust-wise I'm really happy with it. I have a Milltek cat back at the moment (with the original in the garage). I haven't yet looked underneath but the previous owner told me it was non-resonated, although I haven't noticed any motorway drone. It's definitely louder than all the stock ones I test drove -MUCH LOUDER!
Yours looks really good on the BBS!
My ambition was to keep this thread regularly updated and interesting, but I fear it's been neither! I've owned the R32 now for just under three months so it's a good opportunity to review my thoughts on it.
First of all, it is a great daily driver. Due to starting a new job, I don't drive nearly as much as I used to; I've done about 2000 miles so far and that includes some really long trips to Aberdeen. I usually average about 50 miles a week, which is just shameful! Having said that it's great in the mornings - get in, heated seats on, pootle down to the train station with zero fuss or effort. Plus by the time I get close to the station it's warm so I can enjoy a quick blast! The current lack of bluetooth doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would due to the amount of driving I do. If I decide to keep it long-term I'll get it wired into the factory system I have but that'll be about six months away.
More importantly, the sound hasn't worn me down, nor has the excitement of it worn off. Every cold start puts a grin on my face, every time I put my foot down. Oh, and tunnels are my friends. I don't live far from the Clyde Tunnel (3/4 of a kilometer) and every Sunday I go through it to get coffee grounds for the week.
Unfortunately, there are some issues that annoy me and will have to be fixed over the winter:
1. At some point a previous owner has switched the wipers on whilst they were up in their 'washing the car' position. There's paint missing on the top edge of the bonnet and the wipers 'clack' at the top of their stroke. I can't see any obvious issues so a bit of investigation required but should hopefully be an easy fix. VERY annoying in the rain.
2. There is a tiny amount of rust at the join between the sills and the front arch. I spoke to VW about a warranty claim and they have offered 50% towards the cost of cutting it out, replacing with a zinc panel and re-painting. I'm a bit disappointed with that as VW are accepting it's a design fault but not paying for the whole thing. There's also a touch of rust on the rear quarter panel which I hoped to have fixed under warranty from VW too although they are refusing it because the paint is much thicker on the rear arches than anywhere else on the body. The previous owner assured me it had never had any bodywork done so that's also very disappointing.
3. Mist gathers in both headlights. Standard from VAG!
4. The alloys were in bad shape and the centre caps were missing. I got new caps and then had the allows refurbished in anthracite (tried to achieve a colour close to the leather on the seats). For the refurb I used a company I've used before and been very happy with their work but I'm not impressed with their work on this car. Here's a quick snap:
The centre caps are perfect but the rest has been poorly powder-coated. You can see in the picture there are darker patches and lighter patches. I think the power-coat has been really thin. I've also found a bit of corrosion coming through next to the valve on my driver's side front. As I say, not impressed! I've started to speak to the company but haven't had a chance to go in and show them yet.
Aside from that, I'm very pleased with the car. It's been mechanically faultless so far, which is a far cry from my Eunos! Should hopefully have a good update next month once I've had these things seen to.
Thanks for reading.
First of all, it is a great daily driver. Due to starting a new job, I don't drive nearly as much as I used to; I've done about 2000 miles so far and that includes some really long trips to Aberdeen. I usually average about 50 miles a week, which is just shameful! Having said that it's great in the mornings - get in, heated seats on, pootle down to the train station with zero fuss or effort. Plus by the time I get close to the station it's warm so I can enjoy a quick blast! The current lack of bluetooth doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would due to the amount of driving I do. If I decide to keep it long-term I'll get it wired into the factory system I have but that'll be about six months away.
More importantly, the sound hasn't worn me down, nor has the excitement of it worn off. Every cold start puts a grin on my face, every time I put my foot down. Oh, and tunnels are my friends. I don't live far from the Clyde Tunnel (3/4 of a kilometer) and every Sunday I go through it to get coffee grounds for the week.
Unfortunately, there are some issues that annoy me and will have to be fixed over the winter:
1. At some point a previous owner has switched the wipers on whilst they were up in their 'washing the car' position. There's paint missing on the top edge of the bonnet and the wipers 'clack' at the top of their stroke. I can't see any obvious issues so a bit of investigation required but should hopefully be an easy fix. VERY annoying in the rain.
2. There is a tiny amount of rust at the join between the sills and the front arch. I spoke to VW about a warranty claim and they have offered 50% towards the cost of cutting it out, replacing with a zinc panel and re-painting. I'm a bit disappointed with that as VW are accepting it's a design fault but not paying for the whole thing. There's also a touch of rust on the rear quarter panel which I hoped to have fixed under warranty from VW too although they are refusing it because the paint is much thicker on the rear arches than anywhere else on the body. The previous owner assured me it had never had any bodywork done so that's also very disappointing.
3. Mist gathers in both headlights. Standard from VAG!
4. The alloys were in bad shape and the centre caps were missing. I got new caps and then had the allows refurbished in anthracite (tried to achieve a colour close to the leather on the seats). For the refurb I used a company I've used before and been very happy with their work but I'm not impressed with their work on this car. Here's a quick snap:
The centre caps are perfect but the rest has been poorly powder-coated. You can see in the picture there are darker patches and lighter patches. I think the power-coat has been really thin. I've also found a bit of corrosion coming through next to the valve on my driver's side front. As I say, not impressed! I've started to speak to the company but haven't had a chance to go in and show them yet.
Aside from that, I'm very pleased with the car. It's been mechanically faultless so far, which is a far cry from my Eunos! Should hopefully have a good update next month once I've had these things seen to.
Thanks for reading.
Twin1 said:
6cylGolf said:
Very nice
I loved that car but got rid of it in the end because i couldnt live with the fact i was the 10th owner. Thought it would be fine but it kept eating at me
Dbp, dsg. 3 door.
I wonder how many of the 9 owners before you had the same thought I loved that car but got rid of it in the end because i couldnt live with the fact i was the 10th owner. Thought it would be fine but it kept eating at me
Dbp, dsg. 3 door.
So many of them have huge numbers of owners - very pleased to be number 3. Edited by 6cylGolf on Sunday 13th November 19:15
Looks a nice example.
I had my Omanyts refurbished by Lepsons in Kent. Price included courier to and from Glasgow.
The finish was excellent and was still good when I sold it over a year ago.
I did what they called Carrs anthracite and had the edge of the rim diamond cut per original. The laquer held out really well.
I managed to get VW to repaint the rear arches - albeit they wouldn't blend it without me contributing.
I had my Omanyts refurbished by Lepsons in Kent. Price included courier to and from Glasgow.
The finish was excellent and was still good when I sold it over a year ago.
I did what they called Carrs anthracite and had the edge of the rim diamond cut per original. The laquer held out really well.
I managed to get VW to repaint the rear arches - albeit they wouldn't blend it without me contributing.
6cylGolf said:
That was a few years ago tho, the car was less than 5 years old at the time!
Crikey - 9 owners in 5 years? That's outrageous! Hope it didn't cause you too much trouble. Edited by 6cylGolf on Sunday 13th November 19:15
Bogsye said:
Looks a nice example.
I had my Omanyts refurbished by Lepsons in Kent. Price included courier to and from Glasgow.
The finish was excellent and was still good when I sold it over a year ago.
I did what they called Carrs anthracite and had the edge of the rim diamond cut per original. The laquer held out really well.
I managed to get VW to repaint the rear arches - albeit they wouldn't blend it without me contributing.
Thanks for the recommendation - I'll look into them depending on what the place says. I'm happy to give them an opportunity to re-refurbish (?) them but any issues and I'll look elsewhere to have it done again. I had my Omanyts refurbished by Lepsons in Kent. Price included courier to and from Glasgow.
The finish was excellent and was still good when I sold it over a year ago.
I did what they called Carrs anthracite and had the edge of the rim diamond cut per original. The laquer held out really well.
I managed to get VW to repaint the rear arches - albeit they wouldn't blend it without me contributing.
What was wrong with your arches? Just wondering if there's some information I can gather here to make my argument a little stronger (even though they've apparently been repaired!).
My rear arches had blisters bubbling from behind the paint. This was on the vertical outside faces of the arches - unfortunately don't seem to have any photos.
The warranty clerk had the paint thickness checked and it still seemed to be sufficiently thin to be factory, so the claim was honoured.
The car was a 58 plate on about 42k and that was probably about early 2015 or late 2014.
Could yours be a previous warrant claim? When our mk6 was damaged at 2 years old I insisted the repair was at a VW approved body shop so I had a means of maintaining the anti corrosion warranty. What I don't know is whether that type of work is logged at VW UK against the car? Something tells me it might not and the only back up I have is the paperwork for the repair. Without that any subsequent warranty claim presumably would be knocked back.
Maybe other here might know how this kind of work is logged, or not?
The warranty clerk had the paint thickness checked and it still seemed to be sufficiently thin to be factory, so the claim was honoured.
The car was a 58 plate on about 42k and that was probably about early 2015 or late 2014.
Could yours be a previous warrant claim? When our mk6 was damaged at 2 years old I insisted the repair was at a VW approved body shop so I had a means of maintaining the anti corrosion warranty. What I don't know is whether that type of work is logged at VW UK against the car? Something tells me it might not and the only back up I have is the paperwork for the repair. Without that any subsequent warranty claim presumably would be knocked back.
Maybe other here might know how this kind of work is logged, or not?
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