Mk5 Golf Gti buying help

[anonymous-user]

Hi all,

Currently looking to get a Mk5 Golf Gti, saw one the weekend and it looked all ok. No rust around the arches or the boot area. Full service history with 10k intervals baring a 2 year gap 40-50k due to them only doing 10k miles in that time.

The cam belt has been done although all it says on the receipt is cam belt kit. Anyone know if that would include the tensioner? No receipt for a water pump so I take that hasn't been done at the same time. It's on 88k and the last change was at 45k.

It drives well, no knocks that I can hear or anything untoward however I'm concerned about the water pump and tensioners. Would they last say another 20k until I can get it done again or would it be best to do it straight away?

The only history it has is the service book and cam belt receipt but looks good, drives good. People's opinions on if they would go for it? Also is there anything I should definitely check for when I go for another look?

[bigvanfan]

I wouldn't let that put you off it as it sounds a good car, if it was me I would just get a new belt and pump fitted after you buy it.
Check the air con works and the inside of the rear tyres for wear ,around 100k it will need a suspension refresh, not much else has went wrong on mine now at 180k still love it

[shtu]

AB57 said:

cam belt kit. Anyone know if that would include the tensioner?

Typically a "kit" includes the belt, tensioner, and rollers, eg http://www.vwgenuineparts.co.uk/parts/vw_golf_mk5_... (no recommendation, just example photos)


If it was me, and the car shows all signs of good maintenance, I'd run it until the next belt change interval quite happily - lots of cars never get the water pump changed at all.

[brrapp]

Have you got access to a code reader? Mk5s are bad for problems with the ABS pump and sensors which lead to ABS and ESP problems a bit further down the line. I suspect it's due to people not changing the brake fluid when required at service intervals as filling and bleeding has to be done electronically.The recognised fix for these problems is ABS pump renewal which can be quite expensive.

[Mr-captain]

brrapp said:

Have you got access to a code reader? Mk5s are bad for problems with the ABS pump and sensors which lead to ABS and ESP problems a bit further down the line. I suspect it's due to people not changing the brake fluid when required at service intervals as filling and bleeding has to be done electronically.The recognised fix for these problems is ABS pump renewal which can be quite expensive.

I had to have a new ABS pump fitted to mine (under warranty) but it was down to a dodgy sensor inside the pump. They were a common failure on many cars and not just VAG cars of the era. Volvos suffered badly from the same fault I think.

[chris285]

If it doesn't say get it done would be my view, it may last but i woouldn't risk it myself

[cuprabob]

The ABS Pump issues with the MK5 Golf are down to the design of the Teves MK60 pump and the internal G201 sensor and nothing to do with brake fluid changes. Initially it required the pump to be replaced but VW released a repair kit for it as it was costing them a fortune.

[anonymous-user]

The car sold unfortunately so keeping my eyes open for now. Thanks for all the information so far. Unfortunately I don't have a code reader, would the Abs fault code throw a check light or is it a hidden code that can only be viewed once the reader is plugged in?

Currently working from a collective of information on buying guides etc on things to check for.

A side note, are the tartan cloth seats comfy? I'd like leather for the heated seats however all of them look knackered and stretched which ruins it a bit for me. Also are the Xenons a must have or will some Philips xtreme bulbs do the trick for halogens?

[cuprabob]

AB57 said:

The car sold unfortunately so keeping my eyes open for now. Thanks for all the information so far. Unfortunately I don't have a code reader, would the Abs fault code throw a check light or is it a hidden code that can only be viewed once the reader is plugged in?

G201 fault shows up by the ESP light staying on after the car is started, instead of extinguishing as it should normally.

[Cheib]

We have a Mk V GTi we might be selling in the next month or two. Grey, 5dr DSG, Leather, Low Mileage, Xenons and a few other bits. Bodywork is a bit scruffy as it was parked on a street in London for eight years. I recently has the Monza II alloys refurbished.

[Peter_booker2003]

Ive had my Mk5 GTI now for 8 months. Been faultless apart form routine maintenance bits tat I've done.

Regards to xenons, they are worth their weight in gold. Not only are they a huge improvement of the standard lights, but they make the front end look so much better. One of the things when I bought mine was it had to have xenons.

I was quite lucky with mine in the case that it has pretty much every option possible including xenons, folding mirrors, sunroof and the uber rare beige heated leather interior.

Love it, but sorely tempted to switch it up for a Ed30/S3 because of the sheer tuning potential.

[thebraketester]

AB57 said:

A side note, are the tartan cloth seats comfy?

Funny. I was just thinking "god these seats are comfortable" as I drove out of London on the M1 tonight. Mine is an Edition 30, so part leather, but I have done some seriously long journeys in my car 400+ miles in a day and the seats IMO are fantastic. Supportive enough to hold you in your seat, but soft enough to not be tiring.

ps. look on the mk5golfgti forum. there is usually a healthy stream of cars for sale on their, most of which have been looked after.

[xjay1337]

AB57 said:

The car sold unfortunately so keeping my eyes open for now. Thanks for all the information so far. Unfortunately I don't have a code reader, would the Abs fault code throw a check light or is it a hidden code that can only be viewed once the reader is plugged in?

Currently working from a collective of information on buying guides etc on things to check for.

A side note, are the tartan cloth seats comfy? I'd like leather for the heated seats however all of them look knackered and stretched which ruins it a bit for me. Also are the Xenons a must have or will some Philips xtreme bulbs do the trick for halogens?

The Mk5 GTI is one of the most coveted car online in terms of guides, information etc.
Decent service history is a must
Any GTI I bought would get the sump dropped, pickup changed, new cam follower, DV and PCV valve, all can be done yourself for less than £200.

I'd personally only go for a well specced car, the tartan seats are exactly the same as the leather just fabric.. you can also get heated fabric seats.

I'd go for a car with heated seats, Xenons (a must for me) , mileage etc doesn't matter but a good well cared for car is important, there are many many tatty ones. I looked at 6 or 7 before I actually bought one.

By the way, some cars 06/56 reg, flush roof (no aerials) with Sunroof, Xenons and fully electric drivers seat only, are imports. Not an issue. The only downside is they don't come with an alarm. You'll spot these as the original dealer stamp is in the UAE - My GTI was one of these cars. But they come pretty well specced.

[brrapp]

cuprabob said:

The ABS Pump issues with the MK5 Golf are down to the design of the Teves MK60 pump and the internal G201 sensor and nothing to do with brake fluid changes. Initially it required the pump to be replaced but VW released a repair kit for it as it was costing them a fortune.

The first one I found with the G201 problem, I looked into other peoples experiences on various forums and then thought about for a while. Essentially the G201 sensor compares fluid pressure at the ABS pump with the pressures at the individual wheels. I figured that if the fluid had degraded towards the brake side of the system more than at the reservoir/pump side then that might have caused the problem as it would show as an imbalance of pressure. I bled and flushed the system and cleared the code and it cured the problem. Since then I've fixed another 5 or 6 in the same way. Only had one that actually needed work to the pump.
The service schedule calls for a full brake fluid flush every 2 years but because you need to do it electronically via Vagcom, I reckon a lot of 'technicians' just miss this bit out from the service which causes the problem after it's been missed 2 or 3 times.

[thebraketester]

xjay1337 said:

You'll spot these as the original dealer stamp is in the UAE - My GTI was one of these cars. But they come pretty well specced.

..... and full of sand.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for all the feedback again. Im only interested in a manual so the DSG and it's problems don't really concern me. Im going to head over to the Mk5 gti forum and have a look for cars on there as well along with buying advice. Going to look at one this weekend at a dealers just to see what it's like with tartan seats and 17 inch wheels.

Is there any easy way to identify Xenons from pictures? I take it there won't be a Headlight adjustment near the headlight switch and they should be fitted with Headlight washers?

I take it the leather seats all come with heated? I always look out for the switches anyway. Finding one with Xenons and heated leather for a fair price is hard work!

[xjay1337]

Xenosn are very easy to spot..... they have projector lenses and as you say, no internal height adjustment.
They are well worth holding out for.

[Belle427]

I was looking myself a few weeks ago and spotted this one, a bit expensive but looks very nice.
Im going to wait a while as i fancy an edition 30 instead.

http://www.curdworthmotorcompany.co.uk/used-cars/v...

[xjay1337]

Belle427 said:

I was looking myself a few weeks ago and spotted this one, a bit expensive but looks very nice.
Im going to wait a while as i fancy an edition 30 instead.

http://www.curdworthmotorcompany.co.uk/used-cars/v...

About £2k overpriced.
And it's totally stock.

No heated seats, no xenons, no cruise, no sunroof.

Boggo basic.

[Belle427]

xjay1337 said:

About £2k overpriced.
And it's totally stock.

No heated seats, no xenons, no cruise, no sunroof.

Boggo basic.

Id agree about the price, the options dont really bother me that much.
Its very difficult to find a good one that has not been modified in some way.