My MKV Golf GTI

[p4cks]

Following the sale of my Abarth 500 I needed a new car, and decided upon a Golf GTI.

This one has these optional extras:
Heated cloth seats
Reverse sensors
Auto wipers/lights
6 disc changer

And it cost me a paltry £2,850. For that you get a 2 owner, FSH, cambelt service done at the start of the year and 133K miles. Quite high yes, but not for these cars. There are some around this price bracket for 210K miles so I know that the engine is good for some years to come.

There's a couple of dents and scuffs here and there but thankfully, everything works as it should. I'll get a few more photos when the weather is decent but for now this is what I have

[p4cks]

I also gave the interior a clean too, photos below.
And thanks for the info on the common issue, I've actually bookmarked the guides already as I intend on doing them all in a oner. Other than necessary maintenance I don't intend on spending any money on performance updates or the like

Back to the photos:

[p4cks]

Thanks guys - and you're correct in thinking that I've no interest in spending unnecessary money on upgrades. If something breaks, I'll fix it. That's the stance I'm taking.

Also the warning light on the dash is to let you know that there's a door open

[p4cks]

Good news and bad news.

Good news - managed to get a brand new PCV valve for £25 (about half the normal price) so will fit that this weekend if it doesn't snow.

Bad news - Trying to remove the transponder chip from the only key to replace it into a new key fob and stupidly managed to break it, deeming the car immobile. Got a mobile locksmith out and he programmed a new transponder for £80.

[p4cks]

xjay1337 said:

Good price that. So many people pay like £300

He said he could supply, cut and programme a new key fob for £100.

The £80 in this instance was just for the transponder inside the key... The blade, housing and circuit board were the original ones.

[p4cks]

So then I fitted my PCV valve and one of the hoses disintegrated so I've had to order a new one. Quick fix involved duct tape wrapped tight around it which seems to have done the trick until the new one arrives.

Damn it!

[p4cks]

Was hoping that some bits would arrive by this weekend so I can do some work on it, namely a new charcoal canister breather hose to try and combat the inconsistently illuminated EML showing a 'P0441 EVAP Emission Control Sys: Incorrect Flow' but alas it didn't turn up.

So I gave it a polish.

For those interested these were the ingredients I used:
1 x Eastern European hand wash
Poorboys Black hole polish
Autoglym HD wax
Meguiars Endurance tyre gel




According to my Excel spreadsheet it stands me at £3,036.66 which I feel is bloody good VFM. As I've said I'm not planning to spend any unnecessary money on it but having said that if it needs something fixed it'll be fixed. Doing a polish is a great opportunity to get acquainted with the paintwork and it's got a few blemishes which is as expected for the mileage. There's even bare metal on the bootlid and surprisingly it's not rusted whatsoever, the paint VW applied is superb and very hard wearing.

Jobs planned:
Fit that bloody breather hose
Fit that hose from the PCV valve
Fit a new cam follower (preventative action)
Fit a new diverter valve (preventative action)
Following the viewing of a few YouTube videos - have a crack at refurbishing the wheels

[p4cks]

Yep they're great value for money, and it's good to budget for those necessary preventive jobs that have been mentioned (PCV valve, diverter valve, oil pick up thingamajig, cam follower) as they're all relatively cheap fixes.

I've done the PCV valve and I'm planning on doing the others soon too.

[p4cks]

bstw said:

What are the symptoms of a failing PCV and did you notice any difference after it was replaced?

Rough idle I'm led to believe, although I replaced it as a preventative rather than a necessity

[p4cks]

Yesterday I was driving along and pulled up to some traffic lights and the car was running rough. Plugged my £20 code reader in and out came a P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire error message, which I knew was a fairly common problem on VWs of this age.

I knew that chances are it'd be the ignition coil so I went on carparts4less and ordered a new Bosch one, along with 4 new Denso plugs all in for £36.22 delivered. The parts were amazingly delivered today so I fitted them in about 15 minutes this evening.

It was clear to see having removed them what the problem was...

Duff coil


Knackered plug

[p4cks]

I had no idea! Oh well.

[p4cks]

xjay1337 said:

Before you bought a new coil did you approach VW to see if they would do it FoC?
There is a recall out. My 2006 model had it done free.

You may find other coils start failing soon - i'd replace all personally but glad it's back up and working!

Correction...

When I contacted my local VW dealership about a claim for the rusty front wings they mentioned that there was an outstanding recall for the coil packs, so when it's in in May(!) for the assessment they'll look at the remaining three coil packs then.

[p4cks]

While attempting to change the cam follower for a new one I managed to snap the connector on the top of the high pressure fuel pump.

After the initial panic I found a replacement which will be delivered in the next couple of days and also managed to bodge a temporary repair after a bit of Googling which involved (copious amounts of) superglue.

The design is ste.

[p4cks]

Blaster72 said:

I was more worried about stripping the bolt threads when I did mine. How the heck did you manage to break that connector?

Because bakelite

[p4cks]

Blaster72 said:

That plastic gets a tad brittle doesn't it!

How was the cam follower, in the end mine looked ok with just a bit of wear after 80k miles

It certainly does!

And I didn't get to the cam follower in the end, no point as I'll be replacing the fuel pump so when that arrives I'll do it all in a oner. I'm expecting a bit of wear as mine's done 136K miles.

Next job is to fit the new oil pick up pipe but I might just leave that to my mechanic to do

[p4cks]

Quick update

I see the Photobucket extortion racket have ruined another thread.

Anyway... It's booked in for a full service and to have the cam follower, oil pick up pipe and diverter valve replaced (all precautionary) next week.

I've also got a drive from Newcastle to Glasgow in it this weekend so I took the opportunity to fix the two famous MKV Golf rattles... the one under the dash trim caused by the trim vibrating against each other and also the one in the rear light where the lense rattles away from the housing. Liberal amounts of silicone sealant has finally given me a rattle free drive. For now anyway.

And it's just ticked over 139K miles.

[p4cks]

Wowsers - had all of the above work done and it's transformed the performance. I can only assume the diverter valve was fked as it really shifts now.

It's gone from a 'meh' car to a 'wow' car. Anyone who has one of these I'd recommend changing the diverter valve, even if you think it doesn't need it.

[p4cks]

Went to change the rear discs and pads (£37.50 all in from cp4l) only to be confronted with a seized caliper on the passenger side, which is a common problem on the MKV.

Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr

Bought these for £120 delivered:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volkswagen-Golf-MK5-GTI-...

Should get £40 on eBay for the old pair on eBay as they'll be OK for a refurb, and a mechanic mate of mine will be fitting them for £80.

With a little man maths that'll be less than £200 for new calipers, pads and discs on the rear. Bargain!

Other additions have been a set of 4 Bridgestones for £292 fitted and balanced (National Tyres with a discount code) which again is a bit of a bargain.

Edited by p4cks on Sunday 10th December 10:49

[p4cks]

141K miles and the headlights were looking foggy, as many MK5 Golf headlights do.

I've been watching a pair of headlights on eBay for £107 but was on EuroCarParts and found this Holt's Headlight Restorer for £11.04 delivered
https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Volkswagen_Golf...


And today I went ahead and tried it, and I'm pleased with the results.

Before
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr

After
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr

[p4cks]

Given the 141K miles the car's done the mats were looking rather raggy, so I took advantage of the 20% eBay sale and got a set of OEM GTI ones for £52 delivered.

Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr