Discussion
The 18 inch diamond cut Monzas were an option aswell. I used to think they were the worst alloys ever but now I love them and have just bought some to go on my recently purchased white mk5 gti.
Yours looks great btw, what do you use to clean up the exhaust tips? Unfortunately just today I've had an eml on mine related to lean running which needs investigating. Would recommend the obdeleven if you don't already have a diagnostic for it, good little devices.
Yours looks great btw, what do you use to clean up the exhaust tips? Unfortunately just today I've had an eml on mine related to lean running which needs investigating. Would recommend the obdeleven if you don't already have a diagnostic for it, good little devices.
Mine had 17” Monzas, which had been painted anthracite. Looked a bit odd on an already dark car and I needed tyres so the only option (in my mind) was to buy some Monza Shadows which are the 18’s. Managed to find some for reasonable money with brand new Dunlop Sport Max tyres so a deal was done.
A few forums say the ride is firmer on the 18’s but I can’t tell any difference.
Edit: I haven’t done much with the exhaust yet, other than some wheel cleaner and cutting compound to get it shining again. I’m still deciding whether to keep it standard or to put an exhaust, induction kit and stage 1 on it.
A few forums say the ride is firmer on the 18’s but I can’t tell any difference.
Edit: I haven’t done much with the exhaust yet, other than some wheel cleaner and cutting compound to get it shining again. I’m still deciding whether to keep it standard or to put an exhaust, induction kit and stage 1 on it.
Bit of an update:
After reading of many MK5 owners suffering from a sudden oil pressure warning only to find the pick up was blocked I thought it would be worthwhile dropping the sump and replacing the pick up and cleaning the sump before the seemingly inevitable warning appears (I guess this will spell the end on many mk5’s).
Despite full service history, at 133k my oil pick up was partially blocked.
Whilst I was on a pit I changed the leaking gearbox plug, but noticed play in the gearbox shaft which is another common MK5 issue causing intermittent gear selection issues. A £20 shim kit should solve it so will order one of those ASAP.
I’ve applied some anti rust treatment underneath too, just ACF50 to protect it until I can decide on a longer lasting treatment.
I was offered a very tidy 2000 Fiat Coupe 20vt the other day. It’s a car I’ve always wanted and it was affordable. I slept on it and decided I’d stick with the Golf. I don’t know why I like it so much but I’m definitely enjoying GTI ownership; fingers crossed for some great summer drives now the majority of preventive maintenance has been done.
After reading of many MK5 owners suffering from a sudden oil pressure warning only to find the pick up was blocked I thought it would be worthwhile dropping the sump and replacing the pick up and cleaning the sump before the seemingly inevitable warning appears (I guess this will spell the end on many mk5’s).
Despite full service history, at 133k my oil pick up was partially blocked.
Whilst I was on a pit I changed the leaking gearbox plug, but noticed play in the gearbox shaft which is another common MK5 issue causing intermittent gear selection issues. A £20 shim kit should solve it so will order one of those ASAP.
I’ve applied some anti rust treatment underneath too, just ACF50 to protect it until I can decide on a longer lasting treatment.
I was offered a very tidy 2000 Fiat Coupe 20vt the other day. It’s a car I’ve always wanted and it was affordable. I slept on it and decided I’d stick with the Golf. I don’t know why I like it so much but I’m definitely enjoying GTI ownership; fingers crossed for some great summer drives now the majority of preventive maintenance has been done.
The GTI continues to be a rollercoaster of emotions.
A great drive, normally followed by identifying an issue and then disappointment when realising how much it will cost to rectify, the satisfaction of fixing it yourself and then we’re back to stage 1 again.
The list of completed work continues to build:
Rusty front Wings replaced
Tyres replaced (x4 Dunlop Sport Max)
Interior Switches (peeling and generally tatty)
Rear wiper (wasn’t working)
Number plates
Wiper blades
Cambelt and water pump
Wet vac interior and carpets
Engine wash
Cam follower (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Underside wash
Driveshaft Noise
Vac pump Oil leak from seal
Passenger door lock module
Rear light repair
Headlights refurbed
Cam chain (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Diverter valve (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Genuine Floor mats
Gen oil filter and oil
Gen sump plug
New Monza Shadows (less originals)
Gearbox blank
Gearbox oil
Hard wired in connector for trickle charger
Changed a few things for preference via Carista OBDU app.
2nd engine oil change
Drop sump and pick up (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Pcv (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Gearbox shims (to sort out gear selection issue)
MOT (passed, exhaust blowing as advisory)
Stainless resonated cat back Exhaust (to rectify the MOT advisory)
And now:
Anti roll bar (rear) and bushes (found the bar itself had snapped while replacing the exhaust). I heard a clonk the other day so at least I know what it was now.
The only other thing I’m aware of is a small leak from the gearbox. A couple of drips after every drive. I thought I could put up with it but it’s driving me mad now so that’ll have to be sorted sooner rather than later.
A scan for fault codes the other day presented nothing to be concerned about; no engine codes or anything too scary. Just one relating to the alarm siren not working (not bothered about that).
I was mildly disappointed that the stainless cat back exhaust isn’t very loud. It’s actually quieter than the old exhaust that was blowing. I wasn’t looking for anything antisocially loud, but a little more exhaust noise would of been welcome as the engine is not that vocal in standard form.
Couple of pics of my progress:
A great drive, normally followed by identifying an issue and then disappointment when realising how much it will cost to rectify, the satisfaction of fixing it yourself and then we’re back to stage 1 again.
The list of completed work continues to build:
Rusty front Wings replaced
Tyres replaced (x4 Dunlop Sport Max)
Interior Switches (peeling and generally tatty)
Rear wiper (wasn’t working)
Number plates
Wiper blades
Cambelt and water pump
Wet vac interior and carpets
Engine wash
Cam follower (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Underside wash
Driveshaft Noise
Vac pump Oil leak from seal
Passenger door lock module
Rear light repair
Headlights refurbed
Cam chain (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Diverter valve (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Genuine Floor mats
Gen oil filter and oil
Gen sump plug
New Monza Shadows (less originals)
Gearbox blank
Gearbox oil
Hard wired in connector for trickle charger
Changed a few things for preference via Carista OBDU app.
2nd engine oil change
Drop sump and pick up (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Pcv (preventative: common MK5 fault)
Gearbox shims (to sort out gear selection issue)
MOT (passed, exhaust blowing as advisory)
Stainless resonated cat back Exhaust (to rectify the MOT advisory)
And now:
Anti roll bar (rear) and bushes (found the bar itself had snapped while replacing the exhaust). I heard a clonk the other day so at least I know what it was now.
The only other thing I’m aware of is a small leak from the gearbox. A couple of drips after every drive. I thought I could put up with it but it’s driving me mad now so that’ll have to be sorted sooner rather than later.
A scan for fault codes the other day presented nothing to be concerned about; no engine codes or anything too scary. Just one relating to the alarm siren not working (not bothered about that).
I was mildly disappointed that the stainless cat back exhaust isn’t very loud. It’s actually quieter than the old exhaust that was blowing. I wasn’t looking for anything antisocially loud, but a little more exhaust noise would of been welcome as the engine is not that vocal in standard form.
Couple of pics of my progress:
Edited by Clem Fandago on Saturday 3rd April 23:43
Looks good!
I’m a fan of the mk5 since Iv got an ed30, first few months of ownership i had to fork out for a cambelt and water pump, chain was rattling and had it done by a local “specialist” which ballsed the timing up a tooth out. Had that rectified and the cam adjuster changed for piece of mind.
Currently mustering up the courage to remove the inlet manifold and get the injectors sent off for testing.
Mk5 ownership can be testing but they are old cars now!
I’m a fan of the mk5 since Iv got an ed30, first few months of ownership i had to fork out for a cambelt and water pump, chain was rattling and had it done by a local “specialist” which ballsed the timing up a tooth out. Had that rectified and the cam adjuster changed for piece of mind.
Currently mustering up the courage to remove the inlet manifold and get the injectors sent off for testing.
Mk5 ownership can be testing but they are old cars now!
Xcore said:
Looks good!
I’m a fan of the mk5 since Iv got an ed30, first few months of ownership i had to fork out for a cambelt and water pump, chain was rattling and had it done by a local “specialist” which ballsed the timing up a tooth out. Had that rectified and the cam adjuster changed for piece of mind.
Currently mustering up the courage to remove the inlet manifold and get the injectors sent off for testing.
Mk5 ownership can be testing but they are old cars now!
I found the miltek I had very quiet even the non resonated version!
I’m a fan of the mk5 since Iv got an ed30, first few months of ownership i had to fork out for a cambelt and water pump, chain was rattling and had it done by a local “specialist” which ballsed the timing up a tooth out. Had that rectified and the cam adjuster changed for piece of mind.
Currently mustering up the courage to remove the inlet manifold and get the injectors sent off for testing.
Mk5 ownership can be testing but they are old cars now!
I found the miltek I had very quiet even the non resonated version!
I also recently bought one for the exact same reasons. Have a C class estate which was bought for big miles but since covid, the only driving I'm doing is popping to the shops and maybe a little spin around the country roads to clear the mind. The C class is 0 fun for doing either of these tasks, the GTI on the other hand is an absolute hoon! Yours looks ace and super clean too!
Exhaust wise you have two options: centre box (resonator) delete or rear box. 2 of my best mates have a vRS Octavia and a MK5 GTI with the same engine. One has a rear box delete and the other has a centre box delete. I have to say I prefer the rear box delete, though it's a little antisocial when cold, the centre box delete is very uniform. Both cheaply available on eBay.
mercedeslimos said:
Exhaust wise you have two options: centre box (resonator) delete or rear box. 2 of my best mates have a vRS Octavia and a MK5 GTI with the same engine. One has a rear box delete and the other has a centre box delete. I have to say I prefer the rear box delete, though it's a little antisocial when cold, the centre box delete is very uniform. Both cheaply available on eBay.
Thanks for your advice, appreciated. I’ve ordered a back box delete and if successful I’ll stick the current silencer on eBay to see if anyone’s interested.
So the back box delete turned up yesterday. I fitted it in the evening and was instantly happier with the exhaust note; it’s now noisier without being antisocial or annoying. I just need to polish up the tips a bit to make it look a bit smarter.
Excuse the excess exhaust paste and poor photo, I forgot to take a picture when I was on the pit:
With the success of the exhaust, I was keen to tackle one of the many oil leaks that plague these cars (gearbox output shaft seal). This involves removing the driveshaft and removing the coupling, which in itself isn’t a big deal however on removing the lower ball joint two of the three studs sheared. These were chiselled out and replaced with good quality bolts and lock nuts as a temporary fix until I can replace the ball joint.
The offending seal:
The issue:
The repair only cost £6 so if it stops one of the many leaks and all I need to do is replace that ball joint I’ll be happy with that.
Excuse the excess exhaust paste and poor photo, I forgot to take a picture when I was on the pit:
With the success of the exhaust, I was keen to tackle one of the many oil leaks that plague these cars (gearbox output shaft seal). This involves removing the driveshaft and removing the coupling, which in itself isn’t a big deal however on removing the lower ball joint two of the three studs sheared. These were chiselled out and replaced with good quality bolts and lock nuts as a temporary fix until I can replace the ball joint.
The offending seal:
The issue:
The repair only cost £6 so if it stops one of the many leaks and all I need to do is replace that ball joint I’ll be happy with that.
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