High Mileage MK7 Golf GTi's
Discussion
What are the MK7 Golf GTis like for handling high mileage (over 130K)?
A friend, of a friend, of a friends friend has a Mk7 with over 130k and it looks mint. drives nicely as well I'm told.
I know servicing and maintainance will be a key factor in determining reliability and longevity etc.
What direct experiences do PH'ers have on MK7 GTis will high miles and whats the highest mileage seen thats still a great drive and reliable?
A friend, of a friend, of a friends friend has a Mk7 with over 130k and it looks mint. drives nicely as well I'm told.
I know servicing and maintainance will be a key factor in determining reliability and longevity etc.
What direct experiences do PH'ers have on MK7 GTis will high miles and whats the highest mileage seen thats still a great drive and reliable?
I was having this very conversation with my girlfriend this morning. Mine is on 70 but I was talking about keeping an eye on the market and the highest one that I saw when I looked recently was 180 but I was reassured to see quite a few well over 100. I can't offer any more advice than that but I will be interested to see what comes up. I can tell you that obviously the servicing including the gearbox are important as you know. Good luck with it
I purchased my 2017 GTi on 40k, it's currently on 75k, not particularly high but the only problems I've had is water leaks, rear speaker seals, rear pressure vents and boot drain, I've had no mechanical problems, its a brilliant all rounder and I still enjoy driving it.
Generally robust if serviced to schedule including DSG (if DSG), clutches on manuals are weak. DSG needs 40k service intervals, diff on PP models also needs the correct service intervals following.
Weak point is the thermostat housing, which leaks on them all unless it has the revised part. Other weak points are leaks as above, again its common on them all.
Generally robust if serviced to schedule including DSG (if DSG), clutches on manuals are weak. DSG needs 40k service intervals, diff on PP models also needs the correct service intervals following.
Weak point is the thermostat housing, which leaks on them all unless it has the revised part. Other weak points are leaks as above, again its common on them all.
2016 manual here, 116.5k miles. Tuned for 40k+ of those.
Failures? Usual thermostat leak, an AC leak. I'm a nerd on maintenance, however. Everything done at or ahead of schedule from new.
Original clutch came out at 70k and looked new (upgraded), original dampers came off at 100 (again, upgraded) and all worked well with no leaks.
Unfortunately like any quick Golf many get thrashed, and badly maintained. A worrying number of owners prefer spending money on rice krispies remaps and sticky back plastic than anything boring like brakes or tyres.
Failures? Usual thermostat leak, an AC leak. I'm a nerd on maintenance, however. Everything done at or ahead of schedule from new.
Original clutch came out at 70k and looked new (upgraded), original dampers came off at 100 (again, upgraded) and all worked well with no leaks.
Unfortunately like any quick Golf many get thrashed, and badly maintained. A worrying number of owners prefer spending money on rice krispies remaps and sticky back plastic than anything boring like brakes or tyres.
My 2015 isnt high mileage at only 35k miles however I am about to have to get the common issue of rust sorted on the drivers sill. Im sure it would be warranty but I cant be bothered with the hassle of fighting a warranty department.
The only other thing I've had to do other than annual servicing is replacing the boot badge drain. Not much of an issue itself but can lead to water getting into the boot and rust along the boot bottom edge.
Other than that the last 5 years of ownership have been brilliant. I keep being tempted to lightly OEM+ modify but never get around to it, there isnt much need.
The only other thing I've had to do other than annual servicing is replacing the boot badge drain. Not much of an issue itself but can lead to water getting into the boot and rust along the boot bottom edge.
Other than that the last 5 years of ownership have been brilliant. I keep being tempted to lightly OEM+ modify but never get around to it, there isnt much need.
BEARDYB0Y said:
My 2015 isnt high mileage at only 35k miles however I am about to have to get the common issue of rust sorted on the drivers sill. Im sure it would be warranty but I cant be bothered with the hassle of fighting a warranty department.
The only other thing I've had to do other than annual servicing is replacing the boot badge drain. Not much of an issue itself but can lead to water getting into the boot and rust along the boot bottom edge.
Other than that the last 5 years of ownership have been brilliant. I keep being tempted to lightly OEM+ modify but never get around to it, there isnt much need.
Do these also suffer from the water ingress via the slam vents and rear light seals? I thought the water ingress via the badge drain was very minor in comparison?The only other thing I've had to do other than annual servicing is replacing the boot badge drain. Not much of an issue itself but can lead to water getting into the boot and rust along the boot bottom edge.
Other than that the last 5 years of ownership have been brilliant. I keep being tempted to lightly OEM+ modify but never get around to it, there isnt much need.
normalbloke said:
Do these also suffer from the water ingress via the slam vents and rear light seals? I thought the water ingress via the badge drain was very minor in comparison?
Possibly but I've not had any issues with mine. Mine is parked outdoors in Scotland... so hardly a dry climate! My headlining was wet due to the boot badge drain. The water collected in the hatch and when opening, it ran out the top and into the boot and down the hinges and into the headlining. Didnt cost a fortune to sort though and in hindsight I could had done it myself.
The rust is a pain though. Even my religious cleaning of arches and underside hasnt made much difference.
BEARDYB0Y said:
normalbloke said:
Do these also suffer from the water ingress via the slam vents and rear light seals? I thought the water ingress via the badge drain was very minor in comparison?
Possibly but I've not had any issues with mine. Mine is parked outdoors in Scotland... so hardly a dry climate! My headlining was wet due to the boot badge drain. The water collected in the hatch and when opening, it ran out the top and into the boot and down the hinges and into the headlining. Didnt cost a fortune to sort though and in hindsight I could had done it myself.
The rust is a pain though. Even my religious cleaning of arches and underside hasnt made much difference.
normalbloke said:
Do these also suffer from the water ingress via the slam vents and rear light seals? I thought the water ingress via the badge drain was very minor in comparison?
They do, all VAGs of this era do before they modified the slam vent part with bigger rubber seals. People won't realise they're vents are leaking until they check the spare wheel well and notice a puddle or wet carpets. Easier to notice in winter, as your windscreen with frost over on the inside overnight if you have leaks.Dr G said:
2016 manual here, 116.5k miles. Tuned for 40k+ of those.
Failures? Usual thermostat leak, an AC leak. I'm a nerd on maintenance, however. Everything done at or ahead of schedule from new.
Original clutch came out at 70k and looked new (upgraded), original dampers came off at 100 (again, upgraded) and all worked well with no leaks.
Unfortunately like any quick Golf many get thrashed, and badly maintained. A worrying number of owners prefer spending money on rice krispies remaps and sticky back plastic than anything boring like brakes or tyres.
Manual owner here as well. I would be interested to know what tuning you have done and also what dampers you fitted.Failures? Usual thermostat leak, an AC leak. I'm a nerd on maintenance, however. Everything done at or ahead of schedule from new.
Original clutch came out at 70k and looked new (upgraded), original dampers came off at 100 (again, upgraded) and all worked well with no leaks.
Unfortunately like any quick Golf many get thrashed, and badly maintained. A worrying number of owners prefer spending money on rice krispies remaps and sticky back plastic than anything boring like brakes or tyres.
Jinxed myself - had a lambda sensor fail over Christmas. Looks like Bosch one is only ~50 quid, fortunately.
I have an "Eddie map" which will probably only mean anything if you've ever frequented Club GTI...
Pickled Piper said:
Manual owner here as well. I would be interested to know what tuning you have done and also what dampers you fitted.
Koni Special Active dampers (Whiteline roll bars and a few goodies raided from the parts bin).I have an "Eddie map" which will probably only mean anything if you've ever frequented Club GTI...
Dr G said:
Koni Special Active dampers (Whiteline roll bars and a few goodies raided from the parts bin).
I have an "Eddie map" which will probably only mean anything if you've ever frequented Club GTI...
No, not heard of the Eddie map what is that?I have an "Eddie map" which will probably only mean anything if you've ever frequented Club GTI...
Also for the adaptive dampers are they replacing oem adaptive? Or retro fit?
Dampers: https://www.koniuk.co.uk/products/special-active
Map was written for me rather than "off the shelf". A lot of the generic software for MK7 GTI I don't much like. Big slug of torque/wheelspin that fades away at higher revs when the little turbo runs out of puff.
Map was written for me rather than "off the shelf". A lot of the generic software for MK7 GTI I don't much like. Big slug of torque/wheelspin that fades away at higher revs when the little turbo runs out of puff.
Dr G said:
Dampers: https://www.koniuk.co.uk/products/special-active
Map was written for me rather than "off the shelf". A lot of the generic software for MK7 GTI I don't much like. Big slug of torque/wheelspin that fades away at higher revs when the little turbo runs out of puff.
OK but what I'm asking is did you have dcc before fitting these? I'm wondering how tricky it is to retrofit adaptive dampers as mine doesn't have dcc.Map was written for me rather than "off the shelf". A lot of the generic software for MK7 GTI I don't much like. Big slug of torque/wheelspin that fades away at higher revs when the little turbo runs out of puff.
Nope, passive dampers. See link above or incredibly useful thread here: https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/r...
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