Is the Mk5 GTI actually pretty rubbish?

[Leco_GTI]

GTI's are the type of cars that people buy and beat the hell out of it. And it's supposed to be like this right? And if you abuse the car but keep everything in order you shouldn't worry much or you didn't do your homework properly. Taking a 2005 car, trashing it everywhere, neglect services + other maintenance and expect the car to be reliable in 2017 it's a bit of dream. It's the same with any performance car. You cannot compare a GTI to a Toyota Yaris, a Tiguan or anything that is not in the same category because most of them were not abused as performance cars usually are.

Yep.  In 10 years time people will be saying exactly the same thing about Golf Rs.  Beaten on for 2/3 years in lease deals and then flooded into the market with abuse related wear and tear, which will prompt the new owners to ask the same question. "Is the MK7 R actually pretty rubbish?"

A potential talking point for manual MK7 Rs is Miss-shifting a gear causing a blown engine.  It's happened to several people across the globe.  Is that VW's fault, or the owner's for trying to grab 2nd gear at 80mph?

There is a video on Youtube explaining the miss-shifting on the MK7 platform. They call it "money shift" and you can guess why it's called like this.

My GTI was probably abused and neglected by the previous 5 owners  I had a few problems, some of them are still there, clunky noises, etc. I am sure the car had a hard life. Did I make a bad deal buying it? Yes I did but that's because I didn't do my homework properly and bought the first one that I drove without knowing anything about GTI's. Would I buy it again? Yes, not the one that I have but another example of the same car.

[pudding]

GTI's are the type of cars that people buy and beat the hell out of it. And it's supposed to be like this right? And if you abuse the car but keep everything in order you shouldn't worry much or you didn't do your homework properly. Taking a 2005 car, trashing it everywhere, neglect services + other maintenance and expect the car to be reliable in 2017 it's a bit of dream. It's the same with any performance car. You cannot compare a GTI to a Toyota Yaris, a Tiguan or anything that is not in the same category because most of them were not abused as performance cars usually are.

Yep.  In 10 years time people will be saying exactly the same thing about Golf Rs.  Beaten on for 2/3 years in lease deals and then flooded into the market with abuse related wear and tear, which will prompt the new owners to ask the same question. "Is the MK7 R actually pretty rubbish?"

A potential talking point for manual MK7 Rs is Miss-shifting a gear causing a blown engine.  It's happened to several people across the globe.  Is that VW's fault, or the owner's for trying to grab 2nd gear at 80mph?

There is a video on Youtube explaining the miss-shifting on the MK7 platform. They call it "money shift" and you can guess why it's called like this.

My GTI was probably abused and neglected by the previous 5 owners  I had a few problems, some of them are still there, clunky noises, etc. I am sure the car had a hard life. Did I make a bad deal buying it? Yes I did but that's because I didn't do my homework properly and bought the first one that I drove without knowing anything about GTI's. Would I buy it again? Yes, not the one that I have but another example of the same car.

Yeah I saw that as I'm subscribed to the Deutsche Autoparts channel    I wish we had companies like that here!   There's also a thread on Pistonheads about it from a guy in the UK who's done the same thing, although he's pleading ignorance and trying to get a new engine out of VW.

Same situation with mine mate.  I was actually in the market for a MK1 TT 240 Sport but didn't like it after the test drive, then saw a black Eddy parked up in the corner.  Asked if it was for sale, it was, test drove it, bought it.  My first MK5 GTI.  I knew very little about them also.   As the weeks went by, I started noticing more and more iffy things and righted many previous owner wrongs, and it's a very decent car now   

In all honesty, my next car is going to be brand new.  I just don't trust people to look after things to my standards anymore.

[Leco_GTI]

Yes, it was on the Deutsche Autoparts channel 

My next one will be brand new too when funds allow in the future, same reason as yours. Apart of buying the first one that I drove, I didn't know much about cars in general and I am not a DYI person at all. That's why my GTI still has some problems to be fixed but not enough funds at the moment. And so many things that I want to do but I want the car to be perfect before adding mods.

 

[Molesy]

Wish I had the money for a new car but really don't think that's going to happen but I've always liked older cars tbh

[shaunK]

I'm with the op a little bit on this, i know when you buy a ten year old car you expect things to be wearing out and need replacing but there are a lot of things that mk5 gti's suffer with. I've probably changed more parts on my mk5 gti as preventative maintenance than my mk4, not great when you consider it's supposed to be a new improved version and my civic type r ep3 was so well behaved it was unreal - yes the ride wasn't as nice and it felt a bit cheaper but it just worked, never had to worry about changing this and that because it might break.

Don't get me wrong i prefer German cars but it disappoints me they cant match Japanese reliability at times.

I think this is my bank account talking typing this because i love my mk5, i think it's my bank account that doesn't 

Funny see I had a civic type R couple years back and soooo so much went wrong it.

[pudding]

Was it an EP3?  They liked chewing through electric steering racks and 2nd/3rd gear syncros.   

[Bodyboarder81]

I also run a s2000 and these are thought of as bulletproof....   but as with any car they have issues . Seized bushing can set you back £1500 if they need to be cut out ... they rust from the inside out on the rear wheel arches, which is a £2500 job if it's bad ! As said all cars suffer with issues but buying a good example is generally the key ,along with preventive maintenance ect

[pudding]

I love S2000s, such a great all round package.  This is my dream one day 

[AJP]

I personally view a few 'faults' as wear and tear items, certainly the DV, cam follower, that sort of thing.

There was a period a year or so ago when I had injector problems amoungst other things, and the car was getting on my t*ts a bit. But stepping back and being objective it's actually been a dependable car in the 2 and a half years I've owned it.

As enthusiasts, we really should be enthusiastic about giving these cars the best care we can (some of us are happily spending 4 figures on exhausts, turbo upgrades and BBKs at the same time). My stance is that if the car needs it, it gets it. And if we can take preventative measures against certain parts failing in the future, we should.

The problems mount up when the boring bits of extra maintenance are ignored in favour of tuning parts, or you're unlucky enough to buy a car that's been treated that way in the past - even if you intend to treat it properly, in some cases the damage might have been done.

It's not perfect. But no car is (unless you're loaded and just throw it at a dealer/specialist without a worry if and when things go wrong).

I think if I was forced to live with some of my old cars for a while I'd soon miss my GTI. It's all relative.

[Bodyboarder81]

I love S2000s, such a great all round package.  This is my dream one day 

Love watching the 'LHT' videos .... some very good craftsmanship goes on there .

I'd put a few pics of mine up if I could figure out how to 
Absolutely love mine ...and that the reason I bought the mk5 , as I didn't want to drive it through the winter . So it's tucked up for those sunny days ! Although saying that I'm very much enjoying the mk5 .... the previous owner ( on here ) has done a brilliant job of making it a fun car ! Not a patch on the s2k though .... gets his flame suit on 

[pudding]

I love S2000s, such a great all round package.  This is my dream one day 

Love watching the 'LHT' videos .... some very good craftsmanship goes on there .

I'd put a few pics of mine up if I could figure out how to 
Absolutely love mine ...and that the reason I bought the mk5 , as I didn't want to drive it through the winter . So it's tucked up for those sunny days ! Although saying that I'm very much enjoying the mk5 .... the previous owner ( on here ) has done a brilliant job of making it a fun car ! Not a patch on the s2k though .... gets his flame suit on 

Asbestos suit not required, we don't wear rose tinted specs on here 

Do you happen to know where John from LHT is from?  He's got a strange accent     As you say, amazing craftsmanship and customer service, he's a man after my own heart.  The Civic Turbo they built is outstanding.  They really pay attention to details most other shops overlook or don't care about.

Would love to see pics of yours sitting on it's Ohlins.   Got a Flickr account or something?  Dead easy to post pics.

[Bodyboarder81]

Asbestos suit not required, we don't wear rose tinted specs on here 

Do you happen to know where John from LHT is from?  He's got a strange accent     As you say, amazing craftsmanship and customer service, he's a man after my own heart.  The Civic Turbo they built is outstanding.  They really pay attention to details most other shops overlook or don't care about.

Would love to see pics of yours sitting on it's Ohlins.   Got a Flickr account or something?  Dead easy to post pics.
[/quote]

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Yes that turbo civic build was really nice .... so many beautifully made parts for it .

Think they are based in  Florida

Send me your mob number and I'll whatsapp some over . Can never figure out how to put pics up ... I climb trees for a living so proper thick 


Also check out ' speed academy' on YouTube..... not the same as LHT standard but some great little builds and come across as proper good guys

[Bodyboarder81]

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/uk-ireland-s2000-community-25/joshs-s2k-build-thread-1170995/

Not sure if that will work ... but a few pics there   


Sorry folks , going off topic 

[shaunK]

Was it an EP3?  They liked chewing through electric steering racks and 2nd/3rd gear syncros.

Yes was an EP3 but to be honest I don't think previous owners had looked after it too well. Suspension need completely refreshing as the shocks were shot, multiple bushes had gone and went, chewed through a set of front drop links, air con pump tried to escape on the motorway one day, constant knocking/grinding from the front I could not trace, drunk oil and I mean drunk oil, engine mounts, I'm sure there is more but I can't remember now. If you had it in the right gear at the right time it went ok but normal everyday driving it was pretty slow to be honest. Ohh and the thing rattled everywhere.

I have a friend that swears by Japanese car but my experience has always been the interior feel cheap.

[pudding]

Yes that turbo civic build was really nice .... so many beautifully made parts for it .

Think they are based in  Florida

Send me your mob number and I'll whatsapp some over . Can never figure out how to put pics up ... I climb trees for a living so proper thick 


Also check out ' speed academy' on YouTube..... not the same as LHT standard but some great little builds and come across as proper good guys

Thick you say?

Anyone who chooses these, I beg to differ 



Yeah I'm a big fan of Speed Academy, and 1320 Video and dozens of others!  Lovely colour your S2000.   And yeah, I should apologise for going off topic as well