So the other day, I noticed that when I turned on my AC (I’d turned it off whilst airing out the car for a minute or two) I was getting a horrific vibration throughout the entire car (06 GTI). It still drove fine, so I turned off the AC and suffered the heat until I could get it checked for over.
I got it to my mechanic the next day and he replicated the problem, but alas, no codes. This is where things got interesting however.
He noticed that when the AC was turned on, the revs sat around 900, but turned off, we’re at 800. Also, when off, the car sounded a little bit rough at the back, almost farty? Almost like a misfire, but with no codes, it doesn’t add up.
His first thoughts for the vibration were the flywheel, which I’m still not ruling out, but would this cause oscillating/farty exhaust note?
Another suggestion was the valves sticking somewhat, which would explain the strange noise, but still not the vibration when the AC is turned on. It should be noticed that the car was barely used for 6 months and then not at all for a further 6 months, due to a combination of working closer to home and then a knee injury, so perhaps the periods of sporadic use didn’t help this.
To be honest, this could well be the end for the GTI, as most options are almost uneconomical to repair, especially when I’m saving for a house.
If anyone has any suggestions, I’d gladly take them, as I’m at a loss for what to do with the car.
