- Big post, but lots of pictures! -
Ever since I got rid of company cars, I wanted a Mk5 Golf GTI as a daily. I wanted red, 3 door, DSG, leather, a sunroof, heated seats, blue tints, 18 inch Monzas - yep, I’m picky.
So for the fourth time, I started looking again recently... and found exactly what I was looking for but in black. I thought about it for a long time and I was happy to take black over red, because the trade-off meant I could get the very distinct reg number: 06G71
This will be a project for a while but it’s already coming together nicely. Here are the headlines:
Irish car with that great registration number 06G71
214,621 kms as of today.
DSG box with paddles. It's unbelievably smooth, well looked after.
Diamond Pearl Black / Black Magic paint with “Pure Beige” interior, tanned leather with heated front seats (Factory PR code WL2).
Black carpets, beige roof liner. Carpets are original with VW stickers just about readable.
A rare option of centre sliding cup holder cover. And yes - it also has the VW bottle opener too.
18inch Monza/Detroit wheels - the same style as the 17inch standard ones, but gives it more presence in 18inch. These are original, VW stamped. Not replicas. (Factory PR code PJ8)
Blue factory tints - I loved seeing these when the Mk5 GTI came out first, they're most noticeable in direct sunlight.
Electric sunroof with no leaks. Both tilt and slide, with manual cover. Makes the car look great.
Covered cigarette tray with original 12v lighter.
Space saver spare wheel, lock nut, jack, and wheel brace all intact. Screwdriver and towing eye appear untouched.
Rear cup holders in the centre console and rear heating ducts - both seem to be very rare.
Centre leather covered armrest with cooling storage. (Factory PR code 6E3).
Rear fold down armrest with boot access flap.
Electric seat lumbar support - both driver and passenger side.
Auto dipping rearview mirror.
The storage net under the parcel shelf is in perfect condition.
Genuine Mk5 GTI leather owners manual wallet.
...This thing had a massive options list for an Irish car.
It had 5 owners (the first was a dealership) and it’s clear to see that the car has been (mostly) absolutely cherished. The last owner (the one I bought it from) was big into maintaining the car mechanically but not cosmetically, so it looked tired when I got it, but had been meticulously serviced and maintained as a result. Example though, number plates faded, not regularly washed, bulbs gone, handprints on the windows, never tyre-shined, brake dust build up on the wheels, calipers gone flakey etc etc. It was only driven 2,000kms in 18 months by him; a weekend toy until a new baby took the focus off the car! What is very clear though, is that all the owners were the types of guys who parked it down the back of the supermarket car park where no one would bang a door off it. And now, I’m the same…
Before I bought it, I pondered about the fact it had only some service history, but - there’s a story here! So apparently there was the original GTI service wallet full of documentation, and the garage who the last guy bought it from (Motorworld in Galway, a non franchised specialist) delivered the car to the last owner by truck after they agreed the deal. But omitted the service history on the day they delivered it…. A likely story I thought. But I gave it some credence when I saw how well the car had been kept and loved. I was in touch with a guy called Frankie in Motorworld in Galway who knew about it and went looking - but didn’t come up with anything. So if you know Frankie in Motorworld I have a big voucher for himself and the missus for a dinner out if he comes up with the wallet of history! That said, there’s still some receipts and old NCTs with the car and I’ve already started making the service history for my ownership. During my ownership, it’s already had:
Cam follower replaced. (OEM part) Preventative.
Two thermostats replaced (engine and DSG). One was gone, one preventative. (OEM parts)
Timing belt and water pump done. (Gates parts) Preventative.
Wheel refurb.
New wheel centre caps. (OEM parts)
Rust around the boot badge done. Boot lid not replaced. Still original.
Chrome exhaust pipes replaced. (OEM Audi parts)
New plastic wheel nut covers. (OEM parts)
Brake calipers re-painted in original red.
Osram Nightbreaker bulbs fitted to dips and fogs. Pure white, not blue-y.
New indicator stalk switch, wouldn't self-cancel sometimes. (OEM parts)
New hazard light switch (OEM part)
VW GTI service history wallet. (OEM)
Original warning triangle put back in. (OEM parts)
New number plates with a strategically omitted “dash” (G71). Very discreet VW number plate surrounds. No screws drilled through the plates either.
2x Michelin Pilot Sport 4s on the front. The tyres on it were brand new, but this is a Michelin kind of car!
New wipers (OEM).
Headlight restoration.
Both rear brake flexi hoses replaced.
Painted the front grills back to black (they’d gone grey) but I didn’t want to replace it. I want as many original parts as possible.
A new DSG gear lever surround. Paint was peeling as they all do. (OEM parts)
Two rear brake flexi hoses.
Droplink
Hand detail, all in all around ten hours!
Got it NCT'd. Passed first time.
I’m one of those people who want cars like this to be original and unmodified. And it is. And it will be while I have it. The engine is completely unmodified and even has the original “FSI” engine cover intact. No induction kit or anything. But a few slight upgrades rather than mods that I’ve added are:
The festoon number plate lights are replaced with Mk6 Golf LED units. (OEM parts).
I put the Mk6 Golf GTI interior light switch in. Chrome tipped.
The head unit is touchscreen, with a WiFi tether for Spotify, YouTube etc, but I have the original radio which I’ll more than likely put back in.
The GTI logo inserts for the height adjustable seat lever - covert mod!
So the next few things on the list are:
Get a spare key.
Attend to the rust on the front arches. A typical issue with Mk5 GTIs and it’s not that bad really. Even though I'm picky it's not bad. I hope to repair the arches rather than replace them in keeping with the theme of having it as original as possible.
The driver's bolster leather is worn and has a small rip. Though in general the leather is in phenomenally good condition.
I’m going to try to find that VW dealer that sold it originally and get some of their plate surrounds and a back window sticker. Any help in finding this out is appreciated. It looks to be Western Motors in Galway.
The plan for now is to keep the car. It’s one of those genuine Irish cars that should be kept garaged and in ten or fifteen years time make it out on the show circuit as an example of these cars. It’s not concourse but it is excellent throughout. And I’ll keep that trend by trying to keep it original.
However. In order to get a house and the aforementioned shed, one needs a lot of money for a deposit and can mean selling a car… So it’s catch 22. But it’s mine for now at least.
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« Last Edit: Today at 04:02:36 PM by Cian86 »
