Shadow Blue 2007 GTI DSG - 3 Door

[Nasir]

Well, I've been on here for a while and now that I have the car fully sorted, it's time to post some pictures. First, a bit of backdrop from me.

Previously had a string of 'normal MK5s' and a MK4 TDI 130 (very robust car). But, the time came for me to get the MK5 I always wanted, a GTI. So, in late November 2015 I started hunting for one and this one came up. Within an hour of it going on I rang and arranged to see it. The mileage was low and the spec on the car is very high (it has nearly every optional extra) and I knew it was the one I wanted. The previous owner purchased it from Leeds VW 5 years ago. FYI, avoid them, they are complete muppets.

So I went to see it, test drove it, poked it and liked it. You can never fully work out the state of health a car is in on someone's driveway. I ended up buying and drove it back with no dramas (save for my brother getting flashed by a speed camera).

All issues are now sorted and I've spent quite a bit on it. Usual stuff that needed doing. Two Goodyear F1s, new battery, brake pads all around, DSG service, oil and filter change, four wheel alignment and the seemingly ever lasting steering ECU fault. The latter is finally fixed and I am enjoying the car more than ever.

Things I like:
- Fast
- Refined interior
- Good, fun handling with great turn in. It likes to put its nose in and stay planted.
- Feels stable and planted at motorway speeds
- DSG gearbox is phenomenal. The pops on upshift are addictive and something which appears to be unique to my car, it barks on some upshifts from 2nd to 3rd.
- Bi-xenon headlights make the car look much more premium.

Things I don't like:

- Very hard ride. It doesn't hurt my back or anything, but every single crevice in the road is felt and I'm constantly avoiding potholes and drain covers. They are standard springs and original dampers, so old dampers could be the issue.
- The brakes are truly sh*t. How they made it onto a GTI is beyond belief. Great initial bite, but after one or two hard presses they've given up the ghost.
- Thirsty for oil, I knew this from the outset so I stocked up on Quantum 5W30.
- Steering feels quite artificial at times.

So the good far outweighs the bad. I can think of many more good things, but it may get tedious.

I intend to sell the car in a month or two and buy either a MK6 GTI, S3 8P3 (S-tronic maybe, but they're still a bit pricey), Edition 30 or a Scirocco 2.0 TSI (MK6 facelift).

Anyway, onto the pictures.

[S800BRN]

Lovely colour. Nice pics too!
Xenons lift the front end on these so much!

[white91]

Looks great you will have no problems selling


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[Nasir]

Thanks fellas. The xenons make a big difference to night driving too.

I don't have any plans for the car, as I'm selling it soon (I think). If I am to keep it, then definitely a brake upgrade and perhaps some H&R springs are on the cards.

[Nasir]

Yesterday I swapped the Goodyear F1s from the front to the back. So I now have the Bridgestone Potenza S001s upfront.

The difference between the two sets of tyres is significant. I now have direct steering and the steering is much more responsive. In essence, less steering input is required to achieve the same angle of turn. This is purely due to the stiffer sidewall of the Bridgestones. The F1 sidewall is far too soft and ruined the steering feel. Whilst they do provide very good traction and a softer ride, they are not suited to performance cars, IMO. There's a reason Goodyears are selected by Rolls Royce, they're comfy and grip well.

I will have to stick with them now, but it's not noticeable at the back.

[Beej]

That's interesting, as I plan to change to the s001's when my f1's are around 3mm, which won't be long!

[Nasir]

The S001s are very good. They squabble a bit under full acceleration, but that's probably down to the harder sidewall.