Viewing mk5 gti advice

[Tomi9870]

Going to view a mk5 gti this weekend, 07 reg the has done 60k miles, it's a DSG

It appears to have been serviced regularly but hasn't had a DSG service which i understand should be done at 40k? and the cambelt and water pump hasn't been replaced either

Having read various posts if i do purchase the car I'll definitely be getting the above done but is it a must that i should also get the following replaced too from a preventative maintenance perspective?

Cam follower
PCV valve or delete?
Upgrade to GFB DV+
Oil pickup pipe
Upgrade fuel filter from 6.4 bar to 6.6

Is there anything else that should be replaced?

When viewing the car is there anything in particular that i should look out for?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts

[Octoparrot]

I would do the Cambelt water pump and dsg service as you say, but if it's running fine otherwise I'd leave the other bits well alone, I wouldn't expect the pick up to be blocked at such low mileage, just change the oil regularly. The other stuff won't be a massive problem if or when it fails. My car is on 149k, bought it at 114k, runs fine and all I've done is service it regularly, just my 2p's worth.

[roryscott30]

Hi there,

i was recently horrified to check under my space saver wheel in the boot. Water had been sitting and basically perforated away the metal. Maybe it's just because i am in the North of Scotland but the metal on these cars seems cr@p quality. I would be checking sills and as much of the underneath metal as i could, The post of @Pudding  recently showed lurking rust behind the plastics sill guards. Exhaust Flexi downpipe at the front for leaks. Oil leaks seems to be another issue on these from my experience. Working air con. Make sure temp sits at 90 and moves fairly quickly from cold and doesn't hover in the minimum range - thermostat.

 Just from my experience, more if it was manual.......

 Good cars though and i hope you get a good one

[titchy]

If you have or can borrow a code reader may help to pick up any faults

[Tomi9870]

Cheers all for the tips will have a thorough look at it and take my time :)

Re the cam follower, i think this should be replaced asap if its never been replaced?
How often should they be replaced?

[JR.303]

Also if you get it run it on 99 ron and do a precat delete.

[Adrian 200bhp]

I'm pretty sure DSG service should be done every 30k so  ii should be having its second service now. When  i bought mine one of the first things i looked at was service history as its usually a good marker that the car has been looked after. Fantastic cars though so hope you find a good one

[GVK]

40k DSG service 

[Adrian 200bhp]

40k DSG service 

mines a DSG  and its been serviced every 30k in my service book but yes your correct it is every 40k.

[GVK]

Yep, I used to work at VW when the mk5 was a new car.

[Tomi9870]

How often should the cam follower be replaced?

[GVK]

There is no set interval, I'd say 2 years or so.

[Tomi9870]

There is no set interval, I'd say 2 years or so.

Cheers, to be on the safe side I'll inspect it and if any signs of wear will replace for peace of mind :)

[pudding]

Hi there,

i was recently horrified to check under my space saver wheel in the boot. Water had been sitting and basically perforated away the metal. Maybe it's just because i am in the North of Scotland but the metal on these cars seems cr@p quality. I would be checking sills and as much of the underneath metal as i could, The post of @Pudding  recently showed lurking rust behind the plastics sill guards. Exhaust Flexi downpipe at the front for leaks. Oil leaks seems to be another issue on these from my experience. Working air con. Make sure temp sits at 90 and moves fairly quickly from cold and doesn't hover in the minimum range - thermostat.

 Just from my experience, more if it was manual.......

 Good cars though and i hope you get a good one

Agreed with that. The MK5 was definitely an exercise in cost cutting.  Decent galvanising did away with rust 2-3 decades ago, and yet here we are with the MK5.  Interestingly, I never see rusty Passats or A3s of the same vintage.  Same car essentially.

Unfortunately rust will be the undoing of these cars, which is really annoying for enthusiasts who like the car and want to keep it for as long as possible.  They do look and drive really well though, which is why most of us persevere with them.  Replacing wings and tailgates is fair enough and not the end of the world, but structural rust on welded-on panels.......that's when I throw the towel in.  Can't be doing with it. 

The engine is pretty solid though, save for the usual thermostat and oil pickup clogging issues, but having 2 chains, they both need doing at some point.  One thing they are not tolerant of is abuse.  Lots of them have clearly suffered skipped services judging by all the clogged oil pickups and dark brown staining under the cam cover.

Then there's the steering rack.  Everyone will be forced over to the Gen 3 rack at some point because Gen 1 & 2 are so crap.

A/C is super fickle on these cars also, it either works or it doesn't.  There doesn't seem to be any middle ground.

So all in all, these cars can be potentially ruinous to own, so get the youngest, lowest mileage, best condition one you can afford!

In spite of that laundry list of faults, I still love driving the sodding thing 

[Tomi9870]

Hi there,

i was recently horrified to check under my space saver wheel in the boot. Water had been sitting and basically perforated away the metal. Maybe it's just because i am in the North of Scotland but the metal on these cars seems cr@p quality. I would be checking sills and as much of the underneath metal as i could, The post of @Pudding  recently showed lurking rust behind the plastics sill guards. Exhaust Flexi downpipe at the front for leaks. Oil leaks seems to be another issue on these from my experience. Working air con. Make sure temp sits at 90 and moves fairly quickly from cold and doesn't hover in the minimum range - thermostat.

 Just from my experience, more if it was manual.......

 Good cars though and i hope you get a good one

Agreed with that. The MK5 was definitely an exercise in cost cutting.  Decent galvanising did away with rust 2-3 decades ago, and yet here we are with the MK5.  Interestingly, I never see rusty Passats or A3s of the same vintage.  Same car essentially.

Unfortunately rust will be the undoing of these cars, which is really annoying for enthusiasts who like the car and want to keep it for as long as possible.  They do look and drive really well though, which is why most of us persevere with them.  Replacing wings and tailgates is fair enough and not the end of the world, but structural rust on welded-on panels.......that's when I throw the towel in.  Can't be doing with it. 

The engine is pretty solid though, save for the usual thermostat and oil pickup clogging issues, but having 2 chains, they both need doing at some point.  One thing they are not tolerant of is abuse.  Lots of them have clearly suffered skipped services judging by all the clogged oil pickups and dark brown staining under the cam cover.

Then there's the steering rack.  Everyone will be forced over to the Gen 3 rack at some point because Gen 1 & 2 are so crap.

A/C is super fickle on these cars also, it either works or it doesn't.  There doesn't seem to be any middle ground.

So all in all, these cars can be potentially ruinous to own, so get the youngest, lowest mileage, best condition one you can afford!

In spite of that laundry list of faults, I still love driving the sodding thing 

I thought it was belt driven hence the 60k interval to change the cam belt? So its chain driven is it still 60k the recommendation to change? What is the 2nd chain for? I presume it makes sense to replace both at the same time?

What year had the gen 3 steering rack? What are the symptoms of a bad gen 1 & 2 rack?