Used VW Golf Mk5 - is it worth buying?

ariel

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Nov 15, 2005
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Hi guys, just want to collect some info of the car mentioned above. Many says that :

1) DSG gearbox start to create a problem once the mileage hit 100,000km, is that true?

2) Electronic gadjet/system also suffer the same problem at that mileage.

Feedback from Mk5 owners (preferably which already clocked 100,000km) is highly appreciated.

TQ :driver:
 

detomaso_runna

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May 21, 2005
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just buy the car. make sure vagcom first before u buy. be fren with vw people first. all i know the mk5 engine gti is ok. since my audi tt using the same engine. and the fc really good.
 

WGR2233

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Apr 18, 2008
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schedule maintenance is important..after that all car is giving problem when neglect the maintenance
 

ixeo

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Jun 26, 2005
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My brother is driving a Mk5 GTi. No issues with the DSG gearbox whatsoever. He's past 100k km already.. no issues just rattling here and there when going at high speeds.
 

nyantong

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Jul 26, 2008
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The issue with DSG gearbox failure does not affect all. It depends on your luck. So long as you change the gearbox fluid and filter is ok. But usually the component which fails is the control unit.
 

lan evo

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Nov 24, 2003
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i just sold my used mk5 gti last month..

when i got it,it had done 56k.belongs to 1 lady owner.car in very new and good condition inside out.car year 2007,i got it when may 2011 from a used car dealer.full vw service record.

the 1st week i got the car,1 of the ignition coil gone.car sounded like subaru and jerk like no tomolo.

2nd week,the check engine light came up.ignore it,since im going to service the car soon.

3rd week sent the car to vw service center ipoh to do full service include dsg oil change and ecu reset.

the following weeks and months im busy spending on the mainatainance only.dont even think bout remap or other things

bought timing belt kit,cam follower,water pump,rear brake pad to change when it touch 75k milieage.

got whistling sound from engine bay,crankcase pcv valve gone.changed,reset airbag light also.

bought new ignition coil to keep in car when got to know that the car ignition coil prone to fail.

car lost power,suspected the wastegate control valve gone.sent to service center,did a full service and check the valve.the vavle diafram gone.change new valve,car running good again.while in the service center,mechanic said he will check my coil see whether it fall into the recall campaign bacth.car done,didn manage to ask whether the car got the coil replace or not.few days later,service center call me to ask me send my car in to get the ignition coil replace for free.so i send the car in,while the car in the service bay i wait at waitiing area.mechanic hand back the key to me so i ask how much i need to pay for.who knows,coil is free and u need to pay for the workmanship.mechanic joking tell me he wont mind to receive the payment,but it was free from vw.so happily drove the car off.

week after that,god damn car jerk again.1st thing came in mind what the fucking coil the service center change,so drive slowly back home and diy change the coil.lucky i bought a spare one.to my horror,3 of the coils looks old and 1 look new.means they didn change shit,wtf with them.

engine light came on again,suspected charcoal canister system problem.change one of the valve,light still came.change the charcoal canister itself.done,engine light never came on till i sold it.

airbag light reset so many times,still came one.it was still on when i sold it

mileage touch 90k km.HORROR start,tested with my fren m3 in traffic light.launch with launch control:rofl:
after stop for lunch,heard theres noise in the drivetrain,sounds from gearbox.tow to workshop,at 1st the mech said nothing wrong with gearbox.is the dual mass flywheel problem,then replace with a used one from chop shop.noise still there then mech said is gearbox problem have to change gearbox,gearbox alone cost rm12k from halfcut.
doubt what he said since at 1st he said was from flywheel,then sent it to another so call pro shop that do lambo,ferrari and etc.the mech insisted the flywheel problem,changed 2 flywheel from chop shop still got noise.mech still insist is flywheel problem and said a new one should be ok.order one all the way from singapore,after waited for months part reached.installed,still got noice :(
this time the mech said something inside the gbox broken,so quoted a price to get it repair.agreed and proceed,still got noise.so mech said need a whole gearbox change,so chage the whole gearbox again.

car done,no more sound.but when car move from standstill it got minor jerk,sent back to the shop twice and said need to do adaptation and ecu reset.done,still jerk.since it was near to new year and i need to use car,so get the car back since mech said got 3 months warranty.

got the car back and drive for a month,cant really accept how the car jerk.sent back and ask the mech to get it done,waited whole week.got the car,problem still there.ask the mech,the mech said if i still cant accept then he will take the gbox out and refund back the gbox money to me.wtf,he should get it rite instead of suggesting like that,so ask him refund and tow it to another shop to get another dsg gearbox change.

change another dsg gearbox at another place,car felt like new.

drive for 2 months,another ignition coil burn.steering rack and driveshaft got sound..

got real fedup edi,sold it cheap cheap in as is condition to used car.

---------- Post added at 08:59 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 08:47 PM ----------

u need to check engine oil now and then...

it gone so fast

it was the only car in the world u need to keep spare coil and engine oil at the boot:rofl:

will i get another vw in the future?yes,if i can afford.i will buy a new one and sell it after the warranty period:rofl:.used one?NEVER

---------- Post added at 09:01 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 08:59 PM ----------

another thing,when i sold the car.the fueling system also got problem,fuel cut when whether is hot.

this is all common problem,try to google around.u will amaze how many to read
 
Last edited:

teo1957

Known Member
Senior Member
Nov 12, 2006
280
164
1,543
i just sold my used mk5 gti last month..

when i got it,it had done 56k.belongs to 1 lady owner.car in very new and good condition inside out.car year 2007,i got it when may 2011 from a used car dealer.full vw service record.

the 1st week i got the car,1 of the ignition coil gone.car sounded like subaru and jerk like no tomolo.

2nd week,the check engine light came up.ignore it,since im going to service the car soon.

3rd week sent the car to vw service center ipoh to do full service include dsg oil change and ecu reset.

the following weeks and months im busy spending on the mainatainance only.dont even think bout remap or other things

bought timing belt kit,cam follower,water pump,rear brake pad to change when it touch 75k milieage.

got whistling sound from engine bay,crankcase pcv valve gone.changed,reset airbag light also.

bought used ignition coil to keep in car when got to know that the car ignition coil prone to fail.

car lost power,suspected the wastegate control valve gone.sent to service center,did a full service and check the valve.the vavle diafram gone.change new valve,car running good again.while in the service center,mechanic said he will check my coil see whether it fall into the recall campaign bacth.car done,didn manage to ask whether the car got the coil replace or not.few days later,service center call me to ask me send my car in to get the ignition coil replace for free.so i send the car in,while the car in the service bay i wait at waitiing area.mechanic hand back the key to me so i ask how much i need to pay for.who knows,coil is free and u need to pay for the workmanship.mechanic joking tell me he wont mind to receive the payment,but it was free from vw.so happily drove the car off.

week after that,god damn car jerk again.1st thing came in mind what the fucking coil the service center change,so drive slowly back home and diy change the coil.lucky i bought a spare one.to my horror,3 of the coils looks old and 1 look new.means they didn change shit,wtf with them.

engine light came on again,suspected charcoal canister system problem.change one of the valve,light still came.change the charcoal canister itself.done,engine light never came on till i sold it.

airbag light reset so many times,still came one.it was still on when i sold it

mileage touch 90k km.HORROR start,tested with my fren m3 in traffic light.launch with launch control:rofl:
after stop for lunch,heard theres noise in the drivetrain,sounds from gearbox.tow to workshop,at 1st the mech said nothing wrong with gearbox.is the dual mass flywheel problem,then replace with a used one from chop shop.noise still there then mech said is gearbox problem have to change gearbox,gearbox alone cost rm12k from halfcut.
doubt what he said since at 1st he said was from flywheel,then sent it to another so call pro shop that do lambo,ferrari and etc.the mech insisted the flywheel problem,changed 2 flywheel from chop shop still got noise.mech still insist is flywheel problem and said a new one should be ok.order one all the way from singapore,after waited for months part reached.installed,still got noice :(
this time the mech said something inside the gbox broken,so quoted a price to get it repair.agreed and proceed,still got noise.so mech said need a whole gearbox change,so chage the whole gearbox again.

car done,no more sound.but when car move from standstill it got minor jerk,sent back to the shop twice and said need to do adaptation and ecu reset.done,still jerk.since it was near to new year and i need to use car,so get the car back since mech said got 3 months warranty.

got the car back and drive for a month,cant really accept how the car jerk.sent back and ask the mech to get it done,waited whole week.got the car,problem still there.ask the mech,the mech said if i still cant accept then he will take the gbox out and refund back the gbox money to me.wtf,he should get it rite instead of suggesting like that,so ask him refund and tow it to another shop to get another dsg gearbox change.

change another dsg gearbox at another place,car felt like new.

drive for 2 months,another ignition coil burn.steering rack and driveshaft got sound..

got real fedup edi,sold it cheap cheap in as is condition to used car.

---------- Post added at 08:59 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 08:47 PM ----------

u need to check engine oil now and then...

it gone so fast

it was the only car in the world u need to keep spare coil and engine oil at the boot:rofl:

will i get another vw in the future?yes,if i can afford.i will buy a new one and sell it after the warranty period:rofl:.used one?NEVER

---------- Post added at 09:01 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 08:59 PM ----------

another thing,when i sold the car.the fueling system also got problem,fuel cut when whether is hot.

this is all common problem,try to google around.u will amaze how many to read
Superb answer from an honest genuine ex-owner. Thanks! :adore:
 

ixeo

4,000 RPM
Senior Member
Jun 26, 2005
4,788
3,080
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KL, Malaysia
from your detailed story, sound like
1. car had problems.
2. kena con by VW workshop.
3. kena con by useless mechanic. bugger who don't know jack shit ask you change this change that. when don't fix the problem ask you change something else. these kinda fly by night useless mechanics make you waste money to troubleshoot problems because they have absolutely no clue!

please share the name of the workshop so we can all avoid it like the plague.
 

lan evo

3,000 RPM
Senior Member
Nov 24, 2003
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Visit site
from your detailed story, sound like
1. car had problems.
2. kena con by VW workshop.
3. kena con by useless mechanic. bugger who don't know jack shit ask you change this change that. when don't fix the problem ask you change something else. these kinda fly by night useless mechanics make you waste money to troubleshoot problems because they have absolutely no clue!

please share the name of the workshop so we can all avoid it like the plague.
1:obviously car got problem lol
2:goh brothers ipoh( the only service center in ipoh)
3:exquisite marque damansara

fyi,no money has been spare to maintain the car.i sent to the authorize service center to make sure all things done rite.who knows shit happen.

another close mate of mine,bought a used 07 mk5 too.having the same check light problem and airbag light problem.

dont just read my story,google around.

pls dont shoot me,im just telling what happening to me.no point bad mouth the car,i dont get money from other car makers.
 

satrianeo-x

Active Member
Jul 18, 2012
35
9
508
Kuala Lumpur
Sorry to hear about your horrific journey with such an awesome mini beast.

Did you check with other mechanics besides going to the same throughout your journey? Even if that infamous workshop is outstation or faraway? I find that no ONE workshop can resolve all issues. And the GOLF GTI with it's unique advanced technology makes it even harder to find one that knows.

Many a times, the scenarios include:
- they PRETEND they know, and I can sense they are also working within their logical/experience know how to TRY and trouble-shoot.
- Some will say leave it a day, 'hard to say wor... have to dismantle, jack up... etc etc.' RESULT: no car for one day but at most times they are not evenm looking intp your car yet to diagnose
- Some very confident will straight away answer you 'ahh ahh this one mounting issue', 'ooooo proton like this one, use ron97 la... ron95 give issues oneeeee', 'ooo this one engine knocking' of which I am sure what engine knocking is and I can confirm it is not engione knocking...
- me: 'change fuel filter how much ah?" mech: 'rm400 lo boss'... me: eh, the parts only rm100 worrr', mech: ' u go buy me la'... which I did myself at the OEM shop and ask somone else to change for me, for rm50

Unfortunately, I find it best that I verify/diagnose the issue myself if I can help it and able to replicate it without fail, and then show it to the mech. Otherwise, they will tell many TVB series type stories. All times, I just listen, sabar, and say TQ but no thks... and hunt for other mechs. I never leave my car unattended to them, u know how much those spare-parts can fetch in open market?

So yea, I kena many times, like you do. Difference is, with an european marque you tend to pay more for the mistakes they make.
The key to resolving it, is correct diagnoses. Failing which, the cheapest possible parts should be tweak/change to see if the issue is resolve and not jumping to changing HUGE parts, like a gearbox for instance.

I for one, do not trust so-called authorised workshops... I was very taken aback with it by its over-charging on parts and labour. I try not to go to one if I can help it these days. Which is why i hate buying new cars, being tied down by their so called warranty and MUST send to their so called authorized workshop... mehhhhhhh.

AGAIN, just sharing. And AGAIN, am so sorry to hear about your journey, I can feel the pain man. And it happens to the best of us, with a LEMON :(

So is GOLF GTI worth buying? HELL YEAH!
 

ridz1979

Known Member
Senior Member
May 1, 2006
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Friend,

My friendly advise you can check with authorize vw service center maintance track record. Then check with current oowner mode done to the car or any receipt prove additional maintainance done. For example engine oil change every 15k km. If owner do engine oil change every 7.5k km sure got receipt. Same goes to other lub change. Get to know mechanic used to handle vw car. Make a list of car u interested to buy and decide.

There always a risk buying 2nd hand car but we need to minimize the risk.
 

teo1957

Known Member
Senior Member
Nov 12, 2006
280
164
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- Some very confident will straight away answer you 'ahh ahh this one mounting issue', 'ooooo proton like this one, use ron97 la... ron95 give issues oneeeee'
Do you own a MK5 GTi?

---------- Post added at 07:26 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 07:17 PM ----------

dont just read my story,google around.

pls dont shoot me,im just telling what happening to me.no point bad mouth the car,i dont get money from other car makers.
Don't worry bro, it's true that if we Google around we can read about many horror stories from all parts of the English-speaking world.

I know without Googling, that one brand-spanking new MK6 GTi had a 1 L-I-T-R-E less DSG trans fluid when checked with VAG COM, right here in Sunway Malaysia. And that's for brand-spanking new MK-S-I-X.

As for mechanics, knowing how to change a part and knowing what is the cause of the problem are two diff skills.

DSG, or SST or whatever it was called, is just too new - to our friendly-neighbourhood mechanics.
 

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