Mk V Golf GTi Expected Maintenance

rickyjb

I'm currently considering getting an '08 GTi which has just under 50k miles on it. I haven't got a great knowledge of cars (other than a bit of internet research) and what I was wondering is are there usually any big maintenance jobs/parts that tend to go around this mileage? I was thinking if there's anything obvious I could get it checked out and get the dealer to sort them out before I buy.

Also the salesman reckons that it's been chipped (re-mapped?) to 240bhp. He didn't have a dyno print out or anything but he was fairly adamant about it. Is this something I have to declare when I'm insuring it? Or would I be right in thinking that the insurance company would have no way of checking this out (as it's not a physical mod) even if I did have to make a claim??

And finally, do these cars come with an "aux in" mp3 player connection as standard? It looked like there might have been one in the storage box behind the handbrake but it was dark and the salesman couldn't tell me for sure...

Thanks in advance for your responses:pac:

coylemj

rickyjb wrote: »

And finally, do these cars come with an "aux in" mp3 player connection as standard? It looked like there might have been one in the storage box behind the handbrake but it was dark and the salesman couldn't tell me for sure...

I have a soft copy (PDF) of the Mk V 2008 Golf catalogue for Ireland, it covers all the models up to and including the the GTi and R32. There is an optional extra called 'iPod Preparation' described as follows...

iPod preparation – by Individual, mounted in the front centre armrest allows you to link your iPod to the vehicle’s audio system via iPod preparation.
Controls are then provided through the radio keypad or optional multifunction steering wheel.

Several of the optional extras on the same page are described as 'Standard on R32' or 'Standard on GTI and R32' or similar, the iPod preparation option has no such flag so it looks like it had to be paid for as an extra on all models.

PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send you the file, it's less than 2MB.

rickyjb

Hey thanks alot:) (PM sent)

I think the iPod extra (or at least I'm hoping) is an actual iPod specific dock with the proper usb connection not just a 3.5mm stereo socket, this would give you proper support for track skipping charging etc as you described.

The salesman should've really been able to tell me anyway, he's to ring me tomorrow so I'll ask him to check it out for definite then. Sounds like a small thing but it would be a real bummer if the one I was looking at didn't have this, so sick of FM transmitters, sound quality is s***e!!:mad:

CountingCrows

If it has a DSG gearbox make sure the DSG oil change was done.

whippet

CountingCrows wrote: »

If it has a DSG gearbox make sure the DSG oil change was done.

I have 50K miles on my one and the main dealer recommended a DSG oil change inside the next 10k miles and gave a cost of about €200.

Other than that a pretty standard car in regards to service costs. Depending on how you drive expect to pay a few bob for decent tyres and oil top ups.

mine is burning about a litre of oil for every 4,000 miles.

CountingCrows

Really, a main dealer? DSG service should be every 60,000 km not miles.

Nonoperational

Yep and it's important to do it.

Anan1

rickyjb wrote: »

Also the salesman reckons that it's been chipped (re-mapped?) to 240bhp. He didn't have a dyno print out or anything but he was fairly adamant about it. Is this something I have to declare when I'm insuring it? Or would I be right in thinking that the insurance company would have no way of checking this out (as it's not a physical mod) even if I did have to make a claim??

I'd be concerned about this. Even forgetting about the insurance for a minute, i've heard far too many stories about poorly-remapped cars running lean under boost and melting pistons. I'd want to know exactly what work was done and by whom, and i'd do my research from there. That's if I were even considering the car - a remap and a vague salesman would be enough for me to move on. Re the insurance, of course you'll have to declare it. If you're involved in a big accident and they go digging and find out that you've lied to them then they're perfectly within their rights to void the cover.

STForSale

Anan1 wrote: »

I'd be concerned about this. Even forgetting about the insurance for a minute, i've heard far too many stories about poorly-remapped cars running lean under boost and melting pistons. I'd want to know exactly what work was done and by whom, and i'd do my research from there. That's if I were even considering the car - a remap and a vague salesman would be enough for me to move on. Re the insurance, of course you'll have to declare it. If you're involved in a big accident and they go digging and find out that you've lied to them then they're perfectly within their rights to void the cover.

Good advise here, plenty of better example's around.
The ramapping would also suggest to me the car was trashed / tracked?
If your still interested I'd be getting a specalist to give it a serious going over.

coylemj

rickyjb wrote: »

Hey thanks alot:) (PM sent)

I think the iPod extra (or at least I'm hoping) is an actual iPod specific dock with the proper usb connection not just a 3.5mm stereo socket, this would give you proper support for track skipping charging etc as you described.

The salesman should've really been able to tell me anyway, he's to ring me tomorrow so I'll ask him to check it out for definite then. Sounds like a small thing but it would be a real bummer if the one I was looking at didn't have this, so sick of FM transmitters, sound quality is s***e!!:mad:

Sent you the catalogue, yes it's an iPod dock, not a generic 3.5mm connector so I'd assume you'd be able to view playlists and podcasts on the MFD. It looks like the iPod goes directly into the dock, not via a USB connection so you wouldn't need to carry the Apple cable in the car with you.

However remember that car salesmen are programmed to tell the punter what he wants to hear, if he wasn't 100% sure if that feature was present, I doubt it is, the previous owner would have highlighted it when trading in as a desirable feature.

Homer

rickyjb wrote: »

Also the salesman reckons that it's been chipped (re-mapped?) to 240bhp. He didn't have a dyno print out or anything but he was fairly adamant about it. Is this something I have to declare when I'm insuring it? Or would I be right in thinking that the insurance company would have no way of checking this out (as it's not a physical mod) even if I did have to make a claim??

The standard stage1 map will bring it up from 200bhp to 240bhp which is inside the manafacturers normal guidelines. It can be mapped to deliver more, but, if it was remapped by any of the reputable companies in Ireland then it shouldn't be more than 240 which driven normally won't produce any adverse effects on the engine. Just the tyres!!
Of course you should inform your insurance company of any and all mods you make to the car but I doubt whether many bother. Especially in the case of a remap which is not easily spotted unless you have diagnostic equipment.
If the salesman can't tell you who carried out the remap then he should contact the previous owner and find out.
I had mine done recently and was assured that it could be returned to the factory 200bhp at any time free of charge.

rickyjb

Thanks for all the advice guys.

First off it's a manual so I don't have to worry about DSG related stuff.

STForSale wrote: »

Good advise here, plenty of better example's around.
The ramapping would also suggest to me the car was trashed / tracked?
If your still interested I'd be getting a specalist to give it a serious going over.

What does this mean? From my limited understanding of re-mapping it's a common(ish) procedure that squeezes a little extra bhp/torque out of the engine which, if done correctly, shouldn't have a detrimental effect on the car (bar maybe the tyres/fuel consumption of course).

@Homer he did say it was re-mapped to 240bhp which looks to me like the standard figure from the irish companies I could find online however you're right, I'd need to get details of the company and exactly what was done before I'd even consider buying this car. A dyno print out would be nice to have as well to see exactly what effect it had. Does anyone know if a normal garage can produce these or would it have to be a place that actually does tuning/re-mapping?

With regards to contacting my insurance company has anyone done this and declared extra bhp, has it affected your premium? From what I've read they've no way of telling if it was done or not as they've nothing to compare it to but if it doesn't affect my premium then I guess i may as well declare it. Insuring one of these is already so bloody expensive I don't wana push it up even more unless absolutely necessary.

@coylemj: Thanks for the sales brochure, I haven't got an ipod anyway so all I'm looking for/hoping for is a 3.5mm stereo jack which I can use to connect my mp3 player to, I drove a rental golf (just the 1.4tsi) on the continent recently and it had one in the box under the centre armrest but it might have been a mark vi so maybe this is not standard on the mk v's...

rickyjb

Just out of curiosity... What sort of trade in value do people reckon I should get for an '02 Almera (hatchback) 61 K miles on it? In pretty good nick.

STForSale

When insuring the car the onus is on your for full disclosure.
Insurers are investigating every claim vigorously now so why take the risk?
In the event of a claim they will look for a way out of paying and you are handing that to them on a plate.

Am I right in saying the remap also voids the warranty (if their is any left).

What I meant was that the standard 200Bhp on the golf is enough for most people.
If someone went to the trouble of remapping for an extra 40Bhp, they where probably using it.

Personally I like my used cars unmolested.

rickyjb

STForSale wrote: »

When insuring the car the onus is on your for full disclosure.
Insurers are investigating every claim vigorously now so why take the risk?
In the event of a claim they will look for a way out of paying and you are handing that to them on a plate.

Am I right in saying the remap also voids the warranty (if their is any left).

What I meant was that the standard 200Bhp on the golf is enough for most people.
If someone went to the trouble of remapping for an extra 40Bhp, they where probably using it.

Personally I like my used cars unmolested.

Thats actually a very good point, whoever got it re-mapped prob drove the s***e out of it. The mileage is also pretty high for an '08 car and it has 2 previous owners. All of a sudden this car is not looking so appealing anymore:cool: Even if it is a bit cheaper. Anyone who's familiar with carzone prob already knows which car i was looking at:pac:

I'm thinking I might look a bit further afield than Dublin so...

STForSale

If it's the one in Blanch, it has to many doors
If your budget is tight I'd drop a year for lower mileage and higher spec.

coylemj

rickyjb wrote: »

Thats actually a very good point, whoever got it re-mapped prob drove the s***e out of it. The mileage is also pretty high for an '08 car and it has 2 previous owners. All of a sudden this car is not looking so appealing anymore:cool: Even if it is a bit cheaper. Anyone who's familiar with carzone prob already knows which car i was looking at:pac:

I'm thinking I might look a bit further afield than Dublin so...

I think that's not a bad idea, anyone who buys a GTI in Ireland and thinks it doesn't have enough power wasn't planning on doing much motorway driving so the car probably had the crap driven out of it down back roads, I'd avoid.

Atomic Pineapple

coylemj wrote: »

I think that's not a bad idea, anyone who buys a GTI in Ireland and thinks it doesn't have enough power wasn't planning on doing much motorway driving so the car probably had the crap driven out of it down back roads, I'd avoid.

A remap will transform the GTi, it will have more torque and more power making it a much better car in performance terms, bang for buck a remap is essential on a GTi to get the most out of it in my opinion.

My ST is remapped, by a previous owner but mine is only driven at the weekends and most of that is on the M2 and the N2 so is hardly driven the crap out of on back roads.

If you plan on just doing motorway cruising get some comfy diesel saloon anyway, a GTi is made to be driven harder than normal.

rickyjb

I think I agree with you draffodx, but I think the likelihood is there (as STfor sale pointed out) that someone who has had it re-mapped will have driven it harder. That coupled with the fact it has alot of miles for an '08 car and I don't actually have the exact details of what company did what to it makes it less attractive.

I think I would prefer the idea of getting one that has been driven a bit easier ("unmolested" to quote ST) and get it re-mapped myself so I'd know exactly what was done and how.

Atomic Pineapple

rickyjb wrote: »

I think I agree with you draffodx, but I think the likelihood is there (as STfor sale pointed out) that someone who has had it re-mapped will have driven it harder. That coupled with the fact it has alot of miles for an '08 car and I don't actually have the exact details of what company did what to it makes it less attractive.

I think I would prefer the idea of getting one that has been driven a bit easier ("unmolested" to quote ST) and get it re-mapped myself so I'd know exactly what was done and how.

Valid point but I wouldn't let a remap put you off.

Homer

I would agree that the remap does not necessarily mean that the car has been abused. The general state of the car will give you a fair indication of whether that car has been looked after or not. But I get the feeling that there are other concerns too that might cause you to look elsewhere for a non mapped one and do it yourself.

I have a nice 2006 DSG that was only remapped last weekend and I'm thinking of changing in the new year if you're interested

STForSale

The add on carzone is very light on detail but it seems to be a very basic spec. It was very easy to spend 6/7K on extras when buying one new. I'd be looking for something with a lot more in it, makes ownership more pleasurable and easier to sell when the time comes.

Loving my heated seats this weather!

paddydriver

Homer wrote: »

I would agree that the remap does not necessarily mean that the car has been abused. The general state of the car will give you a fair indication of whether that car has been looked after or not. But I get the feeling that there are other concerns too that might cause you to look elsewhere for a non mapped one and do it yourself.

I have a nice 2006 DSG that was only remapped last weekend and I'm thinking of changing in the new year if you're interested

I too have a nice unmapped 2006 DSG and I'm think of changing it in 2016:p

Only way to get my value out of it is to keep it about 10 years - only new car I will ever buy and still really enjoy driving it. No need for a remap - its fast enough already:D

M50 to and from work, and around the country some weeks - sits outside the house all weekend.

Great car! ... mostly. I have had a few issues with it but bought an extended 5 yr warranty and its paid for itself twice over! Will see if I can extend this again in Feb next.

Edit - I suppose to answer the OP: I have found the long life servicing non existent! Car is over 4 years old - has had 4 x service averaging €250 a pop. It only has 35k miles now. First two years was my wife doing short hops here and there but even now when I am doing longer journeys its still flashing for service every 14 months or so. Have asked every single time to ensure it is on long life services, and not interval, but not so sure...

Paddy

rickyjb

Homer wrote: »

I would agree that the remap does not necessarily mean that the car has been abused. The general state of the car will give you a fair indication of whether that car has been looked after or not. But I get the feeling that there are other concerns too that might cause you to look elsewhere for a non mapped one and do it yourself.

I have a nice 2006 DSG that was only remapped last weekend and I'm thinking of changing in the new year if you're interested

Haha, nice plug Homer:pac::rolleyes:

A remap on its own wouldn't necessarily put me off but coupled with 2 previous owners for a 2 year old car and 47k miles the whole package starts to look generally less appealing. The price is decent enough I suppose.

With regards the spec/upgrades it seems to be a real trend in this country that people go for the lowest/cheapest spec they can get?? You'd expect people might have sprung for leather/heated seats upgraded stereo climate control etc. a bit more when you're already shelling out 35-40k but not really the case. So I'm kinda limited in my options...

I've also been looking at the one in Terenure and the one down in Kilkenny (which is where I'm originally from so pretty handy to drop in). Drove the one in Terenure yesterday with DSG and while it was incredibly smooth and easy to drive it just didn't seem as exciting as the manual, although it's possible the remap on the manual had something to do with this. [Anyone have any thoughts on DSG vs manual? I suppose it comes down to personal preference at the end of the day.] I also happen to know that the one in kilkenny has had one lady owner from new and the mileage looks fine.

Maybe I should wait til the new year and try pick up an '09 mk 6 for a couple of grand extra? At the moment there are none at all but I was thinking people might trade in come January. Any thoughts/suggestions more than welcome!:pac:

paddydriver wrote: »

Edit - I suppose to answer the OP: I have found the long life servicing non existent! Car is over 4 years old - has had 4 x service averaging €250 a pop. It only has 35k miles now. First two years was my wife doing short hops here and there but even now when I am doing longer journeys its still flashing for service every 14 months or so. Have asked every single time to ensure it is on long life services, and not interval, but not so sure...

Paddy

Paddy, what's the difference between interval and long life servicing, is the long life option meant to be more frequent or something? I would've said 14 months is a long enough gap between services, even with low mileage

Zubeneschamali

rickyjb wrote: »

an '09 mk 6 for a couple of grand extra? At the moment there are none at all

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf-GTi/NEW-MODE/201027198677754/advert?channel=CARS

Atomic Pineapple

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf-GTi/NEW-MODE/201027198677754/advert?channel=CARS

i nearly vomited when i seen the seats! :eek:

Zubeneschamali

draffodx wrote: »

i nearly vomited when i seen the seats! :eek:

Those are the standard seats, which all the reviews think are charming:

But who wants leather when you can get VW's sharp plaid cloth seats? We drove GTI's equipped with both the cool-as-all-get-out cloth pattern and the optional leathers, and we have to advise you to save the money and go cloth

STForSale

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf-GTi/NEW-MODE/201027198677754/advert?channel=CARS

Thought as much myself.

The interlagos cloth is marmite alright, although I'd expect nothing less
from an ST driver

OP if you are specifically looking for a 5 dr, then your choice really will be limited. Don't think I've ever seen a 5dr with decent kit.
Golf is way better looking in 3dr guise.

leeroybrown

draffodx wrote: »

i nearly vomited when i seen the seats! :eek:

The seats never photograph well but they look an awful lot better when you actually see them.

Atomic Pineapple

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Those are the standard seats, which all the reviews think are charming:

But who wants leather when you can get VW's sharp plaid cloth seats? We drove GTI's equipped with both the cool-as-all-get-out cloth pattern and the optional leathers, and we have to advise you to save the money and go cloth

leeroybrown wrote: »

The seats never photograph well but they look an awful lot better when you actually see them.

They just look out of place to me! Far too retro for such a modern looking car.

paddydriver

STForSale wrote: »

Don't think I've ever seen a 5dr with decent kit.

Wait till 2016 and mine goes on carzone... 5dr fully loaded!

Remember back in 2006 when we were all minted and SSIA's had matured... Wooohoo - lets spend.

rickyjb

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf-GTi/NEW-MODE/201027198677754/advert?channel=CARS

Sorry Zuben, I meant within my budget. That would have to come down a fair bit before I'd even think about it. Not sure about red either tbh, its ok to look at but I don't know if I'd buy one, if that makes sense.

I don't really agree with that review about the seats either, I think the car would look much better with dark grey leather seats as well as being more comfortable. I know the tartan cloth is meant to hark back to the old days of the mark 1 golf or some bollokcs but I couldn't really care less:pac:

The 3dr/5dr thing is not of major concern to me, the 3dr prob does look a bit better but 5dr would be handy for lobbing stuff in the back, the benefits of both kinda cancel each other out (in my opinion at least). No matter how many doors its hard to find a decent spec, DSG and sat nav seems to be about as good as it gets. I still can't believe the standard radio hasn't got an aux in socket, even the auld lad's kia has one!! :mad:

rickyjb

paddydriver wrote: »

Wait till 2016 and mine goes on carzone... 5dr fully loaded!

Remember back in 2006 when we were all minted and SSIA's had matured... Wooohoo - lets spend.

Haha, roll on 2016 then eh?:pac: The way things are going I'll prob still be on the lookout then anyway:(

STForSale

The sat nav units have 30 gig hard drives and sd card readers so your mp3 problem will be sorted if you get one with this.
They can be bought for about €500 on ebay if the car you buy doesn't have it. Just search for RNS510

Homer

STForSale wrote: »

The sat nav units have 30 gig hard drives and sd card readers so your mp3 problem will be sorted if you get one with this.
They can be bought for about €500 on ebay if the car you buy doesn't have it. Just search for RNS510

Yeah the standard head unit was very disappointing and rather than stick sat nav and bluetooth kits on the dash or windscreen I went for the pioneer touch screen one with ipod connection, sat nav, SD and dvd player etc..

This model is specifically made for VW, Skoda so straight swap out

rickyjb

Really?:eek: That's more storage than my current mp3 player has anyway, and even handier. Thanks ST.

rickyjb

Homer wrote: »

Yeah the standard head unit was very disappointing and rather than stick sat nav and bluetooth kits on the dash or windscreen I went for the pioneer touch screen one with ipod connection, sat nav, SD and dvd player etc..

This model is specifically made for VW, Skoda so straight swap out

Nice, how much did that set you back?? That would certainly meet my in car entertainment/navigational needs.

Watch many dvds while driving?:D

Homer

If memory serves me the retail price is about 1000 euro but I was looking at a couple of hundred for bluetooth car kit, same for proper ipod connection kit and sat nav of some description?
If I change for another VW/Skoda/Seat it's coming out if not nice extra for whoever gets mine!!