- 06/08/2018
- 2 Min Read
- By: Michael Roselli
Everything That Went Wrong With Our High-Mileage MK5 Volkswagen GTI
So, here’s the good news: FCP Euro bought a 2007 MK5 Volkswagen GTI on the used car market. The bad news is: there are a ton of things wrong with it.
First off, some background. FCP Euro wanted to buy an MK5 GTI on the used car market, and set a reasonable budget of $5,000 for the initial purchase price. We figured that it’s a sweet spot price-wise price for something that would provide the perfect balance of being derelict, but with potential. Running, but not really driving. Attractive, but not beautiful. We’ve got plans for this car, after all. And, after a few weeks of searching, boy did we find our diamond in the rough.
Waiting for us just a few hours north in New Hampshire was a 2007 MK5 Volkswagen GTI with a turbocharged four-cylinder, 200,000+ miles on the clock, a little bit of rust, and a lot of potential. We bought it on the spot for a cool $3,000.
Normally, at this point with a project car, we’d bring it back to our facility, throw it up on a lift, and do a full inspection of everything wrong to get it back to like-new condition again. But for this particular project, we partnered with Charles “Humble” Mechanic Sanville and MEYLE to show you how to do it. Once Charles got his hands on it, he made a video detailing everything wrong with it.
Just in terms of what’s under the hood, there were so many broken items it was easier to list them out rather than explain it all.
Under The Hood:
- PCV valve (completely blocked off)
- Valve Cover (leaking)
- Vacuum Pump (leaking)
- Dipstick (broken)
- Hood strut (broken)
- Small cooling fan (broken)
- Shifter bushings (worn out, aka broken)
- Headlights (broken)
- Check engine light
- Timing cover (leaking)
- Engine cover (broken)
- Wiper motor (broken)
But in terms of the drivetrain, luckily, things weren’t nearly as bad as under the hood. The right rear wheel bearing was making some noise, the brakes on all four corners needed to be replaced, the driver’s door latch was broken, and the right front suspension was hilariously broken. Charles even grabbed a piece of the spring dangling from the strut itself.
Other than that, there’s a bunch of rust (thanks, New England) and a pretty decent interior. Even the headliner is in tact! Overall, it was (in our opinion) the perfect platform to build something awesome from.
So, what happens next? Humble Mechanic Charles starts with the door latch. Since the car is sitting until the repairs are done, this is one of the easier ones to bite off first to avoid frustration in the long term.
