- 08/09/2018
- 2 Min Read
- By: Evan Madore
Our High-Mileage MK5 Volkswagen GTI Is Finally Fixed
If you've been following along, you should be familiar with our project MK5 Volkswagen GTI we bought from New Hampshire. Left in the exceedingly qualified hands of Charles (HumbleMechanic) Sanville, our GTI was given a second lease on life. Beginning as a minor overhaul, Charles quickly learned he was opening a can of worms.
If you happen to be hearing about this project for the first time, you can read everything we learned about the car shortly after purchase here.
Bringing the MK5 VW GTI back to life was no easy feat. Harsh New England winters took their toll on what seemed like every part of the car. Rust was the most frustrating and time-consuming issue with our GTI. The cancerous corrosion was everywhere; brakes, seemingly every suspension component, and the exhaust. Charles needed every tool at his disposal (and some he wished he had) to just get it apart. Numerous nuts and bolts had to be cut off - some even breaking and needing to be drilled out. If there is one thing that can turn what should be a fun project into a nightmare, it's rust. 
Now, not all of our GTI's issues were rust related. There was quite a long list of problems under the hood. The majority of the issues on our car are common to MK5 Volkswagen GTI's; this made them straightforward to diagnose and replace. As the list is quite hefty, here's an overview.
Under The Hood:
- PCV valve (completely blocked off)
- Valve Cover (leaking)
- Vacuum Pump (leaking)
- Dipstick (broken)
- Small cooling fan (broken)
- Shifter bushings (worn out, aka broken)
- Check engine light
- Timing cover (leaking)
- Engine cover (broken)
- Wiper motor (broken)
Our MK5 GTI had a couple other issues that were more of annoyances and aesthetic. The first project and one of the more annoying was the broken door handle mechanism. The next annoyance to take care of was simply replacing the worn out hood strut. And last, the damaged headlights were replaced by all new black-backed units. This gives the lights, and the car as a whole, a more modern appearance.
Now that our MK5 Volkswagen GTI is back at here FCP Euro HQ, keep an eye out for what's in store in the near future. And as always, if you're following along on your own project, all of your parts are backed by our Lifetime Replacement Guarantee.
Be sure to check the video below on HumbleMechanic's YouTube page, and don't forget to subscribe to get all new videos pushed right to your inbox.
