Advice on 2011 Golf 6 GTI: The good, the bad & the ugly

[8VALVE-zn]

Howsit guys,

I'm looking at purchasing the above vehicle.

Vehicle history: FSH, 145k Km on the clock, accident free, 6 speed manual- That's all I know for now.

I would like to know the common issues on these motors and other sensors that may go bad. Further, what are the service costs like? What should I expect to pay for a clutch and brake changes? On the fuelling side, anything to take note of?

Also, is there anything else that I need to look out for?

The car will be used as a daily.

I will not be keeping the car stock if I pull the trigger to buy- so the following will be in order

1. Stage 1
2. DP
3. Induction
4. Full exhaust (what size is suggested for this?)

As always, the good advice is much appreciated.

[amstel18]

you can start here: https://www.vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopi ... 0&t=216513

and then hereh ttps://www.vwclub.co.za/forum/search.php

[Hoosier Daddy]

It's been discussed at length. The timing chain is the biggest flaw - so be prepared to change the tensioner, chain and guides as soon as you get the car. The DSG is perfect as long you don't push the limits i.e. anywhere over 540 Nm. The manual clutches are really week, you will need to change that if you are going to mod.

[8VALVE-zn]

Thanks guys for trying.

Any can help with my specific questions above?

[Hoosier Daddy]

Oil services are cheap, brakes and pads around R6k for everything. Fueling is fine

[GB9]

Intake manifold is a weak spot too. Relatively easy and inexpensive to resolve, though. ~10k if you want to get an OEM replacement fitted. But there are other cheaper options, which Panic mentioned in another thread somewhere sometime...

[2SCOOPS]

Had mine for a year. issues I had was - oil leak, starting issues and the wonderful timing chain tensioner failed. car only had 94000km when I bought it with FSH from VW.

[GB9]

Had mine for a year. issues I had was - oil leak, starting issues and the wonderful timing chain tensioner failed. car only had 94000km when I bought it with FSH from VW.

The starting issues are a symptom of the tensioner failure. Usually present themselves just before the chain jumps a tooth, or more...

[2SCOOPS]

Had mine for a year. issues I had was - oil leak, starting issues and the wonderful timing chain tensioner failed. car only had 94000km when I bought it with FSH from VW.

The starting issues are a symptom of the tensioner failure. Usually present themselves just before the chain jumps a tooth, or more...

Nah, starting issues were still there even after the replacement of the tensioner, chains, guides etc.

[8VALVE-zn]

So basically from the above- stay away from this unless the money pit doesn't have a bottom.

The purpose of this vehicle is to be used daily, I'd much rather drive something that is a little less troublesome.

Thanks for the advice/experiences, it pretty much puts things into perspective.

Just out of curiosity is there any specific engine code that was affected by the above factory/design defects. For the mentioned defects, were there any developments around the failing parts to ensure longevity?

Damn I thought that my 1.6 TDI had issues- this car makes mine look like a shiny star (well not really). I might see myself in a Corolla with the way things are looking with the issues on so many VW models.

[DotDubb]

So basically from the above- stay away from this unless the money pit doesn't have a bottom.

The purpose of this vehicle is to be used daily, I'd much rather drive something that is a little less troublesome.

Thanks for the advice/experiences, it pretty much puts things into perspective.

Just out of curiosity is there any specific engine code that was affected by the above factory/design defects. For the mentioned defects, were there any developments around the failing parts to ensure longevity?

Damn I thought that my 1.6 TDI had issues- this car makes mine look like a shiny star (well not really). I might see myself in a Corolla with the way things are looking with the issues on so many VW models.

Your thread is very informative. I have never had a Mk6 Gti(always wanted one), only a Mk6 TSI twincharge. It is crazy to see all the issues the cars have from factory. I'm looking at Audi A4 2.0T now and they have oil consumption issues on the pre 2012 models, but I still want one and will get one that had the pistons and rods fixed from Audi. Or I will just go forged if I ever have the same issue.

Anyways, I still think that my Mk5 GTI was the best car I have owned to date. Plus I will own a Mk6 GTI one day and will look for a clean one from this forum with a complete build thread, then you know the complete history of the car.

[Wolfburger]

So basically from the above- stay away from this unless the money pit doesn't have a bottom.

The purpose of this vehicle is to be used daily, I'd much rather drive something that is a little less troublesome.

Thanks for the advice/experiences, it pretty much puts things into perspective.

Just out of curiosity is there any specific engine code that was affected by the above factory/design defects. For the mentioned defects, were there any developments around the failing parts to ensure longevity?

Damn I thought that my 1.6 TDI had issues- this car makes mine look like a shiny star (well not really). I might see myself in a Corolla with the way things are looking with the issues on so many VW models.

Your thread is very informative. I have never had a Mk6 Gti(always wanted one), only a Mk6 TSI twincharge. It is crazy to see all the issues the cars have from factory. I'm looking at Audi A4 2.0T now and they have oil consumption issues on the pre 2012 models, but I still want one and will get one that had the pistons and rods fixed from Audi. Or I will just go forged if I ever have the same issue.

Anyways, I still think that my Mk5 GTI was the best car I have owned to date. Plus I will own a Mk6 GTI one day and will look for a clean one from this forum with a complete build thread, then you know the complete history of the car.

Yeah the mk5 was really something else! Other then the Cam follower and a few little things Was the perfect package ,VW had to impress from the failure which was the mk4 and they did so well.

[8VALVE-zn]

The MK5 GTI for me was the best built GTI of all time.

The time in which this car was designed & manufactured happened to be a time where VW used to give a damn about things like build quality. It was one of the defining reasons I bought a MK5 TDI- overall the MK5 is very well built, you can feel and see the quality. For example, the gas shock on the hood, the well built boot mechanism, the proper heavy doors, dimming rearview mirror (sounds dumb, but I love this), centre consol that is of a good size and moves front-back & up-down. These may seem like things that are unimportant, but when you daily drive it and then step into something else you instantly feel like something is missing.

[Wolfburger]

The MK5 GTI for me was the best built GTI of all time.

The time in which this car was designed & manufactured happened to be a time where VW used to give a damn about things like build quality. It was one of the defining reasons I bought a MK5 TDI- overall the MK5 is very well built, you can feel and see the quality. For example, the gas shock on the hood, the well built boot mechanism, the proper heavy doors, dimming rearview mirror (sounds dumb, but I love this), centre consol that is of a good size and moves front-back & up-down. These may seem like things that are unimportant, but when you daily drive it and then step into something else you instantly feel like something is missing.

agree with you 1000%

[mueneni12]

I love my GTI, possibly the smoothest drive of all cars I've owned.

with that said, it has been by far the most expensive car maintenance wise with a million issues. Clutch, tensioner failure, aircon pump, intercooler, brake booster etc etc.

The only reason I still have it is that I can't recoup anything from it.

Even the A8 is cheaper to run (excluding fuel usage of course) than the GTI.