I’ve seen the topic of reliability come up a few times when it comes to owning the Volkswagen Golf MK5, and different things about the Common Faults on the car, and how much things cost to repair on them.
I thought I’d give some input into this, since it’s a make/model of car that I have personally owned and maintained for 8 years (80,000 miles). Which means I’ve come across a lot of the “common” faults when it comes to working with these vehicles, or at least familiar with them. The above link contains a breakdown of my entire history/maintenance, so you can get a general idea when it comes to maintaining these cars and their costs.
My previous vehicle was actually one of the reasons I purchased my existing one. Simply because they’re basically the same car, so I’m familiar with maintaining them and what can go wrong. Plus I have a VCDS cable, so troubleshooting is a bit easier for me.
As a note, I don’t claim to be an expert on these vehicles. I can only write about my own knowledge from doing repairs myself. Or experience I learned through research. I’m a single person who runs and maintains this site, I don’t have access to the resources of a forum until I search for answers. So unlike these sites, my information is very limited because there’s only me doing the work.
This article was simply to highlight common points of inspection for people looking into buying these vehicles for themselves. Generally I expect people after reading this guide to do some Google searches about the common faults for their specific model, so they can get an idea of the potential costs they may face if the part repairs
The purpose of this article isn’t meant to scare people, almost every car has faults when purchased, or common problems. It’s just designed to be a source of information to help others make an informed decision when trying to purchase their next car.
My own recommendation when it comes to cars (especially VAG family), is to buy ones with as much Service History as possible. Generally the more parts that have been fixed, the less that can go wrong with the car, because it’s an item that’s already been replaced or repaired.
If the car doesn’t have history, and it’s a considerable investment, either walk away, or keep some deep pockets ready. Most people tend to flog on cars when they have issues. In terms of the vehicle, they’re generally quite well built. It’s usually the Electrical side of things that’s rubbish and lets you down. Also the Bodywork is terrible for rust. The paint on modern Volkswagen cars always seems rubbish by comparison to older ones, or cars like an Audi.
In terms of this article, most content in this article is generic to the MK5 Golf platform, and specific to certain models. This information is more of a general overview. So ignore if not relevant, or search to find out if it’s relevant
My recommendation would be to keep £20-30 per month aside for repairs when it comes to these vehicles (especially if buying used). As any of the major faults (if hidden) will be expensive to fix, and most people flog cars when they’re knackered anyway. Money should be kept to fix all cars realistically, just something to keep in mind that’s all.
Would I recommend buying one? – Yes… with a few points to note below
My recommendation if you are looking to buy one of these vehicles, is to do your research, and also take a VCDS (VAGCOM) if you can to scan the car, it will display any hidden gremlines with the vehicle
I’m not going to say these cars are perfect, they’re not. Almost every car has it’s faults. The more information you have to hand however, the more you are able to deal with them (and haggle). If you plan on buying a VW based vehicle, then you need to keep it a long time to get your money back.
My car worked out to be in the region of £0.14 per mile for all costs (excluding tax/ins). This price was based on the costs of everything (Fuel, MOT, Repairs, Service, Maintenance) so as you can see, the cars themselves actually work out quite good if you keep them for a while.
When people start getting big bills for their cars, they worry. Generally however it’s because the lifespan of the car has reached the ages on standard components. So if you replace them, they’re then good for another XX miles.
The only time I’d consider scrapping or no longer maintaining, is if the Bodywork is severely damaged, or the car is Beyond Economical Repair. Sometimes you simply have to draw the line, but it all depends on the person maintaining it as to how much they’re willing to risk buying another car. Or maintaining their own.
Now, here are some very common faults that you need to look out for when it comes to owning the Volkswagen Golf MK5. I recommend you check out cars. I haven’t owned this car for almost 3 years now, so it’s quite hard to remember everything off-hand. This was just written on the fly so that people could get some unbiased advice about the vehicles.
COMMON FAULTS VW GOLF MK5
RUST
The car body tends to rust. The cars have a 12 year paint warranty from the Dealer but generally you will find it’s worth nothing. Most of them try to get out saying it’s damaged caused from something like a “stone chip” which isn’t covered. Normally you have to argue your case for goodwill gesture (which is sometimes only 50%, or just fix it yourself).
This tends to be hit and miss with dealers. Basically because they’re paying for it out of their own pocket (profits) so it depends on how much they’re willing to help out. Some people have been lucky and costs were fully reimbursed, but this is essentially hit and miss how lucky you will get with this.
The most common points to look out for where you will encounter rust are are in the following locations (in order of severity)
- Wing/Arches
This affects probably the majority of the VW cars, and the MK5 is no different to any other. Usually the rust starts in the centre of the arch directly above the wheel. Normally you will see little “bubbles” forming under the surface of the paint. It’s already damaged. The problem itself is caused by a piece of sound insulation behind the plastic underneath the wheel arch. When it gets wet, it acts like a sponge and holds in the moisture. This is what forms the rust.
It’s such a common problem that VW actually released a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) on repairing this, it’s a bit detailed, but the gist of it was rip out the foam sound insulation.
If you buy one of these cars, take off the front wheels, remove the screws on the arch liner, get underneath and rip out the foam. Unless it’s already been done it WILL be there. I didn’t actually think mine had any but it did. Do it before the car gets badly damaged as a preventative measure.
- Boot Badge / Boot Tailgate (near lights)
Another common place that gets affected by peeling paint and rust alot is where water collects. On the boot lid, it’s at the bottom of the push forward boot badge, and underneath the lights. It’s generally worse on the badge, which is why so many people end up welding over it and fitting a boot-pop kit.
- Door Sills
The door sills, basically the most common rust points are on the sills themselves. Especially near the jacking points on the car if the vehicle hasn’t been jacked up properly. It’s especially worse near the back. If the damage is catastrophically bad you will need to repair or replace the sill entirely welding in a new piece of metal. Not the end of the world, but a pig of a job at the same time. My sills were damaged around 110k miles and I had to pay £150 for them to be welded up.
Don’t assume the sills are fine because there’s a bit of “surface” bubbling. Usually the damage is behind it and underneath. If you inspect these cars place your hand underneath the sill so you’re behind it and using your fingertips squeeze towards your hand. It should be stiff, if there’s any flex then your sill is pretty much rusted and does/will need eventual repair depending on the severity.
- Arches (near sills)
Again, the arches. This damage usually isn’t catastrophic, it’s more superficial. The occasional bit of paint bubbling and peels away towards the bottom of the arch and near the side skirt. A common cause of this is because leaves and debris get trapped in the sills themselves. Usually to fix this you just loosen the screws and scrape out the crap. It’s not a perfect solution, but the damage here isn’t really that severe to warrant worrying too much. It’s just bad if you leave it to get worse. This is one of those yearly maintenance tasks you should consider doing if you own these cars.
- Bonnet Edges (near headlights)
Again the bonnet, for some reason the very corners (especially the drivers side) seems to rust really bad on the edge of the bonnet. Right at the lip, the skin starts peeling away. Superficial, so not critical, just bloody annoying.
ELECTRIC WINDOW
A lot of the Volkswagens tend to have stupid issues where the Electric Window wiring breaks or snaps through Water Ingress. Normally when the mechanism has become jammed or damage you hear the most awful noise. As if there’s sand in the mechanism, or something sharp scratching the glass when it comes up and down.
Usually when this happens it’s because the winder mechanism has become damaged, or the wires have frayed. Either way it requires replacement. They’re cheap enough to repair, the fiddly bit is removing the parts to replace it. The MK5 Golf is actually different in terms of repair. Other vehicles you removed the inner door panel. For this car the entire outer skin of the door comes off the car rather than the inner panel. This actually makes the job easier (supposedly).
I never had to do this myself, but I’m familiar with the repair. The same procedure is also done to remove the door lock module IIRC. You at least get more access when it comes to doing it.
WATER INGRESS
This tends to affect models which have a sunroof, the sunroof channels get blocked on the car. Which can result in Water Ingress issues. I can’t recall off-hand where the sunroof channels run, but if you get dampness at the front doors it’s probably the drains if you have a sunroof.
At the rear doors (behind drivers seat) is most likely the door seals at the rear and on the boot floor inside the boot (behind the bootlid panel) will most likely be rear washer jet tubes have become detached.
DOOR LOCK MICROSWITCH
Another common fault is the Microswitch fails on the door locks. You normally have to dismantle the door locks and replace the Microswitch which is an easy enough job. Again, this will come up in a fault code scan about issues with the Door Lock Module or Intermittent signals. This is generally a warning of a broken sensor or wire somewhere. Or one that will eventually fail.
If this fails, the car won’t lock properly. Doors will open, alarm will randomly go off. Things like this generally point to signs of lock problems. If you scan your car however, you will normally get a warning fro the program about the lock module.
INJECTOR LOOM FAILURE
Injector Looms are another common fault with these cars (normally cylinder 4 IIRC).
Basically the wiring loom for the injector loom runs under the rocker cover for the engine through some form of locking cap/gasket. What ends up happening is that the loom tends to suffer heat soak, so it deteriorates over time. Which can result in performance issues, or lost power. Generally a fault code scan will give you an inkling as it will throw up Injector faults. The faults could be the Injector themselves, just something to note.
If you get to this point, you will need to repair or replace the loom. I never actually had to do mine, but my car was showing signs of this fault before it was written off in a crash as I had Injector errors and I suspected the loom was failing.
MISTED HEADLIGHTS
Think it’s more moisture that gets in here. I only started getting this problem around 100k miles when I owned my car. I imagine it’s just the seals failing on the headlights. Normally you can clean them up again with certain polishes, or possibly resealing them to prevent moisture getting back in.
For me though I’d expect the fault to be more because of old age than poor design. My Golf MK5 was a 2004 model, so the car was already about 13 years old when I had this fault. Generally a bit of polishing will fix them. If you need a new Headlight it will be expensive (unless you get one from a scrapyard)
BOOT LOCK (ALARM SIREN)
Similar to the Door Lock, the Boot Lock tends to go a bit iffy too. Although I think this is more due to water from the washer pipes. Mine failed on the car, and I found out at 4am in the morning when my car alarm decided to off randomly.
There isn’t really a Microswitch for this, the lock just goes a bit duff. They’re quite cheap to replace however, so just order a generic one from eBay and replace it.
Something to note. If you are experiencing issues with the Alarm going off, you can find out what is activating it with VCDS. The last 4 activations for the alarm are logged by the ECU which you can read with the Software. It tells you which modules are activating the alarm.
Basically it tells you where the car thinks it’s being broken in from. Generally speaking the most common ones you will get as a cause, will be a Bonnet Lock, Door Lock or Boot Lock. There is a 4th possible common cause, the CANBUS system on the car monitors the battery voltage. If the vehicle battery voltage is too low it also sets off the car alarm.
Anything that is monitored as an Alarm module can be accessed through this menu. It’s great for troubleshooting as it saves you time. You generally find out what needs replacing or repairing quite quickly because it tells you what’s been triggering the alarm.
HOT-START ISSUE
These cars suffer from what’s known as a hot-start fault. The car will start fine when it’s cold, but when the engine reaches operating temperature and if you switch off the engine then try to start it again, the car will crank and crank (about 3-4 secs) before it eventually starts.
This in itself isn’t really a major problem, it’s just annoying as hell. The problem is when it comes to troubleshooting the fault if you want to rectify it. It’s either go down potentially a bottom list pit of troubleshooting, or fork out some money and try to fix it.
From my own research that I carried out when I had this fault. The problems pointed to a ECU map more. Basically the older makes of VW, emissions wasn’t such a hot issue that it is now. So regardless whether the Engine was cold or hot, you would just get a load of fuel dumped into the cylinder for combustion. Hence why it fired easier.
The more modern cars (like the Golf MK5), were a lot tighter when it comes to emissions. So in order to reduce the emissions, the Fuel Map was different in terms of Injection quantity based on Engine Temp, EGR, RPM, etc. One of the suggested fixes for this involves “mapping out” the vehicle ECU map.
I never did this, but if memory serves correct. The procedure involves modifying the ECU map values for the car starting procedure in terms of injection amount. Instead of certain values for certain RPM, all the values get set to 0, so there’s no control and the car gets the full amount whether hot or cold.
I never did this procedure to my car, so can’t give the exact steps. If you decide to do it yourself, then you risk screwing up your vehicle. Do your own research, I only wrote the above to give you a helping start where to research when it comes to the fault.
Here are some of the most common causes of the hot-start issue if you do want to buy one of these cars, or have the issue and not sure where to start.
- Weak Battery (Not sending enough voltage to starter motor)
- Incorrect ECU Map (Not enough fuel being injected due to tighter Emissions)
- Incorrect injection quantity (Either bad injectors, or worn)
- Starter motor RPM slow (Needs to spin at certain RPM, use VCDS to check)
- Coolant temp sensor faulty (Engine not reading correct, wrong fuel injection)
- Cam/Crank sensor issues (Similar to above)
BONNET LOCK SEIZING/BREAKING (ALARM TOO)
This is just bloody annoying, for whatever reason. The bonnet mechanism on these cars seizes up lots, and I mean lots. No matter how much you grease them, it just seems to accumulate shit and eventually bung up.
What normally becomes a sign, is either the bonnet doesn’t pop up when pulling on the handle (and you end up snapping the lever/cable from too much force). Or the bonnet won’t close and just “bounces” on the latch.
If either of these instances occur, then chances are your bonnet lock is broken or seized.
Something to note aswell, if your car wipers don’t work, or alarm keeps going off and you get a bonnet up alarm. Chances are the wire has snapped for the sensor wire, or the bonnet lock is duff. The sensor wire is built into the of the bonnet lock. If it snaps just replace it. The wipers won’t work if the bonnet is not all the way down to prevent damaging them
The bonnet locks are easy enough to replace.
Additionally, if your bonnet is stuck shut, and the release cable has snapped. There is a way to open the bonnet. Basically you can turn the front VW badge counter clockwise and access the release mechanism through this. Either with a long screwdriver, or just get a hacksaw or chisel and punch a small hole behind to give access to the lock mechanism. It will be hidden by the badge when reattached anyway and will make your life easier when it comes to repairing if it happens again.
Here’s a couple of posts I wrote about my own repair
- Repairing a Golf MK5 Bonnet Lock
- Golf MK5 Bonnet Lock Overhaul
- Blog Post – Golf MK5 Bonnet not closing
** AFFILIATE POST ** (Grab a cuppa and have a quick break)
SEIZING BRAKE CALIPERS
For whatever reason, the Rear Brake Calipers always seemed to seize a lot on the car. No idea why. I always found it was the rears that had the most issues.
Usually the OSR (Rear-Right) when it came to my car. Might be worth purchasing some seal repair kits from a company like Big-Red, and make it part of a yearly maintenance routine.
It’s possible this could be linked to the cause of the below, or a by-product of it due to poor auto-tensioners. Just something to be aware of.
HANDBRAKE CABLES STRETCH
Not uncommon really. This happens to a lot of cars. The handbrake should be about 2-3 clicks to fully lock the car. If the ratchet mechanism is near the top then the cables are stretched.
The cables are really easy to replace. Although my advice would be to rip out the rear seat bench and lift up the carpet. It makes it infinitely easier if you need to replace the guide tubes too and saves you faffing around in the car. A garage local to me told me that it was a big job, as you had to remove half the interior.
In reality, all you do is slide the seats forward, remove the rear bench, lift up the rear carpet. The hardest part was getting the rear bench back in for me. It was irritating.
Also DO NOT cut the guide tubes. These form part of the tension on the handbrake cable. If you damage them just replace them, they’re only about £10 each from VW.
TEMPERATURE SENSOR (G62) FAILURE
Another one of the faults that can occur with these cars is the Temperature Sensor. It’s worth fixing these because fuel economy suffers on the cars. Generally speaking, almost all vehicles that are VW sit at 90’c (half way) on the temperature gauge when warmed up. The needle then never moves.
For me the needle was slowly dropping down to 70’c then backup to 90’c. This can be similar to a thermostat, but you can use VCDS to verify the actual temperatures too
Another time the needle suddenly dropped to 0, then back up to 90’c. This actually happened when I was driving one day I thought the engine had stalled.
The part is cheap enough to replace, if memory serves correct there is actually two coolant sensors. The one related to this article however (G62), is the sensor at the rear of the engine block above the gearbox. It’s a bit annoying to replace. Basically open the vent cap on the expansion tank, and then tighten it again. This then creates a small air lock which prevents the fluid from leaking out the back of the block when you disconnect the pipe and sensor. They’re a bit annoying to do.
WHITE WORM
This affects the alloy wheels and boot badge. I can’t remember what causes it, it’s shitty paint, acid or the lacquer. Basically what happens is that the paint peels away from the surface, and you see little white lines on them (they stand out, they’re not small).
Whilst mostly they’re annoying to look out. Depending on where they are, they can create problems. I suffered terrible white worm on my NSR Alloy Wheel. It created a miniscule airleak between the rim of the alloy and the tyre, which resulted in me having a slow puncture. I constantly had to pump up the tyre on the vehicle. I eventually had the alloy wheels repainted which resolved the issue (£180 for the resprayed alloys)
The badge generally can’t be repaired. It’s a case of remove it, or replace it. Most people in the Golf MK5 community tend to de-badge the car at the rear and then fit a boot pop kit, as this helps avoid the issues with rust on the tailgate aswell.
G201 ABS SENSOR FAILURE
OK, now we’re getting into the big stuff. This is one of the major problems that affects these cars. It can go at any time. Mine went about 5000 miles after I bought the car.
Basically you get an ABS/ESP warning light on the Dash, and your ABS/ESP light won’t switch off when you press it. There will be a fault code logged on the car, generally speaking however the only way to fix it if you’ve diagnosed this fault is replace it.
I can’t recall the fault code off-hand, I think it’s something like 01435:Sporadic Pressure, but if you get this message. You can do a test with VCDS. If the sensor reads more than 4 bar of pressure when Brake is depressed, the Electrical side of the ABS pump has failed.
The only option is to purchase an entirely new pump, or repair it. Either with an exchange unit, or an repair part from another supplier.
Be warned… the repair kits or pumps ARE NOT cheap. When I purchased my ABS repair kit for my car it was around £160 at the time. Although now, I think they’re in the region of £300-£500 from Volkswagen. They upped the price when they realised it was a common failure part (typical dealers)
On a silver lining however, I “believe” that dealers were replacing the ABS Pumps if the vehicle had Full VW Service History. So you may be in luck, it’s always worth checking with the dealer if they’re willing to honor the repairs before you part with some hard earned dosh.
Check the Dash warning lights on the car before starting. The ABS/ESP will light up, but should go out shortly after. If you see no lights, or if they stay lit Caviat Empore, that’s asking for trouble. You can also test the module, check the button near the gear lever.
Push it down, the dash lights should come on, and the button will light up. Push it again to reactivate the ABS/ESP system again. As long as it switches ON/OFF and the Dash Lights respond as normal for the system. You’re generally OK.
As a note, this is normal function for the system. The reason it is switchable ON/OFF is for when someone is pushing you back and forth in the snow for example.
ABS Wheel Speed Sensor issues can also cause problems with the lights not going out on the car. This is why it’s important to scan it. It’s also a reason why you can’t calibrate the steering system if there’s a fault in the brake system.
ELECTRIC POWER STEERING RACK FAILURE
Another big (and expensive item). The Power Steering rack in the VW Golf MK5 is Electric. There are 3 generations fitted to the car (Gen1, Gen2 and Gen3). Depending on the age of the vehicle. There are certain features you can check for to identify the version.
Alternatively just ring/email VW Customer Services and they can tell you
Like the ABS/ESP system on the car, the Power Steering rack illuminutes the warning light, but should go out quickly after this. If the light is permanently light up, there’a problem with the system (either the Steering System, or the Braking System). They work together, so won’t calibrate if something is wrong
My own Power Steering rack failed, and I ended up replacing it. I wrote this document to help people identify their rack and read up on common faults
There are generally two warning lights you will get on the car. Most likely occuring after you hit a pothole or speed bump since the wires are delicate. I’m going to be writing another article about the Power Steering rack if people like to look at the internals
Orange Steering Wheel Light means a fault has been detected with the Steering System. The car continues to function, but it needs investigation
Red Steering Wheel Light means a fault has been logged with the steering system. You will also hear 3 beeps. The Power Steering rack is also completely shutdown to protect it. The steering on the car will be VERY heavy, because it’s a worm gear that’s torque assisted.
You can still drive the car, but manoeveures at low speed will be hard to do. Generally speaking however, if you get the Red Light when you’re driving, you can still drive the car home. It will just be insanely hard. I actually drove my car like this for about a month until I sorted a replacement rack. Not really advised, but it was my car so my choice.
You’re meant to stop, but if you haven’t got the money to tow/recover your vehicle home. Then at a push you can at least drive it home. This is entirely your own decision. I recommend recovering the vehicle if this happens.
FUEL RELEASE CAP
Never actually had this happen to me, but the Electrical wiring can fail for the fuel release cap. I can’t really put much here, never actually had the problem. Basically the wiring just needs repairing. If I recall correctly there’s a way to manually release the fuel cap from inside the boot behind the cover.
** AFFILIATE POST ** (Almost done)
POROUS CYLINDER HEAD
Yey, more faults!
The Cylinder Head on the BKD Engine (140 HP Diesel) is porous. There are 3 versions of the Cylinder Head (A,B,C). So generally older models will become affected. This is hit and miss however. Service your car well and on time, there shouldn’t really be much issue. If shit happens, it happens really.
I initially made a Youtube video on this, but this is inaccurate and I was corrected on it. The actual location is under the AGR (EGR Cooler) and stamped on the Head. I’ll do an updated one with my Audi A3 to identify the actual correct location for the revision.
The Cylinder Head part number will be 03G 103 373 A/B/C (Last letter denotes version)
Basically out of the 3 versions. If memory is correct
- A – VW Design, most common one of failure
- B – Audi improved, still porous, affected some
- C – Best and fixed, no porous head.
The most common versions that failed were these V125, V130, V320, V330
It’s not a certain death sign for the car if you have a head with A. Just you’re most likely the person to have a problem if it does fail.
TURBOCHARGER
Just a shitty design, the 140hp Turbochargers are weak and melt quick if you tune these cars. I think the limit is something like 190-200hp, whereas the injectors are rated for something like 240hp before they hit the limit. My car was never tuned, but it used to leak Oil a lot through the intercooler, so probably an issue with the seals.
EGR BLOCKAGE
Fit an EGR delete, eventually they just fill up with shit. Or learn to clean it. Joys of working on modern cars.
REAR WIPER
Another common issue is the rear wiper. The little nut that hols on the wiper tends to snap around the plastic, so your wiper ends up looking like a dog’s tail on the rear of your car.
Not an expensive fix, just remove the nut and replace the wiper. Just one of those annoying things again.
WHEEL BEARINGS
This isn’t really a fault, just more of a note. The rear wheel bearings on the cars are two different sizes (30mm and 32mm). It’s hard to identify which size is required, but if you could only choose one I’d suggest 30mm since this seems to be the most common size.
Don’t follow the guides on the web about the bearing “surface” having flat or ridges. This isn’t correct (or it’s reversed). I followed it and ordered the wrong parts. I think there is a method which I’m working on identifying to update my own guides.
I think the 32mm is reserved for 4motion vehicles, but have no way to confirm this.
In terms of replacement, replacing the bearing is really easy (if you have the right size). Just simply remove a bolt, then slide off and slide on again.
CAM FOLLOWER
The Petrol GTI / TFSI Engines have an issue with a “Cam Follower”, it runs at the end of the Camshaft near the HPFP (High Pressure Fuel Pump)… (I believe). I don’t know the exact location off hand without looking up, but it’s on the right-hand side of the block in a cylinder at the end IIRC.
Basically the Cam Follower experiences wear on these engines, and if they’re not replaced, eventually they fail and your engine fails catastrophically. The most common problems you get are generally fuel cut and lack of boost.
If you purchase a GTI/TFSI model, this is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT thing that you need to check straight away. The Cam Followers are priced cheap by comparison (around £25 I believe), so generally if you don’t know the history of the car, or you know the part was never changed. It’s recommended to do it straight away. The outcome of Cam Follower failure is far more expensive for the cost of such a cheap little part.
Don’t bother wasting time if you’re unsure. Just do it. The procedure to replace them is quick and easy enough to do.
TANDEM PUMP ISSUES
This only affects Diesel Engines (as far as I’m aware), it converts Low Fuel pressure to High Fuel pressure for the injectors. The Tandem Pump can fail (or rather the seal first) which damages the Engine over time.
Generally the symptoms of this starting to happen are Flashing Glow Plug lights. Although this can simply point to Glow Plugs/Wiring too.
Another check to carry out which is more reliable is when doing the Fuel Filter on the car, to check for little shiny metal filings. If you find any filings, then you need to investigate because this suggest your Tandem Pump may be failing
Metal particles going through Fuel Injectors at high pressure = bad. So if you do the Fuel Filter and find these. Replace the Tandem Pump Seal (or Tandem Pump itself) if the damage is bad enough it will completely bugger the engine and result in failure.
IGNITION STARTER SWITCH FAILURE
Now. I don’t actually know if this affects the VW Golf MK5, because I never experienced the fault myself. However my current car is an Audi A3, and because they’re similar vehicles I suspect it’s a possible common fault.
I replaced mine in my Audi A3 it was easy enough to do. I just thought I’d mention it here just in case it is actually common. Generally the symptoms of this (other than fault codes), or a radio that cuts out and random vehicle stalling
OIL SPROCKET/BALANCE SHAFT FAILURE
I’m not sure which engine this affects off-hand. Again (I think), it’s the 1.9 Models (possibly the BXC and BXE variants). I’m not sure if it also affects the Petrol versions.
This information is merely for you to do a search on your Engine / Model to identify potential faults.
I actually can’t remember the specifics of this fault, it doesn’t affect the BKD Engine code. It’s something to do with a bolt that shears off the Oil Pump Sprocket and chain and damages the engine. I think the solution was to upgrade the bolt, or fit a bigger one or something.
I can’t be specific about this sorry, hopefully it will give you a starting point. I just know it buggers up the engine again if it fails. Another one of those jobs that’s worth knowing about. I didn’t need to know because it didn’t affect my Engine code.
ENDING NOTES AND SUMMARY
I can only comment on the specific faults I remember as I haven’t owned one of these vehicles in a while and I owned a Diesel 140hp version.
To summarise, here is approximately/best guess the costs of the above parts. The below prices assume all labour is being done by the owner and not a garage. If being done by a garage for assume another £200-£700 for the “big jobs” that require doing on the car (G201, Power Steering, Cam Follower Failure, Oil Pump Failure)
- G201 ABS Pump (£160 – £500)
- Window Mechanism (£30)
- Sills (£150 each)
- Tandem Pump (£300)
- Tandem Pump Seal/Gasket (£10)
- Cam Follower (£30)
- Power Steering Rack (£900 – OEM Gen 3 from Dealer), (£150 Refurbished)
- Power Steering Rack Coding (£80) – To upload characteristics
- Alloy Wheel Refurb (£180)
- Handbrake Cables (£20 each)
- Headlight (£150) if brand new
- Handbrake Guide Tubes (£15)
- G62 Temperature Sensor (£15)
- Ignition Starter Switch (£35)
- Wheel Bearings (£40 each)
- Oil Sprocket Kit (£50)
- Oil Pump – if Oil Sprocket Failure (£90)
- Rear Wiper (£20)
- Brake Caliper (£50)
Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed reading this article. This isn’t exclusively every single common fault for the MK5 Golf. Hopefully however it covers the majority of them and will give you some insight into owning one of these awesome cars.
Feel free to link to this article I’d appreciate it. If you want to send me a message drop me an email (admin @ myname.co.uk). If you find any errors with this document, please let me know and I’ll correct them.
