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Author Topic: Worth keeping the car?  (Read 4921 times)

Offline Jons1001

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Worth keeping the car?
« on: September 13, 2025, 07:14:45 pm »
I’ve got a mk5 gti coming up to 150k miles and below is a list of things it needs and also some things to get it back to good condition. Considering the car is probably worth 2.5k I was wondering if people think it’s worth keeping and spending some cash on?

Dsg service (would like to do this 10k early due to mileage) - £300

Suspension refresh (still on original shocks/springs etc and one shock is leaking) - £1000 plus?

Oil pick up pipe clean - £200?

Timing chain (seems fine at the moment but I know some people do these at around 100k for preventative maintenance) - £700?

Headliner retrim (sagging around rear light) - £400 or could buy trim saver for £70 and hope it lasts

Stereo trim (broken) - £50

Sunglasses holder (broken) - £30

Rust around windscreen sorted plus new windscreen - £250?

Discs all round - £250?

Dent removal - £150?

As you can see if I was to do everything it’s more than the car is worth. But I do love the car and would happily keep it for quite a few more years, just worried of putting money in and then the gearbox going or needing injectors etc (still on originals).

Would you throw money into a higher mileage mk5?

Please reassure me it would be a good idea!

My other option is to sell as is and add 7.5k and import a lowish miles mk7 from Japan.


Offline Octoparrot

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Re: Worth keeping the car?
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2025, 08:53:21 pm »
I'd say it depends on how much longer you could really see yourself keeping it.

Offline ZoliWorks

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Re: Worth keeping the car?
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2025, 12:03:39 pm »
If it's a k03, those injectors dont fail as bad as the k04 ones do so you're safe for te time being. also they are way cheaper than the k04 ones even brand new oem.

DSG service can be a hit or miss. If not done right, it'll run worse afterwards. Whoever does it needs to know exactly what they are doing.

Suspension is also relatively cheap. Throw in some Bilstein B4 sport version shocks and it's better than new. You can keep the gti springs or get black Eibach ones for a very slightly stiffer suspension. There's also the front suspension bushing which you can replace with the S3 ones also for super cheap.

Timing chain. You only really need to touch it if it rattles, it gives errors or your throttle hesitates/hangs. This one I suggest going all out and replacing everything relating to it. Chain, tensioner, adjuster sprocket, controller.

Windscreen is definitely worth it if worn. Night and day difference. Dont worry about the rust around it, just tell them to apply some windscreen glue there and to lift the glass higher. You wont even notice it and the glue keeps the water away from the metal so it wont rust further.

If you do disks, do pads as well. This is costly but it will freshen up your braking feel if done right.



Whether you should keep it or sell it is entirely your decision. do you like the car and dont mind investing in it or would you rather hand it off and get something newer which is much easier to make power on since just a stage 1 remap will make more than a k04 mk5 will. It's also more comfy, quieter and overall looks better (imo). I gont like hatchbacks that much but if I were to ever get one, it'd be a mk5 cause they really nailed the shape and it's sharps


My honest opinion? If you dont have any special attachment to your mk5 nor have you really invested into it and you have the option to go for the mk7, go for it.
Mk5 Jetta 2.0 TFSI BWA | Manual | Mk6 GTI Front | BorgWarner K04 Turbo | Sachs X-Tend Clutch Kit | Ta-Technix Air Intake | Ta-Technix Cat-less Downpipe | Ta-Technix Sandwich Intercooler | OEM S3 Injectors | Vis Motorsport 175 bar HPFP | 319hp 491nm


Offline Jons1001

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Re: Worth keeping the car?
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2025, 07:26:04 pm »
If it's a k03, those injectors dont fail as bad as the k04 ones do so you're safe for te time being. also they are way cheaper than the k04 ones even brand new oem.

DSG service can be a hit or miss. If not done right, it'll run worse afterwards. Whoever does it needs to know exactly what they are doing.

Suspension is also relatively cheap. Throw in some Bilstein B4 sport version shocks and it's better than new. You can keep the gti springs or get black Eibach ones for a very slightly stiffer suspension. There's also the front suspension bushing which you can replace with the S3 ones also for super cheap.

Timing chain. You only really need to touch it if it rattles, it gives errors or your throttle hesitates/hangs. This one I suggest going all out and replacing everything relating to it. Chain, tensioner, adjuster sprocket, controller.

Windscreen is definitely worth it if worn. Night and day difference. Dont worry about the rust around it, just tell them to apply some windscreen glue there and to lift the glass higher. You wont even notice it and the glue keeps the water away from the metal so it wont rust further.

If you do disks, do pads as well. This is costly but it will freshen up your braking feel if done right.



Whether you should keep it or sell it is entirely your decision. do you like the car and dont mind investing in it or would you rather hand it off and get something newer which is much easier to make power on since just a stage 1 remap will make more than a k04 mk5 will. It's also more comfy, quieter and overall looks better (imo). I gont like hatchbacks that much but if I were to ever get one, it'd be a mk5 cause they really nailed the shape and it's sharps


My honest opinion? If you dont have any special attachment to your mk5 nor have you really invested into it and you have the option to go for the mk7, go for it.

Cheers Zoli some good advice there, especially about the injectors. Also I’ve already done pads all round so one less thing to worry about. This is the state of the paint above the windscreen, be interested to know your thoughts after seeing it lol.






Do you know which layer the patch on the second pic is? I have got some touch up paint but unsure if I can go straight on top of it?

As you can see it’s bad, which is a shame because the rest of the car has no rust at all, being a Japan import it’s very clean underneath too.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2025, 07:28:05 pm by Jons1001 »

Offline ZoliWorks

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Re: Worth keeping the car?
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2025, 05:16:00 pm »
Yeah thats a lot more rust than i thought, but it looks like surface rust so it's easy to repair. Tho there's going to be a lot more underneath, which isnt visible right now. My advice to you is, given that it's an old car (mk5's are old lol), strip the windshield, take it to a shop to have them repair the rust entirely and have them paint the top then get a new windshield. Sunburns, scratched windshields are mad annoying to drive with in rain or at night. Replacing my old windshield was one of the best mods I have done to my car, no joke.

The layer underneath your paint is likely the base coat/primer. Given that you basically have a chunk of both paint and clearcoat missing, spotless repair will be quite hard. You'd have to sand down the entire roof all the way from the front to the rear, patch the rusted area, sand down all imperfections to get a flat surface and then re paint and clearcoat the whole thing. Or repair the rust, patch the missing paint spot, sand it all down and wrap the roof. That's going to be cheaper but for that complete oem look you'll wanna take it to a profi paint/body shop and have them do it.

Speaking from experience from being around many different mechanics and painters, seeing them how they work on other cars and what kinda stunts they pull, dont cheap out on bodywork and paint. There's a night and day difference between a back alley jack of all trades guy and someone who specializes in bodywork and paint.

EDIT: just went through and re read the original post and my reply. Yeah I was expecting you to have some rust in the groove where the windscreen sits, not outside of it. And that windscreen looks battered and worn out af, so best bet? get rid of it, get the bodywork and paint done then install a new one.

This'll be offtopic but if you want to keep the car and really enjoy it, get some stage 1/stage 2 tune. No mods are needed. no intake, exhaust or anything. It wont sounds as good but the power will be there. These k03 cars are crazy downlow and for city driving. When i was k03 with a stage 1, the power surge at 2.2k rpm was insane. It felt as if i got hit by a truck from behind. Crazy good city acceleration and response time especially when you have to punch it in traffic to take a gap.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2025, 05:20:15 pm by ZoliWorks »
Mk5 Jetta 2.0 TFSI BWA | Manual | Mk6 GTI Front | BorgWarner K04 Turbo | Sachs X-Tend Clutch Kit | Ta-Technix Air Intake | Ta-Technix Cat-less Downpipe | Ta-Technix Sandwich Intercooler | OEM S3 Injectors | Vis Motorsport 175 bar HPFP | 319hp 491nm


Offline Jons1001

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Re: Worth keeping the car?
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2025, 10:12:51 pm »
Yeah thats a lot more rust than i thought, but it looks like surface rust so it's easy to repair. Tho there's going to be a lot more underneath, which isnt visible right now. My advice to you is, given that it's an old car (mk5's are old lol), strip the windshield, take it to a shop to have them repair the rust entirely and have them paint the top then get a new windshield. Sunburns, scratched windshields are mad annoying to drive with in rain or at night. Replacing my old windshield was one of the best mods I have done to my car, no joke.

The layer underneath your paint is likely the base coat/primer. Given that you basically have a chunk of both paint and clearcoat missing, spotless repair will be quite hard. You'd have to sand down the entire roof all the way from the front to the rear, patch the rusted area, sand down all imperfections to get a flat surface and then re paint and clearcoat the whole thing. Or repair the rust, patch the missing paint spot, sand it all down and wrap the roof. That's going to be cheaper but for that complete oem look you'll wanna take it to a profi paint/body shop and have them do it.

Speaking from experience from being around many different mechanics and painters, seeing them how they work on other cars and what kinda stunts they pull, dont cheap out on bodywork and paint. There's a night and day difference between a back alley jack of all trades guy and someone who specializes in bodywork and paint.

EDIT: just went through and re read the original post and my reply. Yeah I was expecting you to have some rust in the groove where the windscreen sits, not outside of it. And that windscreen looks battered and worn out af, so best bet? get rid of it, get the bodywork and paint done then install a new one.

This'll be offtopic but if you want to keep the car and really enjoy it, get some stage 1/stage 2 tune. No mods are needed. no intake, exhaust or anything. It wont sounds as good but the power will be there. These k03 cars are crazy downlow and for city driving. When i was k03 with a stage 1, the power surge at 2.2k rpm was insane. It felt as if i got hit by a truck from behind. Crazy good city acceleration and response time especially when you have to punch it in traffic to take a gap.

Cheers, I knew it was bad but just wanted to see if it was possible to somehow sand it myself and touch up etc instead of what will be a lot of money to repaint the whole roof, I don’t care as long as it looks ok from 10 feet away. To be honest there’s 0 chance I will spend out on a full re paint so just trying to minimise it best I can.
The car has had a ‘stage 2’ remap in plus induction kit/downpipe making about 265bhp and has been for 5 years now so all good on that front, easy enough for daily driving. Shame about the paint tho as otherwise it’s in decent condition.



Offline ZoliWorks

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Re: Worth keeping the car?
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2025, 08:44:02 am »
I mean hey, nobody is stopping you from giving it a try :p

When doing the windscreen, get it removed, do the bodywork yourself with some spray can and clearcoat and then it'll be whatever it'll be. It's best to do it with the glass removed so you get access to any spots covered by it.
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Offline Jons1001

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Re: Worth keeping the car?
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2025, 07:44:15 pm »
I mean hey, nobody is stopping you from giving it a try :p

When doing the windscreen, get it removed, do the bodywork yourself with some spray can and clearcoat and then it'll be whatever it'll be. It's best to do it with the glass removed so you get access to any spots covered by it.

Thanks for the advice. I got a price and to respray the roof it’s £250, plus £100 to remove/refit the windscreen. Another approx £200 if the windscreen can’t be refitted. Going to have a think about it. I reckon to get the car how I want it I will end up spending the cars worth (£2500). But then to get into a decent mk7 it will be more like 10k plus my car  :thinking:

Offline ZoliWorks

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Re: Worth keeping the car?
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2025, 11:22:41 pm »
True, but then you have a mk7, which in my opinion is the best looking golf, which also comes with a nice tunable engine that will usually make more with a stage 1 map than you golf with a stage 3. You got a newer gen car, new interior design, overall different sharps and edges, more modern, less issues etc etc. I would pick the 7 if i had the option.

I'm here with my jetta. Invested well over 10k into it and it's getting a hybrid turbo next week. Do i like it? yeah i do. do i like the new gen, mk6 jetta more? yeah....
But hey, this one is quite unique so i'll keep it for a few more years xD
Mk5 Jetta 2.0 TFSI BWA | Manual | Mk6 GTI Front | BorgWarner K04 Turbo | Sachs X-Tend Clutch Kit | Ta-Technix Air Intake | Ta-Technix Cat-less Downpipe | Ta-Technix Sandwich Intercooler | OEM S3 Injectors | Vis Motorsport 175 bar HPFP | 319hp 491nm