Bringing an MK6 back from the grave - My Mk6 Story

You will end up cost more than buying a new one...and not to mention putting yours or whoever sit in that car at risk.

Car came last night! I took a bunch of pics of it being unloaded. I will try and post them tonight.

I got the front of the car all taken a part last night, and it was pretty much how I expected it to look. When it was hit, the battery must have been cracked/punctured, so everything has a nice layer of rust/acid on it. The battery must have been pushed into the brake mechanical, because they are dented. The radiator is also shot, so I will be replacing that along with the intercooler. Thinking about an APR intercooler, but damn that is alot of money. Even the S3 intercooler isn't cheap. The wiring is going to be the biggest challenge, but I am up for it.

The rest of the car looks awesome. It still smells brand new on the inside. The interior looks great, and the body is in perfect shape. The wheels are also spotless, and after jacking it up I can tell the suspension is fine. Also, no frame damage whatsoever. Must have been a high hit.

I will get pics up tonight after work.

Dude that engine bay looks warped to shit ... I know this may be too late but best of luck. That car needs a lot of work.

Something about the wheels doesn't look right either. What the hell happened to that car? I mean it must have received 20k+ of damage since it was totaled.

Is it me or is the left (driver side) shock tower pushed up?

maxtdi said:

Dude that engine bay looks warped to shit ... I know this may be too late but best of luck. That car needs a lot of work.

Something about the wheels doesn't look right either. What the hell happened to that car? I mean it must have received 20k+ of damage since it was totaled.

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Doesn't look that way to me (in real life). Maybe the pics are playing tricks on your eyes? (or you're not used to seeing the mk6 engine bay without the battery/fuse box.

The shock tower looks good too (from my memory sitting at my desk at work right now anyways..). I will post more pics tonight.

ToMMyGuN said:

Doesn't look that way to me (in real life). Maybe the pics are playing tricks on your eyes? (or you're not used to seeing the mk6 engine bay without the battery/fuse box.

The shock tower looks good too (from my memory sitting at my desk at work right now anyways..). I will post more pics tonight.

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Maybe I am not sure, but the wheels don't seem to line up right with the body.

What happened to that car?

maxtdi said:

Maybe I am not sure, but the wheels don't seem to line up right with the body.

What happened to that car?

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I honestly don't know, because I haven't seen pictures of when it was totaled. From what I could see last night, something high came through the driver headlight, wrecking things high in the compartment like the battery and fuse box, and the wiper linkage. The carriage/frame looks great.

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ToMMyGuN said:

I honestly don't know, because I haven't seen pictures of when it was totaled. From what I could see last night, something high came through the driver headlight, wrecking things high in the compartment like the battery and fuse box, and the wiper linkage. The carriage/frame looks great.

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Damn that's a HUGE risk to take on... best of luck I am sub'ing to this

I give you kudos for taking on a project like this. Like some have said that engine bay just doesn't look square but, I'm sure you'll sort it all out.

Good luck. May the German Car Gods be with you.

Finally got around to posting some pics. I have been hard at work already with the car. Sorry, but no epic car hauler pics because it was dark out (but you can still get the idea).

Car Hauler just pulled up, seeing the car in person for the first time:


Me in the car, ready to be pulled off of the hauler (with headlamp of course):


Being pulled off of the car hauler @ ~9pm:


Made it up our driveway and into the garage! This is where the car will sit until it runs:


I then jacked the car up and my father-in-law and I disassembled the front end to assess damage:


The interior is in great shape - I just need to replace that air bag:


Glory shot of the house (w/ xmas lights already) and the GTI in the garage:


The most difficult part is going to be this wiring. I may have to replace the entire harness, but that is a ton of work I want to avoid. I am waiting on my service manual to make a decision:


Look, it's basically done!! :laugh:



Tonight I took the radiator, condenser, and intercooler off. Now I am comfortable in seeing everything that is broken or needs replacement. This is going to be a long road, but after seeing everything that is damaged, it looks like I should be fine with some elbow grease. The strut tower may have shifted a bit, but not much. It looks like it will be ok. I need to get it running before I start messing with that.

Now the part buying begins!

Props for taking on this project! Looks to me like an expensive adventure...lots of stuff missing in that engine bay, especially electrical. Hope the frame is straight. Good luck and looking forward seeing the results!

Sub'd! This will be a fun journey!

Sub'd here too! really curious to see this process!!

Good luck man

good luck!

I would suggest you get it on a flat bed to get it over to be aligned ASAP. This will tell you right off the bat if it is all the way it looks or if there is more under the surface.