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2013 GTI, new to me ... questions

Gruven

New member
Hey all,

We recently picked up a 2013 GTI to restore with my son in not so great condition (fits his budget). Have a few questions hopefully someone can help with. Car is a 2.0 TSI DSG, 121K miles, zero service records aside from 4 coil packs/plugs replaced and a decarbon service done on intake mani. Engine and trans run very very strong. It will surf the front tires off the line for 5 seconds and they are in good shape. Plenty of power and shifting perfect. Ive never driven a DSG and now Im seeing the benefits. and Thats about where the Pros end... frot rear bumpers crunched, body has various gashes, wheels are all curbed to sh!t...

Heres my questions, fire away please !

1. Is there some sort of factory service manual I can get pdf version or printed version ? Is Haynes decent for this ? Im flying blind, all my last VWs had Bentley bibles.

2. Check engine code P0112 is on. Intake air temp sensor, any tips here ? Ive reset a few times it keeps coming back. just replace ? I looked at connector it seems fine.

3. Front Subframe is a mess. half the bolts gone, others backed out 3/4 when i lifted it up. I tightened and added a few more bolts from my stash but it still feels like a brick going thru a glass window when you hit a bump. Any suggestions for front subframe upgrade ? Since I need bunch of new bolts I was thinking the ECS kit for this as it includes 10 new bolts, half of which I need...

4. car has some mold damage on interior. Front pass sunroof drain was totally disconnected and flowing right into the glove box. I fixed that so it wont leak anymore but the damage has been done. I pulled carpet back and the underlying foam and dried it all out. Theres a foam part behind glove box which Im just tossing out. Car still smells bad inside, any tips tricks to get it a little better? I can pull carpet all the way out and clean or buy new, but dont want to spend too much $$ if I dont have to here.

5. Dripping oil, somewhere pass side up high on engine. Is upper timing cover common area to look at for oil leaks ? I'll try to clean that area up and get a better idea, the leak is pretty big.

6. Airbag and TPMS lights on. VCDS clears those ? Im sure airbag is since we had the seats out and had to reconnect battery a few times with them unplugged. I suppose that tool is worth it, Ive got another Tiguan with same motor so likely will need it at some pt anyways. ** edit - cleared TPMS, I understand how that system works now...

Any other areas i need to be concerned with ? We already took care of the sagging headliner.

Thanks! for all the bad with this car, it does run well. Ive had MK1 - MK3 gtis so this is definitely a nice improvement, or will be anyway (hopefully!)
 
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Tyler12108

Go Kart Newbie
1. No unfortunately there is not
2. Not sure
3. I'd look at a parts diagram online of the subframe and also recommend a subframe collar kit (designed by Tyrolsport) but there are plenty of cheaper knockoffs of it. Without it the subframe can shift around a lot especially at full turns and you can hear a clunking/popping noise.
4. Ozone treatment would help after a deep clean (shampoo vac/steamer/professional detail)
5. That is a very common leak, honestly my car pretty much always has some kind of seeping leak that isn't a concern until it starts making it's way to the ground, usually top off about a quart in-between oil changes from that and burning oil.
6. I think VCDS can clear it? I have heard of people saying they need to go to the dealer to clear certain codes like that so I wouldn't be surprised.

Probably heard this before but check the timing chain stretch/tensioner version. At 2013 depending on the build date it could be the old version prone to failure. Also water pumps tend to be an issue on these cars and around that mileage I had some of the plastic coolant lines start to crack. (Currently about to hit 170k miles)

Also might want to do a DSG service, plenty of youtube guides on that! I like the channels Deutsche Auto Parts and Humble Mechanic, super helpful guys.
 

aspro_gti

Autocross Champion
ECS locking collar kit is good, I have it on my front subframe... note that the bolts are all single use (bs stretch bolts from factory)... The car won't explode if you reuse them, but you may hear clunking and have slop.
Timing cover and valve cover are very common oil leaks. If you're handy with tools, you should be able to reseal the valve cover and throw in a new upper timing gasket. (Best to do both at same time since valve cover needs the upper timing cover off)
If you're taking the upper timing cover off, consider doing an entire timing chain refresh. They stretch, and at 120k miles, if it's on the original chain, it's a ticking timebomb... Admin Jay's motor skipped timing and nuked itself because of the original chain...
You can check how much stretch there is... there's a solid DAP video on youtube for how to do this.
 

vw1300

New member
No Bentley unfortunately, they were the best. But there are a lot of how-to videos on almost every issue and even as newbies to watercooled VWs, we've gotten a lot done without a manual. If you really want a manual though, the last Bentley was for the MkV which is very similar. I got one on Amazon and it does have some useful things in it, but I wouldn't say it's essential.
 
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