Might be back in an MK6 - what should i look out for when buying again?

Hey again everyone, it was 4.5 years ago when i got into a 2010 GTI 4 door, with APR stage 1 and intake. I loved that car, sadly only got to own it for 6 months before i had to upgrade to get our family a bigger car as we had just found out we were going to have a kid. I sold that 2010 to a friend, who over the next 3.5 years owned it, and last summer the engine went out, smashed the #3 spark plug to bits. Not sure how well he took care of it after i sold it to him, but i've always had a soft spot for getting back into a GTI.


Fast forward to today, currently i'm in a 13 STi sedan, however i'll be selling it tomorrow as i need to free up some cash to finance some home/family projects. I'm in search of a more affordable car, and of course, am looking back at some MK6's. I've got a local one available that's a 2012 autobahn, 6Spd, completely stock, with 84,000KM. It supposedly has the VW extended warranty to 10 years/120K KM, and when i called volkswagen it was put into service on February 16, 2012. So still another 4 full years of warranty or 40K km. (i do only average around 10K/year for my commuting).


With that being said, it's been a while since i've been involved in VW. I plan on keeping the car stock this time (i need to keep the warranty intact, as i don't want to have unexpected costs pop up over the next few years as we add to the family and have other costs elsewhere). But what things should i look out for when going to see the car? what kind of costs can i expect if i decide to keep the car for the long haul? I'm seeing alot of talk about carbon cleaning (i had an IS250, i know about the DI and carbon build-up), and also the TCT's. is there anything else very major that i should think twice about getting back into a 6 year old VW?

You've got things like the water pump and intake manifold that like to go out, but there's not much you can really do to worry about those. If it goes out just have it taken care of.

I wonder if the tensioner went out in your friends car since it was a 2010. Somewhere in the middle of 2012 models they released a new tensioner. Replacing a tensioner is at least a $700 (USD) job, and replacing the chain (since they stretch over time) adds about another $700 to that job. IMO the tensioner is really the only thing to be concerned about with these cars. If you're looking at 2013+ models they'll definitely have the updated tensioner, but if you're looking at a 2012 there's a 50/50 chance it'll be the old tensioner.

I have a 2011 I've had for 5 years that's given me very few issues and after I replace the tensioner later this year I'm hoping I'll get at least 3 more trouble free years out of it.

^^ what he sd.
Where are you located? How much? I would also check the wheel bearings and the dog bone. Who knows it they beat up on it. Up om the hoist and take a good look underneath. My TOB was covered by a TSB and I got a new clutch as a result but a machined flywheel.. so I would listen for a hooting sound when the engine is cold. Check the PCV.. rear main seal if its leaking...
If you have factory warranty though sounds lile a good deal however make sure it is spelled out on the sales sheet. Its usually 4yrs or 120Km whichever comes first.

Good luck though!!

Blakcard said:

^^ what he sd.
Where are you located? How much? I would also check the wheel bearings and the dog bone. Who knows it they beat up on it. Up om the hoist and take a good look underneath. My TOB was covered by a TSB and I got a new clutch as a result but a machined flywheel.. so I would listen for a hooting sound when the engine is cold. Check the PCV.. rear main seal if its leaking...
If you have factory warranty though sounds lile a good deal however make sure it is spelled out on the sales sheet. Its usually 4yrs or 120Km whichever comes first.

Good luck though!!

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I'm in edmonton, and i'm currently looking at 2 different ones. both 6 SPD autobahns. the one i had in mind was a white 2012 with 84K km, and hes selling it for $16250. Thats the one that had the VW warranty up until 10 year/120K. I did check with VW and it's legit, however the warranty would have some paperwork to get transferred, but it should be doable to get that. The only problem was after seeing that thing listed for 5+ weeks and no bites, the time i finally am going to have cash in hand to buy it, the guy has an interested party who was "first" but is still trying to secure financing to get it. The seller is holding it for him for a week even though i told him i'd have cash for him in 2 days and would take it if it all checked out properly.


The other one i'm looking at is a grey 2012, however its got quite a bit more mileage on it, its sitting at 141K. The saving grace is that its listed price is $13K. That's a pretty big price savings which is what i'm after with downgrading from the STi to fund some other things. Im not completely scared off by mileage, as long as the history has a decent record and the car checks out properly.

damn dude..i bought a 2013 GTI with 31k miles. for 16k.

No warranty/wasn't CPO

only issue I've had so far is a clicking noise coming from the rear.

avni said:

damn dude..i bought a 2013 GTI with 31k miles. for 16k.

No warranty/wasn't CPO

only issue I've had so far is a clicking noise coming from the rear.

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our $CAD is not very strong so that's what our market is like right now for GTI's. My in laws are going to let me borrow their BMW 328 for now so i can wait for the right one to come along.

Just to update, we just picked up a 9 month old VW Atlas exec line (SEL premium for you US guys) after selling off my sti. Now we've got the 18 atlas and a 13 cx5. I'm tempted to sell off the cx5 to get a stock GTI as my daily commuter as the atlas will do the family hauling.

I'm still looking at the same 2 GTIs. The white one with 84k km for $16250 (won't move off the price), but has extended warranty to 120k km or 2022.

The other grey one I actually went to look at and saw in person. 2012 5 door with leather/Navi etc. It has 141k km...but she's already told me straight up she would take $11,500 for it. I think that could even be brought down a little lower in my opinion with the right haggling. At that price, I think I could deal with the mileage, and it gives me some buffer room to tackle any of the common issues if they haven't already been fixed.

I've read and know about the TCT, PCV, rear main seal, clutch, water pump, etc and would feel comfortable doing most of my own work on this car. 141k km is about 90k miles fyi. Should I be running away from this thing or could it be a decent deal (of course pending an actual shop inspection too)? I should note that the owner of this car took amazing care of the interior, I haven't seen a 2012 that looked that good inside. She said she cares for her car alot, but that doesn't always translate to the mechanical side that an enthusiast would know either.

sterkrazzy said:

Somewhere in the middle of 2012 models they released a new tensioner. Replacing a tensioner is at least a $700 (USD) job, and replacing the chain (since they stretch over time) adds about another $700 to that job. IMO the tensioner is really the only thing to be concerned about with these cars. If you're looking at 2013+ models they'll definitely have the updated tensioner, but if you're looking at a 2012 there's a 50/50 chance it'll be the old tensioner.

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It looks like the changeover point was 9/11, based on this list I compiled:

https://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2574466#post2574466

"Might be back in an MK6 - what should i look out for when buying again?"

If you see a VW symbol on the front or back of the car. :happyanim::bellyroll:

If I were to do it all over again I would do a thorough Inspection. Have the car in the air and check underneath for any leaks or signs of a leak that was present. CV boot check. If it has a sunroof maybe do a quick check by dumping a bottle of water on it to make sure the drains are all working and aren't backed up and the drain nipples aren't clogged. If its dsg try to look at the service history to make sure the fluid was changed on time. Peek at the dsg filter and make sure its dry around there. Look at the top of the motor for valve cover seepage/PVC oil seepage.

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I would definitely go with the cheaper one with the higher mileage especially since it was lady driven. Sexist I know LOL The guy with the $16,000 one that won't budge on the price after 2 1/2 months on the market doesn't sound like a great guy to deal with IMO.
FYI I just bought a 2013 with 113 K6 speed with a stage one and an aftermarket clutch for 13 five. Basically I paid what he was offered by VW on trade. I am near Toronto so that was in Canadian pesos as well.

Gerardsgti said:

I would definitely go with the cheaper one with the higher mileage especially since it was lady driven. Sexist I know LOL The guy with the $16,000 one that won't budge on the price after 2 1/2 months on the market doesn't sound like a great guy to deal with IMO.
FYI I just bought a 2013 with 113 K6 speed with a stage one and an aftermarket clutch for 13 five. Basically I paid what he was offered by VW on trade. I am near Toronto so that was in Canadian pesos as well.

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well the white one with the extended warranty got sold. But i'm still digging deeper into the grey 2012 who's asking $11,500 CAD. Again, its got 141k Km on it, but she just sent over a pic of the door jamb plate and it has a build date of 10/11 on it, which seems would be right on the line for having the updated TCT. Could be why she's experienced no issues with it so far.

I'm going to call the VIN into VW canada later and see what parts have extended warranties on that one specifically, of course im assuming the intake manifold is on there, and maybe some of the other ones like HPFP, maybe water pump? It's a 6 spd manual (im not a huge fan of the DSG). So at that point all i would really need to worry about major work on would probably be rear main seal + clutch (if i factor in a buffer price-wise for that), and maybe some other wear/tear items like wheel bearings or suspension work, all of which i'm comfortable with DIY'ing.

I might have another look at it tomorrow, in which i will probably bring a jack/stands, and some tools. I don't think she would mind if i did a thorough self-inspection for an hour or so, remove some wheels and check suspension, brakes, axles etc, get under and check for leaks on the main seal/oil pans etc. If that all checked out, then i might still get another inspection done at a shop on a lift for peace of mind.



The part that is making this all tough is that she does not have insurance currently on the vehicle, so it cannot really be "test driven". When i saw it briefly in person last week, i did fire it up and run it, and took it about 100 yards down the cul-de-sac they lived in, but that was about the extent of that visit, just wanted to see if it was something i even wanted to pursue.


At this point, i think its still definitely worth looking into a little bit more

Just got off the phone with VW canada and verified what warranty extensions this car falls under:

All the items will be covered until December 2021, or 193K km

1) Intake Manifold
2) Fuel Injectors
3) Injection Pump (Is this the HPFP?)
4) F16 Fuse

So, not too bad i guess its got some coverage for the usual stuff. Really all i'm worrying about now (that would be specific to this model) are the TCT, Water pump, PCV, Clutch/Rear main seal. Wheel bearings/hub, brakes, suspension and all that are just normal wear and tear things that could happen with any car.

well, those last 2 GTI's didnt pan out, however another one has come up recently:


2011 White GTI, 4 door, 6MT, non-autobahn/non-tech package. Only has 45,000KM, original owner. $16,000 CAD

Obviously this one is pretty mint as it's never been driven in winter or anything. Low mileage, and the price is OK. Plaid seats which weren't my preference, but have grown on me.

Plan is to leave it stock, it's the right color, some concessions would have to be made by me on the trim level, but that's OK since it's a pretty mint car. But i would still have to be mindful of the TCT (unless that VW settlement can make its way up to Canada).


This issue with trying to gauge the value of this car is that in my area, GTI prices of all years MK5/MK6/MK7 are varying wildly...this is right at the peak of my budget, but looks like a solid unit, should i jump on it?


The other one i was considering, was going to a base MK7, 5spd. Ive found a white one with the same mileage, a 2016, for $16,500 CAD. Of course you get a better head unit, newer platform etc...but it also isn't a GTI.


Tough decisions lie ahead, would love to hear any pointers on which way would be better!

Turbo waste gate valve. They wear out. No repair, just replace the turbo.