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Model specific boards => Golf mk5 => Topic started by: James_H on 28 September 2008, 18:38
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Hello all.
I'm a bit of a lurker on this forum as not yet an owner but have stepped up my search for a Mk5 GTI DSG. I did see one this weekend that ticked a lot of boxes. My main reservation was the exterior marks. Nothing was major, but it had :cry::
- A scratch down the length of one side, the type left by a bag or coat rather than a key, though I struggled to feel it with my nail.
- A small dent on the rear n/s wing that had also chipped the paint.
- Paint chip on the front bumper
- A couple of chips out of the paint on the edge of the drivers door.
- All the 18-inch Monza IIs had seen some scuffing, not on the face of the wheel but the on the edge.
- The wheel studs had this odd white stuff on them.
From reading past threads on here, I realise most of you are like me and take great care of our cars and get miffed at the tiniest of chips. I'm the sort with carpet on my garage walls, would rather scuff my knuckles by putting my finger round the door edge than open the dorr against a wall etc. That said, I have the benefit of running two cars and the Golf would be replacing my practical car that sits outside. Despite taking great care with that, it has suffered from being kept outdoors and does have the odd marks inflicted by bird lime or less considerate parkers/pedestrians.
My question is for those of you who bought used, how much in the way of minor cosmetic damage did you find acceptable and were there many cars that you turned down?
The car I saw was at a dealer (independent, not a VW franchise). The thing that bothers me about the light scratch down the side is that it is clear the car has seen some form of polish or wax because of the residue around the door handles. If the scratches would polish out, for the cost of a bit of elbow grease, why have they not been done.
I (or the dealer) could always get someone in to sort the chips, though the one with the dent could cause difficulty.
Most of these concerns apply to any car, but particular to the GTI are the Monza IIs, which by design are just asking to be kerbed by a less diligent driver. I've read all about difficulty of refurbing and also the white worm, of which there is only a tiny bit of evidence on the offside rear. Quite how that wheel has been scuffed I don't know. The nearside front normally takes the brunt, yet all are fairly even on this car. The scuffs rule out any warranty replacement and now the scuffs are there the condition will only deteriorate. However, with relatively little visible damage, I don't think it's worth getting them done (or getting the dealer to) straight away, particularly as I may kerb them once or twice again the early weeks of ownership, as always seems to be the case. Is a set of perfect Monza IIs the holy grail so that I should revise my expectations down?
The centre caps were going, but that could be a warranty fix. Anyone know what would make the wheel studs go a mixture of black and white?
Sorry for the long post. I'm making up for having done much more reading than writing. :nerd:
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Well what you accept is upto you, i wouldn't personally want scratches (well not past the clearcoat), repainted panels, scuffed alloys, cig burns, worn seats etc, an odd small dent may be ok if i could get it out, i suppose allot depends on how much you have to spend too, i would shop around as with a new model coming out there will be some mint well priced motors out there
how much you spending
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Ps the wheels should have caps over the bolts, are the bolts showing ?, or is it the plastic caps your seeing ?
like this
(http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/images/dis/5112/200/Volkswagen20IV20Head20Bolt%20Caps-Black-Priced20.jpg)
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Welcome to the forum James. :cool:
Buying second hand is always a slight gamble, but there are gems out there to be bought.
Buying a car that is mechanically right is the main thing, cosmetic imperfections are what you would have to negotiate on if you were to buy. :wink:
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When I viewed my car I spotted some scuffs on the mirrors, some scratches on the rear bumper and the interior trim on the tailgate was broken and I asked for all of that to be sorted - which it was (main dealer BTW).
However when I came to washing the car properly myself I've noticed quite a few stone chips / scratches that once you spot them the first time they then seem to stare out at you. When I was looking at it in the dealer my heart was ruling not my head! However now I know about them it detracts a bit from the excitement of owning the car. I part exed an 8 year old car that was in nigh on mint condition which seems to make it worse.
So if you think you're the type of person to feel a bit unhappy that your car isn't in perfect condition I would keep looking or insist that they are sorted. Don't get too carried away and do something that you will regret or at least will cost you more money later on when you decide you cant live with it.
And welcome!
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No car is perfect - even brand new.
Accept what you feel you will be happy with. Mine had a couple of minor marks on it when I got it - but nothing obvious and something that could easily have been done after a days driving. Stone chips on the front - thats what you get for using your car ;)
Wheels are nothing to worry about and shouldnt stop you buying a good example - just factor in the cost and get the refurbished yourself
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- The wheel studs had this odd white stuff on them.
Mine has that on some of the wheel bolt covers too. On one or two, it seems to have come off when I detailed the car but some of the others, it's still on. I wonder whether it's the remnant of some kind of cleaner or polish that was left on too long or never washed off properly.
My question is for those of you who bought used, how much in the way of minor cosmetic damage did you find acceptable and were there many cars that you turned down?
TBH I bought my car on the same day as seeing it. It was 8mth old ex-demo. Perfect condition. Didn't notice 1. lack of wheelbolt cover remover tool 2. white stuff on wheel bolt covers 3. front offside alloy different tint to the others until after I'd already bought the car. None of them bothers me but wish I'd known about the alloy colour difference, since I would have haggled down or asked for a matching alloy.
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James, it really depends on the age of the car your looking at, and if the marks on it are reflected in the price. If the car is 07 onwards I would say that is an awful lot of damage for such a period of time. Even so, it seems like quite a bit even if its an older model. I have just sold my old 55 plate civic and the only marks on the exterior were 3 or 4 stone chips. Granted I am fairly protective, but still all those things you list do make it seem like perhaps the car hasnt had the most loving previous owner.
However, as some guys have already said, you could definately have a go at trying to get the dealer to agree to sort out at least some of them as a clincher to you agreeing to buy. HTH.
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You have to accept the condition of the vehicle based on the age of it...
I think chips on the bonnet/bumper on a 3yr old car are pretty much accepted...
I'm trying to learn to judge wear on car keys too as you can tell the mileage of a car based on the car key as there's so many people who clock their cars for company car mileage...
Also worth checking the seats for wear too...
You need to look at the car and think, if I was selling this on to someone else, what would someone look to discount the car based on the condition of x.y.z.
Also take into account whether it comes with Tax/MOT/Recent Service/New Tyres as thats an instant £900ish if it has 12mths on all three....
But if it needs Tax/MOT/Service & depending what needs doing on the service you could find yourself £900 out of pocket as soon as you buy the thing!
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Hello all.
Hi James. A warm welcome to the forum. :smiley:
I'm a bit of a lurker on this forum as not yet an owner but have stepped up my search for a Mk5 GTI DSG.
You don't actually have to own a GTI to post away here! :wink: :tongue: So get posting away, and enjoy arguably the most knowledgeable and friendly Golf forums on the planet! :nerd: :grin:
- The wheel studs had this odd white stuff on them.
The centre caps were going, but that could be a warranty fix. Anyone know what would make the wheel studs go a mixture of black and white?
If the wheel bolts did not have those little black covers on them, and they had a white furry substance, not too disimilar to limescale, then that is relatively normal. It is basically galvanic corrosion, and is caused when two different metals contact each other (the cast iron of the brake disc, the aluminium alloy of the wheel, and the steel of the bolt). :nerd:
When you get the car, slaken the bolts, jack up the car. Carefully remove the wheel. Wire brush the mounting face of the disc, and the wheel bolts, and very carefully do the same to the mounting face of the alloy. Then smear a thin layer of anti-sieze paste in the mounting face of the wheel to disc, and also the apply the same on the bolt threads and concial seat of the bolt.
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I'm trying to learn to judge wear on car keys too as you can tell the mileage of a car based on the car key as there's so many people who clock their cars for company car mileage...
Also worth checking the seats for wear too...
The keys alone can be very misleading. On one hand you can have a car which travels non-stop from say Glasgow to London (and return) each day, thus clocking up mega mileages - but the key will only be in and out twice per day. At the other extreme, someone who is say doing very low mileages - but constantly stopping and starting (taxi, delivery driver, or meals on wheels service as examples) will have major key use compared to mileage! :smug:
You really need to assess everything as a "whole", and that includes things like keys (both), pedal rubbers (though these are easily changed), steering wheel/handbrake/gear lever wear, seat wear. Also look at the condition of the carpets and floor mats, the boot mat, the seat backs of the rear seats, scuffs on the door sills.
And a classic example of differentiating between low speed town use and high speed m.way use - at constant high speeds, the front bumper, bonnet and windscreen will be more prone to stone chip damage, but also be more subject to "sandblasting" type of wear too. Whereas a town car will probably not have any stone chips, but will more likely have scuffed alloys, scuffed bumpers, and general little dings from car parks and shopping trolleys.
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Ignore the keys they can not tell you anything much.Im a builder and my keys are a bit tatty with all bits going in my pocket at work and i have only done 9000 miles in 18 months
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Monzas are ridiculously easy to kerb but can be refurbished for about £75 a wheel so maybe mint condition on much over 10k miles is going to be difficult to find.
However, shameless plug alert!!!
I've got one for sale, a slight scratch on the rear offside wheel, a tiny ding on the end of the drivers door, othersiwe huge spec and mint condition, AND i'm open to sensible offers! :grin:
Do a search on autotrader for golfs within one mile of IP28 8EA,
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At the end of the day, does the price reflect the condition?
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Hello all.
Hi James. A warm welcome to the forum. :smiley:
I'm a bit of a lurker on this forum as not yet an owner but have stepped up my search for a Mk5 GTI DSG.
You don't actually have to own a GTI to post away here! :wink: :tongue: So get posting away, and enjoy arguably the most knowledgeable and friendly Golf forums on the planet! :nerd: :grin:
- The wheel studs had this odd white stuff on them.
The centre caps were going, but that could be a warranty fix. Anyone know what would make the wheel studs go a mixture of black and white?
If the wheel bolts did not have those little black covers on them, and they had a white furry substance, not too disimilar to limescale, then that is relatively normal. It is basically galvanic corrosion, and is caused when two different metals contact each other (the cast iron of the brake disc, the aluminium alloy of the wheel, and the steel of the bolt). :nerd:
When you get the car, slaken the bolts, jack up the car. Carefully remove the wheel. Wire brush the mounting face of the disc, and the wheel bolts, and very carefully do the same to the mounting face of the alloy. Then smear a thin layer of anti-sieze paste in the mounting face of the wheel to disc, and also the apply the same on the bolt threads and concial seat of the bolt.
Nice way of words there TT! But i must agree!
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Wow - thanks for the welcome and all the posts.
I remember seeing the star shape on the wheel bolts so I gather it could be plastic covers. If so, they can only be pence to fix, it's just that I had never seen white on the bolts like that before.
All your posts are quite reassuring. I think I'll be very lucky to find a used car in brand new condition. I do have a contact for smart repairs if I bought as is, though I haven't tried him yet, but it is always a negotiating point. The interior of this one did seem tidy. Mechanically I didn't drive the car hard, but didn't find anything amiss. There's a dash-top rattle, but I saw the post about how to sort that.
The car is two years old and advertised at £16k with 25k on the clock. Spec-wise it's the closest so far to ideal, which explains why it's at the price of some 07 regs or even near the bottom end of ED30s. It is isn't seriously over the odds either, so if I leave it too long it could always go. I've never actually bought from a used car dealer before, having only ever bought privately or via family. I normally search only eBay, the classifieds on here or the private ads of AutoTrader or Pistonheads. I expanded the search to dealers, saw it was only a few miles down the road and so worth having a look.
The chips can be touched in, wheels refurbed in a couple of years when they need it. I think what bothers me the most is the noticeable scratch along the side and that if it could be polished out, it hasn't been done yet. I think it's worth a call to check it hasn't sold already and see if they can actually try polishing out the scratch. I'd be willing to take some ScratchX down there myself and have a go. :smiley:
Dan - I had come across yours on my searches (and I'll be passing by on the A11 this weekend). I'm really after a five door though.
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Fair enough, even the most ardent modders on here would probably think twice before adding a couple of extra doors with an angle grinder! :rolleyes: :grin: