Description
139575 Miles - May rise slightly as car is still in use.
Good straight example of Volkswagen's iconic Golf GTI. This is the most powerful version of the Mk4 that was available out of the factory with the fly-by-wire 1. 8T 20-valve AUQ motor, delivering 180bhp when it was new. The car has had some mild tuning mods including - Stainless steel sports exhaust (cat back) with twin tailpipes (burbly but not ridiculously loud); Cold air induction kit with K&N cone filter; Audi S3 red-top coil packs; PCV delete; Partial EVAP delete
LUK solid flywheel; M-Tech drilled and grooved discs all round.
It hasn't been run on a dyno so I don't know what bhp it's putting out, and I'm not going to make any ridiculous claims about it that I can't substantiate.
The car is finished in Indigo Blue pearlescent paint, with a full grey leather (non-Recaro) interior trim. It is tidy inside and out but given that the car is 16 years old, please do not expect it to be a minter, because it isn't.
Other features include - 17" Audi alloy wheels with good tyres (fronts are less than six months old); Remote central locking; Heated front seats; Electronic climate control (works as it should but could probably do with a re-gas to get it spot on); Head restraints and 3-point belts on all three rear seats (only this model and 4-Motion had this feature); JVC double-din radio head unit with Bluetooth for hands-free phone use and music streaming (this head unit won't pair with Apple phones though, only those running Android - it has a wired auxiliary input though so you can use your iPhone with that); 6. 5" Edge component speakers fitted in the original door trims at the front - despite that fact that there's no subwoofer, this setup is fairly impressive if you're into that sort of thing; Bright white headlight bulbs, way brighter than the stock candles-in-jars affairs' MoT to June 2020; Never been smoked in to my knowledge.
Car starts first time every time, and runs and drives perfectly. The performance isn't quite as blistering as modern hot hatches but even so, the old girl goes like a stabbed rat when you stamp on the loud pedal and will still embarrass a lot of newer vehicles. The car has some service history, but I tend to do all my own servicing and repairs. That said I keep detailed records of what I have done and receipts for parts. The timing belt and water pump were changed at 115K miles by ADE Tuning of Blackburn, Lancs. (receipts to prove available).
The car is 16 years old, and as such there are some niggles - they don't prevent the car from being driven but you may want to attend to them if it bothers you that much. These problems are as follows -
The paintwork, whilst not shabby, isn't great. It polishes up OK and looks great from a few feet away but closer inspection reveals some issues. The front end in particular is covered in stone chips and little scrapes; the door edges all have paint missing; the paint on the boot lid is getting crazed around the handle (a common issue with Mk4s) and has been badly touched up at some point (not in my ownership). There are some small rust bubbles appearing on the front arches and around the rear screen, again a common issue with this model.
All Mark 4 Golfs with central locking have issues with it, and this one is no exception. It works 99% of the time but occasionally the rear nearside door won't respond to the fob (either locking or unlocking). Perseverance usually pays off here. Also, the microswitch in the driver's door lock has packed up meaning that the interior lights don't come on when you open the door, the headlight buzzer doesn't work, and unless you switch the ignition on within 30 seconds of opening the driver's door, the car will lock itself again with the door open, so the alarm goes off. It's fine when you get used to it though!
There's an issue with an intermittent engine management light coming on - this is caused by the fact that the car has had it's EVAP system bypassed/ removed and but it needs a remap to tell the ECU not to adjust the fuel trim when it thinks that the EVAP should be venting. Every now and again the the engine management light will come on and show this as a fault. It doesn't affect how the car runs or drives, and isn't dangerous. It will however fail an MoT if it is on when presented. It's very easy to clear with a smartphone app called "Torque" and a Bluetooth code reader off eBay for about £15. I've been doing this with it for years with no problems.
There's a minute oil leak from the turbo oil return pipe, again a common niggle but it's easily sorted.
There's a very small chip in the windscreen, low down in the centre. It's been like that for three years and hasn't got worse.
The rear wash-wipe only works when it thinks it will.
The driver's seat back bolster has split on the seam - a competent trimmer should be able to mend this.
The wheels could do with a refurb.
The car will have an oil and plug service before the winning buyer collects (oil change, new oil filter, new spark plugs and K&N Filter cleaned. All other fluid levels will be checked and topped up as necessary).
As with all car purchases now, it is the new owner's responsibility to ensure that the correct Vehicle Excise Duty ("road tax") is in place before driving on public roads. The car is currently taxed in my name but will be declared SORN before the new owner takes possession - VED cannot be transferred any longer, this has been the case for several years but some people seem to think that it can.
