Bonelorrys MK6 Golf Match TDI Daily

[bonelorry]

Hello Fellow Briskodians hope you are all well!
 

For those that don't know I had a little Suzuki Swift Sport as my Daily for the past 7 Months and before the Swift I had a MK1 Fabia VRS TDI for 3 Years which was a cracking Car, As time has gone on with the Swift I have never really got on with the 1.6 Revvy N/A Motor and have missed that effortless Driving Style that a Turbo Diesel offers.
 

I have looked for something to replace the Swift with on and off for a few Months but was not 100% Sure what I really wanted, I have owned 2 x MK6 Golf R's in the past and really liked the MK6 Golf as a Car so began looking at the Market.
 

As you can imagine there are a lot of MK6 Golf TDI's about however finding an example that would tick all my boxes proved a little difficult.
 

I wanted...

 

2011/2012 Reg
2.0 TDI with the CR140 Engine
5 Doors
Manual Gearbox
Less than 80K Miles
Full Service History (Not longlife)
Well Looked after Cosmetically
Grey or Red Colour
With a few Toys fitted if possible
 

I didn't want a GTD as I am going to be getting a Second Car as a Toy so my Daily doesn't really need to be anything too special but I still wanted a nice Car and didn't want a shed.
 

I decided on either Match or GT Spec and depending on what came up first I would go for. I viewed 2 x Cars a couple of Weeks ago and neither were up-to my standards so I walked away.
 

Then I spotted what looked like a nice example on Autotrader at a Small Independent Dealership in Tamworth, I sent a few Emails and asked all my usual questions and decided that it worth going to view so I had a Drive down in the Swift. First impressions were spot on, The Golf was well presented and had clearly been well looked after, I went for a little Test Drive and when I got back to the Dealer we discussed some figures and I did a Deal.
 

The Golf was up at strong Money but I did feel it was worth it based on its Condition, Low Mileage, Full Service History & Spec. They took a real interest in the Suzuki too and made me such a good offer I ended up trading the Swift Sport in and basically it was a straight swap! Happy Days.

The Car...
 

MK6 Golf TDI in Match Spec
2.0 CR 140BHP Engine
2011/61 Plate
1 Previous Owner
50600 Miles
Full Service History, 9 Stamps in the Book done every 12 Months
Manual Gearbox
United/Steel Grey
 

The Car is also pretty well specced and has Full Leather with Heated Fronts, Cruise Control, RCD 510 DAB Head Unit with Bluetooth, Dual Zone Climate Control, Front & Rear Parking Sensors, Front Fogs, Folding Mirrors, Genuine Mudflaps, Genuine Boot Liner, 2 x Sets of Genuine Floor Mats Carpet & Rubber.
 

The Dealership also put a fresh MOT on the Golf and also had an Oil & Filter Service Carried out with a Brake Fluid change too.
 

I collected the Golf Yesterday Morning and drove it back to Sheffield from Tamworth, Within 10 Miles I instantly knew I had made the right decision and the Golf will be absolutely perfect for my needs as a Daily.

I have cracked on an given the Golf its first Detail, Spent 3 Hours on it Yesterday after the Car had cooled Down and another 6 Hours Today so around 9 Hours in Total. Happy with how the Car has come out to be honest, Its not a Show Car but for a 9 Year old Golf its not bad.
 

Still have a few Jobs left to do including Brake Caliper Paint, Replace the Centre Caps & Wheel Nut Covers on the Alloys as they are discoloured but that can wait until Next Week.

What I did...
 

Yesterday...
 

I glanced into the Wheel Arches and could see a fair amount of Mud in there just from general use but obviously not an area that has seen much attention from the previous Owner so firstly I...
 

: Place Car on Axle Stands, All 4 x Wheels Removed, Wheel Arches Fully Deep Cleaned using pressure Washer and various Brushes, Then APC and Rinsed again.
: Alloys thoroughly Cleaned using Bilberry and then Washed by Hand using Microfibre Mitt.
: Refitted Wheels
: Tyres Dressed using Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care, Wiped with Microfibre.
 

Today...
 

: Full thorough Rinse of entire Car using Karcher K2.
: Pre-Wash using Autobrite HD Snow Foam Lance and Magifoam, Left for 5 Minutes to Dwell.
: Full thorough Rinse.
: 2-Bucket Wash using Meguairs Gold Class Shampoo & Lambswool Mitt.
: Towel Dried using Elite Car Care Plush Drying Towel.
: Paint Decontamination using Carpro Iron-X fallout remover, Left for 5 Mins, Agitated with a Soft Sponge.
: Thoroughly Rinsed.
: Towel Dried again.
: Full Tar Removal, Applied Carpro Tar-X, Left for 5 Mins.
: Thoroughly Rinsed.
: 2 Bucket Wash again.
: Clayed using Meguiars Medium Clay and Quick Detailer Spray as Lubricant.
: Rinsed.
: Towel Dried.

: Poorboys Black Hole applied with Soft Applicator and left for 10 Minutes to Haze, Removed with Microfibre Cloth
: Waxed the car using Collinites No:845 liquid insulator wax, The bottle was placed in warm water to help separate the wax and turn it into liquid, Then given a good shake before application. Using a soft applicator to apply, Left 30 mins to cure and Elite buffing towel to remove.
 

Other Exterior...
 

: Autoglym Fast Glass on all Windows.
: Autoglym Glass Polish on all Windows except Front Screen.
: All Plastics, Mudguards, Wheel Arch Liners Dressed using Aerospace 303.
: Engine Bay given a mild De-Grease.
: Dressed using Autolym Vinyl and Rubber Care and Microfibre to wipe off excess.
 

I also did a couple of checks on the Car as its New to me, Checked all the Tyre Pressures and adjusted them including Spare, Checked all Fluids, Oil/Coolant/Brake Fluid/Screen Wash and Fitted some New Bosch Wipers.

A couple of Pics of my efforts...
 

Pre Wash
 

 

Decontamination
 

Iron-X
 

 

 

 

 

Tar-X
 

 

 

Clay, This removed a considerable amount from the Paint. Obviously done in Sections working Top to Bottom folding the Clay each time and using multiple pieces.
 

 

 

 

 

Glaze & Wax
 

 

 

Bosch Wipers
 

 

Engine Bay
 

Finished Article...
 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 13 August, 2020 by bonelorry

[WolfyWesty]

Welcome back!

 

Looks like a tidy motor! 

[Paul thornton]

Glad to see you're back on the forum Simon. Always enjoy reading your threads.

 

Looking forward to the updates.

[mdk1]

Nice.

[bonelorry]

10 Days into Ownership and I am really pleased with the little Golf, Such a pleasant Car to Drive to Work and Back. Very Comfortable and has all the Toys I could ever want.
 

It has enough Performance for everyday and more importantly plenty of flexibility which is One reason I got rid of my last Daily, Also having been used to the earlier VAG 1.9 PD Diesel Engines in the past this Common Rail Engine in the MK6 is much more Refined, Smoother and Quiet.
 

Nothing too exciting to report but I have decided that even though the Car had a Minor Service by the Dealership I bought it off I would get it done again for my own piece of mind and to give me a benchmark going forward, I was previously in the Motor Trade as a Manager and do have a decent Garage at Home but nowadays only do the odd job at Home and I am luckily to have various Friends who still own their own Garages.
 

So I have it Booked in with a Friend who I have known for 20 Years now, We worked together for 8 Years and I trust him implicitly and know that like myself he is very thorough. He has had his own Workshop for the past 6 Years now and did all the Maintenance on my old Skoda Fabia VRS.
 

Its having a Major Service which includes all Filters using Genuine Parts and Full Examination of Steering/Suspension/Brakes then this time in 2021 it will be due its Timing Belt & Water Pump and only require an Oil & Filter Change.
 

I also noticed 2 x Small Car Park Dings on the NSF & NSR Doors, I spotted them when I viewed the Car but they didn't really detract from the Condition of the rest of the Car and given its age etc I would expect the odd Mark. I have a Mobile Paintless Dent Man coming out in a few Weeks who has quoted me £90 to do them both.
 

Finally for now the Piano Black Gloss Door Trim on the Drivers B-Pillar has the Top Corner missing so I am ordering a Genuine One of those, Plenty of New Ones on ebay for around £40.
 

Going forward I would like to get a set of New Winter Tyres as I have ran them for a number of Years now between October-March but I am currently in 2 Minds on what to do...
 

1. Get a set of 16" Steels for the Winter Tyres and get the current 16" Croft Alloys refurbished and keep those for Summer use.
 

2. Fit some Winter Tyres on the current 16" Croft Alloys and get a set of 17" Genuine VW Porto Alloys which are fitted as standard on the MK6 Golf GT and have those for Summer.
 

I am trying not to go down the Modified route with the Golf as its supposed to be a Daily and nothing more but if I fitted the 17" Alloys I would have to do something with the Ride Height as the GT Models are 15mm Lower than my Car so I fear it would look a little daft on the Stock Springs.
 

Bit to think about anyway.

[Guest BigJase88]

Looks clean!

 

glad you are happy with your new car, i am assuming the sports suspension is similar to that of the a3 i have recently required. It is a bit unforgiving so that’s worth thinking about too if you decide to change to 17’s and GT springs. Car looks lovely was also on my list of potential new cars.

Edited 24 August, 2020 by BigJase88

[bonelorry]

On 24/08/2020 at 10:17, BigJase88 said:

Looks clean!

 

glad you are happy with your new car, i am assuming the sports suspension is similar to that of the a3 i have recently required. It is a bit unforgiving so that’s worth thinking about too if you decide to change to 17’s and GT springs. Car looks lovely was also on my list of potential new cars.

 

Cheers mate

Yes I am getting on really well with the Golf, I suspect the GT Suspension is a bit of a Halfway house between mine and the GTD/GTI Suspension. I have done a bit of research into what Dampers/Springs I would require for the Golf if I fitted the 17's also with a view of keeping it more OEM so looked at New Sachs & Monroe items opposed to Lowered & Uprated Bilstein/Eibach etc.

What I found was that most places list Springs for the 2.0 TDi but don't really offer model specific items, I have tried putting my Registration in and also the Registration for a GT Model at multiple places Online but the same Dampers/Springs come up which I know is incorrect...Its possible that the -15mm GT Springs are available from VW Only and I don't really want to go down the route of fitting a set of Second Hand 10 Year old GT Springs so it probably not worth the hassle 🤣

I should be more sensible and just keep the 16's getting them refurbished over Winter and buy a set of Steels for Winter and have done, It looks and Drives OK as it currently is.

 

[bonelorry]

3/9/20
 

3 Weeks of Golf Ownership and I am still very happy with the Car, Today I had a Mobile Paintless Dent Removal Company come out to the House and remove the 2 x Small Car Park Dings that the Car has which where both on the Passenger Side of the Car. As far as I knew these where the only Dings on the entire Car but I also had him glance his eye over the Car to confirm.
 

I went with a Company local to myself called ADS in Sheffield, The Chap who came was very Professional and commented on how Clean the Golf was considering its age. 
 

The Ding in the Passenger Front Door was dealt with using a Glue and a Hook as he couldn't get access from the Rear due to some Strengthening Bars in the Door and the Ding on the Passenger Rear Door was removed from the Rear.
 

Well worth the £90 it cost in my opinion!
 

Before...
 

 

 

After...
 

 

[bonelorry]

10/9/20...

 

Small visual update, Bought a set of Genuine Skoda Yeti Tailpipes a few Days ago off ebay. Part Number 5L0071910
 

Really smarten the Rear End up and a cracking OEM Upgrade too.
 

Before
 

 

After
 

 

 

Edited 10 September, 2020 by bonelorry

[bonelorry]

Second update of Today, Another Small Job ticked off the list.
 

Didn't expect this Part to arrive Today so was a pleasant Bonus.
 

I mentioned previously that the Drivers Side Front B-Pillar Trim was Damaged on the Top Corner so I ordered a Brand New Genuine Item earlier this Week.
 

Part Number for those interested is 5K4837902A.
 

Simple 15 Min Job, Window Seals were a little fiddly but all done and back together...
 

Old Damaged Pillar Trim
 

 

New One, Job Done

[Updown789]

Very nice, understated cars but to someone who knows them can see this is a very tidy example.

[bonelorry]

As mentioned earlier in the Thread, I had the Car booked in for a Major Service with a Friend who has his own Workshop. I have known him for 20 Years now and trust him with my Cars.
 

From time to time I do my Own Mechanical Work but I have been out of the Motor Trade now since 2014 and for how little my Friend charges me for the Labour its not worth me rolling about on the Garage floor to do it, Plus Ramps allow proper access for Inspection purposes and he is Ex-VAG so knows his away around these Cars very well.
 

The Car had all Genuine VW Parts from TPS including...
 

Quantum 5W30 Fully Synthetic Oil
Oil Filter
New Sump Plug with Washer
Fuel Filter
Air Filter
Cabin Filter
 

Nothing at all to report which is excellent and gives me a bit more piece of mind going forward, He also commented on how clean the Car is for 9 Years old.
 

In 2021 the Golf will be due its Timing Belt & Water Pump and Service wise only require an Oil & Filter Change.
 

Next job on the list is to give the Brake Calipers & Disc Hubs a lick of Paint to smarten them up, Also at some point over the next Month or so I want a set of Winter Wheels and Winter Tyres and will be getting the Standard 16" Alloys refurbished as I have decided to stick with them.
 

[Guest BigJase88]

The wheels look really clean! Do they need a refurb?

[bonelorry]

17 hours ago, BigJase88 said:

The wheels look really clean! Do they need a refurb?

They look OK in the Pictures however the NSF has some Light Kerbing Damage around the edge which I have touched up with a Silver Paint Pen but to make them 100% they would benefit from a Refurb, I fitted new Wheel Nut Covers as the Originals were discoloured from Wheel Cleaner which again improved the appearance.

To be fair I am Toying with the Idea of fitting some New Winter Tyres onto these Alloys and leaving them as they are, If I can get another identical set of 4 x 16" Croft Alloys I will get those Refurbished and fit the Pirelli's onto those for Summer. My mind changes on a Daily Basis 

[Guest BigJase88]

34 minutes ago, bonelorry said:

They look OK in the Pictures however the NSF has some Light Kerbing Damage around the edge which I have touched up with a Silver Paint Pen but to make them 100% they would benefit from a Refurb, I fitted new Wheel Nut Covers as the Originals were discoloured from Wheel Cleaner which again improved the appearance.

To be fair I am Toying with the Idea of fitting some New Winter Tyres onto these Alloys and leaving them as they are, If I can get another identical set of 4 x 16" Croft Alloys I will get those Refurbished and fit the Pirelli's onto those for Summer. My mind changes on a Daily Basis 

Get some Mark 7 GT 17” alloys i like them, one of the nicest looking 17” OEM alloy of any marque IMO

 

Even the mk6 GT ones are nice

Edited 15 September, 2020 by BigJase88

[bonelorry]

4 minutes ago, BigJase88 said:

Get some Mark 7 GT 17” alloys i like them, one of the nicest looking 17” OEM alloy of any marque IMO

 

Even the mk6 GT ones are nice

I do like both of those, Think they are called Dijon's for the MK7 and yes they are smart.

My only reason for not wanting to go down the 17" Route is the Stock Ride Height on my Car, Think I mentioned before that the MK6 GT & GTD is 15mm Lower than my Match and they sit just right for me but I think mine would look a bit daft so I would have to swap the Springs and then my OCD would dictate New Dampers to match and Top Mounts etc.

If my Golf Broke a Spring or had a Leaky Damper I wouldn't hesitate, Also the Tyres are virtually Brand New on my 16"s too and are a matched set of Pirelli P7's so I am reluctant to ditch them at this stage.

I must be getting sensible 

[Guest BigJase88]

34 minutes ago, bonelorry said:

I do like both of those, Think they are called Dijon's for the MK7 and yes they are smart.

My only reason for not wanting to go down the 17" Route is the Stock Ride Height on my Car, Think I mentioned before that the MK6 GT & GTD is 15mm Lower than my Match and they sit just right for me but I think mine would look a bit daft so I would have to swap the Springs and then my OCD would dictate New Dampers to match and Top Mounts etc.

If my Golf Broke a Spring or had a Leaky Damper I wouldn't hesitate, Also the Tyres are virtually Brand New on my 16"s too and are a matched set of Pirelli P7's so I am reluctant to ditch them at this stage.

I must be getting sensible 

Yeah its strange how that works smaller alloys work on higher ride hide cars, put 17’s on and it would have a rollerskate look to it.

 

OR just fit them and change suspension 

[bonelorry]

Another little Job ticked off the list, Had a few Hours spare on Wednesday Afternoon so whipped the Alloys off the gave the Brake Calipers and Disc Bells a bit of a smarten up.
 

Gave them a Degrease, Lightly Rubbed them down and then Painted. Went for the Subtle approach as I always do...
 

Calipers and Disc Guards Painted Hammerite Smooth Black
Brake Disc Bells Painted Hammerite Smooth Silver
 

Must have Painted at least 20 x Lots of Calipers on different Cars over the Years, Always a worthwhile Job and makes a big difference in my opinion.
 

Not the best Pictures but you get the idea, Should look even better when the Alloys have been Refurbished and have new Centre Caps etc.
 

 

 

[bonelorry]

17/10/20...

 

Small update on the Golf, Done a bit of Mileage in the Car over the past Week as I went down to Peterborough from Sheffield last Weekend to visit Family and then from Sheffield to Cleethorpes and back on Monday. Car covered around 500 Miles mostly Motorway and averaged 63MPG which is exceptional.

 

Reason for the trip to Cleethorpes was that I managed to bag a bit of a Bargain off ebay and got a set of 4 x 16" Winter Steels fitted with Dunlop Winter Sport 5 Tyres in 205/55R16 fitment all with 5-6MM of Tread remaining. The Wheels & Tyres were used for 1 x Winter Season on a MK7 Golf but the Seller was changing Cars so the Wheels/Tyres were no longer required.

 

I only paid £170 for the Wheels/Tyres Collected which I was pleased about, I also purchased a set of VW Caddy Centre Caps for just £10 off Facebook Marketplace which are Satin Black and 5x112 so slot over the Wheel Nuts and tidy the appearance. Happy Days!

 

Early start Today and fitted the Winter Wheels, Also gave the Car a bit of a Maintenance Wash including Full Rinse, Pre Wash inc Snowfoam, Wash using 2BM, Autoglym Polar Seal application. Fitted the Genuine Rubber Floor Mats too now that Winter is fast approaching. 

 

 

 

 

[bonelorry]

Small Update...
 

Been browsing through the Service History and noticed the Car had a Recall in 2016 with the Job Number 23R7, A bit of Research showed that this Recall was in relation to the famous EA189 VW Emissions scandal.

Obviously this is pretty well known on Briskoda as I know many Octavia's and Superbs came with Engines also affected.
 

Obviously I don't know any different as in my Ownership the Golf has always been OK as far as I am concerned however knowing the Current Software that my Car is running is not ideal not just from a Reliability with potential EGR and DPF issues going forward but also Performance perspective I wanted to do something about it.

Most Owners have said that going back to the proper File has transformed their Cars.
 

So I have been chatting with Darkside Developments who have confirmed that its a 2 Hours Job and they access the Software and find the Proper File which VW uploaded and Re-flash that Software onto the ECU restoring the Proper File.
 

I am booked in with them first thing on Tuesday Morning to get it done.

[bonelorry]

Just got home from Darkside after having the Software Rollback.
 

£120 Inc VAT for the File to be Rolled Back to the Pre-Patch Software and they had it done within 90 Minutes.
 

As mentioned the Previous Owner had the 23R7 Recall done in 2016 with VW before I got the Car so I have never known any different but I can confirm on my way Home the Golf felt instantly Smoother, More Torquey at the Bottom end of the Revs too.
 

Early Days for me to say anything about any MPG improvements but the biggest thing for me was piece of mind as I knew how that the so called "Fix" Software put more the strain on Injectors running them at Higher Presser, EGR Failures and DPF Regens and the impact it had in the long run.
 

Another little Job done anyway  

[bonelorry]

17/11/20...

It seems I have been cursed with the Dreaded Rear Brake Caliper Failure again, As with my 2 x Previous Fabia VRS's exactly the same Symptoms. I washed the Car last Friday and had it parked on the Driveway for most of the Day with the Handbrake on, I released the Handbrake and rolled the Car under the Car Port and noticed a small amount of Free Play at the bottom of the Handbrake Lever upto the 1st Click which I know was not there previously. I jacked the Car up and sure enough the NSR Wheel was reluctant to turn by Hand, Traced it to the NSR Brake Caliper which is not fully returning on the Handbrake Portion thus holding the Park Brake on slightly. The Cables and OSR Caliper are fine.

 

The NSR Caliper does return when pushed by hand and then the Free Play in the Handbrake Lever disappears so its not binding/sticking enough to cause any problems but its only going to get worse and the OSR is bound to follow so I will be getting a Pair of Rear Brake Caliper's fitted next Week. To be fair the Golf is 9 Years old and they are known to fail on all VAG applications so its something I was expecting to need replacing at some point in my Ownership.

I have gone for a Pair of Pagid Refurbished items from Euro Car Parts, The Rear Discs and Brake Pads are like new so I will be leaving those.

[bonelorry]

Had the Golf in with my Trusty Mechanic Today, As I mentioned I have had both of the Rear Brake Calipers replaced aswell as the Brake Fluid Changed.

As I suspected the NSR Brake Caliper had Partially Seized on the Handbrake Portion, It was getting worse too and although currently I go push it back by hand so it didn't Bind it would have totally failed so glad I got it sorted before Winter Sets in.

The Rear Brake Discs and Brake Pads are still like New so these where left alone.

[bonelorry]

Not really an Update with regards to the Car but decided to Treat myself to a few Detailing Goodies.
 

I have had my Trusty Karcher K2 for a few Years now and in 2018 bought myself an Autobrite HD Foam Lance which I have used religiously with their Magifoam Pre Wash Snow Foam.
 

I have never liked the OEM Karcher Gun as it is just too long and the OEM Plasic Hose between the Pressure Washer and Gun is too short so began looking at options.
 

My Karcher has the older style M22 Screw fitting on the Pressure Washer end and on the Gun the C-Clip fitment, So upgrade options seemed a bit limited but after a bit of research I found a solution.
 

Ordered a few items which should come next Week and hopefully make life a bit easier...
 

: Autobrite High Pressure, New Style Karcher Quick Release Short Gun & 5 x Nozzle Kit
: 8M Uprated Karcher Pressure Hose with Quick Release Ends
: Karcher Adaptor for the Pressure Washer end from M22 to New Style Quick Release
: Couple of Bottles of Autobrite Magifoam

[bonelorry]

Something that has been bugged me since I purchased the Car was the Headlight Switch, There was a couple of Hairline Cracks in the Surround and as its me I decided to remove the Switch to see how the surround was attached and then it made it even worse 
 

It must have been holding it all together as it was fitted in the Dashboard and then me removing it a piece broke off.
 

Sourced a replacement this Morning locally so went a collected it, £15 and 2 Mins to fit it.
 

Sorted!

Before

After

 

 

Edited 3 December, 2020 by DeanVRS20VT
Corrected images