Hey everyone, welcome to r/R32.

The GTI has always been one of my favorite cars. In 2004 I drove a friend's Mk4 R32 and fell in love with it. At the time I had an MK2. Fast forward 22 years and I have finally purchased a MK5 R32. I was so in love with the idea of an MK4 due to the manual gearbox but after having this car for about a month now the DSG gearbox is an absolute blast to drive. I love this car!

How far is too far? Is there a diagram I can get so I know what's involved if I want to take a certain part out to clean (or clean under). Should I stay away from little aluminum tubes if I want to have a car to drive this weekend? I'm basically curious to hear about tips and misadventures...

Good Morning. I've got this car with some BBS LM style replica wheels: /img/a3ofvwj5e3x31.jpg

I've also got the OEM wheels in boxes in my garage. Previous owner said they have curb rash but I haven't fully investigated each wheel. I don't really want two sets of wheels because of limited storage space. So when the tires wear out I'm planning to decide whether to go back to OEM or keep these.

My current thoughts are: I like the current look OK, but the OEMs will be harder to find in the future if I ever change my mind. Anyone here have any other advice? Thanks.

P.S. The roof rack is off now too, if anyone is in the Los Angeles/Inland Empire area and interested...

I'm about to do a full scrubdown on my wheels, but I have only a passing familiarity with the various preparations of aluminum wheels. Are these clearcoated aluminum, painted aluminum, or both?

Hey r32 fam, I’m think about getting some spacers for my mk5 for a more flush stance. For those of you who are running spacers, what size did you go for (front/back)? Were there any adverse long term issues? Any advice would be much appreciated. Cheers.

I am looking at buying a car for the track and street. I want something that is good arround the track but still daily drivable. I am looking at both a Scion FR-S and a MK4 R32. I just wondered what others think. Thanks for reading!

Discovered a very stripped pan during the first oil change while 1148 was in my hands. I decided to go with a new oil pan rather than trying any sort of repair or alternative. If anyone wants to take a hack at rethreading/other fixes or is in need of an oil level sensor or the baffling parts pay shipping and it's yours.

I believe you can put the MkV pan on a MkIV for better baffling, capacity, and ground clearance so I figured somebody might want to try fixing these threads. or would be interested in it.

I've got a quarantine project for detailing my MKV and I'm into the engine now. It's getting a little out of control but I think I'm going to be OK. Anyway, has anybody else considered getting into the wiper cowl and behind the fender liners? I've got a crevice tool on a canister vacuum that got a lot of the upper detritus out, but with a flashlight I can see DIRTY PAINT wayyyyy back there. I don't even want to think what's behind the fender liners. I also don't want to have to get a special tool to get the wipers off in order to remove the cowl.

Have you ever gone spelunking in these parts? Luckily I don't see any rust or anything (this detail has been a LONG time coming), but as long as I'm crawling up my car's butt I might as well leave it in decent condition. Then again, this may just be makework for myself and I should either save it for a separate project or have a shop do it.

Any thoughts or experiences? I thought I was going to get away with a little soapy water and a brush across the engine bay, but curiosity killed the...something.

I own a 06 mk5 as my daily and recently the epc light turned on while I was driving and I found that my brake lights were stuck on without the brake pedal being pressed. Now every time I start the car, my brake lights are stuck on for around 20-30 minutes before they turn off and work until I turn the car off again. I checked where I believed the brake light switch to be (above the brake pedal behind the firewall) and it’s not there and I haven’t been able to find any other information about it. Just wondering how to go about changing it or if anyone’s had any similar problems. Thanks.

The word "bumper" makes this impossible to Google, but I'm still not finding anything. The hatch release handle has a rubber bumper that softens the handle returning into place as well as helping tilt it slightly so it's flush with the opening.

OK, here some pics.

Mine was lost somehow. I'm sure I was cavalier and flicked it off while opening, but I just can't figure out what it looked like or where it was located. Could someone either give me the benefit of their encyclopedic knowledge or check their own car to see what I might be missing? I'd hate to shell out $300 for a whole new assembly if I could just call up one of the part-out companies who has this model hanging around. Heck, if there's a specific name, maybe there's an OEM part. Lastly, if I knew what it looked like I might be able to find a rubber something at the hardware store that can be modified for the purpose.

Anyone here add a spare to their mk5?

I'm going to be driving long distance later this summer, and I would be much more comfortable with a spare tire. Typing "Mk5 r32 spare" into Google yields me a website called HS Tuning that has part no. 5G0601011, a mk6 r spare, for sale. The description caims it'll fit a mk5 r32, but I can't find any other confirmation elsewhere.

I know no spare will clear the front brakes, but the thread size, bolt pattern, and center bore are the same, so if it is compatible, will it work for the rear?

While cleaning my car I finally got sick of the nooks and crannies in the hatch .:R32 badge, and coupled with some hairline defects I'm thinking of taking the dental floss to it so I can take the polisher to the paint and replace the badge with a new one.

However, I'm having trouble finding a US source for this, should I be content with ordering from aliexpress or seemingly more-official EU sites? MKV stuff seems to be out of production, at least cosmetic stuff, but I don't want to just accept defeat and debadge the whole car. Nor do I really want to do my other idea: getting much more easily avalable Mercedes letters and putting "320R" on it.

Hey guys. I haven't found a definitive answer on the interwebs for my question so here i am. Basically, can aftermarket coilovers/ lowering springs for a mk5 gti fit on a mk5 r32? Thanks in advanced.

Dr. Colorchip (and more) says it's "LB5R/6X" for Deep Blue Pearl, while others say it's merely "LB5R." What does the 6X mean?

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of buying an R32 within the coming months, I have a couple questions

1) Some of the R32's I see fall within my budget ( trying to keep it under $10K) , but have higher mileages on it, 150K+. I've heard the VR6 is a solid motor, and 150K is nothing for it but wanted to hear yalls thoughts on higher mileage R32's

2) What's a good price range for a decently maintained R32's, I'm not a full blown DIYer but I'm a good enough driveway mechanic, I don't mind doing some work to it. Specifically It'll be my DD, but if it has a few minor issues here and there interior or mechanical, nothing too major, a price range for that condition R32

3) How yall like it?

4) One i'm leaning towards right now is a $4500 car looks pretty okay but almost 189K miles on it.

5) Any other advice or things to look for when buying an r32, any buying and ownership tips would be appreciated.

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Thanks yall and stay safe stay healthy

Hey yall. Kinda random!

I dont have a tape measure or a very good understanding of space (seriously my depth perception and spatial intelligence sucks)

But with the seat down how much space is in the back you think?

I have to pick up a cage tomorrow and its 57x17x25 and I'm worried about it fitting. It collapses down a bit but not sure how much. I dont think it will fit in my other car at all coz the seats dont go down and the trunk isnt big.

Thanks for the help. I wasnt sure where else to ask or look for this info 😂

I have an 08 with around 85k miles in Hawaii, car has been on island it’s whole life. No mechanical issues, some cosmetic that I have to sell, as I don’t live there anymore (had to move for work) any recommendation on what I should be asking? I’ve seen wildly varying prices online.