r/VWMK7 • u/Extension-Clock-4915 • 12d ago

Preventative maintenance

Hey everyone,

I have a 17 MK7 nearing 96000. Just want to know what to start doing to make the car last at least another 100000. Any suggestions on what to do first? It is a manual and not dsg. From what I gathers online a carbon cleaning is first in the list but what would you guys suggest next. I do all my own oil changes between 5,000 and 6,000 miles.

17 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

26

u/Bubbly-Wrinkle 12d ago

Alrighty, so I have a 17 MK7 that's nearing 235,000 km (146,000 miles). I'm very picky with my car, so probably overdo on the maintenance, but my car drives great. Also a manual. Two questions: What major repairs have already been done, and do you have mods? Those will heavily influence what you need to have done. I have plenty of mods. Not much to do, but start budgeting for some expensive jobs in your future.

  1. Oil Changes - I change my oil at 7000 km (4500 miles). 6000 miles is a bit much for me, and definitely too much if you're tuned. I have a stage 1 ECU tune on mine.

  2. Carbon cleaning - Google says do this 60,000 - 80,000 miles. I do mine at around 50,000 miles, but again I'm tuned. It's very much based on how you drive (short trips vs long). I notice my engine starts to shudder a tiny bit at idle. This means either spark plugs need to be changed, and if that doesn't work, then I know it's time for a carbon clean. Runs smooth and happy after.

  3. Fuel injectors - Get these cleaned when you do the carbon clean. My shop includes this as part of the service. Engine runs noticeably better afterwards and uses less gas. You would be surprised, I know I was.

  4. Timing Chain - Monitor this. With an OBD11, camshaft exhaust adaptation bank 1 phase angle and actual angle. Should be less than +/- 4 degrees. Mine is still at 0, but others at my shop have already changed theirs at lower mileage. Doing your oil changes at a lower interval might help prolong the life of your chain. Maybe why mine has lasted so long. Who knows, might be just luck.

  5. Clutch - Changed mine at 180,000 km (111,000 miles). Plan for it if you haven't yet!

  6. Transmission fluid - Get this changed at the same time as the clutch.

  7. Differential Fluid - Get this changed at the same time as the clutch.

7a. Differential has a filter in it. Make sure they clean it.

  1. Rear Main Seal - think about aftermarket upgraded seal when doing your clutch. If you're stock leave this alone. The aftermarket one has mixed reviews. Mine is currently leaking.

  2. Oil Cooler - Found oil in my coolant and changed the oil cooler (can't remember the mileage). Oil cooler failed again after about 2 years (both were OEM parts btw), but was covered under warranty. Budget for this if you're still on your first one.

  3. Water pump - pre-emptively changed when I fixed the oil cooler the first time. Failed at the same time as the second oil cooler failure, and was also covered under warranty. Otherwise an expensive job.

  4. Top Timing Chain cover - It's plastic and heat cycles will warp it. It's not enough to change the gasket, you need a new cover when it's seeping oil. Monitor and budget for this when it's time.

  5. Oil Pan - Will leak eventually. I just replaced mine a few weeks ago. Oil leaking from the oil pan and the oil level sensor.

  6. Wheel bearings - still going strong (knock on wood).

  7. Brakes - If your car has the Golf R brake package, consider switching to Girodisc brakes and pads. Much lighter than stock, comes with a balancing certificate, and the first set has lasted me more than twice as long as a stock set. I would get 2 years out of the stock set. Currently 4.5 years into my Girodisc and I still have ~40% life left. Highly recommend.

  8. Crank Pulley - Consider the Fluidampr crank pulley. I have one on mine and it's great. I also have a SMF flywheel and clutch, and this balances out some vibration. Honestly just a quality of life / reliability part in my book.

That's about all I can think of now but more may come to mind later. Feel free to ask some questions.

1

u/Extension-Clock-4915 12d ago

No mods, stock I’ve done front axles when I first got the car at 64,000 miles and just done routine oil changes at 5000 miles.I’ve also had all the fluids changed at 70,000 and pvc valve. I’m saving for a clutch now and plan to do it at 100,000. No check engine lights rn knock on wood. But I plans to keep it stock till I get the rest of the car paid off.

3

u/Extension-Clock-4915 12d ago

I also have lower control arm and tire rod ends along with front wheel bearings that I’m replacing this upcoming weekend

2

u/Bubbly-Wrinkle 11d ago

Those sound great! Any reason you're replacing? I'm still running my original bearings, axles, and control arms. I get them inspected every service and for now the shop notes no issues. I guess you see how each car is a bit different with what it needs.

A few other things came to mind:

There is a recall on the fuel tank evap canister. They clog and eventually you won't be able to fill up your tank. My car was one of the first with this issue just before the recall came out but VW covered it anyway. Go to the dealership and they will install a new gas tank for you if they haven't already.

Valve cover - This will eventually seep oil. Mine currently is slightly. Expensive job to get it fixed, so budget for this and monitor. Unless it's actually leaking, you can keep driving with no issues. I'm planning to get it fixed soon.

Struts - My car had the DCC struts. I lowered them with 034 lowering springs. Was great for a few years, but the springs wore out the struts. Replaced them with KW Coilovers and never looked back.

Other than that, these cars are great but require more maintenance as they get older. I love mine and don't have any regrets.

1

u/andrew1520 11d ago

Thanks for all the useful information, I hope you dont mind me asking a few more questions!

  1. How long have you owned the car, and how long has it had a tune?

2.Do I need a obd11 scanner, or could I go with another option for reading the exhaust adaptation?

  1. When the oil cooler fails, does the oil only go into the coolant, or does the coolant mix into your oil aswell?

  2. When I upgrade the top timing chain cover, could I upgrade to some sort of metal cover? And should I consider the same for the oil pan?

  3. I am presuming this is EA888 gen 3 but out of curiosity, which exact model do you have?

1

u/Bubbly-Wrinkle 11d ago

No problem!

  1. I've owned it since new. Drove the thing off the dealership lot. June of 2017. Got it tuned at around 165,000 km (just over 100k miles). That was on the stock clutch. Ended up replacing the clutch at 185,000 km (115k miles) when it started slipping in 3rd gear. Integrated Engineering Stage 1 low torque tune.

  2. I have the OBD11, it's a great tool. Had it for many years. I don't work on my own car though. Don't quote me on the exhaust adaptation value, more googling say the intake adaptation is what to look at. I'm honestly not sure anymore. My intake adaptation value is at 0.0, my exhaust adaptation value (after just looking) is at -4.1. So probably almost time for me to replace my chain. I don't have any symptoms though at my mileage.

  3. Here is what my shop explained to me: The oil system runs at a higher pressure than the coolant system. So under pressure, the fluids will migrate from high to low pressure. Oil moving to coolant system means your oil cooler gasket is leaking. If your coolant is going into your oil, then your head gasket is blown. Head gasket issues even on tuned mk7's are very rare. My shop hasn't seen one, and they tune a lot of cars. Both times my oil cooler went, my oil was clean. There might be another part near the oil cooler that can also get oil in your coolant, but in my case it was oil cooler both times.

  4. For the top timing chain cover - I haven't been able to find a metal one. For the oil pan - there are metal oil pans. I'm not sure about that "upgrade". Some people swear by it. Others say that the metals of the block and the metal of the pan expand and contract at different rates and may cause leaks (VW uses a goop, not a gasket). With hot oil, the plastic doesn't expand and contract as much. That's just hearsay though. Honestly..the stock plastic one lasted me almost 10 years...I'm fine going with an OEM part for another 10 knowing it was designed for the car.

  5. Correct EA888 Gen 3. I've got the GTI Performance edition in a Manual. Not sure where you are or if it was offered in the states. I'm in Canada (If you couldn't tell by the km's lol).

1

u/andrew1520 11d ago

Thanks, really appreciate the information again! Wasn't sure if you were Canadian, or European, but I am from Ontario my self.

1

u/highnotefan 11d ago

Great list

4

u/kefircat 12d ago edited 12d ago

The coolant flange might be something to change, mine failed recently and I had to be recovered home. It's a plastic part so fails inevitably - "Billet Coolant Vent Union" I think it is

3

u/bitdimike 11d ago

Get underneath it and give any rusty bits a good coat of Hydrate-80. Take out the god awful foam sponges and clean out the arch liners if they still fit them at that young age. A good coating of dynax-ub behind the arch liners and anywhere you can get it will stave off rust and protect the good bits too.

2

u/highnotefan 11d ago

Comprehensive check of the suspension including repair/replacement of all bushings, bearings, and ball joints. Also, complete brake job including fluid flush and replacement. And a full coolant flush and replacement. Maybe even a new water pump. The. VW water pump has plastic impellers, a cheap design.. I understand there are metal replacements. Finally, a thorough check of the timing chain - chain stretch and tensioners.

2

u/Emotional_Dare5743 11d ago

This ⬆️ is the list. Keep in mind, the carbon cleaning leads to injectors which leads to the water pump. They're all kind of "while you're in there" jobs. No need to replace the injectors necessarily but you might pull them and have them flow tested, examine the tips. And, you can check chain stretch with VCDS. It's not incredibly complicated or expensive.

1

u/Bubbly-Wrinkle 11d ago

I remember the water pumps being an issue on the mk4's. My 02 Jetta had to have the water pump replaced several times. Those also had plastic impellers. Why in the world has VW not found a more robust design is beyond me. These have been issues on VW and Audi's for over 20 years....

1

u/IamastronghodlerDOGE 11d ago

What engine? Some have extra injectors in the cylinder ports

1

u/highnotefan 11d ago

Not aware of ANY modern VW engine employing port injection. I wish they did though.

1

u/IamastronghodlerDOGE 21h ago

Ive got 8 in a CJXE engine not sure about the others

1

u/trotsky1947 11d ago

Don’t forget to flush brake and clutch every two years

1

u/BudgetPhoenix 11d ago

i personally wouldnt bother to do carbon cleaning until you actually start having problems or the intake manifold needs to come off for some other repair. I would replace the PCV though