Thinking of buying a golf gti 2009 TSI

Hi guys, im thinking of buying a GTI 2 door 2009 with a TSI engine, the shape is mk 5 but i believe in 2009 they switched from the problematic FSI engine to the TSI. The car has 90,000 kms on it and is dealer maintaned.

My previous experience with a GTI was a 1982 2 door with a 1.8 engine, I restored that car and I loved driving it until it got written off while parked to an SUV

My question is what should I be checking for before buying this 2009 model and how reliable are they? The owner says its super clean but I havent seen it yet. I live in Lebanon so rust is not an issue here, I’ve read about the dreaded timing belt which is one of the first things I will change on it if it hasnt been done already. Its supposedly accident free and not suffering from any mechanical failures

I had a manual polo and that thing was so reliable as long as you did the maintenance on it, im hoping my experience will be the same

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated and look forward to being part of the club

There's problematic (FSI) and there's problematic (TSI) -as in expense to repair. Do some homework. You'll see.

The tsi have issues with pcv, rear main seals, abs units, water pumps, timing CHAIN tensioners, really bad carbon on the valves when compared to the FSI (in my experience)


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707Stang said:

The tsi have issues with pcv, rear main seals, abs units, water pumps, timing CHAIN tensioners, really bad carbon on the valves when compared to the FSI (in my experience)

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Yeah! What he said!:thumbsup:

707Stang said:

The tsi have issues with pcv, rear main seals, abs units, water pumps, timing CHAIN tensioners, really bad carbon on the valves when compared to the FSI (in my experience)


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Yeah if I searched the net I get different opinions regarding fsi and tsi so I’ll just assume they’re both reliable engines if maintained well. That car wasnt in good condition, I did however find a 4 door 2006 abt version with dsg 105,000 kms on the clock but really well maintained. Abt has more hp and torque and im seriously thinking of getting it. The guy said the dyno test showed 320 torque and around 180 hp, I havent seen the car yet or the test, does any one have any info/ experience with this version, tried to post the photos but didnt let me load, ill try on imgur tom ( it has an ABT logo at the rear and abt skirts, 19 inch abt rims) so im guessing this is the real deal

Thanks in advance

Those dyno numbers seem way off. I've never seen a MKV make 300+ torque and sub 200 hp. We didn't get the ABT GTI here, honestly never even heard of it. We did get some Edition 30s (stock K04) but that's it.

I'd avoid 2009 altogether with VW. For whatever reason that was just a bad year for them, take it from me I own an 09 lol. I currently own both motors and can honestly say I prefer the FSI. Not that the TSI has been bad to me, but it leaks oil from everywhere, all the worries of PCV, injectors, intake manifold, water pumps, timing tensioner, etc is just over baring. Every day my daily starts and drives I feel blessed lol. My racecar however with the FSI has given me literally zero issues and when it starts and runs I think nothing of it.

Hi thanks for that really interesting feedback, so the older FSI is better than the newer TSI, I shouldnt have a problem finding a good FSI here

Here’s a short article about ABT https://paultan.org/2006/01/06/abt-volkswagen-golf-gti-vs4-r/

Im also going to try and get a manual to avoid any problems with the gear. I thought volks wagen built bullet proof cars but im learning that’s not the case anymore. The old ones mk1 mk2 were bullet proof but I have no experience with the newer versions

ZIK said:

Here’s a short article about ABT https://paultan.org/2006/01/06/abt-volkswagen-golf-gti-vs4-r/

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Why would they change turbo to make 270 hp? Typical stage 2 K03 makes more power than this. Unless it's due to limited knowledge at the time, seeing it's a January 2006 article. In any case, I would ask for turbo specs (turbine/compressor wheel size and number of blades) because chances are you can push much more power than this, assuming the turbo is larger than K03, and it should be otherwise why would they upgrade. That way we can find out whether it's on par with K04. Of course that's if you're interested in making more power for very little money, or free of charge if ownership can be transferred as some tuners offer.

Speaking of power, the previous owner had probably reverted back to stock settings and these dyno numbers you mentioned are probably at wheels, only way 180 hp looks correct. The only thing I can't explain is torque. So you can visit an ABT dealer and see if the tune is reverted back to stock and how much it would cost to tune back to performance settings. Don't forget to ask for turbo specs (if they don't know you can contact their HQ) and post the info right here. Then you can decide if you want to stick to ABT or change tune.

Of course that's if you actually end up buying this car.

Nah my mechanic friend warned me about the dsg, said it will eventually need replacement so the best golf is a manual one, found a 2007 with an fsi manual, supposedly clean so im going to go see it. What about steptronic gear? More reliable than DSG or autos will be something else to worry about. I hear the manual gear is bulletproof

ZIK said:

Nah my mechanic friend warned me about the dsg, said it will eventually need replacement so the best golf is a manual one, found a 2007 with an fsi manual, supposedly clean so im going to go see it. What about steptronic gear? More reliable than DSG or autos will be something else to worry about. I hear the manual gear is bulletproof

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steptronic do you mean Tiptronic?

Tiptronic sorry

Tiptronic functions can be found in both " Auto trans" and DSG. It just means you have the ability to manually shift an auto shifting transmission. If you think about it almost all auto transmission that have more than the D for drive in the level for forward gears are "tiptronic".

There can be issues with the shifter slider fork on the manual six speed but that's not common and usually happens when abusing the gear box. These are not racing transmissions. The original clutches seem to have held up better in the FSI than the TSI especially with a tune.

Thanks for the useful feedback appreciate it

The TSI engine is way more problematic than the FSI engine. Rule of thumb is, if it's a VW product with timing chains, steer clear.