Car has been standing unused for one year and...

...and, any cautions needed

I have access to a very low mileage 1999/2000 Golf V5. I hasn't been started or used or anything for a year.

It belonged to a friends elderly parents...for months and months we were unable to find the key, now we have it.

Obviously the battery is flat, two tyres are flat and have been for several months (ruined?)

Are there any tips suggestions regrading getting it back to a usable state...will just turning it over be fine? Will we lose all sorts of codes if we remove the battery? That sort of thing

Ta

Carl

Tyres will have flat spots but normally a good run sorts them out as they heat up.

Check them for perished sidwalls

Flat battery would have lost you radio code but thats about it.

As for the rest, a full fluid/ filter change and engine flush.

Get fuel/ brake pipes checked for corrosion

Handbrake will probably be seized

discs may be too corroded depending on wear when laid up.

Easiest bet is to get it into an MOT bay and let them fail it professionally

clean all the rubber seals around the doors, boot etc. Remove any growing stuff as that can start to allow water in and bugger the electrics

Ideally change the oil before you start the car as all the gunk will have settled in the sump

Bung some higher octane fuel in too to refresh whats in there.

Exhaust may have gone in the damp to so check gaskets

Check the underbody. Cars need running to keep an air flow around the underside. Anything not protected will have been subject to a years worth of condensation. Brake fluid and hoses are another thing that you may want to check.As said above. Get it to an mot station only do it nice and steady

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Where was it stored? Much less to be done if it is been dry stored.

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highlandsflyer":3askavma said:

Where was it stored? Much less to be done if it is been dry stored.

Click to expand...

Outside unfortunately

Thanks for the info chaps, will have a look over the weekend

With VW's there's a lot online in owners forums etc, including service manuals etc. Depending on the ECU (I'm not that knowledgeable on VW's!) it's likely that it won't be happy on startup as taking the battery out will have re-set it, so things like automatic choke, injectors, emissions monitoring etc will all have re-set themselves.
So it may therefore stall unexpectedly or rev highly on tickover when first started. Condensation can also cause misfires in the engine.
Just give it a couple of miles to do it's thing before panicking too much, but be aware it may happen.

Check the tyres carefully if they've had the car sitting on the sidewalls but common sense applies in terms of damage etc. Make sure you know where the jack and tow points are, in case!

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I left a 10 year old Skoda, VW engine, standing outside and unused for 18 months. I fitted a new battery and it started on the first turn of the key, no problems whatsoever. The tyres needed some air and the brakes were a bit "graunchy", but that soon wore off.

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saw this on a car forum

They are ok, had a few, they are soft and heavy and drink lots of fuel, think of it as luxury Golf, dont exepct it to drive like a hot hatch its not.

They work quite well as an auto.

If you live in an area with lots of speed bumps be-ware the V5 golf is easy to crack the sump open on the larger speed humps if you hit it the wrong way.

Look out for over heating in traffic (fan relays).
Worn rear suspension bushes (makes a clonk over bumps)
Electric windows and c/locking not working on all doors can be a pain to fix that.

In the old days you would turn it over without starting to get some oil moving