The Mega MK7 & MK8 Golf GTI/GTD/R thread - Part II

Zurbaran

hooch-85 wrote: »

The PP came out in 2017 also so not sure why you are so focused on 2018? I wouldn't be too bothered with the reg and buy on spec and condition within your budget

Going by the old thread and what’s available online I don’t think the 7.5 pp dsg’s were sold in 2017 but if they were I’d be happy to take one.

JoeA3

Zurbaran wrote: »

Going by the old thread and what’s available online I don’t think the 7.5 pp dsg’s were sold in 2017 but if they were I’d be happy to take one.

They were. Just not in huge numbers, and it was the latter half of 2017 (172) when the 7.5 sold in numbers. Also, the R was dominating sales then.

Zurbaran

CIP4 wrote: »

I doubt there will be huge amounts of PP DSG 2018 ones coming back from PCP I suppose you will just need to keep a close eye and be ready to act if the right one comes up as they typically sell fast.

The big gain from the performance back is the mechanical front limited slip differential which helps with cornering and the car getting its power down. It also has bigger front brake discs. Obviously the extra 15 bhp also. Like with a lot of cars it really depends on what your used to driving and coming from along with how hard your going to drive the car that decides whether you will really notice the difference with the PP. No doubt its the better car to get but limited choice and budget can be the limiting factor.

The mechanical diff and larger brakes do appeal. If it does as well as the reviewers say, I do think I would benefit from it with my driving style on occasion.

L-M

Becafeful with 172 MK7s some of them didn’t have a Tech pack, ie. no headed seats, reverse camera, sat nav. A Mk7 would be a better spec technically

SaintsYB

When I was looking, one of the ones with a diff was definitely top of the list. I came from a car that I probably wouldn't have noticed the difference if I'd bought a normal GTI but of all the extras the performance pack has, the diff was the biggest draw for me.

DaveyDave

Need some help here. Driving home today the steering felt a bit off. Driving straight down the N4 it feels like it turns a bit by itself or it isn't reacting to some minor movement on the wheel.

Last week driving down the N7 the car felt like it was moving around as if it was very windy but it wasn't windy at all.

Hard to explain and steering left to right doesn't feel off, but it feels like the wheel gets a bit loose for a moment occasionally.

Any thoughts? No vibrations or rattles, wheel turns freely. It's almost like the steering was disengaged for a moment

JohnnyMustang22

So I am resigned to the reality that I will be driving a large battery with wheels in the next few years and I have never ticked the hot hatch box in my car history...I looked at many options A45, Megane RS, Civic Type R, S3, GTI PP etc and settled on the Golf R as it had the right balance of price, performance & quality for me. I wanted something that I could rock up to a business meeting(hence the low key colour) and also help out with family duties when the 535d SE Touring is otherwise occupied.

The car was a 1 owner London car with a full VW service history along with the smart paint protection. Only 22k miles on the clock. I am still struggling to find any marks on the paint or the interior. In the last few months its had the alloys refurbed(Diamond cut), a new set of Bridgestone's fitted and a new VW battery fitted. Along with a major service with VW 2 months ago.

Spec over the standard Golf R Spec includes
Night Blue Metallic
DSG
DCC
Rear View Camera
Leather
Heated Seats
Keyless Entry/Go
Tech Pack (Dynaudio, Carnet, App Connect, Dab Radio)
Sunroof

I have it about 2 weeks and I am very surprised at how much I like it despite having owned some decent motors in the past (C63,SL55, 335d, Mustang). I honestly think its a far better "real world" car for the petrolhead than any of the above.

A few minor upgrades/work I am planning on.

Audi Jack point upgrade
VW Alltrack upgraded skid pan
Haldex Service - Booked in next week.
Replace Boot grommet. (Almost detached)


Its booked in for the VRT shafting tomorrow. (Extra large tube of Vaseline ready to go.)

Any recommendations on where to buy the Audi jack point and skid pan parts?

hooch-85

That sounds lovely but come on man we need pics!

The Night Blue is a really understated colour on them. 22k miles is extremely low, well done on finding such a good one. Mine tipped over 72k recently but they wear the mileage very well. It still looks very fresh even though it's almost 6 years old.

Audi main dealer is probably best place for the jack points. I haven't heard of the skid pan upgrade, is this a sump protector?

JohnnyMustang22

hooch-85 wrote: »

That sounds lovely but come on man we need pics!

The Night Blue is a really understated colour on them. 22k miles is extremely low, well done on finding such a good one. Mine tipped over 72k recently but they wear the mileage very well. It still looks very fresh even though it's almost 6 years old.

Audi main dealer is probably best place for the jack points. I haven't heard of the skid pan upgrade, is this a sump protector?

Pics attached. Forgot on the 1st post. And good to hear the cars hold up well.

Yes, its not the first time I've bought a London car. Typically very well specced, well looked after and rarely driven. In my experience the sellers seem to be less rigid on price also. I bought private which was risky but the seller was an enthusiast and had every single document/answer I wanted to put me at ease.

I will try the usual channels for the parts. I always found that BMW dealer prices in the south to be massively more expensive than UK prices even after FX and shipping. Is it the same with VAG?

The skid pan upgrade is fitting an Alltrack heavy duty undertray to the car to protect the plastic sump. Here is a link to some info on it.

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/how-to-retro-fit-skid-trays-aerodynamic-under-trays-stone-guards-to-a-mk7-golf.320687/

JoeA3

Well wear, that’s nice, with a great spec and rare colour. Nice purchase!

As for parts/service, I’ve always found VW here reasonable. For BMW, I did get stuff shipped from a UK dealer but with VW I used to go local. I’m sure you’d get those jacking points in a VW dealers too, if you can find the relevant part number(s).

Skippy along

Let us know how you get on with the VRT tomorrow I'd say it's manic there at the moment.. Best of luck with the car looks great and even better has a wish list of fantastic specs.

hooch-85

FWIW I've never heard of anyone damaging the sump on a MK7 GTi/R, they are not a car that would bottom out very easily.

JohnnyMustang22

Skippy along wrote: »

Let us know how you get on with the VRT tomorrow I'd say it's manic there at the moment.. Best of luck with the car looks great and even better has a wish list of fantastic specs.

Thanks and will let you know how i get on with the inspection. Its the first thing i did when i put the deposit down on the car on the 7th Dec. I got "next available appointment" as tomorrow at 8am.

ILikeBoats

Lovely, big fan of the cadiz alloys

JohnnyMustang22

JoeA3 wrote: »

Well wear, that’s nice, with a great spec and rare colour. Nice purchase!

As for parts/service, I’ve always found VW here reasonable. For BMW, I did get stuff shipped from a UK dealer but with VW I used to go local. I’m sure you’d get those jacking points in a VW dealers too, if you can find the relevant part number(s).

Thanks. I have all the part numbers so I will get prices from a ROI and UK dealer and see how much is between them.

User1998

JohnnyMustang22 wrote: »

Thanks. I have all the part numbers so I will get prices from a ROI and UK dealer and see how much is between them.

You might get stung with VAT and customs if you buy from the UK

maddness

ILikeBoats wrote: »

Lovely, big fan of the cadiz alloys

The 19’s look great but the smaller 18’s standard on the UK R’s not so much.

SaintsYB

That's a great spec, well wear with her! Love that shade of blue. Lapiz Blue looks great but the Night Blue is a lovely, stealthy alternative.

JohnnyMustang22

maddness wrote: »

The 19’s look great but the smaller 18’s standard on the UK R’s not so much.

The 19s would be nice but given the roads I drive on most of the time I would prefer the 18s.

Zurbaran

Great spec on that Johnny, enjoy.

With the new lockdown will dealers need to close? I made an inquiry online about the white 2019 gti from a few pages back so wondering if it’s something that will need to be put on the back burner.

Doing a bit of research at the same time and seeing that issues with the sunroof can be a bit common?

JoeA3

Zurbaran wrote: »

Great spec on that Johnny, enjoy.

With the new lockdown will dealers need to close? I made an inquiry online about the white 2019 gti from a few pages back so wondering if it’s something that will need to be put on the back burner.

Doing a bit of research at the same time and seeing that issues with the sunroof can be a bit common?

I think showrooms will technically need to close but like previous lockdowns, sales staff should be available for phone calls, emails, etc. January is obviously the busiest month of the year for car sales and hand overs, lots of people will be expecting to collect their new cars so I’m sure they’ll work around it.

I’ve seen a few cases reported over the years of the pano sunroof cracking unexpectedly. If I recall, Toyotafanboi on here had it and it’s a big job to fix. I’d say it’s a relatively uncommon issue though.

Toyotafanboi

Yeah, had the sunroof done on our first Mk7 but the brick sent through it by some yobo didn't help. The missus was working on site in Ballymun one day and a few cars got the auld brick treatment that day. Her company paid for repairs which was somewhere in the area of €5k iirc. The glass is "only" around €8 or 900 and around 2 hours to swap out, the problem with ours was the black surround was cracked and the blind was ripped too so the whole cassette had to be replaced which involves cutting the old cassette out from the chassis itself and bonding a new one in. Very invasive. I have pics somewhere, i may have posted them before.

I've never seen a glass break in those pan roof's from "natural causes" but have seen a few get motors and a lot get roller blinds replaced. Going by other models usually it's the regulator that causes the glass to break, if the reg is failing it twists the glass moving it and it shatters.

All that being said, it's replacement, the 7.5 which is virtually identical to the previous car, the missus says the thing she misses most is the pan roof. It really changes how the interior feels and it looks sporty outside too imo.

Zurbaran

Thanks lads it is something that lifts a cabin but am a bit worried other than leaks and rattling one of the things mentioned was the surround cracking. No mention of bricks with those ones though.

Graham replied just there and doesn’t seem bothered about the lockdown but then it is me that needs to travel in there. Will need to push him on getting a price on mine before doing so.

JoeA3

Think like any sunroof they are a bit prone to creaks and rattles. For what it’s worth my Dad has one on a Tiguan and no issues at all. I think it adds a lot to a car like that as it’s so large. On the Golf however it’s much smaller and personally I think it looks a bit naff when it’s opened. Still... it’s a nice feature and apparently well sought after in the used market. I remember when I was trading my own cars I was asked if it had the pano roof. It would definitely add more value/forecourt desirability to a car in the used market than most other options.

L-M

We’ve had some awful grief with the panoramic roofs, it seems to be from lack of use that causes the damage.

vintagevrs

JoeA3 wrote: »

I think it adds a lot to a car like that as it’s so large. On the Golf however it’s much smaller and personally I think it looks a bit naff when it’s opened. .

Agree with this. IV had cars before with sunroofs and drove with them open more than most people. Would have it open in winter most days. Current car has a pan roof and like all of them now it doesn't slide into the roof but does the big tilting balancing act on top and looks daft when open.

hooch-85

Zurbaran wrote: »

Thanks lads it is something that lifts a cabin but am a bit worried other than leaks and rattling one of the things mentioned was the surround cracking. No mention of bricks with those ones though.

Graham replied just there and doesn’t seem bothered about the lockdown but then it is me that needs to travel in there. Will need to push him on getting a price on mine before doing so.

Mind me asking what you are hoping to trade in? I tried to do a deal with Graham before (on JoeA3's old car actually) and the trade in price offered without seeing my car was low to say the least.

JohnnyMustang22

Quick VRT update.

So off I went to my appointment this morning. I arrived at the centre in good time and presented myself with all paperwork in hand. The nice lady behind the desk said "I am not on the system"......so I pull up the email confirmation only to realise my appointment was actually yesterday!!!! I had somehow mixed my days up thinking the 30th was the last day of the month. This is the type of thing that makes me say "how could you be so stupid?". The colour drained from my face.

Anyways....Serious charm offensive engaged and managed to talk my way into being inspected on the fly....Phew. Hurdle No.1 overcome.

The next curve ball was the stat code...There are 4-5 different codes on the VRT system for the Golf R, all of them are around €6k except one which is nearly €8k... and of course the kind lady that was doing me the huge favour picked the €8k code listed as a 4X4 and not 4 motion. ..After much talking and presenting my case I managed to get the correct code for my car. VRT paid and officially registered in the state.

I think I need a lie down after that experience.

Skippy along

JohnnyMustang22 wrote: »

Quick VRT update.

So off I went to my appointment this morning. I arrived at the centre in good time and presented myself with all paperwork in hand. The nice lady behind the desk said "I am not on the system"......so I pull up the email confirmation only to realise my appointment was actually yesterday!!!! I had somehow mixed my days up thinking the 30th was the last day of the month. This is the type of thing that makes me say "how could you be so stupid?". The colour drained from my face.

Anyways....Serious charm offensive engaged and managed to talk my way into being inspected on the fly....Phew. Hurdle No.1 overcome.

The next curve ball was the stat code...There are 4-5 different codes on the VRT system for the Golf R, all of them are around €6k except one which is nearly €8k... and of course the kind lady that was doing me the huge favour picked the €8k code listed as a 4X4 and not 4 motion. ..After much talking and presenting my case I managed to get the correct code for my car. VRT paid and officially registered in the state.

I think I need a lie down after that experience.

I'd say your relieved now you can really enjoy it even more now it would be interesting to see the difference in the vrt if you'd registered it tomorrow 1/1/21.. You'll be taxing it from 1st December so you'll save a few quid I'd say over the new system in January

hooch-85

They are going up from 570 to 600 quid in January. Not exactly a deal breaker but probably a sign of things to come down the line with further motor tax increase for ice cars.