The Mega Mk7 Golf GTI/GTD/R thread

Muppet Man wrote: »

Just curious why the hate for the Cadiz alloys? Is it the size or general design? I have the 19 inch Cadiz on my white R and I love them and wanted them more than the prets. I think the black and chrome of the Cadiz really sets off well against the White body work and blacked out windows and chrome wing mirrors. Easy to clean too

Each to their own though....

Muppet man

For me...
The 18' Cadiz are weedy and ugly imo. Diamond cut - is a pain in the ass of a finish on any wheel. Heavy and ungainly looking, they don't look like wheels that belong on a "quick" car. The 19's do look far better alright, they do fill out the arches much better but tbh still not for me.

On the other hand, the prets are a lightweight forged wheel with a simple classy unfussy design that reminds me of some older "race" wheels, they're not diamond cut and they're also very easy to clean...

Folks the spring has gone on the centre console pocket (where an ashtray used to be on cars) on my 141 Golf. Does anyone know how to take the lid off? I can't seem to see anywhere to access the spring.

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Is it stuck closed?

No, it'll open but I have to push it up.

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

When the lid is around half way open stick fingers under the heater control panel and pull it forward to move it out from the dash a bit.

Then fully open the door of the pocket, put your hand in and pull it out with a slight upward motion. It's just held in with 2x push clips at the bottom of the cubby door opening (in front of the gearsticj gaitor) so prising it there with a screwdriver may help, but it's possible without any tools.

Cheers have it out now.

Edit: it was the two plastic clips that hold the spring that were cracked off so there's no way to fix it. So I took the two springs out and will leave it open for the minute.

Might see about a replacement when it's been services.

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

The ones in a regular Golf aren't too dear, around €45 iirc. The embossed "4motion" one in an R might be different.

Ah that's not to bad. Cheers for that!!

hooch-85 wrote: »

I'm getting married next year so it'll be at least 2019 before i change. Herselfs car will need upgrading around then as well so she can buy the family car, she has an 08 Ibiza with 200kms on it now and she does about 5k a month. I'm thinking of one of those Leon FR's as they seem very good value, sometimes 4-5k cheaper than an equivalent GTD.

Assume you mean used it's more like 10k difference new for the FR vs GTD. Wife has one it really is a cracking car wish I could drive it more often, can only imagine how good the Cupra is. Hoping I can change for one in a few years when I'm done ferrying kids around. A Superb 2.0 tfsi 280 4x4 would be a more understated option though.

hooch-85 wrote: »

Yes used, i was looking at 3-4 year old examples with reasonable mileage. Glad to hear a good review, is yours the 184 model? As a lot i've seen for sale are 150bhp models, not that that would be too bad for a second car either

Yea its a 184 hatchback not to many around most of FRs around are the 150. I test drove the 150 a few times when we bought and again later as I was half considering an estate version my self. There's not much in them in normal driving but the 184 has a lot more pull when you floor it. Lack of multlink suspension on 150 version means it doesn't handle quite as well.

Was considering going to the UK for a 1.8tsi and was offered a very good deal on a 6 month old 150 FR. Would have loved either but its was little small for us as a family car. Boot is very good but space in back is tight, needed space for an adult with two child seats. It's the only thing I don't like about the car space for your left leg driving is a little tight. Centre console is very wide I drive with leg right up against it. It's not a problem at all in the Octavia and the golf is a little wider. I was driving a mondeo though and used to man spreading!

Would have still been very happy with one there's little that comes close to the performance for the price. The Led lights are great. I love the car and still admire it every time I walk past and smile when I drive it. Ah well down the line I'll have a Cupra or there'll be decent electric version when I go to change.

I used commute Waterford to Cork daily in my 184 FR when I had it. Mainly N-road with some traffic on the Cork side and for the most part you're going along in a line of cars but rarely for less than mid-50s over a whole tank, a few times it went north of 60.

As said the 184 has independent rear suspension but also bigger brakes. It does miss out on some of the nicer spec items that the Golf has - nav, ACC being the notable ones but they are reasonably cheap to add. Interior isn't as nice as a Golf either but it would be on par with a Focus or Astra.

Has anyone any experience of the recent GTI build times? I've heard they are quite long these days? Could it be acceptable for me to start inquiring for 181?

JoeA3 wrote: »

I'd say it's a tad early. Mid October would be early enough. Dealers might not take January enquiries that seriously just yet. They usually aren't clear on prices/specs/offers until mid to late October either.

10-12 weeks tends to be the typical wait.

Does there be much change in the offers? I'm aiming for January but it's a struggle not to head down to the dealers straight away, spending too much time on the car configurator!

JoeA3 wrote: »

They can vary a little bit. The innovation/tech pack might change a little - in price and/or the items bundled into it. The APR on the pcp's might drop to 0% again.
That said, any changes that are made (good or bad) would likely apply to your order anyway.

Thanks, I'll have to contain myself a little longer and aim for mid October, won't be too long coming around.

st332 wrote: »

I ordered mine on 26th June and it's arriving in the next few days, so was around 10 weeks for me. As Joe said, be 10-12 weeks is usual, though the lead times seem much longer in the UK.

Lead times have always been much worse in the UK. When I got my GTI in July 2013, guys in the UK who'd ordered long before me were still waiting and waited a lot longer again after that. 6 month waits weren't unusual. I think they have a different system over there whereby dealers get a max allocation per month which doesn't seem to be the case here.
Of course sometimes specific parts shortages can happen. The Pretoria wheels delayed my R several weeks.

bazz26 wrote: »

It should be noted that the way manufacturers test their cars for co2 figures is changing for 2018. Real world testing is coming in rather than the old lab type testing where manufacturers manipulated the test for lower Co2 emissions, so Co2 emissions for certain cars might rise which has a bearing on the VRT rate and retail price. Prices of most 2018 new cars will increase because of this.

Do you think we'll see any changes to VRT in the budget to counteract this or I'm guessing more likely the government will be glad of the extra few quid, and is this for all new cars sold? Or new models to the market?

My car should be rolling off the good ship Viking Diamond today.
Hope to have it next week.

Going to drive it straight to the home place and spend the day detailing it, though it will be very hard to resist the urge to drive out of the dealers and straight to the Wicklow mountains.

Like a typical keyboard warrior, I've gone out and bought lots of detailing stuff and watched loads of videos, but haven't had a dry run - I don't want to dirty any cloths or mitts on my current banger!
Any major tips/gotchas out there? (I'm planning iron and tar decontamination, snow foam, two bucket wash, wax etc., not intending to do any claying or polishing or use any fancy quartz sealants).
I had a good read of some detailed threads like this one:http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=277318.0
Also watched a load of this lad's videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CarCleaningGuru - he should do a sideline in meditation videos!

st332 wrote: »

My car should be rolling off the good ship Viking Diamond today.
Hope to have it next week.

Going to drive it straight to the home place and spend the day detailing it, though it will be very hard to resist the urge to drive out of the dealers and straight to the Wicklow mountains.

Like a typical keyboard warrior, I've gone out and bought lots of detailing stuff and watched loads of videos, but haven't had a dry run - I don't want to dirty any cloths or mitts on my current banger!
Any major tips/gotchas out there? (I'm planning iron and tar decontamination, snow foam, two bucket wash, wax etc., not intending to do any claying or polishing or use any fancy quartz sealants).
I had a good read of some detailed threads like this one:http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=277318.0
Also watched a load of this lad's videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/CarCleaningGuru - he should do a sideline in meditation videos!

Well ware with the new car once it arrives.

In regards to the detail, I would recommend claying the car, iron and tar removers only do so much. Following up this work with claying will remove all contaminants bonded to the car and you'll be surprised by how much the car has picked up during the course of its travels from factory to dealer forecourt.

I would recommend that you request the dealer not touch the car, not even a quick wash. You may have done this already but no harm in reminding them.

I would highly recommend that you put a good coating on your wheels. Will save so much hassle down the line trying to get them clean (tar and brake dust baked on the wheels are a c*nt to remove).