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insta: @r2avo

Full decon Clayed polished waxed ....Tesco car park 😊 im pooped

Already posted eleswhere, but I like this one. April showers:

What Has Brought Me Here Having owned a BMW E92 330i (272) for just over 5 years, my journey into Golf R Estate ownership began last summer. With a young family, the 2 door coupe was beginning to take its toll on my back (negotiating a toddler into a car seat) and a week long trip away as a family really stretched how much could be crammed into a 5-door Golf MKVII SE 1.4 TSI (wife's car). I therefore went in search of a replacement for the BMW. Initially I went down the route of SUV's, in particular I love the X5 - in xDrive 40d M Sport trim. I then realised after doing a speculative insurance quote that I would have to rule those out - could not believe how much more expensive it was compared to my 330i for what is a slower, less sporty car. Even in ‘poverty spec’ xDrive 25d (2 wheel drive only) insurance was significantly more than I was used to. I think it must be to do with thefts, damage and write-offs of X5's compared to the relatively few 330i's there are (only saw 1 other in my 5 years of ownership). Add in maintenance on such a car, it became a lost cause, especially as I would be buying out of warranty. My list expanded to include X3's, Q5's, Land Rover Discovery Sport...same conclusion mostly very expensive to insure (and at least 3-4 years old with 40,000 miles in my budget). So I started to look at the less premium alternatives: Skoda Kodiaq, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen Touareg and a few estates: Audi A6 Avant, Skoda Octavia, Skoda Superb. A6 and Touareg aside, all of these were very cheap to insure and within budget. Through this journey I realised that all the spec's I was interested in were the high performance engines: Audi A6 would have to be 3.0 TDI Bi-Turbo, Skoda Octavia would have to be vRS etc. In the end my criteria were: must be fast, must still be within budget and must have a big luggage capacity. As is almost always the case, ‘2 out of 3 aint bad’ and I found with many cars I considered that was the case. I could get fast SUV’s with big luggage capacity but were way out of budget; or I could have within budget with big luggage capacity but wouldn’t be fast. I had an inkling that I wouldn’t be satisfied unless whatever replaced my 330i was at least as fast and enjoyable to drive. I had almost resigned myself however to a Skoda estate (vRS Octavia TSI or 280 4x4 Superb) or a Tiguan. None of these options really made me excited – get the job done space and budget? Yes, absolutely. Fast enough? Yes, absolutely. But deep down I thought of either of those cars as a bit of a compromise. Enter Golf R Estate I stumbled upon the Golf R Estate early on but initially wrote it off as ‘it was a Golf, they are everywhere, my wife has a Golf, I don’t want a blinking Golf!’. After the remainder of my research brought me to the conclusion of compromise however, I took another look at the Golf R Estate. Whichever article I read (I can’t remember exactly), had a photo of the MK7.5 and I thought it looked much nicer than any previous version. The 0-60 time that started with a 4 instead of a 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 caught my attention too. How often will I be doing 0-60 dashes where that time even matters? Probably never but as a stat it satisfied me. I checked the luggage capacity: >600 litres. Impressive. Almost as big as an Octavia Estate and larger than any of the premium German estates. Last check, insurance. Would this put an end to things? The anticipation of waiting for the first quotes to come up on Confused.com was agonising. Finally, the quotes appeared and to my amazement, they were half the price I paid for my 330i. Half. Could. Not. Believe. It. Ssshh, don’t tell anyone! The Order In December 2017 there was a great lease deal on a Golf R Estate. Now I did not set out to buy a Golf, nor did I set out to buy a new car. The lease seemed to be very good value though so I done a few sums and came to the conclusion that in my circumstances it made a lot of sense to buy new. Now, I know car finance is very personal and what works for me would not necessarily work for someone else – I am not here to tell everyone to lease their car. All I would say is even if I had the money to buy a new car (any new car) in cash, I would lease it. A good friend of mine who always leases cars (albeit for business) put it like this and I am now converted to it: “lease what depreciates, buy what appreciates”. So I picked my options: Black Mirrors & Roof Rails, Black Pretoria Wheels, Turmeric Yellow paint, sought out the best deal and asked my local VW dealer if they could match it. They came very close and it made a lot of sense to go through them. Order placed mid-December, March 2018 delivery. The Options You would think that when given the choice, one of the best parts about buying a new car is picking the colour. I found this a really difficult thing to do. To date, I have only ever had black or white cars. I was interested in exploring alternatives. In the end I decided on Turmeric Yellow having never seen it in the flesh or in estate form. At least I knew it would break up ‘the various shades of mizzle’ as I have heard modern car colours described as somewhere else on this forum. Pretoria wheels in black, mirrors in black and roof rails in black were my only real essentials. I considered the sunroof (mainly for looks) but couldn’t justify the price. I considered DCC but decided having never had this or an equivalent and always driven cars with sports suspension, I did not need it. I would have liked a ‘start/stop’ button and would have considered keyless entry to get it, had I known the button only came with that pack and was not standard equipment. My well-spec’d 10 year old BMW has me spoiled I guess (along with headlight assistant, I may miss that). The Delivery Waiting seemed to take forever. Then finally, my car arrived at the dealer. I then got some bad news…the car had been damaged in transit. I was gutted. I now realise how often this happens but in my head I pictured my new car taken care of on every leg of its journey. Let’s face it though, that is a fantasy. So I asked for a photo of the damage (which had already been approved for repair by VWFS) and took a day to decide what to do. I could get it repaired but risk it not being a good job (re-spray on a brand new car was not a great idea in my mind) or reject the car but have no guarantee that the same deal would be honoured (since VWFS, having assessed the damage were happy to repair it). In the end I decided to get it repaired. Here is a photo of the damage: 3 Weeks Later Prior to delivery I had arranged that the dealer would not prep the car, in fact I wanted it left in all transit wrap so it could be taken straight to the detailer. They agreed but informed me that due to the repair, transit wrap had to come off so they could check over the rest of the car. I was content with this. I picked the car up from the dealer on Monday. They showed me where the repair was done, it looked flawless, really impressive. So I agreed to take the car on the basis if the detailer or I spotted anything peculiar later on I could bring it back. I brought my stamped plates with me for them to fit – mounted in a surround on the rear and stuck on the front. I wasn’t sure how surrounds would look but I like them on A-Class etc. so wanted to check. On front it was just too chunky because of the OEM number plate holder. On the rear, I think looks ok. The salesperson got me to sign last bits of paperwork, showed me the basics of the infotainment, round the car etc. and gave me the keys. Due to the damage and subsequent delay, I managed to negotiate a full tank of Super Unleaded and a boot liner. I also asked for a set of Black 18” Pretoria Wheels with winter tyres thrown in but they didn’t deem that reasonable. Worth asking! The next stage was drive 1.5 miles through rush hour to the detailer in a brand new car. This, I do not recommend to anyone. It was really painful watching people dart in and out of their lane and lane hop on the roundabout. But I made it in one piece. Day of pick up photos: Pick up from detailer I had arranged for Gtechniq CSL+EXO, wheels off and C5 applied, G1 on the glass, C4 on all rubber/plastic trim and I1 on the interior. This was expensive but I hope, worth it for easy maintenance and the car looks stunning. The detailer had to do quite a bit of correction. First of all, there was a lot of fall out on the car (iron, tar, glue, bird poo etc.) that had to be removed. Next, they done paint correction which he said was quite a lot and not just on the area that was repaired. Finally CSL was applied, topped with 2 coats of EXO. They told me the drive side front wheel was loose before they removed it. That is a bit shocking really since the car was PDI’d. Here are some post-detail shots inside and out: What next? Break the car in – 1,500 miles of slow revving, patience and getting to know the car. Fine-tuning the seat position, mirrors, infotainment and many other options. Fit Windesa/Sonniboy sunshade blinds (dual purpose: protects toddler’s eyes from the sun and looks like 90% tints). I am confident that I have made the right decision. I certainly think it will be faster than my 330i and more stable with 4Motion vs. RWD but will it be as fun? That remains to be seen. I said earlier that ‘2 out of 3 aint bad’, well with the Golf R Estate I believe you can satisfy all three: fast, affordable, big luggage capacity. My dream ‘family car’ would be an RS6 but that isn’t going to happen any time soon (and realistically never) but I can’t think of any other cars that are close to either the Golf R Estate or RS6 at either end of that budget spectrum or in between.

Taken last week at the top of the Applecross pass on our road trip to the highlands - incredible driving roads and scenery made for the R

In Cowes.....sorry about the roof rack.

[emoji41]

Washed it. Serviced it. Painted the rusty wheel hubs. Stuck on the side vent stickers and blacked out upper grill.

UPDATE: Just got off the phone to the Police compound, the chap said there isn't a straight panel on it, looks like it's been in a roll. As bad as this may sound to some members, I was so relieved to hear that. It was actually found on the Cheetham Hill/Crumpsall border, and not in Gorton where it is actually currently being housed at the Police Compound, awaiting forensics. Can you imagine if that car was repairable, and I had to live with that engine and drivetrain, not to mention issues that may have surfaced down the line with VW and warranty claims, grey areas as to whether future issues were caused due to "negligent" driving and VW not honouring warranty claims, as they knew the car had been stolen. They would only need to hook up the computer to read engine history and it would reveal how long and how many times it stayed in high revs, how many launch controls etc etc. Then there would be the personal issue and coming to terms with living with a car that had been stolen and damaged, and constantly worrying of whether it was going to cause me mechanical issues, whether they would try and steal it again, trying to sell it etc etc. Anyway, I don't have that headache thankfully, but it has woken me up and made me even more alert to this sort of crime. Just wanted to say a massive genuine thank you to everyone that took the time to write words of support both publicly and privately...you're a good bunch 🙌🏽🍺

You must have been hopping mad! (Sorry, couldn’t resist..)

My new R, all clean!

Hi all, I have used this forum for almost 6 months to glean information on the Golf R while I waited for it to be delivered and in the month of ownership so I thought it fair I pen a quick review on what I think of the car now I have had it a short time... and did it live up to my expectations?? First off I went for a 5 door hatch, I don't need space as our other car is a Disco Sport and I wanted 5 doors as I regularly need the back seats...... Personal choice but I am happy with both decisions. Next up I went for DSG because of the reviews and having had manuals all my life (except the Disco which is a 'lazy' auto!), but with friends with decent PDK/DSG boxes I fancied a change...... again I am really happy more on that later. Colour I wanted a discreet colour (my last car was a 17 plate metallic red Mustang GT... not exactly discreet and it got way too much attention that became annoying for me after about 6 months..), so I went for Indium, again v.happy love the colour, especially when clean, and it hides the dirt brilliantly, yes I am lazy and don't wash it often enough... Extras: DCC, I really wanted this; Dynaudio, late decission but really happy; Tints, always going to have these for the price. So how have I found it? Its a cracking car, I looked at S3, Merc A45 AMG, RS3, BMW M140, but for what I was after it was the best balance of Performance (I wanted 4WD this time), Cost (I would have had the RS3 if I could have justified the extra cost) and practicality. I have had Golf's before so had a certain expectation/realism and the car has lived up to that, no its not a super car, but it is a really good car, discreet, fast and fun, what more could I ask for?? So first the positives: Standard equipment levels are very good, I did not want to add too many options because I don't believe they make vfm at resale (personal opinion only) R has excellent road handling and grip - truly amazing really, I have driven many cars and none have had the grip/handling of the R DSG is fantastic - I have enjoyed learning to drive it (many thanks to the 'Understanding and using your DSG box ...' thread by Belfast Col), its sooo quick and smooth!! LED headlights are really good, far better than HiDs Digital dash is great, I love the map running in the background in the dash with speed cameras on Performance for cost (4.6 secs to 60mph wet or dry in a £31K car!!) Seats are really supportive and comfortable (I have cloth and really, really like them) DCC: really noticeable even with standard 18" wheels, don't let people tell you otherwise (as one salesperson tried to!) - I have surprised myself by loving Comfort!! Must be our crap roads, in France (nice smooth roads)..... Race.... Did I mention Grip.... Accelerate hard out of junctions/corners/roundabouts... it just gets up and goes... love it!! The 'OKs': Engine is OK, pulls well when on power but I can see why people go Stage 1 or 2,,, for me not yet while its new but never say never, the car is still quick, really quick thanks to DSG..... Build quality is OK, much as I expected from VW, comfortable and reassuringly 'boring'!! Practicality is OK, boot looses space due to the 4WD system but its fine for what I need Economy, its fine for what I want, its about fun not economy Infotainment is OK, but not that good, sound is great (Dynaudio - great vfm) but I think Fords Sync 3 is way ahead on tech and usability The Bad (well niggles as there nothing I could class as bad): Centre console buttons set for LHD, fiddling for the mode button is a bit annoying No water holes in the bottom of the windscreen surround on left hand side - Water and ice build up as I park with the drivers side slightly higher... Exhaust flaps set to sport (DSG) - I run it is Sport more than normal because I don't like the inner pipes dirty and the outers shiny... (I am going to VCDS this soon) - this should be selectable in the car settings Because of the Flaps above, I wish the DSG had a mode between 'D' and 'S' changing at 3200 revs is a bit OTT for routine driving! Soudaktor!! Hate it... Its off now so happy (coded), coming from a NA V8 there is no point in worrying about sound from a 4 pot turbo.... For the R quiet is good, with the odd pop and bang 😀 Overall I really like the car, yes its early days but it really has lived up to expectations, I have VCDS coded the following so far: Soundaktor - OFF Comfort indicator blinks to 4 (from 3) Fan speed displayed in Auto Off Road mode (wheel angle useful in snow!) Open exhaust flaps next, and I would really like to increase the brightness of the DRL when the headlights are on, not dazzle people but say increase to 50%, but I cant find the 7.5 coding for that.... Would I recommend it, yes to the right person, its fun, practical (more so the hearse) and vfm, if you don't want fun, don't get it; if you want luxury and are prepared to pay, again look elsewhere, it's comfortable and well put together, but it is not the height of luxury (you must be realistic, >£50k for luxury and performance). I had high expectations on the performance and it has just about lived up to them (in part thanks to the DSG box) obviously its no V8 but its got plenty of get up and go in stock form to keep me smiling for now. No performance mods planned for now, tbh I would probably rather spend the money on a faster more expensive car in the future (F Type V8 SVR) when I can; A. Afford it and B. Can live with its lack of practicality. I modded the Mustang from new and lost heavily.... What would I have changed.... I wish I had gone for traffic sign recognition I really miss that, and possibly heated windscreen (I was worried about phone signal interference), but that's about it. Overall its a cracking car that fits the 'fun' while practical until I can get away with a 2 seater out and out sports car.......... So thanks to everyone on here its a great Forum, lots of knowledge and help that without doubt has made a more positive experience to the whole R ownership.... keep it up I am loving it!! 👍

Ohhh this happened a few years ago to my neighbour - he lost it in the best possible way... he purchased a Red Corsa for £150 and waited for the guy to go to work.. then he parked it immediately in the centre of the space outside the guys house for months😂- he insured it 3rd party fire and theft and none of us knew who did it until he moved- he knocked on neighbours door and said’ I’m off now don’t ever f**k with me again... each day I would see the nasty man kick it, he called the police many times to have it moved but because it was insured he didn’t have a chance. Always makes me smile when I think of how mad the nasty neighbour got each weekend when he had to take a bucket to wash his car as his hose pip was too short from his house😀

Us enthusiasts are a strange bunch. Parking in the far reaches of car parks to save door dings and scrapes on our cars. I thought it would be good to share examples of 'Extreme Parking' Here's mine from this morning

Regards Damian Mac Donagh

So had my R a few weeks now just had my wheel retrimmed 100% alcantara with blue bits absolutely stunning, never cold in winter, just makes such a difference to the drive experience and at least 50bhp gain in performance 😀

Gave the Gti a good clean to sell, to make some room for my R that I should be picking up this week all being well! Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

You need these:

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Picked mine up to day well chuffed. 🙃

Out with the old....... ...in with the new R7.5 with 20 miles on the clock

Full on detail on this F type yesterday and finished off this morning. Stage 1 polish after decontamination using rupes Bigfoot, yellow rupes pad and yellow compound. Then onto the Gyeon set: Wipe down with prep Two layers of MOHS on the paint Q2 Rim on wheels and exhaust Q2 view on glass Q2 leather shield on interior Q2 tire on the tyres. Final coat of gyeon cure this morning Not come out too bad if I do say so myself! First pic shows state of the swirls in it prior to polishing.

A couple more, not so extreme but still great!

Hi, Sadly my Torndao Apr tuned Golf R has been sold. However after a long wait and what seemed like forever my new High spec black on black 3 Door has arrived 👍🏻 Caught it arriving on the transporter and being pre delivery inspected with the master tech at VW Happy Days

Quick detail yesterday, had to finish it off this morning as it began to rain just as I started to dry it[emoji849] Love the white silver however i don’t love how dirty it gets almost instantly! Roll on summer, white silver in this sun is just [emoji108][emoji108]

Hubs all painted along with new caliper colour. Wheels all cleaned and sealed. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Yeah I hear what you're saying, I'm getting mine in for ceramic coating a week Wednesday and taking the chance re: major faults! Pics as promised, the weather is masking the filthy dust filled exterior

If you think the gap at minimum is too large then please never, ever drive behind me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First clean in a month or so. Love seeing the change in exhausts the most.

Took my old man [emoji1353] out for a spin in the new R Estate tonight. Drove sensibly till up to temperature then took it to a nice spot to do a standing start. Didn't Launch it, just Race mode from standing. OMG - I thought he was going to Blackout or have a Heart Attack! Feel so bad now. Even I find it makes my head feel light and stomach churn a bit as you get pushed hard in to seat. I'm not even adapted to this sensation so never mind Mr P Senior! Had to take him for a pint of Guinness by way of apology and calm his nerves!! We won't be doing that again anytime soon! The rocket car, not the pint! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We have sat filthy dirty and suliking outside unstrarted since last Sunday's snow drive. So proper wash needed. Grey old day, but set about removing the crud, and reactivating the Exo, as it's been 4 months since its was done. Had a bunch of old foam residuals, so made a cocktail of Citrus Foam, VP neutral, Megs hyperwash and some washing up liquid. Emptied this lot under arches, sills, rear apron and as far under chassis as I could with foam cannon. Left for 10 mins. Rinsed snow foamed body. Gyeon foam rinsed VP Citrus Pre Wash rinse snow foam again. Boars hair brush around black bits n grilles etc. 2BM G Wash rinse reactivate Exo: spray W6 Fallout Remover on roof and bonnet and wheels snow foam rinse spray W5 Citrus APC over roof and bonnet rinse Dry: open hose sheeting Gyeon silk towel dabbed (wow it's good) Sidekick blower and small towel around wheels grills etc Did all black bits and wheels with BSD. T1 gel on tyres. Then an I thought I'd do a 50/50 on bonnet half with Sonax BSD and half with trusty C2 V3 lets see which one lasts longer, beads better. looks fab, a splash of colour on a grey day. Satisfied. All holding up well pics: interior tomorrow. Maybe...

I 'knocked' this together recently, I chose to put it inside the garage. It's 5mm box section with the fixings sunk to 250mm and the nuts have since been welded and rounded off, with a suitable padlock it would take some shifting, it's surely one hell of a visual deterrent and stronger than what you will pay a lot of money for online. Tal, should you replace your R with another one or anything desirable I would be happy to supply a similar 'bollard' and fit it for you if it helps put your good ladies mind at rest, as a gesture to a fellow petrol head...

Few things done this week. Oettinger roof spoiler fitted. Prets painted gloss Black. Front bumper resprayed removing plate surround and filling holes.

A picture after I cleaned and protected the R. No filter on this picture you can see it’s stunning 👍🏻

Also gave the R a quick rinse and vac for gti spring fest tomorrow.

Pretty much just spent 3 days shut away in my father-in-laws garage for a full on spring detail. Could have done with another day as didn’t have time to wax so used C2v3 all over to save time. Day 1 - snow foam, wash, de-iron, de-tar, clay (mitt and bar), final wash and dry. Transferred to garage and did some pre-polish taping. Day 2 - more taping then 1 stage machine polish using scholl concepts purple pads with scholl s20 black. 1st time using a DA (Das 6 Pro) and found it easy to use, just takes so long! Day 3 - final few panels polished then full wipe down with panel wipe. Applied C2v3 all over which was a breeze to work with and gave a brilliant finish. Tyres dressed with Megs Endurance. Gave interior a quick hoover and clean with i2 tri-clean. Feeling a tad tired but pleased with my efforts. Shame it rained on the way home so not looking so shiny now, enjoyed the dancing rain beads though.

Not be washed for 3 weeks, so a briskish 2BM and dry with my new fav Gyeon Silk Dryer, after little C2V3 50:50 mist. A couple of small chips hips have shown up, but happy with my wash...

Mine, Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Mod 32 :- This one has been like Marmite to me but I kept on coming back to it and eventually gave up - resistance truly is futile fellow modders. To be fair the decision was vastly helped when the wife asked me if I would like them for Easter instead of an egg . I think she thinks they’re about £12 so I’ll give her the invoice later when she’s in a good mood 😂 So here it is, one for the interior, Leyo Motorsport billet control knobs ..... They come in a really decent presentation case (prob a fiver in the box alone!) and are a doddle to fit. Now that they’re on I really like them as they continue the black/chrome theme from the console button area up along the MMI. Also, they feel very tactile to operate so they get the 👍‘s up from me.

AB popping in the spring sunshine..

Well. You’ve just put an idea in my head. Very early days yet, but if the missus goes over her due date, then taking her out in the R and launching it a couple of times could help induce labour. [emoji848] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice and clean for a change......little weekend photo

Had some fun last night😊 Plus some exterior shots from yesterday I couldn't upload for some reason. Sorry to bore you all

WOW! Mate thats such a huge huge gesture to give up your time like that.. i'm really humbled. Thank you so much!