DriveR

I left it. I'd forgotten about it until now! Happy to say I shall still not worry about it though. There are a few other stone dings around that one only spots when washing the car - thankfully the limestone grey colour's good at hiding things like that (I've noticed they can really stand out on lapiz blue cars though).

I really like the DCC and would have it again without doubt; some of my passengers much prefer I use the comfort setting - as do I when the roads are crap. As for 19" vs 18", I went for 18" out of a fear of potholes; as I managed to trash a Cadiz 18" wheel on a pothole, I'm not really sure it makes much difference which you opt for (other than the 18 is cheaper to replace, as are the tyres...). If it helps, I'd still go for 18" next time as I feel the 19's are too little rubber between the rim and the road.

Unless someone points out the manual says otherwise, or VW issue a service notice saying one should use neutral, I belong to the "it's an automatic so it should deal with it" school of thought mentioned elsewhere on the forum and just leave it in drive

So, I bit the bullet and bought a TDS meter to monitor my DI filter's output; in case anyone else didn't realise, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) and hardness are 2 different things: http://www.tdsmeter.com/what-is?id=0004 I discovered this after testing water from my kitchen tap (hard) and another tap (soft) and finding they were both high readings; I've not tested the DI filter's output yet, but the container of DI water for the steam iron gives a nice low reading . Some info here: http://www.tdsmeter.com/what-is?id=0004 ("Water softeners do not remove TDS"). So it seems the only sensible way to test for hardness (rather than TDS) and confirm a water softener's doing its job is to use those good old fashioned disposable test strips.

Well, I guess you could go for a custom DSG map if it bugs you a lot...

Don't think so. I started out using auto 90% of the time, coming up to a year in I now use manual 90% of the time. I've never really used S mode except the rare occasion I'm approaching something in auto D mode and want some immediate engine braking (seems quicker than selecting manual and down shifting a few times).

Yep.

It will increase speed downhill even more quickly in gear

Looks like there's a little red left on the dial I'm not sure how far one can push it though; it would be interesting to hear how far beyond zero miles people have managed. I think my lowest refuel so far in the R has been at around 15 miles remaining. With a very light right foot, I did push an old Ford diesel way beyond zero miles once and vowed never to put myself in that nerve wracking position again...

The silver does look good (I'm still torn between silver and LSG). Take care though, a pothole eventually managed to buckle one of my Cadiz wheels (the impact was right between 2 spokes)

Eek, think I'd rather put 7K towards a seven...

Neat solution; I'd be interested to hear how it fares over time.

Oh, regarding cruising noise, it's not the quietest car but apart from the occasional ropey surface it's not something that's really bothered me much in the almost year I've had it (unlike the pointless 4 exhaust tips - I'll go hide now I've said that... ).

I would buy the climate screen again without hesitation; it's great when you get to your car of an evening and just want to de ice, de mist and go home (not sit in the car for 5 or 10 minutes waiting to be able to see). If you mean the fake engine noise (one of my pet hates but others love it) you can adjust it in the custom drive settings menu (or search on here and there's an explanation of how to completely unplug the speaker that's hidden behind the dash - it's accessible from the engine bay). I have a couple of USB sockets (at least) in my car but it has the Apple CarPlay option, so not sure if that has an impact; one is in the cubbyhole in front of the gear shift; the other is in the cubbyhole under the armrest between the front seats (this one is the one that works with CarPlay - though I've never bothered trying the other one). My (estate) has a 12v socket next to the gear shift as well as in the boot. Can't help with spoilers.

That's really annoying if you're sure it was locked; any changes to the car at all, tuning (or pedal) box? I'm aware of some people claiming some products appear to do seemingly random rouge things on the car's CANBUS network.