gregozedobe

Some people believe the "drivability" changes are well worth having, even if you don't need the extra clamping force for the clutches. I'm looking at you, OEM TCU tune, when driving gently in D it forces the engine to lug at 1,200rpm when you hit a rise, instead of changing down a gear or two and letting the engine work in it's torque curve .

Did you mean to say one says et45 the other says et35 ?

I've read many reports of the condensation in headlights issue, so it is common ( I haven't noticed whether it was mainly Mk7s or Mk7.5s as well). Just in case I'd check that there weren't any covers dislodged or missing to eliminate that as a possible source of moisture. And if you were in the habit of using a pressure washer in the engine bay I'd stop doing that.

Just adding some data about the gauze filter on the end of the Haldex pump for my 2017 Golf R wagon. 14,186km - quite dirty 19,546km - cleanish 31, 265km - very clean This car is mostly driven reasonably gently, with some full throttle away from lights, merging onto a highway or through a roundabout. This driving style has remained fairly constant from new. My current theory is that there was initially a fair bit of wear of the Haldex clutch material as it all beds in, then not much wear after that. I intend to change the Haldex fluid and clean the filter at about 50,000km or 2025, whichever comes sooner.

Problem with steering rack maybe ? I've read of a few that had to be replaced, but IIRC the steering went very heavy, not grinding noise. Just a thought, any chance a tyre is rubbing in a wheel well ? More common in the front with cars that have been modified with wider wheels/rims, lowered suspension and/or different offset wheels to OEM.

That looks more like a performance upgrade, with no mention of low dust ceramic. IIRC mine were like these: https://modsdirect.com.au/shop/braking/brake-pads-front/ate-ceramic-brake-pads-front-set/

I don't know whether anyone makes ceramic discs to suit a Golf, but if they do I expect that they will be VERY expensive (and probably very much overkill for your usage). On the other hand there seems to be some options for ceramic low dust pads designed for use with regular steel discs .

Hmmm, for some reason I had an idea that the cleaners that go purple in contact with iron my be acidic, so you might want to research that a bit before applying any to your PPF.

I had ATE low dust ceramic pads fitted to my R when it was new (std discs). I'm happy with them, and my wheels stay a LOT cleaner. Note that they are NOT a performance pad, but I'm super easy on brakes so not an issue for me.

Aren't the rims too wide (9.5") for the tyres (215mm) ie an illegal amount of "stretch" ?

IIRC you are supposed to use VCDS or similar to back off the pads to remove a caliper, but I'm sure I've read of a manual method as well.

If it annoys you when the standard TCU tune tends to lug the engine at too low a revs when driving gently in D (especially when you hit a slight uphill slope at 1200rpm and it still won't change down a gear) than you (and possibly your wife) will like a decent drivability TCU tune eg TVS Stage 2+

Bad enough that they are stupid enough to rush into deep water without even slowing down, but the ones that leave me speechless are the ones who decide it would be even more fun to turn right as well, and drive INTO the creek !!!!

If you can find a private buyer that wants your car with the mods it currently has you might get a bit more, but then you have to deal with all the baggage that comes with a private sale. Otherwise remove all the removeable stuff and put it back to stock (including the engine tune if taking the downpipe off) and just sell it as a stock car.

Are there any issues with the lenses or reflectors ? I'm particularly thinking condensation on the inside of the exterior lens (I gather it is common on Rs in cold temps and/or rainy conditions) or any crazing/yellowing etc of the plastic lens. Either factor would reduce the effective light output.