HITMAN_VW

I had P Zeros fitted from the factory on my R, lasted just over 22K miles to get to 3mm and were really good for me. Gripped well in the wet throughout its lifetime on the car and actually got decent MPG from them - one round trip to Manchester this summer returned 47mpg when they were at 4mm tread and the overall average was 30.5mpg. Tyre is definitely a tough one as I had a minor cut in the kerbing edge protector after hitting a pothole, thankfully the rim was undamaged. Had it checked out soon after and was told it was safe to drive on it as the cut wasn’t in a dangerous part of the sidewall and the tyre lasted over 2 years after that without any issues in all conditions. Would have been happy to have had the P Zeros replaced like for like if I didn’t get the PS4S I now have on. The PS4S is another level above them though. The grips well around bends and rides much smoother and quieter than the Pirellis.

My 7.5R has been reporting a “Manoeuvre braking currently unavailable error” when starting for the past month. Saw a recent post about the battery being knackered and after having it diagnosed yesterday at the dealers, was meant to be done with my tyres a fortnight earlier, it was true. Car was just past the 3 year warranty period and a battery is not covered by my extended warranty but the service advisor sorted it out under goodwill before even calling me with an update! Battery has to be ordered in so booked in early in the New Year but really happy with the staff at Cardiff VW 😁 As I mentioned in a previous post, the vast majority of service staff at my dealers are really helpful, just the odd one that brings down the overall level of service by thinking he knows more than every customer that walks in

Hi everyone, Looking to replace my centre caps with the dynamic caps I bought a while back (was waiting to replace all 4 tyres first - off topic but absolutely loving the PS4S on the R now, only had them a week but having chucked the R around a twisty commuting route, I now understand why they’re rated so highly). Anyway, the old static caps are currently on the car and they’re clipped in place really well, which I suppose is a good thing. Has anyone managed to safely remove the caps without having to take the wheel off the car first and pushing from the inside out?

Finally got my R on 4 new Michelin PS4S!! What a hassle it was too. I had a VWFS tyre plan and after having conceded to replacing the factory fitted Pirelli P-Zeros for the same at the dealership (who don’t get Michelins from their supplier), I arrived this morning to be told VWFS only approve Contis, despite being told Pirelli’s are covered when I ordered them last week. The service advisor was also trying to convince me that the Contis were better tyres than the Michelins - yeah right. To add to that, Contis are the “only brand VW approve” and that I’m lucky I’m “not getting Falkens” despite the fact the T&Cs state premium brands and the dealership offered me Pirelli’s when it had its annual service a couple of months back. Either way, I felt like I was being taken for a fool by that guy and it’s not the first time he’s lied to my face. It’s a shame because the rest of the service staff at my local dealership are really helpful and friendly. Fortunately, I called VWFS last month to confirm some things about my plan and they mentioned National Tyres were also part of the tyre replacement scheme (but I was worried about how they handle tyre changes after reading some horror stories) but I wasn’t settling for Contis and after a quick call, the great staff there sorted me out with a full set of PS4S in 3 hours. After being handed the car, gave the wheels a quick visual and touch check on the spokes and edge and there wasn’t any damage or marks on them so I’m well pleased it worked out in the end. Wouldn’t recommend the VWFS tyre plan though, they’ll do anything to get out of replacing your tyres, including setting a 2mm limit on replacements when all the dealerships and tyre fitters have signs stating the optimal and safe limit to change tyres is 3mm. Hoping to get a Hunter alignment sorted out in the next week too.

After 3 years and just over 20k miles, the factory fitted Pirelli P Zeros were finally reported as worn down enough for me to get a new set from VW under my service and tyre maintenance package which is nearing expiry. Annual service at my local dealership last month recorded 3mm on all bar the rear right which recorded closer to 4mm and the dealership were willing to replace them all under my tyre plan but only for another set of P Zeros or Conti’s as that’s all they stock. I asked about Michelin’s but no dice so after ringing VWFS to see if I can go elsewhere, turned out I could go to the nearest ATS centre, who stock PS4S’s. Great stuff! I called up ATS told them I had a tyre plan and wanted PS4S. Stock issue meant I had to wait until this week for them to be available but after waiting an hour today to get the car on the ramp, I get told my tyres don’t have 3mm but in fact 4mm all round and 5mm on the rear right and apparently VWFS actually only approve replacements at 2mm!! I don’t know how my tyres have somehow gained a 1mm of tread and I’m shocked VWFS would allow for tyres to go as low as 2mm before approving a replacement when almost every manufacturer recommends 3mm as the earliest and safest point of replacing tyres. Tried calling VWFS straight after ATS refused to replace any tyres but their customer service team were closed today so now I’ve got to wait until Monday to get further clarification 😤

Gave my R a routine wash and top-up with AF Aqua Coat today before trying out my Bruhl dryer for the first time. God that machine is powerful, the twin turbine mode is like a gale force wind! Water was just disappearing off the car and evaporating off the panels. The pipe was the perfect length for the R, being long enough to cover each side of the car when placing the placing in line with the B-pillar on both sides. Spent a lot longer than usual drying the car this time so I might opt for a towel dry first just to soak up the majority of the water and then finish off with the dryer next time. Though I loved the easily dried wheels and not having any streaks running down the wing mirror when I locked the car. When I went for a drive a short while later, no more annoying water streaks running along the front doors!

Just checked my VW account and I can see the services I’ve had but that’s it. Is it supposed to link to another page which gives more detail to each service?

I was driving opposite to one guy in a 05 plate black X5 last week that had no lights on and when I flashed to warn him, all the idiot did was flash me back as if I was in the wrong. What’s worse is the local council are reducing the areas and the times that the street lights are on so even the main roads are near pitch black nowadays so I don’t know how people can drive without headlights on. Why do people with auto headlights also turn them to off so it’s just the DRLs? Do they genuinely believe they’re saving fuel by switching them off?

I’m a Man United fan. It’s been a tough 7 seasons so far, with the worst being last season when Liverpool won the title. Woodward’s slow negotiating skills are ruining United at the moment. I remember the days United would announce out of the blue that they’d signed players, now it’s literally a saga stretched out all transfer window(s) long.

Been on the lookout for a dryer for ages and decided to bite on a Bruhl MD2800. Certainly not the cheapest detailing item out there but an eBay discount code brought it down to £180. Hopefully that’s an end to the tiny drops of water that seem to hide in the gaps around the wing mirrors and then spray all over the bodywork when I go for a drive a few hours later 🤦‍♂️

Is this what you’re after? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301955171742 Apologies in advance for the eBay link

Thanks for the replies everyone 🙂 Just checked my CYC account and I have a decent amount of points saved from a purchase I made almost 7 years ago so might use them up

Hey Everyone, I’ve been looking into QR triggers for my Karcher K4 and wondering if anyone has any they’ve used and recommend?

Gave my R a wash today in prep for its first MOT next week. However I was playing cat and mouse with the weather gods as every time I set up the pressure washer, the rain came out, despite the Apple and BBC weather apps both suggesting 0% chance of rain. Then as I packed the pressure washer away, it stopped raining 😤 Finally managed to get it washed after watching an eventful F1 race! However, despite the frustration of wasting time setting up the Karcher multiple times, I have discovered a new favourite in my detailing arsenal, Bilt Hamber Atom-Mac. Sprayed the discs before I started washing the wheels and again after I’d washed them. After 2 hours, there’s barely any surface rust on the discs barring the odd spot of water. Also, tried Soft99 bazooka spray today on the glass and bodywork. Don’t know what’s in it but it made towel drying the car a breeze. The can feels like I’ve used around 1/3rd of it today so I hope it’s got good durability, otherwise it’s quite expensive for regular use.

This... working from home offers people the chance to do things they often have to take a 1/2 day for or wait until the weekend. Even things like going for a run, I much prefer going at lunchtime and knowing I don't have to queue for a shower cubicle in the office mezz means I can fit my run perfectly into my lunchtime. My local surgery has reduced emergency and blood tests hours to just the morning hours so if I had to go prior to lockdown, as I did around this time last year, I was taking a 1/2 day every week once you added up the waiting time and the commute back to the office. Whereas now I’ve saved on the commuting time and can make up for any lost time both earlier and later in the day (or even take it as part of my lunch) Since lockdown a group of us from our team set up a social committee to keep everyone entertained, especially the ones living by themselves, so we’re constantly hosting quizzes, doing weird photo shoots and a colleague even wrote a python script to emulate horse racing with turtles 😂 We probably wouldn’t have done this if we were still in the office so that’s the one upside to lockdown and something we’ll continue even after we return to the office, though highly unlikely we’ll all return to the office together.