Tim P.

Thanks @Msportman, I will investigate further…

If anyone is struggling with a sticky fuel flap… there was supposedly a VW tech bulletin on it, that involved shaving the catch… here is the end result from the garage…. not pretty but it no longer sticks!

Quick Lift - Automatic / Pop Boot (Trunk) Opener Lots of people seem to go for the Emerald Struts ones - but I found mixed reviews. So having read this thread, I switched to the Quick Lift ones from Poland off eBay (link and their store is here). Note there are 2 types from Poland on eBay, the other company doesn't list the Golf R (due to the extra weight of the spoiler I found out)... saying that, I did buy theirs first for my MK6 TSI, and they are good too! The struts fit easily enough - 15 mins should be long enough once you have found all the relevant tools - a 13mm & 16mm spanner, a small flat head screwdriver, some kitchen towel (to clean the old ball joints), something to hold the boot lid open with (I had one of those long piston things for holding up plasterboard - but an appropriate length of wood will do the job just as well), and I also used a little bit of extra lithium grease on the joints. N.B. You do have to replace the Ball sockets on the boot lid with stronger stainless steel ones that are included in the kit, and a key bit of information you need to know is you MUST remove both of the old struts before fitting the ones, as they are a tiny bit longer than the originals and won't fit otherwise. Looking at my uploaded video of the boot opening, the new struts look quite fierce - but they aren't in reality. I'm also told the springs (that fire the boot open) will lessen a little after the first ten days, as you do need to push quite firmly to close the boot. Let me explain a little more, to close the boot, for the initial 60% of the arc, you are pulling down against the pistons - not too much of an effort there, but then you hit the springs that are used to push the boot open when you unlock it... at that point you need to switch your hand to pushing down, either on the bottom half of the VW badge, or the top of the rear wiper arm clamp - all doable, it just needs a bit of practise! Ok I really think that's it for my mod list....

5Q0 129 849 From here

Just to share some experience…. Have read guidance of the various forums on how to permanently stop creaks from the suspension by using poly bushes - I can report that in my experience (using Powerflex ones) they creak even worse and it’s best to stick with the OEM bushes. I did go with OEM top mounts but scrimped on the fitting (not using a VAG specialist) and had to get one of those replaced too. Lesson learnt!

I went back to VW 4 times with a coolant leak that they couldn’t find despite ultraviolet dye etc and then suddenly it stopped, and no-one, including the master tech, could tell me why…. They found no evidence of the 2+ litres that magically disappeared in the first a 6 months of ownership. The vw service manager likened it to an air bubble that finally worked its way out of the system (the car has just turned 5 years old!) - go figure!

OPF was introduced about September 18, I believe…

I will echo all the advice already given in this thread - start with a pedal box and move on to a stage one. It doesn’t affect insurance for a start! But it is also the biggest bang for your buck you can do by far. Plus it isn’t money wasted as you can keep the pedal box on a future remap - just go for a VW expert when you are ready to move on. I just went with Racingline for a TCU & ECU remap (see pg 2 &3 here), with no regrets.

Last post to get me to 25 so I can go edit typos! Do’s and don’ts after an OEM+ remap… Remember to keep on top of your maintenance plans? Haldex, Gearbox, Engine oil etc; Tell the VW main dealer not to update the car’s software as part of any future maintenance schedule; Don’t ever do a gearbox adaptation post a TCU remap; You can use a Pedbalbox! Use the highest quality fuel you can afford! ***************************** List of what else gets changed as part the remap – Speed Limit Removal - Raised Rev Limit - Left Foot Braking enabled - Performance Gauges rescaled: boost pressure, torque, power (in KW) - Start/stop inversion (default to 'off' on startup) - Free Upgrades to other stages - Pedal / throttle map changed to be linear - Oil Temp based Power Reduction Cold & Hot They also sell a PDM module that plugs in to the ODBC port and allows remapping at home (95 / 98 RON ECU & TCU maps, return to stock / stage 2 & 3 remaps etc) and an anti theft mode. Random thought to share with anyone struggling with how quickly start stop restarts the car - simply wiggle the steering wheel a tiny bit and the engine kicks in, e.g. as soon as you see the lights begin to change…

Panel filter difference Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Turbo elbow difference (034 vs Stock)

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Pics

Like many of here, my journey with my Golf R is ongoing! From the more practical and cosmetic tweaks to the car, I switched my attention to the air intake side of things, going for the 034 ‘Induction kit’, consisting of turbo elbow, silicone inlet hose and high performance panel filter. Why that one? 2 reasons, cost and this report. Did it make a huge difference? No not really, may be a slight improvement on initial pick up? But it was never intended to help with a stock car, but a Stage 1’ed one - that’s where it makes a difference imo. I continued by going down the Golf GTE Swiss cheese route with the standard inbox, due to concerns over rain and snow getting in, and noise levels. I can always cut out more of the intake in the future anyway! And having scientifically stuck some wadded kitchen towel where the R600 pikey route cuts out, and driving around in heavy rain, I found nothing seemed to get in due to the over-hang of the bonnet. Even cutting out the whole section in the front of the airbox still doesn’t mean the air goes straight on to the filter (unlike a true R600), but it goes down and then up - before hitting the snow-grate, with any moisture dropping out the drain hole at the bottom of the box too. Add in that a) my new filter is made of cotton (not paper as per OEM), b) the design is good enough for all the other aftermarket air intakes out there, such as the R600 and Mountune’s X3 system, and c) it keeps the extra noise levels low as it is still a closed box system etc I think a full cut out is safe!and, I’ll get round to cutting it all out one day, even if just to smooth out the intake air flow a little more. Nb I didn’t go for the snow-grate removal route due to this post, suggesting it may actually help distribute the air over the whole panel filter rather than focussing on one spot (plus we are in winter and it definitely traps larger objects from getting through to the filter!). It is very easy to pop out for the summer though! Next I took the plunge to upgrade from just a PedalBox (by far the best upgrade on the car IMO period) to stage 1 (ECU (Engine) & TCU (Gearbox)). I chose Racingline OEM+ for a number of reasons - firstly their heritage and reputation (they used to be owned by VW and still do their motorsport programme) and are a Tier 1 VW partner with unparalleled access to VW resources. Secondly, just look at their website - they do everything, hardware and software - for current day backwards! Thirdly, their OEM+ matched what I was looking for - nothing extreme to stress the car, but a sensible map, made by experts closely associated with the manufacturer. Fourthly, their customer service, I had some initial problems with the installation of remap but I was invited to their head office for the day to get them all sorted out. Nb I should say I was very taken by the functionality of the Mountune remap, but they seem to have given up with their foray in to the world of VW, as there is nothing for the 8 onwards, which tempered my enthusiasm - plus there’s mixed reviews out there! So what’s it like, well the first thing to put people’s minds at rest is it doesn’t make the car in to a feral beast! If you drive it gently, you won’t notice the difference bar silky smooth gear changes, flying up the gear box - all very refined and gentle. Gears are held a little longer, rather than the VW rush to get to 7th, might makes the car feel more controlled and less lazy. Where the OEM+ really makes a difference is with spirited driving, the car simply hurls you forward, whilst all around seem to be standing still. I’m sure I’ll get used to it one day, but I’ve gone from being mildly impressed with what the German engineers have produced, when you slam your foot down, to a ‘Wow, let’s just focus on pointing this thing’. The speed warning ping comes on far too soon and seems to be playing a tune, it comes on that frequently! Some power stats for you, with the intake tweaks only, the car was giving 315 PS and 424 Nm torque on 95 RON e10 fuel (VW quote 300 and 380 as stock); and with Racingline’s OEM+ (on a 85 RON map), the car dyno’ed at 351 PS and 502 Nm torque… but as you all know, it’s not all about peak power, but power through the rev range and all round driveability. The map resulted in a nice smooth power & torque curve all above stock, starting earlier and ending a bit later [emoji736]. I should note the OEM+ also helps with the dreaded dead first inch on the accelerator pedal! For those yet to invest in a ‘R’, due to its power you spend a lot of time coasting with your foot barely on the throttle, so when you do need to ease the speed up a notch, it’s frustrating to have to move the pedal an inch+ for anything to happen, hence the PedalBox! However, as part of the remap, Racingline have made the accelerator pedal map linear to the throttle ie pedal at 10%, throttle at 10% etc which largely removes this problem. The great news they are also happy for you to still use the PedalBox on their remap - I’ve turned mine down to Efficiency (the new City mode) - 0, and might even back it off a little more! We spoke about mirroring one of the pedalbox’s modes in to the OEM+ remap, but it would never please everyone. For a couple of hundred quid, just buy a PedalBox and you can tweak your throttle response to your driving mood in real time - plus you get the anti-theft and learner driver functionality thrown in! Next was a coat of Lanoguard underneath for long term rust protection and fitting an ‘Alltrack’ full engine undertray - that plastic sump hanging down underneath the car just plays on my mind with all the speed bumps on the roads nowadays! Lots of videos online (and here) on how to do the latter - jacking the car is always a bit nerve racking, and the bracket bolts are just fiddly! My top tips are a) to buy from E-ACCA.com and save 50% and b) to have two sockets with universal joints attached and leave them connected to the 2 new bracket bolts, from the start to the very end! Nb The oil temperature has yet to go over 98 degrees with the full shield either, but it is winter I guess! The only other tweaks I’ve been doing is in trying to track down the common suspension creaks and groans, with putting in some Powerflex poly bushes on the front wishbones (front and rear (LCA) bushes), rear trailing arms too and also changing the top mounts (with genuine VW parts)… Now I think I’m done making it in to the car I think VW should have produced, but if they had, what would I have been up to for the last 10 months???

Exactly - using one of those piggy back fuse things off a switched 12v fuse… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good to hear - hopefully you’ll get the link for the voucher too! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exciting! I hope all goes well with the pick-up! Nb I’m a big fan of the ESR products for iPhones, esp their Halo MagSafe ring - so I do have one of their circular vent phone holders (by the drivers door) for the times you are doing a short journey and don’t want the effort of tucking the phone away in the central cubby. B/w the two options, all the bases are covered! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have two wireless CarPlay units - in the ‘R’ I have one from https://cplay2air.com/en-gb - on the recommendation from one of the forums, but I find it buggy and regularly locks up. Also note CarPlay seems to become the default for the car and over-rides the fact you were listening to the radio last time out! In my son’s Golf we went for https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C65BC58M?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share which is half the price (esp if they send you a £35 voucher after a 5 star review) and is much more reliable I find. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the guide! Picked mine up from AliExpress for $11.13 delivered to the UK! “VW Golf 2.0 High Power Engine Cover 06K103925AA 06K 103 925 AA” - VK auto-parts store https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004708256207.html

Clearly you guys have more approachable VW main dealers - I have an extended 2 year VW approved warranty with my 2019 R - when I discussed installing a full undertray they said “It could affect the warranty if is causes an issue. We would not fit that part ourselves”… my other local main dealer said it could cause over heating issues and that they only ever fit the originally spec’ed parts… I also have a 2 year service plan so I wonder if they’ll be funny about changing the oil if I ignore them and install the full tray anyways! 🤔!

And an easily removable dog guard - https://www.driveden.com/product/ergotech-mesh-dog-guard-to-fit-volkswagen-golf-hatchback-mk7-2013-2020-846 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly! US $48.39 | Custom Full Coverage Car Trunk Mat for Volkswagen VW Golf 8 2020-2022 Golf 7 2014-2020 Accessories Interior Details https://a.aliexpress.com/_ExbaWAX Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk