8.5R Gremlins

[TheJetMan]

7 hours ago, Booth11 said:

The PP is exactly the same for Individual mode.  There isn’t ’Race’ in Individual.  The choices for Drive (gearbox) are:

Eco

Comfort

Sport 

Sport+

 

Assume @TheJetMan was referring to Sport+ which then becomes M+ in manual mode. 
 

The other behaviour you mention when putting the gearbox into R or going into D from M+ (it’s shows S+) is normal. 

 

That’s correct! Sport plus is the one. 

[Booth11]

9 hours ago, mahalo said:

Let's be honest here, VW's implementation of new digital electronics and software to control car functions is poor when compared to its peers. Even worse their response in terms of warranty and defect resolution is poor sometimes shockingly poor. Sure other manufacturers get digital electronic and software issues but in my experience they are not as frequent or persistent as VW, in addition defect resolution seems better and warranty support is better with their peers. 

I agree.  
 

But I also think the more complicated the tech, the worse the problem and lack of resolution.  We also have a VW Amarok (73 plate) and a Seat Ibiza (24 plate) had both from new. Both have digital interface etc but have much less in terms of some of the tech of the Golf. Not a single software issue with either. 

 

And yet we keep buying these cars with this knowledge. Suggests, for some of us, the positive aspects outweigh the negative. 

[TheJetMan]

40 minutes ago, Booth11 said:

I agree.  
 

But I also think the more complicated the tech, the worse the problem and lack of resolution.  We also have a VW Amarok (73 plate) and a Seat Ibiza (24 plate) had both from new. Both have digital interface etc but have much less in terms of some of the tech of the Golf. Not a single software issue with either. 

 

And yet we keep buying these cars with this knowledge. Suggests, for some of us, the positive aspects outweigh the negative. 

I can absolutely say, hand at heart, that if the R wasn’t as amazing to drive and look at as it is, I would have given it back by now for sure with all the problems I’ve had with it. But nothing comes close! 

[Msportman]

6 hours ago, Booth11 said:

I agree.  
 

But I also think the more complicated the tech, the worse the problem and lack of resolution.  We also have a VW Amarok (73 plate) and a Seat Ibiza (24 plate) had both from new. Both have digital interface etc but have much less in terms of some of the tech of the Golf. Not a single software issue with either. 

 

And yet we keep buying these cars with this knowledge. Suggests, for some of us, the positive aspects outweigh the negative. 

was the 7.5 peak Golf?

 

Never had one but the tech seemed pretty good judging lack of moans on that front.

 

 

[Booth11]

17 minutes ago, Msportman said:

was the 7.5 peak Golf?

 

Never had one but the tech seemed pretty good judging lack of moans on that front.

 

 

I never had a 7.5R either and I’m sure in some ways, it’s probably a sweet spot, but even with the stable tech, I’d take the 8.5R any day because of the improvements in the drive and the 4WD system over the mk7/7.5R.  

[AHG]

1 hour ago, Msportman said:

was the 7.5 peak Golf?

 

Never had one but the tech seemed pretty good judging lack of moans on that front.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Booth11 said:

I never had a 7.5R either and I’m sure in some ways, it’s probably a sweet spot, but even with the stable tech, I’d take the 8.5R any day because of the improvements in the drive and the 4WD system over the mk7/7.5R.  

 

I had a 8Y S3, which is an Audi-badge-wearing Golf 7.5 R on all accounts (other than aesthetics, in which I didn’t like the 7/7.5).

 

The mk8 R is so very different as a car, in so many ways.

Not only the way it manages power (which is dramatic, makes you feel like it’s not a Golf/S3) but also the way the VDM handles all aspects of the car (DCC, ABS, XDS, Magna, Steering, Throttle) really works very well together, and takes the car to new levels of driving experience.

 

The 8Y was very nice to drive, but the Golf being 6cm taller still stays flatter with the real-time DCC stuff, and feels much more planted, while also enabling me to kick the tale out (even with ESC ON) and use it like a RWD-biased car (which it is not), so it has many magic tricks that the 7/7.5 didn’t have.

 

It did preserve the best thing the 7.5 had, and that is the DQ381 box, which was telepathic in the S3 but only in S mode. In the mk8 it is great to use also in D, and acts a bit different depending on driving mode (which it didn’t do before. Again, VDM magic).

 

Last, but not least, I think it is one of the best balanced looking hatch (or hatch sized) car out there today. Audi and BMW went “east” in their designs, IMO, but the Golf stayed a modern classic, with those round edges (that I missed since the mk4) and a sporty-fun yet elegant-enough look.

 

I can go to a meeting with it and seem respectable, and them go to boy-racer car meet and everyone will take a picture of it … really amazing job

 

Speaking of which, Had a few false alarms today, couldn’t take a photo as it vanished immediately (I think they were Parking Distance, Front Braking, Maneuver Assist, IIRC).

I did give the car a thorough wash yesterday evening, and it was very cold tonight (always a precursor) so I’m not overly bothered. And if the time comes for a new steering wheel, I have set aside the £1k it may cost, so I’m prepared for it if it happens).

 

BTW, my GTI 8.5 owning friend said that the 8 GTI did not utilize the VDM and only the 8.5 got it, and he says the car feels totally different than his previously owned GTI 8.

Can anyone corroborate or disprove this ?

[Geeza]

3 hours ago, Msportman said:

was the 7.5 peak Golf?

 

Never had one but the tech seemed pretty good judging lack of moans on that front.

 

 

Basically it was, but time stands still for no man. so we have to embrace what VW is offering, which albeit some minor issues, it is still the thinking/driving persons choice…

[Scudgie]

So a very minor gremlin; has anyone else ever spotted the alarm led not flashing when the car is locked?

 

Checked with my old friend, Google, and have been unable find any definitive answer - seems to be a ghost in the machine for all golf models - which makes me think this might be a battery protection measure because I've noticed it twice and on both occasions my car had not been used for 3 days or more.

 

Nothing to indicate there's anything wrong with the battery, triple checked that the car was properly locked (including the app)  and car started perfectly on both occasions.

[mahalo]

I believe after a certain time the led stops flashing. Mine was left for nearly a month in airport carpark and no flashing on return. Car started perfectly.

 

The VW app has been updated recently, I still get the car unlocked but now with a graphic showing me what it thinks is unlocked. Last night it was passenger door, pressed app lock and it then said drivers door was unlocked- tried app lock again - no effect- went out to check car - car all locked and secure.🤣

Experienced the full Monty of drive assist bongs and lights on the way back from the airport - full house with three yellow lights in a row. Ignored them and they switched offf after 10 seconds or so.

[Scudgie]

The app is a wonderful piece of software if you ask me.

 

10 minutes ago I opened it and it said the car was unlocked. 10 minutes later it's locked 🤣

[Booth11]

26 minutes ago, Scudgie said:

The app is a wonderful piece of software if you ask me.

 

10 minutes ago I opened it and it said the car was unlocked. 10 minutes later it's locked 🤣

I’ve noticed that there can be a delay in the syncing of the app.  Sometimes when I launch the app it will, for a short time, display whatever the previous lock/unlock status was when the app was last launched, then it sync a and catches up with the current status.  

[Booth11]

58 minutes ago, Scudgie said:

So a very minor gremlin; has anyone else ever spotted the alarm led not flashing when the car is locked?

 

Checked with my old friend, Google, and have been unable find any definitive answer - seems to be a ghost in the machine for all golf models - which makes me think this might be a battery protection measure because I've noticed it twice and on both occasions my car had not been used for 3 days or more.

 

Nothing to indicate there's anything wrong with the battery, triple checked that the car was properly locked (including the app)  and car started perfectly on both occasions.

Like Chris, on my mk8 which was left for 3 weeks at one point whilst I was away, I’m fairly sure the alarm light wasn’t flashing when I returned to it. 

[R520]

21 minutes ago, Booth11 said:

I’ve noticed that there can be a delay in the syncing of the app.  Sometimes when I launch the app it will, for a short time, display whatever the previous lock/unlock status was when the app was last launched, then it sync a and catches up with the current status.  

When you open the app if you scroll a you can see what time the last sync was so you know if you're getting old information

[Booth11]

4 minutes ago, R520 said:

When you open the app if you scroll a you can see what time the last sync was so you know if you're getting old information

Thanks, yes I know it displays the last synced time so you can tell from that. But just saying if you don’t check that first (by pulling down on the screen), and just instead look straight at the lock/unlock status, you might be seeing the previous status.  Even with that, it’s still a glitchy app and always has been.  

[mahalo]

On my previous Mk8 R, the app had the occasional tendency to say the boot was open, nothing else. Everytime I checked the boot was locked. On the Mk8.5, the app consistently says the car is unlocked and now with the latest update I get to see where it imagines the car is unlocked. So far it does not think the boot has been unlocked, just the front passenger door, drivers door and front bonnet. On no occasion has it actually been unlocked. Very frustrating and yet another example of poor inadequately tested software from VW. I have similar app software for other cars, for example MyBMW app which just works as it should.