Who owns a Golf GTD / GTI / R?

mjt · 30 Jun 2018 at 23:01

Teeny wheels those 17s. I have Genevas that I keep wanting to upgrade to 18s, but my sensible side keeps saying no as it's just a commuting hack.

Notice that you've got lots of brake dust on the fronts well @dessimpson . I wonder what VW make those pads out of :confused:

dessimpson · 30 Jun 2018 at 23:20

Wind noise isn't too bad tbh. Well, once I'd ditched the little clips that come with them.
Yes. 17" wheels. It's the blueline version of the GTD so the suspension is like jelly and you get the small wheels. It's proper comfortable on the back roads but a bit wobbly on the bends.
I also toyed with the idea of changing the wheels but I'll do at least 25k a year in it so I'd rather save the money when getting new tyres.
There does seem to be a lot of brake dust but I'm honestly gobsmacked at how good the brakes actually are. I use the adaptive cruise all the time so that may explain the dust. When I change the pads I'll be going for the standard VW parts as I really have no complaints with them at all.

edit: I'd done about 1000 miles since the car was washed so the brake dust is probably to be expected.

mjt · 30 Jun 2018 at 23:36

No complaints about the brakes on my 1.4 either. I sometimes wonder whether the ACC will actually stop in time, as it seems a bit dim-witted if you're coming up behind stopped traffic at around 50! Perhaps they've fixed it in the 7.5?
Either way, the Golf with DSG and ACC is a bloody brilliant car, even with my weeny 150bhp hair dryer

silvagti · 1 Jul 2018 at 00:40

I have a 2014 Mk7 Golf R. No real complaints and it's by far the best car I've ever owned. Even 4 years later there isn't another car I'd rather have without spending way more cash than world be sensible!

I'd definitely recommend it. The GTi I test drove was also fantastic. In fact for the money it might even be better than the R.

Only issue I have with mine is a rattle from the dash which kicks in at about 2000rpm. I think it's that noise generator soundaktor thing which pumps engine noise into the cabin. Its more noticeable when the weather is cold so I haven't noticed it recently though.

Had anyone else had that issue and managed to fix it?

SDK^ · 1 Jul 2018 at 07:15

dessimpson said:
Fitted some Heko wind deflectors.
Hopefully stop the rain coming in.

That's what windows are for

mjt · 1 Jul 2018 at 11:46

Is clunking front suspension a thing on the Golf 7? Mine is 30 months old and has done around 37k.
The bugger creaks and clunks over speedbumps. I didn't go for a particularly thorough test drive, so didn't notice it when I bought it.

Finglonga · 1 Jul 2018 at 11:51

dessimpson said:
Wind noise isn't too bad tbh. Well, once I'd ditched the little clips that come with them.

Thanks, sorry one more question do the mirrors foul it when they are folded in? Quite liked having the window open in heavy rain on the motorway.

Doohickey · 1 Jul 2018 at 13:28

mjt said:
Is clunking front suspension a thing on the Golf 7? Mine is 30 months old and has done around 37k.
The bugger creaks and clunks over speedbumps. I didn't go for a particularly thorough test drive, so didn't notice it when I bought it.

Surely too new to have worn bushes etc already. Have you given it a good wobble and bounce on each side when stationary to isolate the source of the clunking?

Finglonga said:
Thanks, sorry one more question do the mirrors foul it when they are folded in? Quite liked having the window open in heavy rain on the motorway.

Ditto. I see loads of cars around with Heko deflectors, but have read a lot of cases of the folding mirrors clipping the edges. Is this just a known issue, or a problem with people not fitting them properly? Apparently the Climair ones don't clip the mirrors, but they are significantly more expensive. Wind deflectors are marmite, for some reason I quite like the look of them :/

dessimpson · 1 Jul 2018 at 16:03

The mirrors do touch them a little when they fold in.

Nicksy · 1 Jul 2018 at 16:14

silvagti said:
I have a 2014 Mk7 Golf R. No real complaints and it's by far the best car I've ever owned. Even 4 years later there isn't another car I'd rather have without spending way more cash than world be sensible!

I'd definitely recommend it. The GTi I test drove was also fantastic. In fact for the money it might even be better than the R.

Only issue I have with mine is a rattle from the dash which kicks in at about 2000rpm. I think it's that noise generator soundaktor thing which pumps engine noise into the cabin. Its more noticeable when the weather is cold so I haven't noticed it recently though.

Had anyone else had that issue and managed to fix it?

To check that it is the soundactor you can switch to eco mode when it's making the noise. If it goes away this will confirm it. In eco the soundactor is turned off. (Assuming the R has an eco mode, this is how you check in the GTI.).
Thread here shows modification to quieten it. I tried this and it didn't work. I will try again though and make sure I put more cushioning in.

If not you can get the obdeleven adapter and turn it off (or down).

silvagti · 1 Jul 2018 at 17:10

Nicksy said:
To check that it is the soundactor you can switch to eco mode when it's making the noise. If it goes away this will confirm it. In eco the soundactor is turned off. (Assuming the R has an eco mode, this is how you check in the GTI.).
Thread here shows modification to quieten it. I tried this and it didn't work. I will try again though and make sure I put more cushioning in.

If not you can get the obdeleven adapter and turn it off (or down).

Thanks. I'll give eco mode a try.

MissChief · 1 Jul 2018 at 20:37

Finglonga said:
Hows the wind noise with those deflectors? Had them on my e71 and the noise was horrendous.

I have Heko Drflectors on my Mk 3 Focus and I don't notice any increase in noise at all. Not the same car I know!

Lustral · 2 Jul 2018 at 09:29

mjt said:
Is clunking front suspension a thing on the Golf 7? Mine is 30 months old and has done around 37k.
The bugger creaks and clunks over speedbumps. I didn't go for a particularly thorough test drive, so didn't notice it when I bought it.

Known issue on some of the MK7 , there is a TSB for it as well . Mine does this too 15K miles 20 month old, it gets bit creaky over speed bumps and is more pronounced when the DCC is on Comfort mode.I have read it is to do with the bushes being a bit dry and some special grease is needed stop/reduce the creaking etc etc. Im gonna mention this when my car is due for a service in a couple of months time.

layte · 2 Jul 2018 at 13:10

mjt said:
Is clunking front suspension a thing on the Golf 7? Mine is 30 months old and has done around 37k.
The bugger creaks and clunks over speedbumps. I didn't go for a particularly thorough test drive, so didn't notice it when I bought it.

I had this on my 62 plate MK7 GT TDI (owned from 3 years old on 29k). My 7.5 R with non DCC dampers (not going to pay for something that I'll only rip out when the warranty expires) is free of it.

mjt · 2 Jul 2018 at 15:39

Interesting replies, thanks. @layte, did you ever get it looked at? (Or were you implying you didn't as it would cost money?)

FWIW, haven't got the fancy dampers.

layte · 3 Jul 2018 at 00:39

It only really clunked going over speedhumps at low speed. Not something bothered me enough to pay out any money.

Housey · 8 Jul 2018 at 18:56

I borrowed a friends new Golf R today for a quick blast up and down the roads of Mini land in Oxford. Now it was nothing more than a 5 minute around the block job, but it left me a little cold. It must be said I didn't fiddle with settings, I got in and drove it as was but the steering was very light and lacking feel, the engine had very noticeable lag and the DSG box felt blunt. By no means a proper road test, but off the bat very bland, more so than I remember. Do these things grow on you?

MissChief · 8 Jul 2018 at 19:08

I see Mk 6 Golf R's are coming down towards £10k, what liabilities are there with one of these?

Yas786 · 8 Jul 2018 at 19:32

Housey said:
I borrowed a friends new Golf R today for a quick blast up and down the roads of Mini land in Oxford. Now it was nothing more than a 5 minute around the block job, but it left me a little cold. It must be said I didn't fiddle with settings, I got in and drove it as was but the steering was very light and lacking feel, the engine had very noticeable lag and the DSG box felt blunt. By no means a proper road test, but off the bat very bland, more so than I remember. Do these things grow on you?

Depends on what mode you were in, in race mode I didn’t feel any lag when I took one out for a test drive a few weeks back.

Looking at chopping my 2014 GTD in for it, just looking at figures and see if it’s worth doing. The model I’ve seen is £40k with a racing titanium exhaust system, 3 door model although I prefer a 5 door.

LiE · 8 Jul 2018 at 20:37

Housey said:
I borrowed a friends new Golf R today for a quick blast up and down the roads of Mini land in Oxford. Now it was nothing more than a 5 minute around the block job, but it left me a little cold. It must be said I didn't fiddle with settings, I got in and drove it as was but the steering was very light and lacking feel, the engine had very noticeable lag and the DSG box felt blunt. By no means a proper road test, but off the bat very bland, more so than I remember. Do these things grow on you?

I test drove a 2017 Golf R yesterday and felt the same. It's quick, but it wasnt as good as I was expecting.