My MKVI made a couple of sounds after start up (sort of a pumping sound). The MKVII is an order of magnitude weirder. I hear more and different sounds, at least one of which sounds like a fan.

Coming from a five cylinder, the turbo 4 sounds slightly rough. The experience overall is disconnected with the computer ore a copilot than a servant. It is a better car than the MKVI by objective measures, but seems difficult to warm up to.

 

Unfortunately we only have one VW dealer in our area and it's about 50 miles away. Others are further. We're not liking the one that's within an hour of us though. It's an Autonation dealer and not so great at customer service.

 

I can see where you're coming from. Our's is fairly appliance like. A fun appliance, but it lacks much character/soul.

 

hummm... i mean my VW's aren't like a MINI or Abarth per se, but again it definitely has soul and a unique driving experience vs an appliance like a corolla or sentra or focus or even a Fit.

 

"Appliance" may sound a bit harsh, but it's a compliment in some ways. The Golf mostly does what is asked of it. It's fairly quick, handles fairly well, is fairly quiet, is fairly comfortable, and is fairly (in the eyes of the beholder) good looking.

Our GD Fit, on the other hand, is not quick, nor quiet, nor comfortable. It's won our hearts, but it definitely doesn't check many boxes.

I bet a GTI with manual checks all of the boxes the Golf does (with a bold check mark) and adds character to make it more endearing.

 

yah, i always wonder wat im missing out on while driving my DSG GTI, that's for sure.

but for dd and the commute, ive really learned to like the DSG.

 

I loved the cars I've had with stick shifts. Although the 2 stroke 67 SAAB with a 4 speed on the tree was a very different experience.

My DSG is a perfect stick shift replacement in my GTI. Ken you may try adding some paddle shifter extensions. I found the ones that VW put on my GTI were on the small side. One of the first thing I did to my GTI was add these & I really like them. They come in several different styles. I chose red, because it adds HP.

 

ash i do have aluminum extensions on the paddles and they did improve the driving fun-factor significantly. :D

honestly as of today, the wheel spin bugs me more than my GTI being DSG. with MT it'll just spin even more so awd is required for me.

 

I like the Conti DSW tires, they are what I have. My GTI seems to be quite willing to spin tires from a stop. I bet a set of real winter tires wouldn't spin as much in the cold wet snowy conditions. If I had to drive to work every morning at 5:30 am like I used to I'd have snows. Since I've retired I can wait unto the roads get cleared. Or take my wife's MINI that has Blizzaks on it.

 

yah, i run DWS06's on all my cars right now less the GK. they are great tires for cold weather. snows are a great idea too in the snow but the pavement is dry. :D my summers are S04's and they too spin on a warm dry day. PSS might help but i rather just go for the DSG MK7.5 Golf-R with the 7sp gearbox.

 

We've never owned a performance car. Our two VWs ('10 Sportwagen TDI 6M sold and the replacement '17 Golf 5M) are as close as its gotten for us and both have been great fun to drive. I've been driving the Golf this week and dang, that l'il 1.8T instantly leaps to accelerate at any speed, never ever feels breathless and is solid and planted all the while. There's indeed something about VW DNA that we really like. And yeah, our Rolf the Golf is an awesome looking car. :-)

 

rolf the golf huh? i sound like a pirate when i talk about my Golf Arrrrrrrr~!

;)

 

and funny how i talk bout the GTI and R and a couple of people down the conversation chain, i suddenly drive a GT-R and people are wow'ed.

im like sorry guys, im not putting all my eggs in one basket for a faking nissan.

 

They call it Godzilla, right? Our local Nissan Dealer had two new GT-Rs on the floor a few years ago and I stopped by just to sit in them and look 'em over. I must have looked like a vagrant because no salesguy ever asked if he could help. <g>

 

I have noticed on the automotive forums that some owners of high performance cars lead a life of continual dissatisfaction with whatever they own. Then there're the guys who seek a higher level of recognition by breaking expensive components. I guess a lot of hobbies are similar -- there're always guys seeking the next level. Guys like Craig Breedlove that piloted this when I was a kid ...... <g>

 

Just got back from the VW dealer and I can now say what the 10,000 mile service costs once you make them remove everything from their recommended list until it's just down to oil change and tire rotation.

$102 after 10% off coupon for oil change and tire rotation.

Roughly double what Lincoln charges me for the same service and the car was not washed or vacuumed. Overall not a good deal. It was going to be $200ish until I asked what it included. They had rust prevention, fuel treatment, sphincter waxing, etc on the recommended list.

Service adviser and the waiting room were nice though.

Edited to add - didn't mean this to sound negative. I knew walking in that German brands cost more to maintain that domestic or asian. I've had a VW before so I was expecting this and knew enough to make sure and have them remove ridiculous add on's. What's funny is that Ford and Honda even recommend against using fuel additives.

 

Most folks walk in & say do the service without giving a thought to all the dealers add on's that bump the cost way up. GAFIT being a smart shopper saved you plenty. It really bugs me that if one doesn't ask the right questions you are trapped into their special service costs.

My dealer is pretty good, but does have its gotcha's too. I asked about the timing chain tensioner & if it should be checked due to it being a known issue on the MK6 engines. The SA says oh yes it should be checked & they'd be glad to check it for me at a cost of $200. I said why would I pay since my car is under warranty? If it blows up under warranty it costs VW a new engine not me. Saves them money to check, but they want me to spend money to save them money. Well long story short that isn't happening.

 

VW may recommend against that as well. Lots of what car dealers offer is specifically discouraged by manufacturers. I spoke with a Suzuki rep in California, who asked me if dealers out east really spray junk under cars as rust proofing. He noted that this would void a Suzuki rust warranty.

Does the Lincoln oil change use VW compliant fully synthetic oil?

 

Full synthetic Ford spec oil. At Walmart the two are the same price. At a VW dealer, the oil is way more money.

The big difference is just in the itemized ala cart style billing that VW/Audi/BMW etc dealers do. I did have a coupon for a $69.95 oil change, but that was for only 5 quarts of oil (funny since all modern VW's take 6 I think) and it did not include tire rotation. After adding a quart of dealer priced oil and the rotation, the 10% coupon was less money.

At Honda or Ford you get flat rates for basic services.

I was kind of expecting to get the car back clean though. Not a big deal. Just kind of a surprise.

 

VW does have a service review process. I haven't been offered any of the additives derived from the oil of snakes, but I think the local service department is sensitive to poor feedback to VWOA.

I bought some VW compliant oil at Walmart a few years ago. If memory serves only Castrol and Mobil offer it in the states and it was something like $25 or $30 for the five quart container.

That's a long way from changing the oil on my first rabbit with a $3 filter and four quarts of oil at 79 cents per quart.

If it's any consolation, it's still cheaper than Porsche service. Harvey Weinstein has nothing on Porsche.