When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
... Alco- you mentioned your Golf is MT. did you mod your gas pedal at all? i made a spacer for my R and installed a Sparco pedal over it to better match the brake pedal height for street driving heel and toe. i might end up swapping the other 2 pedals later on.
I've been driving manual transmissions exclusively for nearly 40 Years and I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't understand the reason for heel and toe, nor how to do it. You use one foot for gas and brake? I guess it results in faster lap times? There's probably a YouTube video that might explain it all to me.
I can see why equal pedal height would matter greatly!
Thanks! These are great looking cars from any angle, including the rear. I can't understand why hatchbacks are disdained in North America. Great fun and practical too. What's not to like?
Drivers seat cover installed yesterday and the wife approved tonight and gave me the go ahead to put on the passenger seat as well.
Picked them up at Costco for cheap, but they actually fit OK'ish. They are neoprene which I like. If ours were more of a long term keeper, I would consider a Katzkin leather kit. Not a fan of the vinyl. VW calls it V-tex Leatherette, but in reality it's vinyl and not so great.
on the obd11 i bought the BT dongle thingie and i thought it just came with the the pro app activation code. i also bought like 500 points as i didnt feel like accumulating points through ads. lol i didnt have an android device so bought a cheapo galaxy and use it in the garage for not only obd11, but as DIY vids, service manual, etc.
I've been driving manual transmissions exclusively for nearly 40 Years and I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't understand the reason for heel and toe, nor how to do it. You use one foot for gas and brake? I guess it results in faster lap times? There's probably a YouTube video that might explain it all to me.
I can see why equal pedal height would matter greatly!
yah, it's not hard to do, just need to practice some and familiarize your right foot. for street heel and toe, its more like i brake with the ball of my right foot and use the side of my right foot to blip the throttle.
when im driving spiritedly do i actually turn my right foot and use my actual heel to blip the throttle while braking. but on the Golf's gas pedal it is kinda hard to reach regardless... other cars are easy.
it's a great way to setup the car for those fast corners to get the car in a lower gear while braking!
Originally Posted by Alco RS-1
Thanks! These are great looking cars from any angle, including the rear. I can't understand why hatchbacks are disdained in North America. Great fun and practical too. What's not to like?
nice picture! yah, i luv the simple lines of these Golfs for sure. most cars out there today have too many wavy, busy lines. i like simple clean lines.
Drivers seat cover installed yesterday and the wife approved tonight and gave me the go ahead to put on the passenger seat as well.
Picked them up at Costco for cheap, but they actually fit OK'ish. They are neoprene which I like. If ours were more of a long term keeper, I would consider a Katzkin leather kit. Not a fan of the vinyl. VW calls it V-tex Leatherette, but in reality it's vinyl and not so great.
nice! im sure you'll be posting picts when done? :)
... i luv the simple lines of these Golfs for sure. most cars out there today have too many wavy, busy lines. i like simple clean lines.
You said it! The same design school elements are appearing everywhere these days, with large black textured nostrils in front corners, giant widemouth bass grilles. oddly indented sides and extended 3D retrorocket taillights.
Honest design like the Golf's distances itself from this nonsense and will stay relevant for many years to come. I just love its hunkered down, road-hungry look.
In my family and even extended family 3 auto manufacturers have routinely dominated, with nearly the single exception of a 1967 Mustang.
Those are Toyota, Honda and VW.
About 7-8 years ago, I was comparing vehicles. I really liked the Golf Sportswagen, which I thought had the best fit and finish, and interior of any of the choices I was considering at the time.
My problem?
VW dealers.
I went to the local auto show, and the dealers were so unenthusiastic about selling me one.
Even though one was on display, I was basically told hardly any existed to be sold in my area. BUT...if I wanted to the salesman recommended I go home an launch my own personal internet search for one in surrounding states.
I really got the feeling VW didn't want to sell me the vehicle. And more like the supply was so rare, that it was more just a mirage of a real available product.
So I ended up in 2010, buying a Honda Fit, of which I could pull into nearly ANY Honda Dealership and choose from 10 or more sitting on the lot.
Not to mention maybe unfortunately I got the typical dealership...surrounded by sharks...we WANT to sell you this vehicle treatment.
Despite recent scandals....and despite my experience 7-8 years ago, I still like VW products.
But my problem is with the detached, almost arrogant way they seem to be sold. A little more humility, and a little more "blue collar" we want to sell you our product, and I'd probably own a Golf in some form today.
This is of course my own personal experience. And maybe it was just a fluke. But it at least temporarily...lasting to today...2016 Honda Fit, has soured me on VW products. Scandal/Limited Product Availability/Seeming disinterest in whether I purchase one or not/...all translated into...guess I'm buying a Honda.
You said it! The same design school elements are appearing everywhere these days, with large black textured nostrils in front corners, giant widemouth bass grilles. oddly indented sides and extended 3D retrorocket taillights.
Honest design like the Golf's distances itself from this nonsense and will stay relevant for many years to come. I just love its hunkered down, road-hungry look.
right on! i agree 100%
fitchet- too bad your local dealers suck. my GTI dealer was fine, but tried another dealer 40 miles away when i got the R. they were family owned and very enthusiastic about their business. i'm going back there next time to get that new Tiguan-R as my next dd
fitchet, I get that same basic feeling when I go to a BMW dealer.
I think the scandal did a lot to bring humility to VW dealers. The attitude when we had our 1999 Jetta tdi was closer to how you describe. However, they not only want your business now, but will work pretty hard for it. I have, to date, received 5 phone calls and 3 emails all asking if my shopping experience was pleasurable. They seem to live and die by the corporate surveys now.
Agreed on VW Dealers. Dealer 1 demanded MSRP and salesguy at Dealer 2 said that a Golf Wolfsburg could not be ordered. After letting some time go by, I asked Dealer 2's Sales Manager about the inability to order and he said he'd order one for us at a fair price, no problem and that's what we did. The salesguy who wouldn't order a Golf was lazy.
Blessedly, we've had very good service from our VW Dealers.
Yeah, our local Honda Dealer is a high-pressure boilershop and I can't stand the environment there. When I stop by to buy parts, the sales staff assaults me as I pass through the showroom. They also have a huge gong that they sound each time a car is sold. Oh brother. I'm glad that we bought our Fit used from a small used-car Dealer.
I have to laugh at the gong thing. Goodness gracious, that would get annoying.
Our Honda dealer is not too far off though. It's hard to open your car door in their lot when you park without hitting a salesman.
We got about $3650 off sticker on our Golf. Price was $19,700 before tax, tag, dealer fees. Tax hurt since we didn't have a trade. Total OTD was $21,900. There was still some haggle room, but honestly it was late and a school night. My 6 yo and I wanted to go home. I think we could have been OTD for $21,500 with more time.
Regardless, it's a good value IMO at it's price point. It drives better than pretty much any Honda. You have to get into an Acura to get it's level of refinement and even then I don't know if it would be as quiet. My father in-laws TSX is not as quiet or as solid feeling.
Speaking of which, he's going to be here in a few hours and he's looking forward to giving it a test drive. He's been retired now for about 6 years and doesn't get to test drive all of the competition like he used to be able to do at Honda's R&D center. I'll report back what he has to say. He's a sharp critic and a car guy.
Sooooo...wife came home and was pretty upset. A truck going the other direction kicked up a rock and put 3 sizeable chips on the hood and a chip in the windshield of the Golf today. One chip is down to bare metal.
New cars are magnets for trouble. Will have to find someone that does paint repair.
I think this is my payback for taking Monday off of work and spending the entire day buffing/polishing the thing.
Our new Golf Wolfsburg was bombed last week by a rock falling from a dump truck and it too put several large chips in the window. None hit paint. The chips are not within direct field of view and none has produced a crack, so we'll leave 'em be. AGGRAVATING!
sorry to hear, clearbra is a great investment and never too late to install.
my GTI got a crack in the windshield earlier this summer after getting hit by a rock on the expressway..had the glass replaced but the repair place did not have OEM glass, turned out crappy.. they re-did the glass using oem. took 2 tries to fix but now it looks perfect again.
not to forget my R got a dent on the roof.. i fixed it with PDR (im a trained tech)
08-17-2017, 09:23 PM
