sure if ure certain its okay with the chemicals you are rubbing, sounds good to me. would kinda suck if the coating came off with it.. i mean its paint right? if its not in an area u can visibly see from regular viewing angle, id probably just leave it

 

After my cleaning attempts, I'm actually not sure what we ran over. It acts like hardened plaster, but is resistant to removal like paint. It's weird stuff.

I mentioned to my wife that we drove 1500 Miles without a hitch, then hit this mess on the Interstate ten miles from home. Seriously? We often avoid Interstates and enjoy secondary roads instead. We see more, can follow railroad tracks (I love trains) and easily stop when we want. Here's Rolf taking a rest deep in the mountains of east TN while we check out the railroad. Using some common sense, we had it off road several times. Nothing new for us. Our cars have likely done more off-roading than 90% of SUVs sold. :-)



2017 Golf Wolfsburg 5M Resting

 

Great pic! Love the railroad ties.

 

 

Thanks guys. Being new semi-empty nesters, it's been liberating to toss a few pieces of luggage in the Golf and just go somewhere.

Knocking on wood, our sunroof has been trouble-free in our 1-1/2 years of ownership, with no leaks and no rattles. We use it a lot. Most recently, it was subjected to numerous deluges on vacation and sat in several motel parking lots all night in steady rains. I hope our luck holds. I had quite a bit of anxiety about this when we bought the car and I must admit that I'll again have concerns if I ever shop for a GTI SE.

 

Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've had quite a few sunroofs. Hmm...let's see...
'80 Prelude
'90 Mustang 5.0
'90 240sx
'93 Taurus SHO
'93 Escort GT
'02 SE-R specV
'13 Lincoln
'17 Golf

Yeah, I think those are all of the cars I've had with sunroofs. Not a single leak yet. Just have to keep the channels clean and make sure the drains are working.

Some people mistakenly think that sunroofs are meant to seal and try to silicone them if they leak, but they aren't meant to keep water out, they are meant to let water in and drain through to the ground. The drains are the key.

 

 

Alco sorry you drove through some paint n stuff on the road. I see so much spilled paint with tire marks going through it on the roads these days. People drop stuff & just keep on going. I once saw a sofa sitting in the center lane of the interstate. Like you I prefer the back roads.

I hope that paint comes off, but it may require a whole barrel of elbow grease. Test a small section before going at it too vigorously.

I'm not a sunroof guy, in the past I've had problems with them. They are nice, but for me I'll take a pass.

Your little red wagon looks great Alco. I see I'm not the only one who drives on gravel & dirt to get closer to the trains. ;-)

 

Nice shot ashchuckton! You captured two of the coolest things around -- VWs and trains. :-D That's one tired looking C&O hack.

 

When we took Rolf the Golf on the Tail of The Dragon (US-129 on the NC/TN border) we noticed that a number of photographers were set up to snap and sell photos of gearhead motorists as they passed through. The photos are posted on various Internet sites and you can purchase what you like. Here's Rolf with Mrs. Alco at the wheel.


Rolf The Golf Assailing Tail of The Dragon

 

Nice shot of your sweetie driving her hot hatch Alco! Whenever I get down there I always buy a picture or two. Is that a Killboy shot?

Been a few years since we've been down there. Here's a Killboy shot. Lady Babs is co-driving.

 

That's a GREAT Mini shot ashchuckton, Such a cool car. Looks like y'all had fun too. Mrs. Alco sourced photo from several sites and said that Killboy offers a discount if a small Killboy watermark is left on the photo, I'm assuming in a lower corner. I don't see the logo, so she probably chose from 129photos.com or 129slayer.com. I waved to the photographer on several shots, but a wave kinda takes away from the dramatic setting.

 

Here's a photo of me at TOTD before Killboy started water marking their images...




Probably not as pretty as that Mini though!

 

Niiiice photo GAFIT. I don't know much at all about bikes, but that must be a performance muffler? At the scenic overlook we stopped and ended up talking to three young bikers who had ridden in from Decatur, IL! They were all great guys. One rode a small bike with smaller diameter tires that caught my eye; I'd never seen anything like it. It was easily capable of Interstate speeds and looked pretty comfortable for a young person.

There was also a local cop there who was in discussion with some other guys. I heard him say that "What most people don't realize is that if they crash out here, there's no EMT nearby and help will take a long time to arrive." One of the older riders added, "And you're 50 years old".

 

Nice bike GAFIT!. I sold my last bike in 1970, a Norton Atlas.

Lots of bikes on the TOTD. It's a great road when there is little or no traffic, but at peak times I go on another drive. There are so many wonderful roads in the surrounding area. It's been four yeas since I was last there, we used to go every year & spend 3 days down there.

I came up on a rolled over MINI early in the morning as we were leaving to go home YIKES! Lucky for them no injuries. It took the trooper about a 45 minutes to get there. Someone coming by stopped & said they'd drive until they could get a cell signal & call it in. The trooper had the same talk with these folks. They were so very lucky. We ended up driving them to the Knoxville airport so they could rent a car for the trip home. Turns out we knew this family, small world eh?

 

Ouch! At the risk of sounding stupid, how did they manage to do that? I'm guessing the dropped a wheel off the edge?

Agree about the "other" roads. I rarely go to TOTD because of traffic and law enforcement. 129 actually passes through the town I live in and we have some amazing roads right at our backdoor. When we go to TOTD it's mostly just for a few pics and to say we've been back to visit. With Richard B Russell Scenic Hwy and Blood Mountain a few minutes away, I'm a bit spoiled.

It also makes us a bit demanding on cars. It's amazing how many cars factory brake systems can't handle the heat of long downhill sections where you have to brake for slower traffic.

As for the Golf, it does about average compared to multiple things we've owned. The brakes work fine until they get overheated and they can get overheated. It will be getting a change to my go to fluid, ATE Type 200, and new rotors and pads soon. The factory stuff is pretty much done now.

 

There are no stupid questions.

Brain fade! Talking with this guy on the drive to Knoxville it appears he under steered off the right side & the car climbed the bank until it rolled over. He couldn't understand how the stability control didn't keep this from happening. As you know stability control is no substitute for skill behind the wheel.

Maybe next spring I'll take a drive down there with the GTI. I love that part of God's country. We have some very nice roads here in SE Ohio, but they don't compare to that area in your neck of the woods.

 

Under steer is NO fun! I know that most auto manufacturer's set up cars to intentionally under steer, but I much prefer a neutral balanced car

When a car starts to plow, it's not easy for the brain to tell the foot to apply throttle. Plus, if you have a car or obstacle in front of you, you're just boned.

With our Fit I like to go in hot, give it a little brake, and then stick it on the mat. Makes the wife a bit nervous going in, but she's a trooper. The rear sway bar really helped with my ability to drive it the way I want. I know that no one believes me, but the Fit is truly fast in the mountains.

With our Lincoln, I go in kind of mild, and then stick it on the mat. The exit speeds with the awd and over 400whp are enough to even get my attention. Especially when it comes time to brake enough to go into the next turn mild again. I usually brake early with that one since it's so darn portly and easily hits triple digits even in tight sections.

With the VW, I just try to maintain a good pace at all times. It doesn't have the power, or traction with the one wheel drive, to power hard out of turns and it doesn't have the "tossability" of the Fit. In our mountain drives, it's the most composed, but by far the slowest of the three. The traction control system in our Golf really ruins any attempt at fun and there's no off button. I could easily beat the Golf with the Fit or the Lincoln, but that doesn't tell the whole story. It's very comfy and composed. Just doesn't have the beans or the traction of the other two. Driving it makes me see how performance versions of it would be great.

 

Yes I like over steer it is easier to handle for me. The MINI is a very pointy car that rotates very well for a FWD. Lift rotate & power out.

I think what this guy did was come in way hot & panic. Once he braked hard it was all over for him. He lost his car, but at least his wife & 6 y.o. son were uninjured.

 

We did the Tail on a beautiful Friday and scored a perfect trip with nobody in front or in back during the entire run. The Tail store was busy and lots of people were milling about the area, so I guess we just got lucky.

Yikes, that rolled Mini is a sad and frightening sight. :-(