It has been 2 years

"LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com" (limitedtimeonly)
05/24/2018 at 10:05 • Filed to: Does anyone really care about such ownership updates?, VW, VW Golf GTI

. . . 2 years since I began posting about !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . True, I don’t post as frequently as some might about, say, a Tercel wagon or unnecessary car shopping, so here is a summary of my experience, with flashbacks to previous posts.

Although it was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for a few weeks for repair, I put !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on it in the first year.

My mileage accumulation slowed down a bit and in the 2 years I have now put a total of 31,000 miles on it. I’ve been making a point of using my wife’s often neglected car if she is traveling or when we take trips together, although when it is hot out she likes to take the GTI since it has HVAC vents for the rear seat because our spoiled pup must be properly comfortable. Although both my wife and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Performance and Modification

I did end up getting involved with autocross about 9 months after purchase, and ran as a novice and then in the rookie class in 2017. I have had a lot of fun with the car doing that and met a lot of good people. The GTI and autocross combined to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

In January 2018 !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to help improve the autocross performance, after !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The endlinks have been a point of frustration that is unrelated to the car. (At full stiff setting, the endlinks were bent over so much the bushing deteriorated and the manufacturer sent me new ones under warranty. Then the nuts for the endlink attachment to the sway bar keep backing off, and even at the lighter setting one of the bushings is weeping a bit).

Otherwise, I have avoided modification in order to keep in the Street class in autocross, and it has plenty of power, handling ability, and off-the-line acceleration to keep me happy.

Daily Living

I have managed to average just below 30 miles per gallon, which is great, especially because that includes some tanks where I got around 20 MPG due to autocross or other !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

It has worked well for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! - !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! than many capable autocross cars. And the interior design is well-thought out, right down to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Fun fact: My Sirius XM satellite radio still was never turned off after the trial phase even though I have never signed up!

I even have !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Issues

It does get creaky when temperatures are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The sunroof rattle that is a common problem on these is quite quiet, but I have a B-pillar rattle that most wouldn’t notice but which I find irritating. And my window seals are very creaky in the warm weather, although this may be due to jacking it up two times on both sides every few weeks to swap wheels for autocross, possibly stressing the window frames juuuust a tiny bit.

Conclusion

I have, throughout the years, played the mental game of: If my current car were parked on the street and somehow was totalled (without anyone getting hurt, of course), what would I replace it with? My answer right now is that I would almost certainly get another GTI, which I think says a lot. It isn’t common that I want the same car after 2 years of ownership.

Although I wouldn’t mind !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to have in addition.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

DISCUSSION (6)

CalzoneGolem > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/24/2018 at 10:12

This thorough and is good Oppo!

WilliamsSW > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/24/2018 at 10:15

Great writeup!! And yeah, we care - it’s great to hear that you still love the car, even after the new smell is gone (and probably replaced with a bit of doggo scent).

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/24/2018 at 10:18

And soon to come to Nashville!

Ash78, voting early and often > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/24/2018 at 10:23

Excellent.

My single little brother is on his third GTI in his life (age 36). My 70-year-old dad DD’s a MkIV R32. The Golf/Jetta has been a part of our lives in some way since 1981. If I could make it work with 2 kids on a day to day basis and for roadtrips, I’d have two of them right now. Best all-around car there is, IMO.

Ash78 washing a brand new MkI in 1981:

Kinja'd!!!

arl > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
05/24/2018 at 11:41

Hey, great read, considering I have an almost identical GTI. :)

I bought my 17' GTI Autobahn manual new and I’m mostly loving it so far. I added a Boomba short shifter, BFI shift knob, and the BMS clutch stop, and all three combined make for a very good shifting experience.

Mine also suffers from the sunroof creaking. It doesn’t do it in the winter, so I sort of forgot about it. But it’s hot today and I went out for lunch and it creaked and moaned over every speed bump. On flat roads it’s quiet, but if the car rotates in any way, it makes noise. I took it into the stealership last fall and they pulled the headliner down and tweaked the rails, and it helped a bit, but now it’s loud again.

And I read your story about the end links with great interest. I have a new ST bar and SuperPro rear end links sitting on my workbench that I need to install. I’m a mechanical doofus, so I’m dreading the work it will take to get this done (broken bolts, etc).

Kinja'd!!!

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > arl
05/24/2018 at 14:07

The second time that I put in the endlinks was much easier, just required a firm tap of the hand to get them into the control arm. It really is a fairly easy - if possibly time-consuming - job to do.

I have heard nothing but good things about people using SuperPro endlinks, so I’m inclined to think that the bushing damage on the first set was my poor installation, and I appreciate that they came through with warranty replacements. They thought there may have been too much silicone grease on the bushings.

I don’t get why one of the ones in the second set is showing any leakage, but it makes me fearful of ever going back to the stiff setting. With your ST bar you should be fine since the endlinks won’t be at a steep angle.

Go for it! (Maybe with a mechanically inclined friend hanging around.)

I’m glad you’re also enjoying your GTI, despite the creaking.