Member Profile - Kody.B - Goodbye Liberty, Hello Golf R

[Da4sti3]

Looking at Evo 7s Jack

[Kody.B]

Well wow, almost a year since I've been on these forums yet I've been on the Facebook page and meets.

Bit of an update, bought a Volvo S40 (for $750!) as a daily driver as the WRX was shitty to drive every day after driving it for almost a year. Thought, hey, this is almost just as nice to drive as my WRX (minus lots of power), what am I doing? So after a short mod journey (tint, exhaust, tune, coilovers etc) I sold the WRX just as it was about to cost me a lot of money. I will miss it, had a lot of good times in that car, but man it just wasn't for me.

So I drove my trusty Volvo, Alan, around for a few months. Even went on a Club Lib cruise in it. Was great, I adore that car. In fact, I've kept it even with my new car.



My new car? Well, after never being a fan of VW, I test drove a Golf R one day in boredom, preparing to bag the shit out of it. Instead, I walked away mind blown and wanting one. After saving for a bit, and preparing to save a lot more, an R in my price range came up super cheap. Long story short, I bought it.

What an incredible car. Mine is a 2012 DSG, and I absolutely adore it. Such a refined and sensible car normally (it's a Golf) yet push that loud pedal and it's an animal. It accelerates ridiculously fast, the DSG changes are seamless and it never fails to put a smile on my face.

It's a relatively basic model, only options are an upgraded Dynaudio sound system, 19 inch rims and a reversing camera.
It's also fairly stock, with an intake and tune. Power has been advised by the tuner at 188awkw, awaiting a dyno sheet for proof.

Here's some pics:

[kiahatsiu]

Did you know, Coyote can tune these.

[shav]

Awesome cars those Golf R's. I'd buy one second hand but never new. Just keep an eye on the DSG gearboxes I hear they can be expensive if they need replacing.

[Kody.B]

Did you know, Coyote can tune these.

I didn't! Would be interesting to see what results he can get from these. Unfortunately mine has already been tuned by BPS (very reputable in the Euro groups) so swapping tuners at this point would be pointless and expensive when this car won't ever be built.

Awesome cars those Golf R's. I'd buy one second hand but never new. Just keep an eye on the DSG gearboxes I hear they can be expensive if they need replacing.

They really are awesome. With a tune and CAI, this is 4.8 seconds to 100. With a dump pipe, fuel pump and retune, should do it in less than 4 seconds. Incredible acceleration for a 4 cylinder!
I wish I had the money for a new one! However second hand is the smart way - depreciation hits these things hard.
The 6 speed DSG gearbox (like in the golf R) is pretty solid, the 7 speed dry clutch units are not. Luckily this came with a 3 year warranty so hopefully it shouldn't be too bad!

[shav]

Awesome cars those Golf R's. I'd buy one second hand but never new. Just keep an eye on the DSG gearboxes I hear they can be expensive if they need replacing.

They really are awesome. With a tune and CAI, this is 4.8 seconds to 100. With a dump pipe, fuel pump and retune, should do it in less than 4 seconds. Incredible acceleration for a 4 cylinder!
I wish I had the money for a new one! However second hand is the smart way - depreciation hits these things hard.
The 6 speed DSG gearbox (like in the golf R) is pretty solid, the 7 speed dry clutch units are not. Luckily this came with a 3 year warranty so hopefully it shouldn't be too bad![/quote]

Interesting. Something to keep in mind. I thought the DSG's were all the same. But if the 6spd is better built you might be in a better position. I wouldnt consider anything less than a Golf R in the VW range anyway. The acceleration is what Id be looking at. Thats A45 AMG territory and probably half the cost. The extended warranty may come in handy.

[Kody.B]

Interesting. Something to keep in mind. I thought the DSG's were all the same. But if the 6spd is better built you might be in a better position. I wouldnt consider anything less than a Golf R in the VW range anyway. The acceleration is what Id be looking at. Thats A45 AMG territory and probably half the cost. The extended warranty may come in handy.

No, the 6 speed is a wet clutch unit and is much better. It can be a bit uncoordinated at times in town but that's mainly at times where the road is hilly/bumpy/low speed and it's having to ride it's clutches a bit. Also in city driving I drive it in manual mode as it can be a bit slow to kick down in a situation where you see a gap and want it right then. It takes a split second to determine what gear it wants and then takes off - which I don't like. In manual mode I just pull the paddles to select which gear I want, it auto rev-matches and I can make the gap.
That being said for the most part the DSG is smooth as butter and it changes unbelievably quick (particularly when you use launch control).
The only issue with the 6 speed is some had a mechatronics box fail, but a friend of mine works for VW and said he's seen maybe 3 in his 5 years at VW.

A45's are an awesome but if kit and will absolutely munch a Golf (stock 265kw at the flywheel, mine is estimated around 245 at the flywheel with the mods). A 'stage 2' Golf R will run a stock A45 all day and be far more reliable, but it's not really a fair comparison.

[jaydece]

Congrats on the R...I love the shape of the MK6 model...and nice colour - I'm bias

Welcome to VAG group also

[shav]

No, the 6 speed is a wet clutch unit and is much better. It can be a bit uncoordinated at times in town but that's mainly at times where the road is hilly/bumpy/low speed and it's having to ride it's clutches a bit. Also in city driving I drive it in manual mode as it can be a bit slow to kick down in a situation where you see a gap and want it right then. It takes a split second to determine what gear it wants and then takes off - which I don't like. In manual mode I just pull the paddles to select which gear I want, it auto rev-matches and I can make the gap.
That being said for the most part the DSG is smooth as butter and it changes unbelievably quick (particularly when you use launch control).
The only issue with the 6 speed is some had a mechatronics box fail, but a friend of mine works for VW and said he's seen maybe 3 in his 5 years at VW.

A45's are an awesome but if kit and will absolutely munch a Golf (stock 265kw at the flywheel, mine is estimated around 245 at the flywheel with the mods). A 'stage 2' Golf R will run a stock A45 all day and be far more reliable, but it's not really a fair comparison.[/quote]

This info is good to know because I was writing off the VW's due to the horror gearbox stories. But to know that the gb in the Golf R is better gives me hope and potentially reason to relook at these cars for the next purchase. I was thinking I may have had to fork out for the AMG which I really like too, just not the price tag. As for dealing with gaps in the gears it cant be all that bad. I have to drive my lib in manual mode sometimes to deal with stuff like that too. If its not any worse I can live with that. Ultimately Im looking for quick 0-100 times. The lib is good but its not 4.8s good. I also like the thought of getting into a smaller car that has balls. This new purchase of yours may just have revived a new option for me.

[Kody.B]

Congrats on the R...I love the shape of the MK6 model...and nice colour - I'm bias

Welcome to VAG group also

Thanks Justin! Your S3 is stunning! Definitely top of my list of dream cars if I had no budget or P plates!

This info is good to know because I was writing off the VW's due to the horror gearbox stories. But to know that the gb in the Golf R is better gives me hope and potentially reason to relook at these cars for the next purchase. I was thinking I may have had to fork out for the AMG which I really like too, just not the price tag. As for dealing with gaps in the gears it cant be all that bad. I have to drive my lib in manual mode sometimes to deal with stuff like that too. If its not any worse I can live with that. Ultimately Im looking for quick 0-100 times. The lib is good but its not 4.8s good. I also like the thought of getting into a smaller car that has balls. This new purchase of yours may just have revived a new option for me.

In all honesty, I would recommend a warranty for any European car. The Mk6 Golf R's are pretty bullet proof but Mark 7's have had turbo failures and the like (all under warranty but still a worry). Even with the Mark 6's having a good reputation, I am still very glad I got the warranty - repairs on these things are where it can be pricey. Volkswagen seem to be pretty good with goodwill claims for their cars - say a Mk 6 R, out of warranty, has a rare mechatronics box issue. If it's been serviced it's whole life and not abused, VW will most likely pay 50+% of the parts and repairs. They seem to back their product a lot more than Subaru do, as a comparison. As I said though, 6 speed mechatronics issues are rare and the 6 speed DSG is a proven reliable bit of kit - can take 450whp before the clutch packs start to slip. Servicing the DSG is expensive through VW, most third party German specific mechanics are much more reasonable and it's even cheaper if you do it yourself ($250 for a kit with all the necessary tools, $150 per time once you have all the tools).
The thing that impressed me about the Golf was how solid and sure it felt. It just has a feeling of quality and that the car is well built and will keep going. My Liberty had that, my WRX didn't. Hopefully the Golf proves to be reliable and I can keep it for a long while!

When you start looking, I really recommend going out and trying everything you can. The Golf was never on my list of cars until I drove it, then it moved to the top of the list.

[jaydece]

Congrats on the R...I love the shape of the MK6 model...and nice colour - I'm bias

Welcome to VAG group also

Thanks Justin! Your S3 is stunning! Definitely top of my list of dream cars if I had no budget or P plates!

This info is good to know because I was writing off the VW's due to the horror gearbox stories. But to know that the gb in the Golf R is better gives me hope and potentially reason to relook at these cars for the next purchase. I was thinking I may have had to fork out for the AMG which I really like too, just not the price tag. As for dealing with gaps in the gears it cant be all that bad. I have to drive my lib in manual mode sometimes to deal with stuff like that too. If its not any worse I can live with that. Ultimately Im looking for quick 0-100 times. The lib is good but its not 4.8s good. I also like the thought of getting into a smaller car that has balls. This new purchase of yours may just have revived a new option for me.

In all honesty, I would recommend a warranty for any European car. The Mk6 Golf R's are pretty bullet proof but Mark 7's have had turbo failures and the like (all under warranty but still a worry). Even with the Mark 6's having a good reputation, I am still very glad I got the warranty - repairs on these things are where it can be pricey. Volkswagen seem to be pretty good with goodwill claims for their cars - say a Mk 6 R, out of warranty, has a rare mechatronics box issue. If it's been serviced it's whole life and not abused, VW will most likely pay 50+% of the parts and repairs. They seem to back their product a lot more than Subaru do, as a comparison. As I said though, 6 speed mechatronics issues are rare and the 6 speed DSG is a proven reliable bit of kit - can take 450whp before the clutch packs start to slip. Servicing the DSG is expensive through VW, most third party German specific mechanics are much more reasonable and it's even cheaper if you do it yourself ($250 for a kit with all the necessary tools, $150 per time once you have all the tools).
The thing that impressed me about the Golf was how solid and sure it felt. It just has a feeling of quality and that the car is well built and will keep going. My Liberty had that, my WRX didn't. Hopefully the Golf proves to be reliable and I can keep it for a long while!

When you start looking, I really recommend going out and trying everything you can. The Golf was never on my list of cars until I drove it, then it moved to the top of the list.

Cheers mate...yes the S3 puts a grin on my face every time I jump into it.....Its a total different driving experience comparing it to the liberty....The liberty is RAW....the S3 is refined.....Agree on the solid part too..

Yes, the 6 and 7 speed wet clutches have come a long way....much more reliable and stronger....

The MK7/S3 only had turbo failures from 2014 to early 2015 with turbo models prior to 722H model type turbos...

As you stated allot of people I have chatted to on VAG forums have stated that the R/S3/RS3 was not originally on the list...until they test drove one....This also included ex Subaru owners like myself....

Enjoy the R!

Vorsprung durch Technik & DATS AUTO.....