In reply to ShawneeCreek :
Yes I'm using "B". On the highway I just run it in "normal" mode so it freewheels which I believe to be more efficient. On steep downhill stretches I switch either to "b" or "3".
Most of my travels are within a 20 mile round-trip or less. For those tasks this car is fantastic!
I was driving it last night and thinking how quickly it has become one of my favorite cars I've ever owned. It is absolutely a riot to drive. I have to admit to giving in to 0-30 full throttle runs from time to time because I'm actually a child inside haha. If there was a version of this exact car that offered 250 miles of range we would likely buy another one. At 120 or so max it will be a good "local" car for us.
Just a quick update: the car has been absolutely fantastic. It has quickly become a favorite in our fleet and SO CHEAP to run.
Today I ALMOST hit 5 miles per kWh! I calculated that on my drive this morning it cost me roughly $1.14 in electricity to travel 40 miles. Considering 87 octane pump gas up here is around $3.50 per gallon, I'm calling this car roughly 3x as cheap to run per mile vs a gas golf.
I never thought owning an "economy" car would bring me such driving joy. I'll really miss it when kid #1 takes it to college in a couple of years!
And yep-i need to clean the fingerprints off of the screen haha.
Nice! I'm glad it's working well for you. And you are right, there is a certain kind of joy in maximizing the efficiency of an EV. Not quite the same as maximizing cornering grip, but fun.
I think I've managed 5.1 mi/kWh on one commute home in mine. Beautiful 65 degree day, no A/C, and an ideal commute of 55 mph back roads with few stops. It also seems to do well on short trips around town under 40 mph.
-Sean
Nothing to report other than that so far this is one of the most solid, well built cars I've ever owned. While long-range travel isn't feasible, it's so convenient leaving the house with a full "tank" every day that it's weird going to the gas station with our other cars.
This might be the best vehicle I ever bought that I had zero need for!
Well the first problem has occurred! The fuel door actuator decided to die, and of course did so in the closed position. I've learned that this is an incredibly common issue among all Golfs, and I failed to recognize the warning signs.
Effectively the actuator not only pops out but also rotates to catch a corresponding slot on the back of the fuel door. Mine wouldn't always close, which I had no idea was a preview of complete failure.
It failed when closed, however, meaning that to open it, I had to force it open. Man I hate forcing things...
As fully expected, it broke the tab on the inside of the fuel door as well.
While the actuator is about a $40 part from FCP Euro, I have something going for me with this car that is a relief: it's a VW CPO. Since I am inside of 12 months and 12k miles from purchase, I've already spoken to the nearest VW dealer who told me they expect everything to be covered under the CPO warranty. Prior to prying on the door, I also made sure the service manager agreed that they would cover anything I had to damage to get it open (I knew their tech would do the same, if not more damage).
It appears that VW offers the entire assembly (the surround, the door, etc without the painted cover that just slides on), so I'm asking them to replace the actuator and the rest of the assembly. My deductible is $50, so my goal is to get as much through the warranty as possible.
Other than that, this car has been a rock star. We have added nearly 4000 miles to it since purchase, which is a testament to how much we drive it considering most of those trips are 5 miles or less. It remains solid, comfortable and ridiculously efficient particularly considering the low initial price point.
Nice that it is covered under your warranty. I bought my car with the actuator already broken. It wasn't too bad to replace. Thankfully, you should get upgraded to the latest revision of the actuator, which hopefully has improvements.
I was just notified by the dealership that my actuator has been replaced and my total bill is...$0! I'm glad it occurred to me to involve them as I was happy and ready to install a new actuator myself, but free is hard to argue with!
I'll pick it up later today. My wife drives it most days, and has actually been a little angry about its absence this week!
Well those nice kids over at VW really did me right! I called and told them I was going to have to (gently) force the door open which would likely break the catch on the fuel door.
I just picked my car up and true to their word they replaced not only the actuator but the surround and the fuel door (the painted exterior piece easily unsnaps and slides on to the new one).
All of that for nothing out of pocket.
Thank you VW. Signed your biggest fan (today!). Haha.
