2018 GTI: Initial Thoughts After a Week

In reply to Hoondavan :

I don't mean the tensioner, I mean the chain itself. They're prone to stretching beyond the tensioner's ability to do it's job, leading to a bunch of bent valves. The tensioner design between the older and newer EA888s is different, but the rest of the timing chain assembly is identical to earlier iterations of the engine going all the way back to the mk5 GTIs (I checked the part numbers to verify).

It's unfortunate that Volkswagen didn't just stick to a belt with a defined service interval, because their chain design doesn't last much longer in terms of overall mileage and costs a good bit more to service. On top of that I have to openly wonder how many EA888s have died due to chain stretch and mechanically totalled the cars they were installed in.

I'm informed on this because I poke around on the forums, but the average CC or Tiguan owner probably has no idea. Those folks probably also follow the factory recommended oil change interval of 10k miles, making the issue even worse.

Update: the turbine wheel came off the shaft outside of Seymour TX while I was driving my 2015 GTI from Michigan to California. It cost $4200 to get the blower and all four injectors changed in Dallas. I still like the car but I'm hoping that auto production can match demand soon so that I can get a different vehicle. I wish I'd kept my Ford!  

Just a quick update: Nothing new to say on the car. Now at 47k miles but no issues at all so far. I did just get new tires, though. I got 46k out of the BFG Comp 2 A/S's and they probably still have 5k before the wear bars on them. That's pretty amazing since my WRX never got more than about 25k out of any tires I had on it.

That said, the Comp 2 A/S's started to get pretty noisy by about 30k miles, and for the last 10k or so it became almost an unbearable howling sound from the rears that had me checking the rear wheel bearings more than once. I just replaced them with Conti ExtremeContact 6's (A/S) and the car is back to being silent....and no howling.

While the wheels were off, checked the brake pads. I'd say they're still around 50% after 47k miles, which is pretty impressive seeing as how big these brakes are and how much I like hard braking. With all the dust these factory pads put out , I figured I'd be at the backing plates by now, but not the case.

And yeah, I took the tires in loose because I hate tire shops touching any of my cars......

Bringing loose tires in is 100% the way to go.  Quicker, less hassle, don't have to wait around, the shop doesn't get a chance to cross thread your studs, etc.

Although someday I'd like to just have my own tire mounting and balancing machine.  I just need to add on to my garage first....

In reply to BA5 :

When I brought them in the guy working the counter punched in my phone number and was like "whoa, You bring a lot of tires in here in a lot of different sizes" lol. I don't think he realized that about dozen of those sets were rally tires for the E30, plus a couple sets of all terrains for my trucks and another set for the trailer, and like five trailer tires. And that stuff doesn't even include this stuff that the previous manager used to do for cash. Thinking back I fully agree that a tire machine would have been a great investment 15 years ago. Probably would never make it up at this point.

Incidentally these Contis definitely have a better ride and are virtually silent compared to the BFGs. The sidewalls feel a little bit softer but not much and they definitely have easily as much grip. 

So I'm happy I decided to change.

So figured I'd update this thread, as the car is about 2 months and 2,000 miles from the end of its warranty and today I just had to replace the OEM battery finally (was dead when I came out of work). Incidentally, VW gave me a bunch of BS at the dealer about $350 for the battery and $250 to "recode the ECU to it." So I went down a block to Batteries Plus and got an exact replacement (AGM, same aH, CCA, etc.) for $275 installed. No coding, what a load of BS. 

Other than that, over 70k miles and 6 years:

- only on my 2nd set of tires, as noted one of my last posts here. 

- still on the original brake pads (though I have all new replacement pads and rotors in my garage to do eventually). This has the big brakes from the Golf R that also came on SE model GTIs, incidentally. They're still the best brakes I've ever owned on a car. 

- the USB port in the center console is "loose" and loses connection a lot. This is a $30 piece to just buy and replace (probably warranty-covered but hardly worth leaving my car at the dealer to do.

- suspension feels fine, engine, drivetrain, all fine. Done nothing but oil changes and air filter. Will probably do trans fluid soon.

- my aftermarket tint started bubbling on 2 windows after 6 years so I ripped it off and will have to re-do, but that's not a VW issue. 

- aforementioned battery. That's fine, 6 years is a good life for a battery. However, the car gave ZERO warning when it was dying. No lights, no nothing. I only suspected it this morning when the car cranked slow, and then it was dead when I came out of work. Having a voltmeter in the electronic display wouldn't be that though, wtf. 

- no leaks, no rattles, no interior buttons or knobs have broken or anything. No paint issues or rust issues

So all in all, everything has been extremely reliable/good so far. Figured I'd post this now before the warranty is TOTALLY up in case I jinxed myself. The car is still "very good" to drive and straight up averages 31-32mpg for its entire life in mixed driving so that's fine as well. It's still not all that exciting to drive.....when I replace it someday I won't be all sad about it, it's just a really, really good appliance. But that may be a while as long as it keeps behaving nicely. Plus I still love the excellent 6-speed on this car and it's getting tough to find a new manual car these days. 

Glad to hear it's holding up for you!  

We are about 125k on my wife's 2018 Alltrack.  About 25k of that with a IS38 Golf R turbo, aftermarket downpipe, intercooler and clutch.   Other than the being on its third water pump it and a twice leaking pano sunroof it hasn't had any mechanical issues I can recall.  Brakes and tires.  

I agree on your general thoughts. Really good, comfortable (and now with the mods) quick daily but it doesn't really excite.  

In reply to irish44j (Forum Supporter) :

That's a fair summary/review of the car.  I have a 2019 Rabbit Edition, even have the same Continental tires on it.  The hot hatches quickly jumped up the evolutionary chain when the Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type R, and the Hyundai Veloster N hit the North American market.  Meanwhile the GTI remained more of a "warm hatch."  From stock, it provides a nice place to be, it is swift if not fast per se, and is generally competent.  Of course all of that can be ramped up easily via the aftermarket (like the GRM project car) but it's a fine street car as is, if not being the most exciting thing out there.  It's a great daily driver and road trip car for me.  I've enjoyed the thread; thanks for posting.

In reply to Greg Voth :

Similar sentiments here about my IS38 Alltrack (mine's a DSG though), except I've managed to dodge (knock on wood) all of the typical mk7 issues like water pumps and pano leaks in favor of weird ones like diff failure. Still, it's a competent and mildly fun DD that's as good on a 100mi/day commute as it is on a backroad. Can't really think of anything else in the price range that could check all the same boxes as this car does. 

You're going to want to code the battery to the car.  It's not that it won't work without that, but it'll work MUCH better with it.  The ECU will set the charging from the alternator to the battery properly.  You can do it with an OBD11 or VCDS...

docwyte said:

You're going to want to code the battery to the car.  It's not that it won't work without that, but it'll work MUCH better with it.  The ECU will set the charging from the alternator to the battery properly.  You can do it with an OBD11 or VCDS...

well, unless someone I know happens to have said tools not gonna bother. The cost of the dealer doing it is as much as a new battery. IDK, VW friends of my if you use the same kind of battery with all the same aH, CCa, etc. and don't switch from the AGM to a wet cell. 

I'll take my chances I guess, not paying the scam dealer bs. Maybe someone local has OBD11. When the service guy told me the price and I said no thanks, he kind of smiled and was like "yeah....I figured" lol

-

On a related not, still unclear why the ECU needs to do anything with the battery. Somehow batteries have worked for many decades with a regular voltage regulator - what benefit could an electronic system have?

In reply to irish44j (Forum Supporter) :

I have a Foxwell 510 that is loaded with both BMW and VW software. I know it can register the battery on a BMW, havent tried on a VW. 

You are more than welcome to borrow it and try. Let me know if you want me to ship it to you. 

I didn't know why batteries and onboard computers have to communicate and sync up, so I went to The Googles and found what appears to be a decent article/explanation and not too long of a read.  Seems like there's a small benefit, but would it even be noticed?  

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-not-programming-a-replacement-battery-for-a-car-can-cost-you-in-the/#:~:text=The%20primary%20purpose%20of%20programming,system%20back%20to%20original%20state.

Slippery said:

In reply to irish44j (Forum Supporter) :

I have a Foxwell 510 that is loaded with both BMW and VW software. I know it can register the battery on a BMW, havent tried on a VW. 

You are more than welcome to borrow it and try. Let me know if you want me to ship it to you. 

Thanks for the offer, but I'm sure local friends have the tool, just a matter of me not being lazy and actually asking to use it lol. !

Im on the third battery in ours.  They seem to go out every three years. If it extends the battery life by a year it still doesn't seem worth it. 

I've have an OBD11 and still didn't bother.   

In reply to Greg Voth :

Well, I guess I'm ahead of the curve then since mine lasted just short of six years....bank it! :)

Not exciting? Looks like you need a IS38 or a DTR6054. Who doesn't like 400whp for $1500 ?

* clutch not included 

The IS38 certainly woke up our Alltrack considerably.  It feels a little laggy vs the stock IS12 turbo even though it makes more power pretty much everywhere.  It's likely just a mental trick since the power comes on in a rush.  We went with a 91 octane and requested a milder tube since it's my wife's DD. 

I got a good deal on a new IS38, downpipe, and intercooler for like $1500 (if I remember correctly)to a guy who moved to an S3 before installing.  Still with a tune, clutch etc it ended up being being about $3500 in parts.  

End of warranty update: Yep, it's over. Hit the 72k and 6 years almost simultaneously, as intended. So now I'm on my own.

- No warranty claims in the first 72k/6years

- The only thing that is somewhat broken is the USB port in the center console, which periodically loses connectivity for my bluetooth dongle. I can get a new USB port off the internet for like 30 bucks, so it wasn't worth my time to deal with going to a dealer, frankly. It's not really a big issue.

- The other thing I've found I really dislike about this car is rear tire wear. Specifically the right rear, for some reason, even though the car has been aligned multiple times and has never been out of spec. Both rear tires wear the inside predominently and also cause feathering after about 10k miles, which then causes a crapload of road noise. This was happening to my first set of tires (BFG Comp 2 A/S) fairly early, and now my Conti Extreme Contact DWS  the same thing after less than 10k miles. I suppose I could have a bad wheel bearing, but there's not noticeable play in the hub, and it would seem early for a wheel bearing (or both) in the rear to go bad when the car still had like 20k on it. Honestly, I would expect some inside camber wear, but the feathering causing noise really annoys me, especially when I rotate them to the front and you can hear the noise more until they wear down. guess I'll hit the alignment rack again. 

- Also, starting to wear a hole in the driver's seat bolster. I seem to do this on other cars in the same place as well, not sure why but I guess it's just me lol. But the other cars took much longer to do it (and the WRX never did it, even at 180k). 

- Shocks seem fine. This is around the time I usually change out OEM shocks for somethign better, but this being my commuter car primarily, and still riding/handling fine, I'm not going to do that until i need to. 

- Otherwise, pretty much same thoughts as always. Car still drives fine, handles great, brakes great, etc. It's still kinda boring, but a good boring I suppose. Regular maintenance only, and still gets well over 30mpg in mixed driving with a heavy foot, usually running regular gas. 

- Oh, just did a brake job at 75k. The OEM front pads still had about 20% on them, but man those things do eat up rotors, they had a nice lip on them. Pads were wearing evenly, so no caliper issues, etc. I did only the fronts at the moment, because apparently I need a shorty triple-square/torx in order to get to the rear caliper bracket mounting bolts (and of course I have a million torx/TS sockets but they're all too long/too short. So that's fairly annoying as well, but the rears were still at 30%+ on the pads and rotors not nearly as worn, so I'll deal with it this winter. 

- I still despise the germans for using wheel bolts instead of studs. Make tire on/off such a comparitive hassle (plsu the plastic caps on the GTI bolts that have to come off first). 

My experience has been similar to irish44j, though I did have a turbo replaced due to a wastegate issue (happened under warranty, and I have another few years on the replacement).  Otherwise zero claims.  Still on OEM pads and rotors, and likely have another 30 percent on both.

The local dealer is pushing hard for me to replace it with a 2024 -- last year of the manuals.  I drove one.  It wasn't any better . . . though warranty makes me feel at ease.  But so far we have resisted the siren song of another car payment :).

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

- The other thing I've found I really dislike about this car is rear tire wear. Specifically the right rear, for some reason, even though the car has been aligned multiple times and has never been out of spec. Both rear tires wear the inside predominently and also cause feathering after about 10k miles, which then causes a crapload of road noise. This was happening to my first set of tires (BFG Comp 2 A/S) fairly early, and now my Conti Extreme Contact DWS  the same thing after less than 10k miles. I suppose I could have a bad wheel bearing, but there's not noticeable play in the hub, and it would seem early for a wheel bearing (or both) in the rear to go bad when the car still had like 20k on it. Honestly, I would expect some inside camber wear, but the feathering causing noise really annoys me, especially when I rotate them to the front and you can hear the noise more until they wear down. guess I'll hit the alignment rack again. 

- Also, starting to wear a hole in the driver's seat bolster. I seem to do this on other cars in the same place as well, not sure why but I guess it's just me lol. But the other cars took much longer to do it (and the WRX never did it, even at 180k). 

Could you have it aligned to take some rear camber out? In other words, have it aligned outside factory spec? I have an E70 X5 and they are notorious for inner wear on the rear tires. My indie mechanic aligns it pretty far outside of factory spec to avoid that.

On the bolster, I learned years ago to sort of roll out of my cars while using my left arm braced on the door sill. It helps avoid the left leg outward swing over the bolster. 

First thing I did when I picked up my GLI was ditch the plastic caps. I had black lug bolts on the shelf from a previous winter setup I ran on my TDI. 

dyintorace said:

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

- The other thing I've found I really dislike about this car is rear tire wear. Specifically the right rear, for some reason, even though the car has been aligned multiple times and has never been out of spec. Both rear tires wear the inside predominently and also cause feathering after about 10k miles, which then causes a crapload of road noise. This was happening to my first set of tires (BFG Comp 2 A/S) fairly early, and now my Conti Extreme Contact DWS  the same thing after less than 10k miles. I suppose I could have a bad wheel bearing, but there's not noticeable play in the hub, and it would seem early for a wheel bearing (or both) in the rear to go bad when the car still had like 20k on it. Honestly, I would expect some inside camber wear, but the feathering causing noise really annoys me, especially when I rotate them to the front and you can hear the noise more until they wear down. guess I'll hit the alignment rack again. 

- Also, starting to wear a hole in the driver's seat bolster. I seem to do this on other cars in the same place as well, not sure why but I guess it's just me lol. But the other cars took much longer to do it (and the WRX never did it, even at 180k). 

Could you have it aligned to take some rear camber out? In other words, have it aligned outside factory spec? I have an E70 X5 and they are notorious for inner wear on the rear tires. My indie mechanic aligns it pretty far outside of factory spec to avoid that.

On the bolster, I learned years ago to sort of roll out of my cars while using my left arm braced on the door sill. It helps avoid the left leg outward swing over the bolster. 

yeah, that's a thought, of course. Might help the rear rotate a bit better anyhow since I have the OEM rear sway on. Odd part is that it doesn't seem to be camber wear - I'm not substantially wearing the inside faster than the reast of the tire - it's feathering, which is usually a problem caused by toe being incorrect (but it's seemingly not). Or maybe my alignment guy just sucks......

10001110101 said:

First thing I did when I picked up my GLI was ditch the plastic caps. I had black lug bolts on the shelf from a previous winter setup I ran on my TDI. 

My e30s are all swapped to regular studs and lug nuts, which is what I'd do on this if I was gonna change anything. But honestly I only take off the wheels once or twice a year so it's only an occasional annoyance lol. 

The e30 is a rally car, so its wheels are on and off constantly - so the studs are much better in that case!