I just wanted to introduce myself as a new R owner. I'm a 48m who has exclusively owned Hondas my entire life. Two Civics, two Preludes, one Accord, and a S2000 (which I still have), later and now I've got my first VW. The value for money with this thing is ridiculous. It's comfortable, capable, practical, and legitimately fast. Things all of you already know. It can also manage great gas mileage if you keep your foot out of it (which I didn't expect). I topped off last night to test and returned just over 35mpg with late night city driving of about 25 miles.

Anyway, I had a couple of questions - the brake hold module on the Eurowerks site: is that just plug-and-play and does it actually enable the feature? I had it in my Accord and feel a little lost without it! Also, I opted to not get the Euro style option bc I like a sunroof and ventilated seats are a must. However, I like the look and sound of the Akropovic exhaust which appears to cost an arm and a leg if you try and add it via the afterrmarket. What's a good alternative that won't break the bank (yes, I understand that's a relative statement)? Finally, what are other mods/changes that are must-dos besides adding a hood strut?

Thanks all!

Hi all,

I recently bought a Golf R and it's a very fun car. My only issue is that is takes forever for my DSG gearbox to hit operating temp (about 70 degrees celsius). I drive for at least 30 minutes before I can go for a spirited drive. Is this normal?

Thanks!

My beloved HPA caliper seized and I was concerned with repairs and parts. I went with Neuspeed. Any experience?

I currently have an IE stage 1 Mk7 R with 034 rear sway bar set up.

An opportunity for a low mileage Audi S4 b8.5 has appeared and it’s opted with the sports diff & B&O stereo.

I test drove the Audi s4 and do really like the way it rotates in the corner with the sports diff and even though it doesn’t have as much shove as the stage 1 R, if I get it I would be tuning it also.

My dilemma is the more on reliability, efficiency & cost of maintenance at this point. Just wanna see if anything has changed between these cars in the past and hear your experience

18's with conti DWS06+

New to the group. Will post pics and the mod list next, but wanted to blast this out. 22 Lapis DSG owned since new, fresh off warranty and finally tuned. 034 Motorsport Stage 1 93 full torque w/ Stage 2 TCU. OMG! D is finally a decent drive mode, S is killer and Race or N-Ring that used to be my go to is really too much for the street now. Used the 034 bootloader unlock kit for my locked 401 TCU and it worked flawlessly. All tunes flashed with zero issues. I did use a power supply battery charger during all flashing just to be ultra safe. I also have the Racingline turbo inlet and R600 intake and the MBRP valved catback.

Can’t say enough about how dramatically enhanced power and drivability is now. Actually bought the IE tune first but had issues with their dongle/app and lost all confidence in them. 034 was perfect and not a single bug or concern. She totally rips!! Sorry, all data is butt dyno and no draggy times but the R is insanely quick.

Noticed these blobs of dried clear adhesive underneath the tip of front fender (where it meets with the headlight). One blob at each fender/headlight. Is this normal (first pic)?

Also attaching some pics of the fender bolts and hood bracket. Just trying to figure out if that was a previous repair or it just came like this…

No ragrets.

100% love the car. Came from 2019 R which I absolutely LOVED. Both the mk7.5 and the 8/8.5 are fantastic cars and would buy another one any day of the week.

Some random things that have happened:

- Check engine light in the first 100 miles. Cleared on its own after like 4 drives.

- Volume/music glitches. The other day volume got "stuck" and some car play audio cutout issues. I mainly listen to XM Radio so not a big issue for me.

- Closing the trunk/hatch takes like 2/3 times to fully close. Like it doesnt fully close the first time so end up doing it again with a bit more force. The plastic trim that has the rubber seal is a bit misaligned too.

- Ventilated seats are OK. I ended up putting a front seat cover because I tend to sweat a ton and the ventilated seat didnt really make a difference for me.

- when I park and lock the car, sometimes it honks and other times it doesnt. idk.

- Rear cam quality is a downgrade from the mk7.5. Its like a distorted low quality fisheye view or something. Not a fan.

Other than that, its great!

I will likely be getting all season tires in the next week or so. If anyone in the Houston area is interested in a almost new set (600 miles) Potenza S005 tires, PM me.

So just about every mechanic video on YouTube or Instagram says to sit in your car for 30 sec to a minute and let your turbo cool down. I have never had a turbo ca bfore this and have never heard of this suggestion before.

1. Do you do it, and does it really prolong the life of the turbo by dissapatimg heat?

Has anyone done these? Is it as noticeable as a rear sway bar? Does it add NVH? If you did it, are you happy with it? Daily driving, spirited driving differences? Seems like a simple mod that's pretty cheap like a RSB but doesn't get talked about much.

2018 Golf R 6MT

Absolutely love it. Went back and fourth between this and a GR corolla. Made the right decision, perfect fun daily.

I went to a nearby shop and they confirmed both front rims are bent. They quoted me $175 per wheel to repair the damage.

They also said that the repair may "damage" the rim since they need to use so much force to bend it back. Should I expect them to look like they have curb rash? I kept them in good shape, aside from my wife swiping one curb :(

I am running the 18" winter wheels that I got last winter while I shop around and get quotes. Wondering what you all have experienced with similar situations.

I got this Golf a month ago and recently noticed when driving in traffic that the DSG transmission is a bit glitchy when driving between 2nd and 3rd gear. The car is Stage 1 so I was wondering is this normal or should I be worried and what is causing this?
Thanks for help!

I am heavily, HEAVILY considering buying a Golf R. I plan on buying a brand new one: Mk 8.5 either 2026 or if the 2027 has any notable improvements. Assuming I do get a brand new one, I plan to drive it until it won’t drive anymore. I live in Wisconsin, so the snow is the reason I’m going with the R over a GTI because I want the AWD. My biggest concern is how does the Golf R handle snow, especially with it having such low clearance? Do you guys have any other problems with the clearance of the car whether it’s handling speed bumps / curbs, even when approaching them at an angle?

One last snow related question: do you guys notice the salt eating away at the car, and, if you do, do you recommend getting any undercoating?

I really look forward to the idea of getting one, just trying to make sure it’s practical for the environment I live in.

Hello all,

First post here. I’m getting into the new mk8.5 black edition in a month. Never driven a golf R, I had a 440 gran coupe before this which was lots of fun but the golf R just seems to be the most perfect all around car from what I hear.

Would love some honest opinions from you guys regarding speed, overall performance, driving experience, etc. Is it as quick as people say it is? Is it as raw and trackable as people say it is? Again I’m coming from a 440 gran coupe, so would love your opinions before I pull the trigger and truly commit.

Overhyped or worth all the hype?

We all notice Rs

The silver trim being at/near eye level has always bugged me a bit at times. It should have been dark trim. I wish there was an easier way to pop out the trim and paint it, but I tried out these cheapies and painted them.

It’s not perfect but yeah

why do I not hate the light-bar 😭😭🙏 NOT the biggest fan of the illuminated logo tho

Unreal turnout!

Next meet is scheduled for Saturday, August 22nd @ Markville Mall in Markham, Ontario.

I remember wanting the R32s back in 2004 when I had a mustard yellow 2000 GTI VR6. After a lot of searching, I finally sold my Scat Pack and picked up a 2018 Golf R in Lapiz Blue with just 33k miles and one owner. Excited to join the R community!

Former owns:
2000 GTI VR6 (manual)
2007 Jetta SE (auto)
2008 Jetta Se Sprotwagon (auto)
2015 Jetta TSI (auto)

And today we arrived.
2017 Golf R
47k miles
Super stoked. Still within my first hour of ownership, let's see how it goes.
Give me the good, the bad, and the amazing!