Ask the same question about other things on your car... is there a better windscreen manufacturer, wiper blade manufacturer, infotainment manufacturer, brake manufacturer, suspension strut manufacturer.... etc etc VW actually manufacture very little of the parts list that make up 90% of your car... they buy them from people who make sub-components for cars.
Why pick one over the other? If it was Formula 1 it would be because one was better than the others in performance terms. In mass produced road going cars, its good enough and cheaper than the alternatives.
It's a shame that you have to consider replacing some things on day 1 for the car to perform as it should.
Tyres? Anything i've seen as OEM fitment but Bridgestones is fine by me. I've had new VWs come with Pirelli P7s, Contisport 3s, Dunlop SP01s and the dreaded RE050A / S001 variants of the Bridgestone Potenza - only the Bridgestones tramp in the dry with only 40% throttle, and 25% throttle in the wet. You can make do with the Bridgestones, but I doubt there is anyone here that wouldn't pick a different tyre if VW offered the option of paying an extra £50 per car for better rubber. Does anyone deny Bridgestone's rock hard and noisy ride, before we even delve into poor turn-in grip, feel and traction issues causing rampant tramping in non PP GTIs and GTDs? If they have poor grip, they'll also have sub-par stopping abilities (luckily I've never had a close call to know the difference).
It's fine to fit a tyre like that to a car with no torque or power, but why should you have to tolerate crap tyres on a £30k car which leave it well short of realising its potential? You don't have to be chucking a GTI/GTD around a track to realise the Bridgestones' shortcomings vs almost any of the rival brands in the same price/performance bracket when driving lawfully.
Once you wear those everlasting Bridgestones out, 6 months before your next car is on the way (if you change every 3 years), and you get some decent rubber, you'll realise how much better your car would've been the whole time.
Replace a new windscreen? If VW fitted foggy ones or ones which had a crap peripheral vision clarity then yes, it'd be binned. Never had one yet like that, so no need. Some people do insist on VW branded OEM replacements when in reality that Saint Gobain Quartz or Pilkington one is exactly the same as OEM (because they make the OEM ones for VW), but the manufacturer didn't etch the VW stamp on.
New wipers? Certainly, if the OEM ones smear - I have done that before because Valeo ones i've had from the factory have been poor, and the warranty replacements have also smeared. Perhaps the windscreens aren't properly decontaminated at fitment (something an Autoglass tech alluded to when I needed a new windscreen a week into ownership of a MK5 Golf), but Bosch Aerotwins are by far the best out there.
If I keep my R for the long term, it will be getting better rear discs when the time comes to replace, not so much for the performance (which is more than adequate), but one a little less prone to cosmetic hub rust.
If anyone is happy enough with their Bridgestones, I may have a brand new set of 18"ers coming my way. I have a Polo GTI+ on 18" Brescia wheels that's about 3 weeks away (to replace the wife's A1), and if that comes on Bridgestones, I will swap them out immediately. Any takers at £200 collected for the set? PM me if interested.
I have always been a bit of a tight-arse with options on cars (that give very little back at resale time and add significant depreciation vs the basic car), baulking at metallic paint prices (although I do still go for it unless buying a car that suits red - The Golf R doesn't, IMO), and also at optional wheels (although I went for the Prets on the R as the standard Cadiz were so ugly, again IMO). I winced at the prospect of paying out £600 to swap out my RE050A tyres for Michelin PSS, but as soon as I experienced the difference in ride, noise, steering feel and grip, I knew it was money well spent.
