GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Golf mk7 gallery => Topic started by: jf111 on 07 March 2020, 23:38
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I picked up my GTI TCR last weekend. Not the spec I would have ordered myself but it's still a great car. I got such a good price on this car it was worth sacrificing some options like the wheels, as I can change those. Belvedere wheels look a lot better IRL so I'm still on the fence about it.
It's a 20 plate Pure Grey TCR with the honeycomb stickers, DCC, Dynaudio and 90% tints. My car doesn't have the 19" Reifnitz or Pretoria wheels or the "performance pack". It does have the Akrapovic exhaust as it's an MY20 car (which sounds awesome if you're outside of the car, rather muted inside). With regards to the performance pack, I'm really not arsed about the minor increase in top speed. Apparently the car would sit lower with the performance pack but I can't see much difference in ride height between mine and any I can find online?
Quick question- If I put 19s on, would I need to lower it to keep a similar look/stance? As it has DCC, I'm not sure how lowering springs work...
Anyway, I took a couple of pics on collection day:
(https://i.imgur.com/wcnRUT6.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fcgnNIR.jpg)
I decided quite quickly that the stickers needed to go. Look at them, they're just silly
(https://i.imgur.com/51vjTHI.jpg)
I thought I'd see what they're like in real life but I still don't like them. Everyone else said the same, except young children who seem to like the stickers.
It was easy enough to remove them - £11 heat gun from screwfix + tar and glue remover + helpful friend to make the process much quicker. They just peel right off, it took about 20 mins including the glue removal bit. No marring or scratches left in the paint from this process.
(https://i.imgur.com/QzTyqBu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/4SiY6WI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SALF25G.jpg)
Stickers all gone:
(https://i.imgur.com/MR0KpYd.jpg)
Car washed:
(https://i.imgur.com/eFfM6uJ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uUB2DuL.jpg)
Akrapovic
(https://i.imgur.com/p7ww1wh.jpg)
Slightly concerned at how easily the wheels are getting scratched on the black surface. Not sure if this is corrosion or some polish/other compound stuck in the edge of the lip. Didn't have time to look properly today. I may change the wheels .. not sure yet
(https://i.imgur.com/aeVfvVL.jpg)
Overall I am enjoying the car so far! Glad to be back in a VW. It's still only got a few hundred miles on the clock and I am following the owner's manual advice on running in. Still, it feels pretty quick so far and is a really nice place to sit. Can't wait till I can explore the performance a bit more and have bedded in the brakes, suspension, exhaust, etc, a bit more :cool:
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Health to drive have the gti performance myself. But your tcr looks magic
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Looking good :cool:
That looks low enough already to me. You shouldn't need to lower it for 19's, they will look fuller in the arches. Just buy the right tyre profile and all should be well.
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Looks great, even though I would have kept the stickers! :)
The damage to the wheel, if it is not the result of kerbing that should be an easy warranty claim for a replacement, especially as the mileage is so low.
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Lovely looking TCR jf, well at least now it’s got the decals off it is!!
It looks good on the 18’s and I’m sure the optional packs only lower it around 5mm further *but* as yours is specced with DCC it might even get the same springs as the optional pack gets, it’s not unfathomable that that’s the possibility. It’ll not be much ride height difference even if it doesn’t.
Swapping the wheels to 19’s will fill the arches better if you go for the right offset and width as above.
235/35/19 tyres will have a very similar rolling circumference to your 18” wheels and those are the tyres that the optional packs come with.
Hopefully it’s just polish residue on your wheel spoke there but it could be tarnished and would therefore be a warranty claim, if the latter it needs reporting to your dealer ASAP.
Have fun running it in! They’re great cars to pootle around in so running in won’t be much of a chore listening to that Akra soundtrack.
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Thanks for the kind comments. I love it so far! It gets a lot of attention on the road and have had a few people ask questions about it in car parks etc. Unusual for a Golf but it's quite a striking car.
I need to have a proper look at the wheels and pop into the dealer if it's corrosion. Worrying if that's happened this early on :undecided:
I think I'm going to get Reifnitz reps or maybe something more aftermarket. I might even stay with 18" wheels. Does anyone know which offset I would need, or if not how do I find out?
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Offset can vary quite a bit, plus it depends on how wide the wheels are.
A few here run 8.5J wheels with a 45mm ET which is pushing it to the limit at the front I’d think!
On an 8J wheel I’ve run ET41 which was marginal on the front but reckon you could get away with 8J ET35 on the rear.
At one time I was mulling over importing a set of Borbet FF1 wheels in 8x18 with 45mm front and 35mm rear on a previous mk7 Golf I had.
CM Wheels do 18” Reifnitz reps which means you could reuse your original tyres (your original Bridgestones will do about a zillion miles before they wear out).
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@jf111; car looks great :cool:. The VW dealer I take my car to for servicing and MOT had a grey one (no side decals!) in their showroom when I was there last month and it certainly was a head turner compared to all the the other cars in the showroom.
I’d certainly get that wheel looked at by the dealer. Because of the manufacturing process for diamond cut alloys (whole wheel powder coated / painted black, then the bare metal exposed by re-cutting the face on a diamond cutting lathe before applying the protective lacquer) you’d expect there to be a ‘sharp’ edge between the black and diamond cut sections. Does the edge of the spoke feel rough to the touch? If so, there could have been an issue with the forging process which means that might be a slight imperfection on the finish of the alloy before it was powder coated / painted and then diamond cut. Provided the lacquer surface isn’t broken, it should be OK, but in your position, I’d still report it to the dealer and get it noted on luthier system against the car, in case it does develop into early white worm corrosion.
I’ve found the gloss black sections of VW’s diamond cut alloys are very prone to swirling, but you can minimise the risk of this happening by using a safe wash method - pre-wash, two bucket method (2BM) and a soft lambs wool or microfibre mitt for washing, and a good quality car drying towel (or warm air dryer) for drying. If you’re OCD about your wheels (as I am :grin:) it might be worth investing in a set of Wheel Woolies that’ll enable you to get to those hard to reach parts of your wheels to clean them; much better and safer when used in conjunction with a 2BM wash method in terms of scratch / swirl prevention than a ‘soft’ nylon bristled wheel brush.
If you keep your wheels well protected with a good quality wax or sealant or a coating such as Gtechniq C5, dirt or brake dust will be very easy to remove and rescues of even removes the need to use a specific wheel cleaner.
Enjoy your car; I’m sure you will :smiley:.
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Mine came with the decals but had them straight off! How VW can justify £550 for them, God knows.
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Very nice Sir .beautiful
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Thanks for all the comments everyone.
It has now been about 3 months since I got the car now but due to lockdown, I have barely driven it. I'm not quite at 1000 miles yet! I've been working from home so it's really only been to the shops and back, with a couple of more 'fun' journeys recently as the rules have been relaxed. However, I did kind of give up on 'running in' at about 800 miles and have gradually started to explore the performance of the car. It's quite fast :)
DSG is taking some time to get used to. I've set a custom driving mode with a mix of settings. What I've found works best though is to leave it in D most of the time and pull back to 'S' when I want to go faster or have a more responsive throttle or hold onto gears longer. This seems to cover most bases. Have tried the paddles but can't get to grips with it.
My main problem is trying to stick to speed limits. The car's so capable it hits 60/70mph rather quickly and you can easily be going too fast. Makes it a bit harder to have fun without driving like a complete tool on the road. I do appreciate the extra shove at any speed though!
It's still a bit of a novelty having a new car but with limited time in the car I've not really used many of the features. An example would be the dynamic cruise control, which is pretty cool, but I'm still not 100% sure how to use it properly. There's some scenarios like overtaking on dual carriageway that are difficult if, for instance you're set to 70mph and need to overtake a slower vehicle. The car slows down way before you get to them so you have to pull out and slowly accelerate to get past. I've found it easier to just turn it off and drive the car myself.
Overall, I'm happy that I chose the right car.
I'd like to get some 19" Reifnitz reps from CM Wheels at some point. I'll wait to confirm that I still have a job once the world starts returning to normal before committing to such unnecessary purchases that are hard enough to justify to the other half in the first place, though.
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Glad you are enjoying it :smiley: They are a very capable car and I too like that extra shove compared to my previous PP. I've not bothered with the ACC myself, I like being in control and enjoy driving so it's not something that interests me.
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Just clocked 4500 in mine about 3000 miles less than would do without lock down but been getting out and about a lot more recently across county and given driving is a therapeutic pleasure its so good to be able to stretch the TCR legs out again.
Only used the ACC in my R a handful of times on the M 6 and never used once on the TCR, just like being engaged with the drive at all times and as great as the tech is, its not something use actively, though we do have to remember the passive safety features of the radar are in play all the time, so overall you definitely happy its there.
Really loved my R, pacy and super assured, but now been in the TCR for 8 months now can say with assurances the TCR is the better car to drive, with the 290 BHP keeping the pace that used to, the reduced weight and front wheel drive brings an improved feeling to the drive, as you effortlessly move the car round bends, but with no less assurance than the R.
The MK 7.5 lifts from MK 7 are appreciated to, the better media unit and drivers display are greatly appreciated, a total convert to the latter.
The looks is the final win, loved the solid, bulked up stance of the R with the Quad exhaust as walked up to it, but walking up to the TCR is a plus again, the low stance on the lovely Reifnitz, and the pure grey contrasted with the pumped up black trim, and the 90% tints really is a good look, a real stealth like presence. The only thing that think was under done was the spoiler, with the MK 8 spoiler looking the spoiler it could have been (maybe a mod to come down the line)
Not to this day seen one on road (though maybe the reduced mileage is the mitigation to that) and it gets looks all the time, and even got followed and had a good look over by someone and his pal in an obviously well looked after MK 5 GTI
A decision really pondered over in ditching the AWD of the R but a decision could not be happier with for all the little adds.
Would have another R in a heartbeat too, its fine margins, so none of this a sleight on the R its just the GTI in general and maybe more so the TCR with the added BHP are more engaging when on the move.
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Thanks for all the comments everyone.
It has now been about 3 months since I got the car now but due to lockdown, I have barely driven it. I'm not quite at 1000 miles yet! I've been working from home so it's really only been to the shops and back, with a couple of more 'fun' journeys recently as the rules have been relaxed. However, I did kind of give up on 'running in' at about 800 miles and have gradually started to explore the performance of the car. It's quite fast :)
DSG is taking some time to get used to. I've set a custom driving mode with a mix of settings. What I've found works best though is to leave it in D most of the time and pull back to 'S' when I want to go faster or have a more responsive throttle or hold onto gears longer. This seems to cover most bases. Have tried the paddles but can't get to grips with it.
My main problem is trying to stick to speed limits. The car's so capable it hits 60/70mph rather quickly and you can easily be going too fast. Makes it a bit harder to have fun without driving like a complete tool on the road. I do appreciate the extra shove at any speed though!
It's still a bit of a novelty having a new car but with limited time in the car I've not really used many of the features. An example would be the dynamic cruise control, which is pretty cool, but I'm still not 100% sure how to use it properly. There's some scenarios like overtaking on dual carriageway that are difficult if, for instance you're set to 70mph and need to overtake a slower vehicle. The car slows down way before you get to them so you have to pull out and slowly accelerate to get past. I've found it easier to just turn it off and drive the car myself.
Overall, I'm happy that I chose the right car.
I'd like to get some 19" Reifnitz reps from CM Wheels at some point. I'll wait to confirm that I still have a job once the world starts returning to normal before committing to such unnecessary purchases that are hard enough to justify to the other half in the first place, though.
The DSG in the S setting is the TCR is far more usable than the S in the R (6 speed box), where it hung onto gears for an eternity which is ok on a long twisting road but around the local drive was a real pain.
Have found in the TCR the DSG (7 speed box) lets me stay in S quite comfortably. The flexibility and fluidity of the moving between D and S and Manual with the lever is excellent and you have adapted to the conditions with a flick on the wrist.
Everyone will have their own preference, the DSG caters for all, so it will soon become intuitive and innate in how use it
Have mine set to individual, with everything on sport except the soundaktor as though cabin is insulated you do still get to hear the Akrpapovic pops and overruns, which by the way from outside are far louder than you think, satisfyingly :)
Was a huge DSG convert after being in the manual is more engaging camp, but these DSG boxes are just so good it would be impossible to go back now.
The scenario you describe above on overtaking is resolved by kick down, there is a felt notch about 1/2 -2/3 down the accelerator pedal that you hit that drops the gears no matter whether in D or S, and as long as not braked, the car will resume the ACC.
So the ACC is semi autonomous, you can accelerate (take over) whenever wish, and car will settle back into the preset MPH once you take the foot off accelerator. braking disables ACC and you have to reset if want to keep using.
As long as not braked the car will resume the ACC
One of the major negatives for me in the MK 8 is the removing of the DSG for a knob thing, as shows VW does not understand drivers, the moving of the lever is a satisfying and tactile action, especially when intent is to go from D to S, thats completely muted by the knob thing.
You will grow to love DSG, in combo with auto hold its the bees knees
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You can also set the ACC sensitivity (distance to detection) by pressing the middle button next to the cruise controls this will shorten/lengthen the distance that the car will detect another vehicle prior to decelerating (top tip) - when you see the car symbol coming up on the dash it is time to pull out and overtake with no reduction in speed.
I am also a DSG convert and coupled with the ACC is a godsend if you spend a significant amount of time on our delightfully crowded motorways :smiley:
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I picked up my Grey Tcr 2 weeks ago coming from a mk7 Gti. I must admit I was going to hangout for a mk8 but then I saw the photos 😣.
So far so good , she’s just back from getting the paintwork detailed and sealed along with the wheels and callipers so looks sooooooo the part !.
One major problem so which has been a pain in the 🤬 , is the Android Auto. Sometime it works for a few minutes, sometimes not at all, it’s a Vw lead and I have tried numerous others with the same results. Relatively new S 10+ so not exactly sure where the problem lies .
I know in the grand scheme it’s not a major problem but has anyone found the same or rectified the problem ?
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Very nice, just joined the TCR club too! have Pure Grey as well but have the 19's. Awesome car and yes getting lots of looks, especially with engine sound in sport mode lol
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Looks stunning and definitely the correct decision to remove the decals, they look tacky. Enjoy the new motor
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Thanks for all the comments everyone.
It has now been about 3 months since I got the car now but due to lockdown, I have barely driven it. I'm not quite at 1000 miles yet! I've been working from home so it's really only been to the shops and back, with a couple of more 'fun' journeys recently as the rules have been relaxed. However, I did kind of give up on 'running in' at about 800 miles and have gradually started to explore the performance of the car. It's quite fast :)
DSG is taking some time to get used to. I've set a custom driving mode with a mix of settings. What I've found works best though is to leave it in D most of the time and pull back to 'S' when I want to go faster or have a more responsive throttle or hold onto gears longer. This seems to cover most bases. Have tried the paddles but can't get to grips with it.
My main problem is trying to stick to speed limits. The car's so capable it hits 60/70mph rather quickly and you can easily be going too fast. Makes it a bit harder to have fun without driving like a complete tool on the road. I do appreciate the extra shove at any speed though!
It's still a bit of a novelty having a new car but with limited time in the car I've not really used many of the features. An example would be the dynamic cruise control, which is pretty cool, but I'm still not 100% sure how to use it properly. There's some scenarios like overtaking on dual carriageway that are difficult if, for instance you're set to 70mph and need to overtake a slower vehicle. The car slows down way before you get to them so you have to pull out and slowly accelerate to get past. I've found it easier to just turn it off and drive the car myself.
Overall, I'm happy that I chose the right car.
I'd like to get some 19" Reifnitz reps from CM Wheels at some point. I'll wait to confirm that I still have a job once the world starts returning to normal before committing to such unnecessary purchases that are hard enough to justify to the other half in the first place, though.
The DSG in the S setting is the TCR is far more usable than the S in the R (6 speed box), where it hung onto gears for an eternity which is ok on a long twisting road but around the local drive was a real pain.
Have found in the TCR the DSG (7 speed box) lets me stay in S quite comfortably. The flexibility and fluidity of the moving between D and S and Manual with the lever is excellent and you have adapted to the conditions with a flick on the wrist.
Everyone will have their own preference, the DSG caters for all, so it will soon become intuitive and innate in how use it
Have mine set to individual, with everything on sport except the soundaktor as though cabin is insulated you do still get to hear the Akrpapovic pops and overruns, which by the way from outside are far louder than you think, satisfyingly :)
Was a huge DSG convert after being in the manual is more engaging camp, but these DSG boxes are just so good it would be impossible to go back now.
The scenario you describe above on overtaking is resolved by kick down, there is a felt notch about 1/2 -2/3 down the accelerator pedal that you hit that drops the gears no matter whether in D or S, and as long as not braked, the car will resume the ACC.
So the ACC is semi autonomous, you can accelerate (take over) whenever wish, and car will settle back into the preset MPH once you take the foot off accelerator. braking disables ACC and you have to reset if want to keep using.
As long as not braked the car will resume the ACC
One of the major negatives for me in the MK 8 is the removing of the DSG for a knob thing, as shows VW does not understand drivers, the moving of the lever is a satisfying and tactile action, especially when intent is to go from D to S, thats completely muted by the knob thing.
You will grow to love DSG, in combo with auto hold its the bees knees
Yeah the 'S' setting is what I'm usually in. Although it's not great at certain speeds, such as 30mph, where it can't decide between gear 2 or 3. I've got used to sticking it in D at slower speeds and then moving to S if I want to accelerate.
The "soundaktor" stuff can only be controlled by plugging into the OBD with an app/software, right? I've yet to hear any pops/bangs from the exhaust but with the windows open all I get is wind noise so who knows! The odd time someone else drives it, it's very loud at slow speeds. Yet to have someone drive past me a bit faster so I can hear it properly.
ACC is fantastic but I find it leaves me a bit distracted, which I don't like. So unless it's a long journey (never is anymore) I just drive it myself.
I do love DSG but it actually makes driving a manual car feel a bit more special, even if it's a crap car! I don't miss it day to day but do find it liberating to drive a manual occasionally. Always want what you can't have!
I picked up my Grey Tcr 2 weeks ago coming from a mk7 Gti. I must admit I was going to hangout for a mk8 but then I saw the photos 😣.
So far so good , she’s just back from getting the paintwork detailed and sealed along with the wheels and callipers so looks sooooooo the part !.
One major problem so which has been a pain in the 🤬 , is the Android Auto. Sometime it works for a few minutes, sometimes not at all, it’s a Vw lead and I have tried numerous others with the same results. Relatively new S 10+ so not exactly sure where the problem lies .
I know in the grand scheme it’s not a major problem but has anyone found the same or rectified the problem ?
Mine is ok most of the time but will randomly disconnect. It's quite annoying actually. I've got an S20. Also it ALWAYS asks if I want to trust the car (bluetooth) for contacts/calls.
And if I accidentally disconnect the phone before switching back to "Radio" (or anywhere other than "App"), I get loads of stuck notifications from Google maps, spotify, etc, which only go away if I reboot the phone.