I’m in the same position - see my wanted post in the sales section.
The ride on the 19’s isn’t too bad in my book but I’m sure it will be better (and handle better) on 18’s. I really like the Milton Keynes (Austins are for Mk7s aren’t they?) standard 7.5 alloys so am on the look out for some. Not to use all the time but to have for winter or track day use. Mint Brescias are worth quite a lot I think, probably at least 25% more than the Milton Keynes. A dealer local to me has a few sets of Brescias for around £1500 (with tyres).
My personal thoughts on the warranty are that if the wheels are OEM to the Golf then surely it can’t make any difference whatsoever. Maybe aftermarket ones could but only if they were deemed to have caused the fault. I can’t see how for example fitting different wheels would void the warranty of say the electric windows or a water pump failure.
The GTD 18” wheels would be an option if you like them, they seem to be a bit cheaper and are definitely more plentiful.
The standard 18” alloys on the GTI are known as Milton Keynes in some sales territories; in the UK they’re known as Parker.
If I was looking for a set of alloys primarily for winter use, I personally wouldn’t be considering diamond cut Parker’s because of the generally poor durability of the diamond cut finish. The UK’s winter road conditions with the roads covered in salt, grit and slush aren’t kind to diamond cut alloys, unless you like the white worm corrosion look for your alloys. Some aftermarket alloy wheel retailers websites specifically filter out diamond cut alloys if you refine your wheel search to ‘winter wheels’, because of their poor durability and susceptibility to cosmetic damage.
I agree that I non-OEM alloys should only really be a warranty issue if a warranty claim can be directly attributed to the fitment of the non-OEM alloys. However, it’s always worth checking the small print of the warranty.
@jon87; not surprisingly, with VW’s Approved Used warranty being an insurance based product covering sudden electrical and mechanical failures, the actual wheels and tyres are excluded (‘What is not covered’ section on page 10). However, there’s an ‘interesting’ exclusion on page 11
‘This cover does not cover any injury, failure, loss or damage caused by, arising from or in connection with
vehicles modified in any way from the manufacturer’s original specification’.
That suggests that VW could decline
any claim under their Approved Used warranty if a vehicle has been modified, irrespective of whether or not the modification is the cause of the electrical / mechanical failure. IMHO that seems very harsh and I wonder if anyone has ever challenged that exclusion from a legal perspective; i.e. is it fair and does it satisfy the test of reasonableness?
Presumably that means modifications that are as per VW’s original spec wouldn’t be excluded. So if someone fitted a set of aftermarket alloy wheels to their car that are the same spec (e.g. diameter, width, offset, PCD) as the OEM factory fitted alloys, then presumably the exclusion wouldn’t apply.
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