vw Golf R Mk 7 /7.5
Discussion
Hi all
My first post here....
After selling my Porsche 911 997, I'm intending to look around for a Golf R Mk 7 or 7.5, I just need a little specialist advice on any particular issues with this model, I'm aware its pretty much bullet proof but any advice especially to do with the Haldex unit would be much appreciated. I'm aware that it's quite an exhaustive subject!
I'm aiming for a low mileage example of the 7/7.5 as a few owners have told me it's a better car than the current 8 /8.5, but I realise thats their personal views only, though I have read on other forums that this is a common view.
I would be looking at the DSG drivetrain option.
Thanks in advance.
Dave
My first post here....
After selling my Porsche 911 997, I'm intending to look around for a Golf R Mk 7 or 7.5, I just need a little specialist advice on any particular issues with this model, I'm aware its pretty much bullet proof but any advice especially to do with the Haldex unit would be much appreciated. I'm aware that it's quite an exhaustive subject!
I'm aiming for a low mileage example of the 7/7.5 as a few owners have told me it's a better car than the current 8 /8.5, but I realise thats their personal views only, though I have read on other forums that this is a common view.
I would be looking at the DSG drivetrain option.
Thanks in advance.
Dave
Tony_T said:
You might already be aware but the 7 has the 6 speed DQ250 gearbox and the 7.5 has the 7 speed DQ381 gearbox.
Servicing is 40k miles for the 6 speed and 80k miles for the 7 speed.
Thanks Tony,Servicing is 40k miles for the 6 speed and 80k miles for the 7 speed.
It's a learning curve for me with this model, so any info is much appreciated. I'm researching diligently
Many thanks
Long term owner here 7.5 (for me) 4 years 40k miles.
Car has been faultless, now on 70k miles haldex oil changed twice under my ownership, normal service every year.
Car is unmodified, came from a Cayman 2.7 and the golf is so much more capable, faster and what feels like limitless grip in most conditions with pilot sport 5s.
I would get the 7.5 if you can, looks better imo and has CarPlay, digital dash feels way more up to date.
compared to my Porsche and other German cars I've had in the past the interior quality feels a bit plastic/squeaky/low quality. Its also a very incognito car, general public will just see it as a bog standard golf nothing special which is good but if you want a bit of presence look elsewhere.
spec - Pretoria wheels and leather seats are my must haves, the diamonds cut alloys 18s are not good quality and suffer bad pealing. Mine has radar cruise which is a nice feature I use a lot.
will be moving mine on in the next few months but the car is so good its hard to find something better unless going into Audi RS4/6 - 991.2 territory.
Car has been faultless, now on 70k miles haldex oil changed twice under my ownership, normal service every year.
Car is unmodified, came from a Cayman 2.7 and the golf is so much more capable, faster and what feels like limitless grip in most conditions with pilot sport 5s.
I would get the 7.5 if you can, looks better imo and has CarPlay, digital dash feels way more up to date.
compared to my Porsche and other German cars I've had in the past the interior quality feels a bit plastic/squeaky/low quality. Its also a very incognito car, general public will just see it as a bog standard golf nothing special which is good but if you want a bit of presence look elsewhere.
spec - Pretoria wheels and leather seats are my must haves, the diamonds cut alloys 18s are not good quality and suffer bad pealing. Mine has radar cruise which is a nice feature I use a lot.
will be moving mine on in the next few months but the car is so good its hard to find something better unless going into Audi RS4/6 - 991.2 territory.
Regardless of how deep your pockets are, even a one owner fully serviced car would potentially have been driven as intended.
Took us many months to find a decent one owner used Gti with service history and so far it has been great.
My advice would be to up your budget and get a late as possible 7.5 (20 plate) from a main dealer.
It should come with at least 12 month warranty, or two years if in their PCP Finance (latter depending on offers and dealers?
Dsg gear changes should be smooth and precise, but it’s also advised to take it for a good run to get the gearbox up to temp and it still behaves.
Good luck!
You’re gonna need it.
Took us many months to find a decent one owner used Gti with service history and so far it has been great.
My advice would be to up your budget and get a late as possible 7.5 (20 plate) from a main dealer.
It should come with at least 12 month warranty, or two years if in their PCP Finance (latter depending on offers and dealers?
Dsg gear changes should be smooth and precise, but it’s also advised to take it for a good run to get the gearbox up to temp and it still behaves.
Good luck!
You’re gonna need it.
SDarks said:
Long term owner here 7.5 (for me) 4 years 40k miles.
Car has been faultless, now on 70k miles haldex oil changed twice under my ownership, normal service every year.
Car is unmodified, came from a Cayman 2.7 and the golf is so much more capable, faster and what feels like limitless grip in most conditions with pilot sport 5s.
I would get the 7.5 if you can, looks better imo and has CarPlay, digital dash feels way more up to date.
compared to my Porsche and other German cars I've had in the past the interior quality feels a bit plastic/squeaky/low quality. Its also a very incognito car, general public will just see it as a bog standard golf nothing special which is good but if you want a bit of presence look elsewhere.
spec - Pretoria wheels and leather seats are my must haves, the diamonds cut alloys 18s are not good quality and suffer bad pealing. Mine has radar cruise which is a nice feature I use a lot.
will be moving mine on in the next few months but the car is so good its hard to find something better unless going into Audi RS4/6 - 991.2 territory.
Thanks, thats the advice I'm looking for!Car has been faultless, now on 70k miles haldex oil changed twice under my ownership, normal service every year.
Car is unmodified, came from a Cayman 2.7 and the golf is so much more capable, faster and what feels like limitless grip in most conditions with pilot sport 5s.
I would get the 7.5 if you can, looks better imo and has CarPlay, digital dash feels way more up to date.
compared to my Porsche and other German cars I've had in the past the interior quality feels a bit plastic/squeaky/low quality. Its also a very incognito car, general public will just see it as a bog standard golf nothing special which is good but if you want a bit of presence look elsewhere.
spec - Pretoria wheels and leather seats are my must haves, the diamonds cut alloys 18s are not good quality and suffer bad pealing. Mine has radar cruise which is a nice feature I use a lot.
will be moving mine on in the next few months but the car is so good its hard to find something better unless going into Audi RS4/6 - 991.2 territory.
119 said:
Regardless of how deep your pockets are, even a one owner fully serviced car would potentially have been driven as intended.
Took us many months to find a decent one owner used Gti with service history and so far it has been great.
My advice would be to up your budget and get a late as possible 7.5 (20 plate) from a main dealer.
It should come with at least 12 month warranty, or two years if in their PCP Finance (latter depending on offers and dealers?
Dsg gear changes should be smooth and precise, but it’s also advised to take it for a good run to get the gearbox up to temp and it still behaves.
Good luck!
You’re gonna need it.
Thanks, thats all good adviceTook us many months to find a decent one owner used Gti with service history and so far it has been great.
My advice would be to up your budget and get a late as possible 7.5 (20 plate) from a main dealer.
It should come with at least 12 month warranty, or two years if in their PCP Finance (latter depending on offers and dealers?
Dsg gear changes should be smooth and precise, but it’s also advised to take it for a good run to get the gearbox up to temp and it still behaves.
Good luck!
You’re gonna need it.
Get extended warranty from VW. My second year cost £325. Covers pretty much everything except wearables like clutch. The water pump will need doing at some point if not already done. They also seem to go through top mounts quite quickly. I had both these done under warranty. Haldex service every 20k, just had mine done at Awesome GTI as VW don't clean the gasket, they just change the oil.
Setup individual driving mode to your liking (I highly recommend finding a car with DCC suspension). Then every time you turn the car on, switch from race to open the exhaust valves and back to individual (or keep in race if you like). This opens the exhaust valves and makes the drive more interesting, otherwise it's pretty boring if you ask me. Had mine 2 years now, got the itch for something else but it'd have to be hatch, manual, more than 4 cylinders, but I've already had an M140i.
Setup individual driving mode to your liking (I highly recommend finding a car with DCC suspension). Then every time you turn the car on, switch from race to open the exhaust valves and back to individual (or keep in race if you like). This opens the exhaust valves and makes the drive more interesting, otherwise it's pretty boring if you ask me. Had mine 2 years now, got the itch for something else but it'd have to be hatch, manual, more than 4 cylinders, but I've already had an M140i.
The diff oil isn't due as often as 20k miles, off the top of my head it's about 30k miles every 4 or 5 years (ish).
Excellent car and been very impressed with the other half's she bought in December.
The 7 speed DSG is smooth but f
k me it doesn't half want to get in the highest gear ASAP, to the point it feels like it's on the verge of labouring the engine. The only car I've ever driven where sticking it in sport mode works quite nicely if you're on a twisty road but aren't wanting to change gear manually, it doesn't hold the gears or the revs stupidly high.
Excellent car and been very impressed with the other half's she bought in December.
The 7 speed DSG is smooth but f
k me it doesn't half want to get in the highest gear ASAP, to the point it feels like it's on the verge of labouring the engine. The only car I've ever driven where sticking it in sport mode works quite nicely if you're on a twisty road but aren't wanting to change gear manually, it doesn't hold the gears or the revs stupidly high.119 said:
I don't think you can extend any AUC dealer warranty?
You can get the All in One which provides two services, warranty, breakdown etc for around £1k, but that is only for vehicles under 6 years old or 100k miles.
https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/en/owners-and-services/my-car/warranties.htmlYou can get the All in One which provides two services, warranty, breakdown etc for around £1k, but that is only for vehicles under 6 years old or 100k miles.
Chris_91 said:
119 said:
I don't think you can extend any AUC dealer warranty?
You can get the All in One which provides two services, warranty, breakdown etc for around £1k, but that is only for vehicles under 6 years old or 100k miles.
https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/en/owners-and-services/my-car/warranties.htmlYou can get the All in One which provides two services, warranty, breakdown etc for around £1k, but that is only for vehicles under 6 years old or 100k miles.
119 said:
That’s for new car extended warranties which I guess would include approved used up to 60k miles or three years old none of which will be applicable to the OP.
I've literally got the extended warranty on my 65 plate it's up to 100k miles, age does not matter, nor does it have to be approved used. Jeez...I drive a Hartech 4.1 997 4S and a Mk7 GTi, although mine is a Clubsport S so I can't help with the DSG bit.
DCC is a great option.
Be wary of 19 inch prets, they look great but are prone to damage. I switched mine on the CS to lighter 18 OZ Leggera HLTs and can't believe how much better the ride and handling is (although that may be partly the tyres - SC7s). The prets are tucked away for when I sell it.
In terms of problems: check the thermostat housing, and plastic oil sump pan for signs of leaking.
I reckon the sweet spot would be a Mk7 ED 40 Clubsport (with buckets if you can find one). Closely followed by the 7.5 with performance pack.
I absolutely love my Clubsport S, but expensive and not very practical (2 seats only) for most people. The 997 is my wife's car and my previous "toy" was a GT3, The Golf - and this will sound daft - feels so much better on typical British roads than the GT3, and nearly as much fun at much lower speeds.
I looked at various versions of the 8 and 8.5 but didn't like the in car tech and think the 7/7.5 looks better. It is peak Golf IMO, and I have had a few over the years.
DCC is a great option.
Be wary of 19 inch prets, they look great but are prone to damage. I switched mine on the CS to lighter 18 OZ Leggera HLTs and can't believe how much better the ride and handling is (although that may be partly the tyres - SC7s). The prets are tucked away for when I sell it.
In terms of problems: check the thermostat housing, and plastic oil sump pan for signs of leaking.
I reckon the sweet spot would be a Mk7 ED 40 Clubsport (with buckets if you can find one). Closely followed by the 7.5 with performance pack.
I absolutely love my Clubsport S, but expensive and not very practical (2 seats only) for most people. The 997 is my wife's car and my previous "toy" was a GT3, The Golf - and this will sound daft - feels so much better on typical British roads than the GT3, and nearly as much fun at much lower speeds.
I looked at various versions of the 8 and 8.5 but didn't like the in car tech and think the 7/7.5 looks better. It is peak Golf IMO, and I have had a few over the years.
Edited by Discombobulate on Tuesday 12th August 21:30
Edited by Discombobulate on Tuesday 12th August 21:32
I believe the early 8s also had the front assist issue which as far as I’m aware, is not ‘repairable’.
Eg, problem appears, you can pay for a new steering wheel if out of warranty but the problem comes back after a while.
Something to do with the module in the steering wheel that can’t be ‘upgraded’ to the less problematic version.
Or something like that!
Eg, problem appears, you can pay for a new steering wheel if out of warranty but the problem comes back after a while.
Something to do with the module in the steering wheel that can’t be ‘upgraded’ to the less problematic version.
Or something like that!
Discombobulate said:
I drive a Hartech 4.1 997 4S and a Mk7 GTi, although mine is a Clubsport S so I can't help with the DSG bit.
DCC is a great option.
Be wary of 19 inch prets, they look great but are prone to damage. I switched mine on the CS to lighter 18 OZ Leggera HLTs and can't believe how much better the ride and handling is (although that may be partly the tyres - SC7s). The prets are tucked away for when I sell it.
In terms of problems: check the thermostat housing, and plastic oil sump pan for signs of leaking.
I reckon the sweet spot would be a Mk7 ED 40 Clubsport (with buckets if you can find one). Closely followed by the 7.5 with performance pack.
I absolutely love my Clubsport S, but expensive and not very practical (2 seats only) for most people. The 997 is my wife's car and my previous "toy" was a GT3, The Golf - and this will sound daft - feels so much better on typical British roads than the GT3, and nearly as much fun at much lower speeds.
I looked at various versions of the 8 and 8.5 but didn't like the in car tech and think the 7/7.5 looks better. It is peak Golf IMO, and I have had a few over the years.
I would say a Hartech engined 997.1 or .2 is about the ultimate in that series, mine was a low mileage standard 997.1 and literally the best car I've owned in 46 years of motoring, however there's always room for improvement!
Having sold it now, I'm looking for something that my partner will drive and is that little bit more useable-the 997 was only really a weekend car and never got the intended long drives and road trips that I intended when I first bought it
I'm with you on thinking the Golf's capability on our roads is great, and it will feel just as stable and sticky as the 997, while being more useable and practical.
I've read much criticism of the 8 and 8.5's in car tech and going forward I think the 7/7.5 is the one I'll go for.
Thanks for all your advice and pointers, much appreciated!
DCC is a great option.
Be wary of 19 inch prets, they look great but are prone to damage. I switched mine on the CS to lighter 18 OZ Leggera HLTs and can't believe how much better the ride and handling is (although that may be partly the tyres - SC7s). The prets are tucked away for when I sell it.
In terms of problems: check the thermostat housing, and plastic oil sump pan for signs of leaking.
I reckon the sweet spot would be a Mk7 ED 40 Clubsport (with buckets if you can find one). Closely followed by the 7.5 with performance pack.
I absolutely love my Clubsport S, but expensive and not very practical (2 seats only) for most people. The 997 is my wife's car and my previous "toy" was a GT3, The Golf - and this will sound daft - feels so much better on typical British roads than the GT3, and nearly as much fun at much lower speeds.
I looked at various versions of the 8 and 8.5 but didn't like the in car tech and think the 7/7.5 looks better. It is peak Golf IMO, and I have had a few over the years.
I would say a Hartech engined 997.1 or .2 is about the ultimate in that series, mine was a low mileage standard 997.1 and literally the best car I've owned in 46 years of motoring, however there's always room for improvement!
Having sold it now, I'm looking for something that my partner will drive and is that little bit more useable-the 997 was only really a weekend car and never got the intended long drives and road trips that I intended when I first bought it
I'm with you on thinking the Golf's capability on our roads is great, and it will feel just as stable and sticky as the 997, while being more useable and practical.
I've read much criticism of the 8 and 8.5's in car tech and going forward I think the 7/7.5 is the one I'll go for.
Thanks for all your advice and pointers, much appreciated!
Edited by Discombobulate on Tuesday 12th August 21:30
Edited by Discombobulate on Tuesday 12th August 21:32
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