VW GTI (All styles)

upstatedoc · January 2008

Good Lord! I just took a look at that link you provided about someone adding bluetooth to their VW. That guy must be an electrician! I wouldn't attempt anything like that for fear of frying some of my GTI's circuitry. I wonder if my dealer would install an aftermarket kit...

verdugo · January 2008

Yeap. That's why I just bought a bluetooth headset. Less headaches and a lot cheaper.

gti97 · January 2008

My daughter has a 98 Golf GTI and as of late, the lights have been working intermittently. Sometimes when I start the car, the ABS light on the dash goes on, as well as the brake light (the brake is off). When these two lights are on, the automatic run lights as well as the lights themselves do not work. This has been happening intermittently, even while driving down the road in the dark and the lights will all of the sudden go off. Does anyone have any clue to what this might be? Thanks for any input.

upstatedoc · January 2008

Bought my '08 GTI first week of December, just got my "Fast" in the mail today. Not really sure what to make of it. Looks like some kind of a mutant devil bunny. I don't suppose an officer would find it amusing if I got pulled over and it was belted into the passenger seat. :P

young_vehicle · January 2008

Hi guys,

I am planning to buy a new GTI 2008 soon with the following options: 4dr, DSG, Autobahn Package, Navigation w/ iPod adapter, and Rear airbags.

How much would it cost OTD? Its invoice price is about $28,000 and dealer's quote was its invoice before TTL. What do you guys think about this deal?

Thanks for your input in advance.

jusben1369 · January 2008

Guys,

Just be wary if you start buying cars that have been on the lot too long they might actually be prior year models. Ie - a 07. In that case, you'll need a decent discount to offset the fact that used cars lose value with each "Year" that they are going backwards. So, your car might only be 24 months old and with 20 000 miles but if it's a 05 vs a 06 the 06 is always able to get more. Make sense?

Justin

jlaszlo · February 2008

Looking at purchasing a 2006 GTI, package 2, 18" wheels and navi. Three questions...

Does anybody have any experience using a rear facing child safety seat in the 2-door GTI? Is it livable or am I risking tight room for occupants and frustration getting the seat in and out?

How is the navi/stereo?

Any things I need to be on the look out for on the used GTIs? This one has 26,000 miles.

Thanks

98jettadc · February 2008

i've owned my 2006 GTI since March 2006...

1. i have no experience with a child seat.

2. in my opinion, the nav and stereo are both very good. there could be more bass, but overall they are very well integrated, easy to use, and the system sounds good.

my only complaints are:
- i got the low-profile tires and the horribly-potholed roads in Washington DC have forced me to replace three tires, so far. in all, they cost ~$300 each from the dealer to replace.
- plastic parts are coming off the inside of the car at an alarming rate. both front seat seatbelt clasps have fallen apart and i'm not even sure where some of the other plastic parts are from.

otherwise, i love the car.
hope that helps.

gti2008 · February 2008

Hi All,
there are 2 light bulb inside the GTI headlight, the right one is for low-beam, DRL. Can some tell me what the left light bulb is for? how and when it will turn on?

thanks.

upstatedoc · February 2008

That's an interesting question, just like the phone button on the steering wheel. Those are the "passing lights" which only engage when the car is parked! I experimented w/ the lights and found that when the car is in gear, the high beams flash when you pull the left stalk towards you. However, when the car is parked and the lights are turned off, pulling the left stalk towards you turns these lights on. The DRL function on the car must override the passing lights.

gti2008 · February 2008

thx for your reply!
I will try it out when I have the chance, thanks again.

tabran · February 2008

I have a 2006 GTI w/26,000 miles. Check the tires, as I just had to replace all of mine--and, as alluded to in someone's previous post, it wasn't cheap.

-T

blueguydotcom · March 2008

Must be nice to 26k miles out of a set of performance tires. Dang. I'd expect 13-17k out of a set.

bug4 · March 2008

I have a technical question --- I drove a 4-door 08 GTI over the weekend with the fancy paddle shifters. How on earth does that car produce so much toque and horse power? I had three adults in the car with luggage. The car had absolutely no problem cruising up relatively steep hills, at 70-80mph, without ever shifting out of high gear.......HOW???? I have a new 08 Accord and the GTI absolutely puts it to shame. I realize the GTI is probably lighter -- and maybe thats the only difference. But, the GTI acts like it has a V8 under the hood. I was SOOOOO impressed? Is it the turbo?

blueguydotcom · March 2008

2.0T - two liter turbo. It produces 207 ft-lbs of torque at about 1800 rpm to 5000 rpm. An 08 Accord with a 4 cylinder makes 161 ft-lbs at 4300 rpm. The two vehicles weight is about 100-150 lbs apart.

40 ft-lbs is a big jump. That 2.0T engine is very nice...that's the reason it's in the GTI, Jetta, Passat, Eos, A4, A3, TT and upcoming Tiguan.

upstatedoc · March 2008

Thanks for crunching the numbers blueguy, I didn't realize the two's weight were so close. It's definitely the turbo, I owned a '94 Golf w/ the naturally aspirated 2.0 liter which produced a whopping 105 hp. The two vehicles are night and day. I compare my '08 GTI to my previous '05 Acura TL when it comes to performance. The torque in the GTI is so readily available throughout the tachometer while you had to wait until around 4k rpm for the TL's grunt to kick in. I still miss sometimes the ungodly sounds the TL would make when you really wringed it out. Oh well, had to trade it for AWD due to the TL's poor snow performance.

exit123 · March 2008

How's the reliability of the MkV GTI? I've seen some nightmare stories about VWs poor reliability. How about the DSG?

upstatedoc · March 2008

The latest Consumer Report's ratings look pretty favorable as compared to the Mark IV. I have 600 miles on mine without a complaint! (go figure) I have the 6MT so I couldn't comment on the DSG.

exit123 · March 2008

I really like the GTI but I keep reading these horror stories about expensive repairs and poor reliability for VWs. I can just imagine spending like $3000 for clutch rebuild with 60K miles on a DSG.

verdugo · March 2008

I thought DSG's didn't have clutches? :confuse:

blueguydotcom · March 2008

They have two.

kyfdx · March 2008

I'm guessing that repairs of the DSG will be like most automatic transmissions... They'll just swap it out for a rebuilt unit...

I don't really see them breaking down a DSG unit..

blueguydotcom · March 2008

Every time I drive our car with DSG it feels a bit odd to me. Especially when the car just starts to move as it almost feels like a slipping clutch. Creepy.

verdugo · March 2008

Thanks. You learn something new everyday.

dboswell · March 2008

Does anyone know how to install a sealt belt guide on a 330Ci? Any help would be appreciated.

autoboy16 · April 2008

I think I found a steal, but its quite a bit away so I haven't seen it in person yet. Its a 5MT 1.8T with alloy rims, heated leather seats, sunroof, ect. 45k miles and $8,500

I would like to know:
If it has more than 2cup holders. Its an odd question, but on some Mondays, I take my friend home usually totaling 3-4 (including driver) people. Sometimes we stop for a bite to eat and in my current car, I have two of the smallest useless cupholders now. I already know about the 2 up front above the stereo, but are there any more?

Also, does the 1.8T 5MT have a place to store the rear headrests when folding the rear seat? I know the Touareg has holes when you flip the seat bottoms up for each head rest... Plus like many people, If there isn't anyone back there, I'll take them off.

Finally, I live Down south, land of the humid, heat, and mosquitoes (but fortunately its all flat land :P

). Does the MKIV have a good A/C system?My current car takes 15-20minutes to cool down and I HATE THAT, so I drive with my windows down alot. Same with heat in winter (my reason for wanting heated seats). I'll need the rear wiper alot on cold humid mornings... Is it any good?

-Cj

ghetdo1 · April 2008

I just wanted to give my 2 cents on my new GTI. Hopefully, I can address some of the questions from the previous posts.

I got my 2008 GTI in December of last year (grey, 4 doors, DSG, sunroof, and 17" rims with all-season tires) and have about 6600 miles on it so far. I am very impressed with the driving and dynamics of this car. The strengths of this car is not straight-line acceleration (0-60 is est. at 6.5s, not bad, but not screaming either), but handling and stability. One of my favorite things to do is drop a couple of gears while coming out of a ramp and gunning it - very exhilarating. Speaking of gears, I eventually got used to driving with the DSG. It is a nearly flawless transmission, with smooth upshifts and downshifts. The only quirky thing about it is that it is jerky at low speeds, especially when you're coasting. Otherwise, give it some gas and go!

Despite the great dynamics, there are a few minor annoyances with the car. First, there are some rattles in the interior. This usually occurs if I'm driving over some bumps or rough roads, which could be a little jarring due to the stiff suspension. There's also a knocking sound coming from the rear hatch, especially when I'm iddle. I will address it with the dealer at the 10k service. On the lines of noise and vibration, the sunroof can be very noisy, even at the "comfort" setting. Also, when the sunroof is open, the vanity lights/sunglasses holder area vibrate quite a bit.

I recently took the GTI on a ski trip, and the handling on light snow and ice is very good (obviously, you have to drive with great care). The same goes for wet traction. The only time it got stuck was in the driveway of the ski lodge, where about 4-5 inches of fresh snow was unplowed. Otherwise, I'm very impressed with the car and Continental tires.

Overall, driving the GTI is a joy and look forward to it all the time. I average about 24 mpg around town and 28-31 mpg on the highway. It's difficult to keep the mpg high because I'm always tempted to drive it hard.

ghetdo1 · April 2008

Try to negotiate for below invoice, couldn't hurt. I got mine for slightly below invoice after some haggling. The more expensive the package (like your car), the further the dealer's willing to go down.

upstatedoc · April 2008

Have a few more miles on the GTI now that the nice weather is here to stay, just turned 1k yesterday. And to mark the occasion i got a flat tire. :sick:

Ran over something as there was a 2-3 mm hole just on the border between the tread and side wall on the inside of the tire

Local garage plugged it and said it probably won't cause any problems.

I asked him " It's not going to blow out at 100 mph is it"?

He said " No, but if this was a state police vehicle (he services the local chapter) he would have to replace it". So it's safe enough for me but not for my neighborhood officer?

rv65 · April 2008

Not too many changes. Aux in is standard. Options are unchanged except for the navigation system. The current navigation system is being dropped in favor of an all new Touch Screen system. The New navigation system has a 30 GB hard drive which stores music and navigation. 10 GB for navigation and 20 GB for music. The maps are preloaded on to the Hard drive. Firmware upgradeable. Maps can be updated through DVD's. The new navigation system is bluetooth capable. The navigation system is called the RNS-510 and is out in Europe already. Also the navigation system will come with a CD changer or MDI. It supports real time Sirius Traffic in the US version.

MDI is a new Media Interface that does aux in, USB, or iPod. It uses a special harness so it can show song titles over the can bus. Even shows song data in the MFI. US models only get the USB cable but for iPod you will need the iPod specific cable. I'm sure European web sites will sell it like Kufatec.

A PZEV version will be available in PZEV states.

The new RNS-510 is retrofittable for those 2006-2008 owners. Requires a sirius extension cord so you can plug in your factory antenna. You can ditch the factory sirius tuner. Antenna adaptors are needed. Also a retrofit kit will be avaliable as an accessory. Requires VAG-Com, VAS, or VCDS programming for those with an amplifier sound system.

Warranty has changed. Now it's 3 year/36k warranty with free 10, 20k, and 30k service intervals. Powertrain is unchanged. Thats the only bad news.

All in all it's mostly unchanged from what I can get in the uncomplete leaked dealer guide.

gogogodzilla · May 2008

I thought the warranty was changed only for new car purchases. That anyone who had previously bought a VW prior to the announcement was still covered under the old 4-year warranty (but had to pay for regular servicing).

rv65 · May 2008

Thats probably what I meant. All 09 VW's get the new warranty. I think warranty switching is illegal.

rv65 · May 2008

Navigation models get the MDI which has full iPod integration.

4F0 051 510 E

This is the part number for the iPod cable. With this cable you get full integration when using the MDI. The cable costs around 67 USD. Anybody getting the factory navigation and have a halfway decent iPod with a dock connector should get this. No iPod shuffle compatibility though. This only applies to 09 models with the RNS-510 or retrofitted ones.

The RNS-510 can be installed on 06-08 models. 09 models without navigation can have it installed as well.

rv65 · May 2008

Bluetooth is coming for 09. It should be avaliable within 6 months. It will integrate with the multi function steering wheel and the MFI computer. It also has RNS-510 integration as well. Will also be avaliable as a retrofit option for 06-08 owners.

rv65 · May 2008

I guess the 09 GTI will use the revised 2.0L TSI engine. The TSI engine is actually a revised version of the current engine.

rv65 · May 2008

The new TSI engine is not the twincharged engine used in Europe. It's actually a revised 2.0T engine. Same specs but slightly different. The TSI engine has no timing belt which means it uses a chain. It's also PZEV compliant in PZEV states. Will be interesting to see how the 09 VW's pan out with that new warranty.

rv65 · May 2008

See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

Check this new body kit coming out for 09. Comes with the front end, exhaust tips, sport sidestill extensions, and rear bumper. Might be too ugly for some. Should be retrofittable for those who have 06-08 models. Even 09's without could have it.

sidds1601 · July 2008

hi ghetdo,

Can u pls tell me how much u bought ue GTi for? U said u got it below invoice!!!! WOW! if you can tell me the exact options and everything tht would be great as I am trying to buy a 2008 GTI.

blueguydotcom · July 2008

VW also has 60-72 months 0% on the GTI. The dealers are essentially giving them away.

kyfdx · July 2008

The dealers are essentially giving them away.

Now.. that's my kind of deal!! :P

sidds1601 · July 2008

What do you mean by essentially giving them away? You mean below or at invoice? I need ur help man...Anybody knows if anyone got to buy it below invoice?
Also I heard that moonroof retain their full value even after a couple of years when you go sell the car...what do u guys think?

blueguydotcom · July 2008

I mean 0% interest for 60 months and at or near invoice is pretty much giving the car away.

I have no idea what the resale is like though.

rv65 · July 2008

2009 models get an option bluetooth kit. However you can have it installed at the dealer. Part number for this kit is 1K0 051 437. Has to be installed at the dealer for now. Takes about 1 to 2 hours to install this thing depending on the tech installing it. The kit provides all the useful bluetooth features and the MFD gets the hidden telephone menu. Should cost about 300 to 350 USD minus installation.

clayh · July 2008

Parrott makes the kit, you can find it on line for about $249.00 (what I paid 6 months ago). Took my dealer less than an hour, but is partly since I'm happy with the microphone sitting in the crevice behind steering wheel. Basically a plug and go item. If you want, that is a good time to upgrade. I had the dealer take the plastic trim off, then had it sprayed at a local shop. Also ordered the tray insert for the dash.

URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/callmeclay]callmeclay[/URL] at 2008-07-30

blueguydotcom · July 2008

Really, how tacky of VW. They offer BT in europe, so why not a real BT option here?

rv65 · July 2008

This is not the parrot kit. This is the new OEM kit that is just starting to come into dealers. The parrot kit doesn't have the telephone menu that requires programming.

rv65 · July 2008

I just mentioned this new kit. 1K0 051 437 is the part number for it. This is the new USA bluetooth kit that is made by Nokia or some other company. Some people just don't get that a new USA kit is coming out. You could also use the European part number 1Z0 035 729 but thats way too expensive. They also have an even more expensive and not as compatible premium kit which acts like a cell phone. Uses the rSAP profile on certain cell phones and works like an in car cell phone. It can only work in Europe though since it only runs on 900/1900 MHz which T-Mobile and AT&T don't use. The premium bluetooth does have HFP and some really interesting bluetooth profiles. Hope this helps.

bc6152 · July 2008

My son has a 2007 GTI. One of the taillight bulbs burned out and he was charged over $30.00 to CHANGE THE BULB! I was apalled at the charge and want to know how to open the light and switch the bulb out. Additionally, he tried to check the air filter but couldn't find it. Any help for this young man?

jb_shin · July 2008

That is funny, I just overheard a conversation at a service station this morning of someone asking to have a rear light bulb replaced. Quote was about 20 minutes and $35 or something like that, so it looks like that is not unusual.

Your son should crack open the Owner's Manual, which would have saved him some money and learn about basic maintenance.

clayh · July 2008

Owner's manual always first, secondly, 'google', third is to buy, used if possible, Chiltern's manual. They always pay for themselves.

VW GTI (All styles)

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