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Hey guys! This week, after 9 years of driving it, I sold my 2001 Jetta TDI and bought a 2012 GTI. Holy poo poo what a difference, the car is amazing. However, I've got a question about how I should be driving it due to 9 years of driving a diesel and being new to a 6-speed manual. With the TDI, I shifted to keep the engine close to 2000rpm (except when accelerating, obviously) to prevent lugging the engine, plus the car seemed to want to be driven at that rpm so power is always available when I stepped on it. Obviously things are different with the GTI - gas engine, 6 gears, but still turbocharged. The manual recommends a "3rd gear at 30km/h, 4th gear at 40km/h, etc" rule of thumb, and the MFD alerts me that I can shift up depending on speed, etc. How should I be driving? Is it "bad" to stomp on it when I'm cruising around at ~1400rpm in 5th/6th gear? Any tips/suggestions would be appreciated!
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Aug 10, 2012 15:21
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 19:16 |
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veedubfreak posted:If it's brand new, you want to be gentle with it until it's warm, then pretty much beat on it constantly for the first 5000 or so. The 2.0t is a much higher revving engine than the TDI, it tends to start pulling around 2800 and will pull all the way to 6500. 3k is usually the sweet spot. 2500 if you are just cruising and want to stay out of the boost for mileage. Cool, thanks. I'm all paranoid about mileage since I know the GTI won't be as good as the diesel so I've been watching the consumption MFD display as I drive... I have to stop doing that since I keep scaring the crap out of myself when I step on it and see it shoot up to 30L/100km  It's impressive to see it drop down to 6L/100km or so around town when I'm just cruising along in 5th/6th though. I'm assuming mileage will improve as the car breaks itself in?It is brand new - it had 133km on it when I picked it up. It's an awesome car, definitely a huge step up from the Jetta in just about every aspect. I wanted a sunroof and since there were such good deals to be had for the 2012 models I had to choose from what was on the lot and ended up getting a car with the luxury leather package to get the sunroof. Not complaining, the seats are amazing.
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Aug 10, 2012 17:51
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I went with the 4-door with my 2012 GTI. I wanted the practicality and I actually do think the car looks better with 4 doors. To each his own though  The leather sport seats are amazing and I've gotten compliments on them from just about everybody. I didn't get a chance to check out the plaid cloth seats before I bought mine since I kinda wanted leather anyway and it just worked out.Just got back from a weekend road trip around Nova Scotia and goddamn this car drives so nice on the highway. Agreed that 1st gear is a bit jerky if you're shifting < 3000rpm and yeah I kinda wish 6th was taller too, but oh well, right?
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Aug 13, 2012 00:35
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I've realized I've been doing the engine break-in period a bit wrong, I gotta get off the gas pedal a bit I think Oh well, seeing redline a handful of times in 2nd and 3rd gear probably won't really cause too many problems. I also used cruise control for ~30km on the weekend. Question about first oil change - the guy at the VW dealership said don't come in for an oil change the first scheduled maintenance at 15k km - really??
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Aug 13, 2012 12:46
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I'm not sure if this question belongs here or in the winter tire thread, but I'll start here since it's particular to my car. I've got a 2012 GTI with 225/45 17" wheels/tires, and I'm looking to buy winter tires. I'm wondering if I will have any issues if I run a smaller (16") skinnier tire for winter - using the tire size calculator on miata.net it looks like 205/55R16 and 195/60R16 are pretty close to matching my 17" summer tires. I'm leaning towards the 205/55 size. Anything I need to know? Thanks!
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Oct 23, 2012 13:05
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Stupid question - should I be checking the oil level (dipstick) when the car is cold (e.g. hasn't been driven for a day) or after driving it? It's a 2012 GTI. I noticed an oil puddle in my driveway and I'm trying to figure out if it's my car or my wife's car. I checked the oil in the GTI after I drove it around the block (shuffling cars around in the driveway) after it had been sitting outside for a day and it looked low - just under the start of the hatch marks - but after driving it to the store and back, which warmed the car up, the oil level is now showing in the middle of the hatch marks. Also, I've noticed a raspy hiss noise (kind of like a boost leak) if I accelerate moderately when the car isn't fully warmed up. Does the CPU limit the amount of boost in this situation and blows off excess? I haven't noticed the sound once the car is warmed up, even if I floor it. There's only 5000km on the car and I'm being paranoid
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Dec 10, 2012 00:42
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Shellman posted:Woo, I have a car that fits in a thread now. My 2012 GTI has the Kessy system and I can start the car, then get out and walk away and the car still runs. I haven't tried locking the car after starting it and leaving though. Does the car turn off as soon as you try to lock it?
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Dec 11, 2012 13:53
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Shellman posted:Nah, it sounds like the GLI behaves the same way, but pressing lock does nothing. Maybe its because this is my first modern car, but I'm a little leery of leaving it running unlocked, even without the key in it. Yeah I know the feeling. I've only done it when somebody else has been in the car and I'm running into a store for a sec, or if the car's in my driveway.
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Dec 11, 2012 16:01
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chutwig posted:You'll hate yourself a lot less if you use Bluetooth audio for audio playback and get a USB car charger to plug the iPhone cable into. The MDI interface is poo poo poo poo poo poo and slow slow slow. A couple of months ago I was looking around online for info regarding the MDI interface, since I find it really slow as well, and I find it often either outputs no sound or starts playing a song and after 5-10 seconds, the sound cuts out. Same thing if I leave the phone plugged in when I stop the car and then start it again with it still plugged in. Apparently the dealer can flash the firmware to fix this issue as well as make the interface way more responsive. I'm going to ask about it when I have to take the car in for service (not for awhile yet). Do you find the bluetooth audio quality is pretty good? Also, when using bluetooth, the only way to control what's playing is through the phone, right?
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Dec 14, 2012 14:41
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Oh man, I'd love bluetooth remote control from the screen or steering wheel controls in my GTI. That plus a night mode option are the only 2 things I want added to my stock head unit.
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Apr 22, 2014 21:07
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Uthor posted:It's not a rough idle, per se. Every once in a while when idling, I'll feel a little jerk, but the tachometer stays dead still. It's been that way since new. When I looked into it, the consensus was bad coil packs and VW went through many revisions of them since then. I supposedly now have the fixed ones, but it still does it sometimes. I saw some Internet chatter that the ones from the R8 fix the issue. My 2012 GTI does this, did it since it was brand new when I drove it off the dealer lot. Seems strange that it'd be carbon buildup that early in the car's life but who knows. Seems to be a pretty common issue based on my internet research. Some people say it's the coilpacks but others say they replaced them and had no change.
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May 20, 2014 20:36
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2012 GTI 6-speed here, bought it new. Aside from routine maintenance, it's only been in for service once when I had a misfire and CEL and the dealer replaced two injectors under warranty. When it was in last year for routine stuff the tech noticed it was hard to shift into 3rd sometimes (not often, but I had noticed as well) and found a broken spring on the pressure plate; they replaced that under warranty too. Warranty is up in August, might have to look into getting it chipped, there's an APR dealer around here. I love the car, I'll keep it for awhile.
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May 7, 2016 01:35
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I've got a service dilemma here... my 2012 GTI (6-speed) is at 55k km and is due for an oil change; it's been a year, and I don't quite drive 15k km per year. My warranty is also about to expire (bought new in 2012, with a 4yr/80k km warranty). Do I get the oil changed and go back in 5k km for the 60k service, or do I get the 60k service done now in case they find something while I still have warranty? edit: The 60k service includes an oil change and is likely sold at a package price from the dealer, so if I get the oil changed now and do the 60k service in 5k km, I'll likely end up with another oil change (not necessarily a bad thing, but a bit of a waste). tropical fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Aug 4, 2016 |
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Aug 4, 2016 19:10
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NoWake posted:It's due for an oil change after a year regardless of miles, I'd get it done. Especially if your low mileage is due to a short commute that doesn't let the engine get fully up to temp. No harm in getting the 60k service early, just keep track of the km's so you have it in mind for the next interval. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. My 15k/30k/45k services were all done at the year mark instead of the mileage mark but each time the gap from the car's mileage to the maintenance interval has widened a bit more.
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Aug 5, 2016 00:33
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So, uh, a local gas station car wash ended up blowing the gas cover door clean off of my 2012 GTI. Like, the door part snapped right off the hinge. I'm going to check around some local indie VW garages and see if any of them have a spare in carbon steel grey and then I'll try to replace it myself. I've been looking around online for removal/installation instructions but haven't had any luck... can anybody help me out?
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Aug 22, 2016 17:54
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interwhat posted:Is the hinge part still intact? The painted door part basically just clips onto the fuel door assembly. If the hinge part is broken and you still have the painted part, you could pick up a door assembly and slap the painted part back on It broke, cleanly, off the hinge.
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Aug 22, 2016 19:18
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Sounds good, I'll pick up some JB Weld tomorrow and give it a shot. It'd be nice to at least have the door in place while I source replacement parts. Thanks guys!
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Aug 23, 2016 02:03
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BlackMK4 posted:I'd JB Weld that poo poo. tropical posted:Sounds good, I'll pick up some JB Weld tomorrow and give it a shot. It'd be nice to at least have the door in place while I source replacement parts. Thanks guys! JB Weld worked great! Thanks again.
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Aug 24, 2016 17:25
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 19:16 |
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veedubfreak posted:Never realized those things were so brittle. I always assumed someone had tried to steal gas. What kind of car wash managed to do that anyway. Drive-through car wash at the Esso station down the street. The automatic kind with the sprayers that go around the car, then then timed air blowers at the end to help dry the car off. The gas cover actually broke in two phases and I probably should have known better. A couple of months ago, I went through this car wash and I was driving really slowly the air blower phase when I heard a loud snap and saw in the passenger side mirror that the gas cover had been pulled open and actually flipped backwards so it was parallel to the side of the car. At this point, it was still attached, but the plastic connection to the hinge had started to go. Then, last weekend, I went through the same car wash again with the intention of just skipping the blower phase by driving through and leaving, but the water sprayer actually pulled the cover completely off. My guess is that they've got the air and water pressure cranked up to the max. I won't be using that car wash again.
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Aug 26, 2016 14:48
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