40000 mile report

[james_tiger_woo]

I'm here - I've made it - I'm at 40000 miles in 20 months, a modest 2k a month which doesn't seem excessive (well, not to me anyway) - I did 800 miles in a week 2 weeks ago too.

The car has been pretty good - I've had a few niggles, which have been documented, so I won't bore you with that - And I won't go over anything that I've covered before as this is more like an "executive summary".

The car is still a nice place to be and be around.

Average MPG has increased - Over the past 3279.4 miles, it's been 51.13 (actual) which is better than it was a year ago (3082 @ 47.64). I can attribute this to a combination of light footedness and much use of early shift ups and cruise control - Not all the time, I might add. 2000-2200 seem to be the best "max" revs for economy.

Performance is still nice - 3rd and 4th pull away is very, very nice - keep the turbo on song and it's quick - outside of that range, it's predictable. Driven "hard" will produce entertainment (although when I did this near a Bentley - not racing him though, I didn't notice he was behind me when I joined the M180 - I did notice that a 140 diesel golf can be made to appear like a child's toy in comparison - never saw him again either so he was in a hurry!)

Road noise has been eradicated by the new tyres, but I've not solved the underlying problem as I've not been in to the dealership yet.

Costs (to the lease company anyway) haven't been too bad - 3 services at £100 for the first, about £100 for the second and I don't know for the 3rd (so much for long life) and 6 tyres (about £1000).

My main niggle is seating comfort - the steering doesn't reach/rake far enough and, following on from my OH driving the car, I can't get comfortable again - either the seat's too low (resulting in a sore back), too high (sore calves), too near (sore knee) or too far (combination of the above) - It's almost comical as I can notch the seat forward/back/up/down and feel the soreness going from one part of me and migrating to another. However, when I have (eventually) gotten comfortable, it's fine (which is just when the OH then drives the car).

The other niggle are the wing mirrors which seem to suck great, big, dirty water droplets out of the air and glue them to the mirror glass so that you just can't bloody see - the OH's Honda doesn't do this and I've noticed that the Golf has a nack for it...

The rear N/S window creaks on its way down, but it's not used much so I'm currently ignoring that particular noise - and the parcel shelf "balls" seem to fall audibly about a lot.

I also don't like how the rear seats don't fold flat which is not a huge thing, but annoying nonetheless. And the less said about the headrests not moving backwards and forwards, the better - it's a bloody nuisance....

The OH hates the seats which is, sometimes, a bonus as this limits her driving of it :) - The bolsters cause her some bother, but I like them as they help make you feel settled in the car - The Honda has none which is annoying.

Driving the car is still pleasant - It's solid on the road and grips nicely while happily telling you **just** where the limit is.

It's currently looking a bit of a state - the front, lower, grille is still missing (it's not too noticeable TBH) and it's filthy as I've not washed it for (ahem) a while.

It is practical - a little bit of jiggery-pockery and the pushchair (which nowadays lives in the boot) has gone in lengthways, limiting its intrusion, which has meant that a goodly amount will go in to the boot. I still miss the number of pockets and slots from my Passat, but I'm coping better now :)

I still get people telling me it's a nice looking car, which is always nice :D

I like it, I still do - Do I wish I had the Match over my GT.... Not sure - it'd have to depend on the seats - I love the GT's supportive seats :)

ETA - I've just noticed that I did the 30k report 4 months ago ! Eep !!

[percymon]

Another great running report.

I know you've repeatedly highlighted the wing mirror issue - i get it to a certain extent but only one or two drops about 8mm diameter -hardly much of an issue. I do notice when driving in rain the droplets dancing around towards the outer edge of the mirror, so perhaps the angle of the mirror has some effect on the slipstream and turbulence across the mirror glass ?.

I noticed this morning i'm 4k off my next service - which should make it just about the turn of the year. I'll be asking to move to long-life this time round - two services in 13 months seems a bit silly to stay on T&D.

[Gerryf]

Excellent balanced assessment of your Golf JTW.

Hope you enjoy a lot more miles together :)

[james_tiger_woo]

I know you've repeatedly highlighted the wing mirror issue - i get it to a certain extent but only one or two drops about 8mm diameter -hardly much of an issue. I do notice when driving in rain the droplets dancing around towards the outer edge of the mirror, so perhaps the angle of the mirror has some effect on the slipstream and turbulence across the mirror glass ?.

It's probably down to the amount of miles I do in that I notice it more - I guess.... It really hinders the ability to see behind you - not so bad when it's dry, but in the wet or at dusk, etc - it's a real PITA.

[Keithuk]

I also don't like how the rear seats don't fold flat which is not a huge thing, but annoying nonetheless.
Yes the rear seat not folding flat has been talked about on numerious forums which is a bad design feature to me. I haven't found that a great problem at the moment as I haven't had to transport large bulky objects.

As for the seats I find them very comfortable but its only me that drives it. You would have car that has electric seats that remember each drivers position. ;)

[percymon]

It's probably down to the amount of miles I do in that I notice it more - I guess.... It really hinders the ability to see behind you - not so bad when it's dry, but in the wet or at dusk, etc - it's a real PITA.


Well mine lives outside, and i'm doing 1400 miles a month typically, lots of that dual carriageways. I commute past Celtic Manor every day, and those that saw the Ryder Cup know its not the driest of places lol! Mines not been washed for 3 weeks, so at least 900 miles.

Have you tried Rain-X on the glass ? - it might help.

[james_tiger_woo]

Well mine lives outside, and i'm doing 1400 miles a month typically, lots of that dual carriageways. I commute past Celtic Manor every day, and those that saw the Ryder Cup know its not the driest of places lol! Mines not been washed for 3 weeks, so at least 900 miles.

Have you tried Rain-X on the glass ? - it might help.

I'm not sure as mine lives outside and my journey is mostly motorway/dual carriageway - I've trained Rain-X with no joy :(

[percymon]

the outer edge of my drivers mirror glass is well inside the outer edge of the casing - the angle of the glass is such that the outer edge is at least 20mm in the mirror casing.

Different driving positions would obviously alter this angle.

[johnloaderuk]

My Passat mirrors attract the dirt and grime too, as I'm sure JTW remembers when he had his Passat. Seems to be the aerodynamics sucking in towards the glass. I also do a high mileage, and live in the countryside so maybe this has an effect too.
I know that in three or four months when winters is well and truly here I won't be able to do one single long journey without them becomming totally useless by the end of the day. I carry a spare roll of kitchen wipes and glass cleaner in the boot for this reason, often having to clean the mirror glass at a service station.

[james_tiger_woo]

I do indeed remember the mirror problem on the Passat - I'm sure it is the aerodynamics as, when I'm driving along, I can see the water blowing up and back on to the mirror.