February 27, 2008: Great Car!
It's been a while since my last entry. Just wanted to say I have been enjoying this car alot. I now have 7300 miles on it. Have driven it on several trips up to 6 hours at a time.
Had an oil change at 5K miles. Using Castrol synthetic oil - man that stuff is expensive! I will probably offset that cost with less fequent oil changes. Used regular oil on my Mk3 GTI VR6, & have changed the oil every 3K miles. The new car, with synthetic calls for oil changes every 5K.
Things I like about the car (in no particular order):
- Ride. Very comfortable yet still has a firm, confident ride.
- Comfortable seats. Heated seats are really nice in the cold winter temps.
- Handling. I can drive this car with complete confidence that it will go where I point it.
- THE SOUND of the exhaust - AWESOME!
- Road holding capabilities, especially in the rain
- Snow is fun to drive in, but you need to be carefull about not over doing it - stopping on ice and snow takes some practice.
- I know others have knocked the NAV, but I like it - it's my first car with NAV. i purchased the latest DVD from NAVTEQ, late last fall.
- iPod dock. I like the concealed dock in the armrest, and the charging feature.
- Love the look and feel of the steering wheel.
- Launch control is fun, but haven't used it much as I am not big into racing others.
- I use S mode most of the time - it's fun. Use D mode when I'm with the wife - she doesn't like the higher reving engine in S mode.
Dislikes:
Crappy iPod display & interface on the NAV screen.
I used to wipe it down after every outing. The winter has been tough to keep it clean with the road salt and cold temps. I can't wait for springtime.
I have been to Akron (area) to visit with the folks at ECS Tuning. They are thinking of using my car to develop some R32 mods. I don't want to go too crazy and will pick and choose the mods I will participate in.
I have only seen one other Mk5 R32 on the road in a 4 state area near home. (plenty at VW dealers) Loving the rarity, but would like to meet with other R32 owners. I am hoping that there will be a GTG within a days drive of Dayton that I can participate in.
Have had a couple of comments from folks about the meaning of my lisence plate. "BLAU R32". A Mk4 R32 already had my first choice - BLUE R32 - so I settled for the german word for blue. Then I found out another R32 in Illinois has the same plate. As they say imitation is the most sincere form of flatery... or something to that effect.
I went to a VW GTG in Dayton last October, "Dub-Dash" and was the only Mk5 R32 there. It was a fun 110 mile drive through some pretty Ohio country. Lots of nice cars and some others that were well used but still loved. Great hospitality from everyone. I met a fellow VW enthusiast there and made friends. He has a hydraulic lift in his garage, and has since done some reairs to my other vehicles. I plan to ask for his help with future mods and service. I will do Dub-Dash again next year.
Thats all for now...