2017 Golf R - Warranty & Mods Questions

[toMsons]

I just bought the Racingline R600 intake for $285.. Feel pretty good about that price, lol. Still trying to figure out what I should do with the rest.

Exhaust is 100% happening, but with the tune, I don't know. JB4 the safest for me? For warranty sake anyway? Do you guys with JB4's remove it when you go in to the dealer to get services?

 

[jimlloyd40]

I just bought the Racingline R600 intake for $285.. Feel pretty good about that price, lol. Still trying to figure out what I should do with the rest.

Exhaust is 100% happening, but with the tune, I don't know. JB4 the safest for me? For warranty sake anyway? Do you guys with JB4's remove it when you go in to the dealer to get services?

If you're going to the dealer for powertrain related warranty problems you definitely remove it.

 

[seanmcd1]

Don't mod it in any way if your "sole purpose" is to not lose your warranty.

 

[RichardCranium]

Stock is boring? I beg to differ.

The R is a 5-second 0-60 car right off the dealer lot, and the GTI is not that far behind, with a nice suspension setup (particularly with DCC) that's not extreme, but a great compromise for a car that mainly sees street use - which describes almost everyone's car here.

It's a hot hatch after all, not a dragster - it's not a Camaro, Mustang, Challenger, or other car that's built to go fast in a straight line. It's an all-arounder with excellent handling and more-than-decent power. Want a dragster? Get something with a big stonking V8.

I used to throw all kinds of money at mods on past GTIs, mainly because they really needed help. Suspensions were softer and sat higher than Euro models, sometimes we got less power (back when there wasn't much in the first place), crappy halogen headlights when HIDs were available in other markets, etc. But today's GTI/R are very close to the ROW versions, and performance-wise are fantastic IMHO.

By going the "I'm gonna turn it into a beast" mode, you wind up throwing all kinds of money at it that you'll never see back, void your warranty quite easily, and often aren't happy with the way the car turns out anyways, resulting in buying more stuff and trying to sell off the mods you regret - the for sale forums here are loaded with such stuff.

So mod the hell out of it if you want to, an owner is entitled to do as they please. But to dismiss the car as "boring" in stock form is just wrong IMHO. And staying stock has a ton of benefits.

I agree on all counts.

My car is a commuter. I've never once said, "Gee, you know what would make rush hour traffic better? Another 80 hp!". Mods are a terrific waste of money and at this point, I have no desire to void my powertrain warranty. If I wanted a "beast", I wouldn't have bought a GTI in the first place. The V8 mullet sleds are much more effective in that role.

 

[BigBilly]

Man do you guys hate fun?

 

[PowerDemon]

So all y’all preaching “iF yOU wAnTeD To gO FAsT YouD BuY a V8” wouldn’t consider modifying that car either? If you would modify it how does that make it any different than this situation?

 

[RichardCranium]

So all y’all preaching “iF yOU wAnTeD To gO FAsT YouD BuY a V8” wouldn’t consider modifying that car either? If you would modify it how does that make it any different than this situation?

The point is, if I wanted to go street racing or otherwise make stupid power, I'd have gone and bought a better platform to do it with. At some point, modifying a FWD car becomes a game of diminishing gains.

Let's be honest, at the end of the day, these cars are tarted up econoboxes. There's no denying that.

 

[seanmcd1]

So all y’all preaching “iF yOU wAnTeD To gO FAsT YouD BuY a V8” wouldn’t consider modifying that car either? If you would modify it how does that make it any different than this situation?

If someone starts out a thread stating in bold letters that their "sole purpose" is to keep the factory and 3rd party warranty, it's kind of hard not to answer with "don't do anything".

 

[Golfs everyday]

I like to lightly mod cars to make them mine. I too think stock is pretty boring since everyone that has $40k+ to spend can get the same exact car. That said, doesn't have to be power mods all the time.

 

[tigeo]

I just bought the Racingline R600 intake for $285.. Feel pretty good about that price, lol. Still trying to figure out what I should do with the rest.

Exhaust is 100% happening, but with the tune, I don't know. JB4 the safest for me? For warranty sake anyway? Do you guys with JB4's remove it when you go in to the dealer to get services?

Yes...if you don't remove the JB4 to trick the dealer you may as well get a flash tune. I always think the JB4 discussions are funny when folks say "JB4s don't void your warranty" without "if you remove it each time you go in" tacked onto that sentence.

 

[Strange Mud]

Visual Mods these are often disparagingly referred to as Rice. What others said if wtty is real important then KISS







Keep It Stock Stupid

 

[JC_451]

'I would like, if the need should arise, to be able to steal services from VW.'

 

[tigeo]

'I would like, if the need should arise, to be able to steal services from VW.'

Pretty much.

 

[cb1111]

'I would like, if the need should arise, to be able to steal services from VW.'

Correct. By removing a mod that you believe may cause an issue, then you are committing warranty fraud. The manufacturer has clearly said "don't mod the ECU" and by doing so (flash or piggyback), you are showing them the middle finger and saying "F U"

 

[VDubberinDE]

Well if you do an APR tune you can get the warranty from APR for like 200.00 more, that covers the engine if something happens. Can't get that with JB4. Also if you have a dealer like mine that does performance upgrades (tunes, brakes, exhausts, etc), they will take care of issues with warranty claims than those that don't. You could look for another dealer, or buy the APR warranty, which covers the engine. I talked to my dealer all about this when I bought my R.