2019 GTI 6MT Performance Issues I'd Like to Correct

[dosjockey]

As for why I bought a car without even seeing one in person, it does make sense.

I couldn't get out and test the new stuff, and I couldn't make a decision on anything more expensive quickly enough. Given my other cars are failing and I can't keep up with maintenance... I needed something, and I needed something I didn't need to work on. It's not as if I can't drive the thing. It's getting me from one place to another just fine.

That allows me to ship one car off for repairs, and sell the others. It also gives me time to decide what I really want to buy.

I went with the Golf for a good compromise that was practical and interesting; and it is. I'm not dissatisfied with the overall vehicle, nor with the value. It just needs a little bit of personalization.

The doors open wide, the suspension is not harsh on my back, I get to pretend the '90s are back right at that point in life where I'm beginning to worry I'm not having fun anymore...

I'll get better over time, but for now this is what I needed.

 

[donefor]

I agree with the OP - these cars drive like shit with all the nannies engaged, especially in the low gears.
Code out the nannies with VCDS and you're almost there.
Replace DMFW with SMFW and you're just about there.

 

[dosjockey]

I agree with the OP - these cars drive like shit with all the nannies engaged, especially in the low gears.
Code out the nannies with VCDS and you're almost there.
Replace DMFW with SMFW and you're just about there.

If the chassis wasn't so damned good it probably wouldn't be a big deal. The fact that the car itself is amazing is highlighting the faults.

When I can pay that price and be able to feel the tread section straining against the tire carcass right out of the box, and have 18" wheels on a relatively light car without my left arm and jaw going numb... I mean, damn.

 

[Clem604]

Here are some OBD11/VCDS mods that will help with some of your complaints.

The second mod is to increase the engagement of the VAQ diff, highly recommended! I would also recommend doing the starting vibration and torque limit deactivation I posted in the OBD11 thread.

 

[dosjockey]

Going through the process of having it taken to the dealer's body shop to estimate the repair cost from shipping damage, then to the dealer to check it over mechanically and see if anyone took it for a joy ride.

While on the phone, I did ask about these few issues, and they unfortunately told me it could indeed affect the warranty; even simply adjusting the throttle.

Maybe I should call other dealerships to be sure? I'm not certain what to do with that information beyond assuming the only dealership I can reach within reason will get in the way of a claim later on. It's a horrible place, really; and the reason I shopped out of state to begin with.

If I can't adjust this stuff without killing the only reason I bought a new car... That's a problem.

 

[dosjockey]

Funny. On the way there, the car behaved quite a bit better; the same on the way back and around town a little bit.

I think there actually was some manner of training wheel mode in effect while things were bedding in. It's still bad, but now it's at least tolerable.

I did go in and clarify with the service manager what precisely I'd like to change, and he said so long as I'm only changing values, there won't be a warranty problem.

So, I figure that means if there's a "switch" in the system to flip with VCDS, I'm good. They just don't want me properly reprogramming anything.

At least one tuning company offers their own warranty, though; so that's a possibility if I can't get it much better as-is. Right now, it's expecting a lazy driver, which is indeed absolutely fine most of the time; but that off the line performance has got to improve. It's unsafe in this area. My Land Rover shouldn't come off the line faster than anything called a GTI at 1/4 throttle.

I did do some thinking as I was puttering around town, though...

Perhaps I'm looking at this car all wrong; from the wrong decade. Maybe it's not a bad car... Maybe it's just a really, really good driving simulator. The second I considered it a bit of a video game, I started having more fun.

 

[bayarea7]

Curious, did you test drive the car before purchase?

 

[Stija]

Curiosity killed the cat.

If it had only read the thread.

 

[bayarea7]

Curiosity killed the cat.

If it had only read the thread.

It sure did. In my defense, I commented after just reading the 1st page, not knowing there were more pages as I'm still getting used to the forums new layout. touche

 

[dosjockey]

Curious, did you test drive the car before purchase?

As noted, I had no ability to do so.

The only thing keeping me alive is pure meanness, at this point.

To be honest... Even if I had, the drive would have been short; perhaps too short to really pick up on this, as I'd have attributed it to unfamiliarity with the vehicle; especially given the numb controls, which I did expect.

Even if I'd asked about it, there's no way a Salesman would do anything aside from telling me it's just because it's new, and that explanation would have made perfect sense.

 

[dosjockey]

Curiosity killed the cat.

If it had only read the thread.

Well, to be fair, I do tend to drone on a bit.

It's actually a form of therapy to get my brain back working properly again and a way for me to take notes because I can't remember shit (sounding boards help, after all), but I've always been long-winded. My obsession with all the little stuff can sometimes end up helping someone in the future, though, so I let myself loose.

I'm with Treebeard: "Anything worth saying is worth taking a long time to say."

Even so, if you knew how many times I walked out to that car to read a specific initialism in the configuration menu, only to forget it immediately after getting out... You'd put me away.

I just can't bring myself to start a car a second time without driving it (overland habits die hard), so it's wait until I go somewhere again, rinse, and repeat.

So, I repeat myself a lot from different angles in an attempt to get things to stick. Funny thing is, when someone reads something I type and thinks: "Is this idiot brain-damaged or something?" Well, the answer is yes. Doesn't offend me at all, though. I laugh at me just as much as anyone else, and I've still got the horsepower; it's just not being put to the grou...

Wait a minute! This is the perfect car for me!

 

[riceburner]

Not sure if i misread the op or if this was posted but i used vcds for a more sggressive throttle input and it seriously woke up how the car drives. Went from feeling like a 100hp car to a 200 hp car when lugging around town.

 

[dosjockey]

Not sure if i misread the op or if this was posted but i used vcds for a more sggressive throttle input and it seriously woke up how the car drives. Went from feeling like a 100hp car to a 200 hp car when lugging around town.

That's the first setting I'm looking for, because that's a big part of this problem.

I may not be able to do much about the rev hang without mechanical solutions, and perhaps it may be too far-reaching to bring in the power in the lower gears; but if I can at least get that throttle doing what I tell it...

That will be a massive improvement. I can't wait to try out that setting. I'm more excited about that than I was waiting for the car to show up, actually.

 

[vulticGTI]

That's the first setting I'm looking for, because that's a big part of this problem.

I may not be able to do much about the rev hang without mechanical solutions, and perhaps it may be too far-reaching to bring in the power in the lower gears; but if I can at least get that throttle doing what I tell it...

That will be a massive improvement. I can't wait to try out that setting. I'm more excited about that than I was waiting for the car to show up, actually.

Do the throttle response in OBD or get a BMS pedal tuner or straight up tune the car.

The rev hang seems to be both due to the delay valve and the dual mass flywheel. I don't have either and I don't notice it hanging revs. When rev matching everything is brisk and behaves as it should. I have SMF, Engine mounts, and deleted the delay valve. (kept swirl valve).

 

[A7xogg]

X2 on the op changing the throttle input in odb eleven or vagcom. Big difference in 0-20% throttle input.