Racingline CF brace

[Shmito_R]

One thing I can't see is where is the hole for you to clip the luggage net to..they say they retain this function...but I can't see it in the pictures?..

There’s a opening at the bottom of the luggage brace mount where you can hook and attach the net hooks.

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[golfdave]

There’s a opening at the bottom of the luggage brace mount where you can hook and attach the net hooks.

Thanks!!….

 

[Faceman]

Fyi, this brace is on sale at USP.

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[Shmito_R]

Fyi, this brace is on sale at USP.

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Damn that’s like almost $70 off! Wish I would’ve waited now! Lol


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[golfdave]

After studying it carefully..I recon the best way to tighten it up is as follows:-

1. basically loosely fit it all together as they say..it make certain it all roughly fits..then remove.

2. firstly do the luggage bracket bolts up tight (8NM is the spec for the original VW bolts but don't know if VWracingline requires theirs to be this tight?)

3. remove the two short bars from the assembly, & refit the top bar & end brackets, & tighten the bolts fully on the end brackets. This section is now firm/solid.

4. Refit one short bar & fit the bolt at each end, snug, but loose enough so there is slight movement. You may have to slide the middle clamp section along the top tube to make the bolts holes line up.

5. refit the other short bar, but only to the luggage bracket point, again fit bolt snug but loose enough to allow movement.

6. Now offer the top of the tube to the middle section clamp & see if the bolt hole line up...use the central spreader threaded rod/nut to move the bolts holes until they align. Loosely fit the bolt, snug..

7. Now you have the whole assembly & bolts in place, ...use the spreader threaded rod/nut to move the two central clamps apart to apply pre-load...only do this by hand until it is snug....

8. now you can fully tighten the other bolts up...

This is the only way I can think of getting ALL the parts correctly aligned & with the correct pre-load applied...otherwise you can have problems...

 

[golfdave]

This is just a quick "heads up" warning....

This ONLY applies to people with the MK7 Golf Estate/Variant/GSW..

I received mine today & have informed VWRacingline.

Basically they have NOT tested it on an MK7 Golf Estate/Variant/GSW as it does NOT fit.

To be brief:- the top bar is too long & will not fit between the carpeted wheel arches & the brackets which connect the top bar to the backrest latch tongues are too short between the section of the bracket which connects to the latch tongue & the section of the bracket which connects to the top bar/tube.

Basically the estate is NARROWER between the carpeted sides of the boot where the latches are. This is because the rear of the car tapers more & is narrower across at the back. The boot sidewalls are at 90deg to the opening which is narrower..thus the trim pieces which are between the boot carpet & the glass are deeper than the hatch..

Fold the rear seat backrest down & note that there is more carpet space between the latch tongue & the boot sidewall, compared to a Hatch .Also note in the picture that the plastic side shelf trim in the hatch is shaped differently to the estate & look at where the corners of the boot sidewall & the latch tongues in in different places..

The only way to make it fit would be to trim a hole in the carpet on each side. However this defeats the stated claim of "no drilling & removal of trim required". There is also the possibility that as the boot carpet sidewalls are closer together in the estate, that the chrome luggage "D" rings are also closer together & that the diagonal bars will be slightly too long to fit in the estate!.

I am VERY disappointed with VWRacingline,........... they have let themselves down as they state on their webpage "confirmed applications...MK7 estate/wagon"...I even spoke to them beforehand & yep it will fit ok...

They are based in Milton Keynes, virtually next door to the VW UK head office & work closely with them...& there are plenty of these cars on the road & they are now 5-6yrs old as (ours are German built)....there is NO excuse for this!!…

The four separate parts which make up the top brackets would have to be machined specifically for the estate, the top carbon tube cut shorter (end caps reused), with the possibility that the diagonal bars having their carbon tubes shortened (end eyes reused).. ….I doubt they would bother to make a specific estate/GSW kit....

EDIT 30th August 2019....VWracingline have contacted me & stated they used a 2018 MK7.5 Golf R estate as a test vehicle & it fits ok, & also tried a 2016 MK7 R estate....so there is a difference between the AWD estates & the FWD estates...but the metal work is the same?..but the interior trim is different??...

 

[Faceman]

Sorry you had to go through that, Dave. But thank you for saving me the trouble of ordering one and going through the same.

 

[golfdave]

Sorry you had to go through that, Dave. But thank you for saving me the trouble of ordering one and going through the same.

VWRacingline have got back to me stating that they have it installed on a 2018 MK7.5 "R" Golf estate & it was ok....

My car is a 2015 model yr MK7 (built sept 2014).....I will hazard a wild guess that VW removed the sound insulation around the wheel arches & could “push” the carpet sidewalls of the boot further apart. It is known that Golf MK7.5 are more prone to road noise than the MK7 & VW was cost cutting like mad!

 

[golfdave]

Basically I have spent the weekend looking at my car in detail, looking at photos of other estates & hatch, looking at the parts on the web, both the VW listings & used for sale photos, measuring, etc., etc.,...

Long story short, the VW Racingline Carbon rear brace was NOT designed for the MK7/MK7.5 Estate/GSW/Variant....

They state they have fitting it to their MK7.5 "R" estate & have tried it on a MK7 "R" Estate...BY FORCING IT.....IMHO...

There is no difference in the metalwork between the AWD & 2WD estates. A member on here swapped "R" running gear/engine from a Hatch onto a 2WD Estate.

There is virtually NO difference in the metalwork between the Estate & the Hatch in the are of the rear seat latches/backrest.

The ONLY difference is in the interior boot carpet sidewall trim panels. The Boot measures 1M across the bottom at the upper floor level. The hatch carpet sidewall follows the wheel arch & slopes outwards so the space between the carpet sidewalls where the latch tongues are is greater than at the floor level.

The estate carpet sidewalls go up vertical from the boot floor, so are 1m across...Mine were 1005mm across at near the latches...the carbon bar is 1021mm.....so basically the bar is 16mm or 5/8 inch too long for the estate.

Cutting the bar short will not solve the problem as the overall distance between the latch tongues is the same as the hatch as people have done seat swaps. The brackets which hold the bar onto the latch tongues need to be longer by 8mm each side in the section between the grooves for the latch tongue & the clamp for the carbon tube. This is to allow for the carpet sidewall trim being completely different to the hatch....

I am in the process of writing a letter to VW Racingline also...just thought I would update this thread, before any GSW owners fall into the same trap...

 

[Faceman]

Thank you, Dave.

 

[golfdave]

Thank you, Dave.

No problems...just annoyed about how they have gone about this...make it for the hatch & "force it" to fit the estate...

& then I get replies back stating "its because the AWD metalwork is different to 2wd"...…

Sorry, NOT me or MY car....them ballsing up big time......

 

[Faceman]

I'll bring my Metric tape measure home from week and see what the width is between the latches on my 4Mo.

 

[golfdave]

I'll bring my Metric tape measure home from week and see what the width is between the latches on my 4Mo.

ALL of the tape measures in my house are both imp & metric...…

bottom floor gap of 1000mm is 39 & 3/8 inches

top gap of 1005mm is 39 & 9/16 inches

Carbon bar of 1021mm is 40 & 3/16 inches

 

[7umberjackZac]

I have the Unibrace.

Still like it and would pull it for this one, but such a_____ to install I am not removing it.

Sell that puppy

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[Faceman]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=...D5w3u2yb4Z8TZKxuNU1Nzo7Jl1ho8gI&v=e51aV6WSKME

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