Trollin86 '18 Great Falls Green Alltrack

[Trollin86]

I'm a long time wagon lover, and big fan of the Mk7 platform. Traded in our '16 Golf TSi for this 2018 Golf Alltrack in May of 2018. We got a great deal, over $7K off sticker at the time, plus a healthy trade-in number on our Golf.

It's an SE, DSG, GFG over Titan Black interior. My ideal spec was a night blue over Marrakesh brown SEL, but couldn't pass up the price and the trade-in value we got on the Golf. I got rid of my other fun cars at the beginning of the pandemic (Stroked E30, E36 M3, Audi B5) and this became our only car as we were both working from home. Up until this past Spring, I had been very happy with the car, but then got the itch to begin adding power as I found it too clinical, and a bit dull compared to my other previous cars. It's been a great car, we've put 41K miles on it in 48 months of ownership.

Engine

• APR Stage 3 IS20 Non-downpipe File
• IS20 Turbocharger from 2020 GTi
• APR TCU Software, with launch control set at 3500rpm, and auto upshift disabled
• APR Coil Packs
• APR enclosed Carbon Fiber Cold Air Intake
• APR Carbon Fiber Turbo Inlet
• APR Turbo Inlet Pipe
• APR Turbo Muffler Delete
• APR Dog Bone Mount
• RS7 Spark Plugs

Exterior

• SunTek Nano Ceramic Tint - 35% on all rear windows, 50% on front side windows
• Full paint correction performed finished with Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light + 2 coats of Gtechniq EXOv4 applied April, 2020 - I love to detail and am big into it
• Golf R Estate rear window side spoilers
• H&R 10mm front wheel spacers/15mm rear spacers
• H&R 25mm Rear Sway Bar
• Moog Rear Endlinks
• OE rear window pop-in sunshades
• OEM rear Bumperdillo
• OEM Roof Rack Cross Bars - Only installed during winter months
• Trunk De-badged
• NGP Plate Frames
• OEM Mud Guards
• AliExpress smoked sequential turn signals for side mirrors

Wheels & Tires

• OEM 18" Canyons on 235/40 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
• OEM 17" Valleys on Continental VikingContact7 215/55 (winter) - best winter tires I've ever had.

Hope to see others around NOVA/Vienna, VA. I love this forum. Cheers.

With my fathers recently purchased '15 Golf SEL (which he drove cross country back to Western Mass)

Somewhere in Montann.... err Mexico, yes Mexico

Absolute beast in the snow with the VikingContact7's in 215/55

 

[miikez.]

Clean wagon! Would highly recommend is38 & all the other supporting goodies.

 

[Trollin86]

Update: I brought the car up to New German Performance in Aberdeen, MD for service. I had a great experience with them, and the car feels better than ever!

I had them perform the following service and upgrades:

• Software update from APR Stage 1 91 to 93 octane
• Oil Service
• DSG Fluid
• RS7 Spark Plugs
• APR Coil Packs

At 35,000, the factory spark plugs were quite worn. The car really woke up again after the service and feels great. I purchased a 6K mile IS20 from a '20 GTI here on the forum. I'll have NGP install that next summer.

I really want to get these DeAutoLED low beam bulbs installed and a set of 10/15mm wheel spacers put on the car. I also have factory mud guards I want to put on.

Seems the Alltrack community is pretty tight-knit here in NoVA. Everyone here waves at each other, its nice.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

Come on down to the Beach area and we can take care of those. There's a couple of other forum members that live in the Hampton Roads area so there's that option. I know it's a drive for you but you can do that over the weekend.

 

[Trollin86]

Some solid updates on the Alltrack to share:

• Got my IS20 installed at New German Performance in Manassas, VA
• Updated my APR software to their IS20, 93 Octane and no aftermarket downpipe file
• Installed an APR dog bone mount - very happy with this so far. I really barely perceive any additional NVH myself
• Another 4 wheel alignment
• Installed smoked sequential turn signals in the mirror housings

In regards to power and power delivery I am set with this IS20 for daily driver duty. It is a significant improvement in acceleration over APR Stage 1 93 and has added much more power throughout the top of the mid range and above 5K where the IS12 totally died off. I share the car with my wife, and it's been our only car since selling off my gorgeous E36 M3 in December of 2020. She is equally as happy to have more power under her right foot, and I catch her driving it most the time in sport mode. I do not regret not going with an IS38. Had it been my daily and not shared I would've likely gone that direction for myself, however as its a shared car that transports our toddler + Mother-in-law around this is fantastic. For anyone else on the verge or thinking about going IS20 just do it. It's money well spent.

We've been shopping for a second car. We recently test drove a 958.2 Cayenne base and was underwhelmed by the 3.6VR6. Perhaps a 958.2 S, but leaning more towards an SQ5.

Next up for the car I'd love to find a set of 18" OZ Ultraleggeras or 18" VWR Cup wheels, an 034 Motorsport RSB with upgraded endlinks, and definitely Michelin Pilot Sport 4S this summer. Potentially a set of Alltrack specific Bilstein B6.

I'm also still on the hunt for a set of Golf R front seats (or a full set) and a Golf R DSG steering wheel if anyone is selling!

Here is the car in April outside the Shenandoah's on a big family road trip and camping. I had an awesome experience cruising Skyline Drive!

 

[Trollin86]

Brought home a new-to-me second car. It's a 2013 Audi Q5 3.0T with the S-Line Package and the S Sport Interior Package with the flat bottom steering wheel, sport seats & black headliner, upgraded MMI, B&O audio & 20" Wheels. P/O bought it CPO at 9k miles and had a huge stack of receipts. Michelin Pilot All Season 4 get mounted today. Plan is for 034 Motorsport Dynamic+ ECU & TCU tunes, then dual pulleys, upgraded heat exchanger and mounts.
Bought in San Diego and blasted this 2700 miles cross country back home to VA in less than 2.5 days. Car was rock solid. The upgraded seats are extremely comfortable in it - that now really, really makes me want R seats for the Alltrack.

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

Brought home a new-to-me second car. It's a 2013 Audi Q5 3.0T with the S-Line Package and the S Sport Interior Package with the flat bottom steering wheel, sport seats & black headliner, upgraded MMI, B&O audio & 20" Wheels. P/O bought it CPO at 9k miles and had a huge stack of receipts. Michelin Pilot All Season 4 get mounted today. Plan is for 034 Motorsport Dynamic+ ECU & TCU tunes, then dual pulleys, upgraded heat exchanger and mounts.
Bought in San Diego and blasted this 2700 miles cross country back home to VA in less than 2.5 days. Car was rock solid. The upgraded seats are extremely comfortable in it - that now really, really makes me want R seats for the Alltrack.


View attachment 252351View attachment 252352

very nice. Seeing you test drive a Cayenne got me excited lol, I just sold my Alltrack ~6 months ago for a Touareg.

 

[Trollin86]

very nice. Seeing you test drive a Cayenne got me excited lol, I just sold my Alltrack ~6 months ago for a Touareg.

I really like the 958.2 Cayenne, but it really needs the "S" turbocharged 420hp motor. It felt like a slug with the 3.6L VR6 in the base model. I like Touareg's as well, especially the diesel's.

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

I really like the 958.2 Cayenne, but it really needs the "S" turbocharged 420hp motor. It felt like a slug with the 3.6L VR6 in the base model. I like Touareg's as well, especially the diesel's.

Yep! I couldn’t have lived with the VR, I got the TDI

 

[Trollin86]

Been a long while since a good update on the Alltrack. It's been a great car for us. In the past year, here is what's happened:

• Mounted 235/40 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S to the 18" OE Canyon wheels
• Added a third set of wheels for Spring/Fall - an uncommon set of OEM 18" Golf R Cadiz. These now have the factory OE Continental 225/45 tires mounted to them. I have been lightly restoring the wheels like removing old stuck on adhesive from wheel weights and machine compounding and polishing them. They'll also get coated in Gtechniq C5 Wheel Armor
• Installed an OEM Golf R Steering Wheel
• VWR Racingline aluminum DSG paddles
• Attained Golf R Springs
• Attained a Golf R specific H&R adjustable rear sway bar + moog aluminum endlinks.
  • If I keep the car I plan to install Bilstein B6, Audi TT rear spring pads, new shock mounts, the H&R RSB and the R springs all at once
• OBD11 Coding like gauge sweep on startup, reverse passenger side mirror dip, windows all go down when holding down the unlock button on the key fob and menu access while driving.
• My local friend upgraded his SEL seats to Audi TT RS seats, so those SEL seats are an open option for me.

The car got in a minor fender bender on Black Friday in 2022. A driver sideswiped us at 20mph. The rear drivers side doorskin was replaced and the rear quarter panel was refinished and restored. The body shop did a nice job fixing it and paint matching.

I am debating on selling the car. It only has 48k miles on it currently. I am also thinking of selling our '13 Q5. Both have been amazing cars for us, but we would benefit from a 3-row SUV, and maybe something a bit more luxurious and powerful. Right now I am thinking new Acura MDX and a lightly used BMW M550i or AMG E53/43. My ultimate goal is still to attain a Porsche 911 (991.1), but it is hard to justify with kids. I could go with the car every other parent goes with in our Montessori school parking lot, a Tesla Model Y, but I'm not sold.