Mikeyd1
Ready to race!
- Location
- Essex (uk)
Stage one sounds good mate, I wonder how much it will change the drivability if your car, I have been toying with the idea of a remap but it’s the warranty side of thing Eicher concerns me
7
VW Golf MK7 Estate, GT spec, Tungsten Silver, 1.4TSI
- Thread starter golfdave
- Start date
golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Cars just over 5yrs old..so now out of the extended warranty period...
As for changing the cars drivability..the car will be able to make full use of the 98RON fuel...so above 3,5000rpm it will have more power as the ECU limiters make it run out of puff...
What engine & gearbox do you have again??..
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gilders
New member
- Location
- West Yorkshire
- Car(s)
- 2016 Golf GT Mk7 150
Hi Dave,
I've read the whole of your thread with interest. Thanks for sharing.
Having had all services done at VW dealership and feeling somewhat ripped off, I've decided to do this years service (year 4) myself.
I'll be changing spark plugs, oil and oil filter (brake fluid and pollen/cabin filter changed last year). I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. What torque did you tighten the oil filter? (could I get away with hand tight?)
2. I looked at purchasing the VW grease for the coils and only found one supplier and it was £38. Is this grease a must, or can I leave it/use some dielectric grease?
3. What torque did you tighten the sump plug?
4. If the poly V belt "looks" in good condition, what age would recommend it changing? (My mileage is lowish, about 32,000 miles)
Thanks as well for the service schedules you posted. They've helped me plan my next service.
I've read the whole of your thread with interest. Thanks for sharing.
Having had all services done at VW dealership and feeling somewhat ripped off, I've decided to do this years service (year 4) myself.
I'll be changing spark plugs, oil and oil filter (brake fluid and pollen/cabin filter changed last year). I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. What torque did you tighten the oil filter? (could I get away with hand tight?)
2. I looked at purchasing the VW grease for the coils and only found one supplier and it was £38. Is this grease a must, or can I leave it/use some dielectric grease?
3. What torque did you tighten the sump plug?
4. If the poly V belt "looks" in good condition, what age would recommend it changing? (My mileage is lowish, about 32,000 miles)
Thanks as well for the service schedules you posted. They've helped me plan my next service.
golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Please PM me with your engines 4 letter code...mine is CHPA....& is different to your engine..you will find this on the data sticker in the service book, or manual or under the boot floor....or on the V5 DVLA documents..
Mikeyd1
Ready to race!
- Location
- Essex (uk)
Sorry for such a late reply. I have the 1.5 tsi 150 with the dsg
So with the current lock down I've been thinking about MODs ...AGAIN!!...
1. Will defo be going Stage 1 with a Revo 98RON map....
Please let us know once that is installed and you have had a chance to test it. My nearest REVO dealer is a few hours away, but if it works out well for you I might be persuaded.
golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
I will do, still nothing back yet from the Revo installed near me as we are having more lock downs in Scotland.....!!
Anyway I've retro fitted the MK8 rear lower arm aero covers....best MPG gains from such a cheap & easy mod!!!
& removed the 95RON fuel sticker & fitted the 98RON fuel sticker....!
I just found out that a shop 40 minutes from me is in the process of becoming a Revo dealer. I have no need for additional horsepower during the winter months here in Sweden, but I am likely to hit them up when the summer wheels go back on next year.
Got the Mk8 rear lower arm covers and harmonic damper installed yesterday. Also installed the GTE blocking plate on the left, but I have not gone with the right side water trap mods yet.
If/when the OEM battery dies I am considering replacing it with a high-capacity lithium model with the same-size case. Can't think of any better way to lose that much weight (from the car, anyway!)
Got the Mk8 rear lower arm covers and harmonic damper installed yesterday. Also installed the GTE blocking plate on the left, but I have not gone with the right side water trap mods yet.
If/when the OEM battery dies I am considering replacing it with a high-capacity lithium model with the same-size case. Can't think of any better way to lose that much weight (from the car, anyway!)
golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
I got the Revo tune (98RON) done last week.....I will be posting about it once I've have more time to drive it...but its good...not night/day..as my car was already producing 167PS at least...but its made the car better above 3,500rpm...also my ECU was first updated to the latest Bosch software as the VW dealer had never done this when they had it to do the timing belts!....Basically its gone from S7891 to S9170 software! Car is smoother to drive, but some of that will be done to the ECU newer software & not just the remap..
Glad you got those other mods done, best "bang for buck" on improving the car using OEM parts.....also the lithium..or more accurately a LI-PO battery I keep looking at...I could loose 3/4 of the weight of a 20kg battery!.....just the £££££....!!
I'll have the dealer check and if necessary update the version of the ECU software the next time I have it in for service. Haven't done the belts yet, but that will be done at the next service.
I will not upgrade to a LI-PO battery until the OEM dies. Hoping that the price difference seems less unreasonable when the time comes.
Have you talked to the Revo dealer about the option of re-installing the factory software for dealer service, then re-installing the Revo software afterwards?
golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
I haven't bothered with uninstalling etc as its out of warranty & VW can tell anyway when they do a checksum etc on the ECU even if you remove it....I can't be doing with the extra hassle....anyway I've put a Revo badge on the ECU security cage & informed my insurance so its all 100% "in the open" ...
golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
October 2020
My “Service” time!!
That’s the car 6yrs old now!! First of all, time for me to do my parts of the service, so that’s an oil, & oil filter change, using an OEM VAG oil filter, & Castrol Edge Titanium FST 0W40 (which is VW502 00 approved), like I did last year. This year it was time (every 2years) to use Wynn's "Engine flush" to remove any varnish & oil deposits when I drained the oil. I have always done this with every car for piece of mind. I also replaced the Mann “FreciousPLus” cabin pollen filter, that I fitted 2years ago, with the same again!
Decided to "reset" the gearchange cables, which I do every 2years to take into account any stretch of the cables. Unfortunately I had a free fight getting one of the bayonet hold back clamps on the eyes to actually lock the spring closed! Anyway after dismantling the eye from the gearchange linkage, greasing etc, it all worked 100% & I managed to get the cables 100% aligned again! 5min job ended up being 30mins!!
I did the usual full electric function check of windows up & down, lights, switches, headlights, indicators, horn, etc, etc., & a complete VCDS scan, with some fault codes which were left over from then the Revo dealer updated the ECU's firmware. Nothing bad that would cause problems as the module had registered them, tested & cleared.
Also, I carried out a full clean inside & out & the G-techniq crystal black serum ceramic coating is holding up well for 6yrs of age (besides a few stones chips to sort out!) Vacuumed the inside also, & wiped all internal surfaces down with cleaner, then warm water & dried etc. Also applied rubber/trim stuff to all the door rubber seals, & window seals. Again all G-techniq stuff used in cleaning etc the car as I have since I got the coating done 6yrs ago!
I also noticed on the front windscreen a nasty 5mm crack starting from a stone chip (passenger side) so that will have to be drilled & injected by the local windscreen glass company!
The car went to the dealers for an "air conditioning service", basically they plug it into their special machine which removes the refrigerant, weights it, injects dye into the system & re-pressurise it to check for leaks, then fills the system with the correct amount of refrigerant. I have no idea if mine was low on refrigerant or not, but it has never been checked since it left the factory! I also got them to renew the brake fluid & also bleed it out via the clutch servo nipple!
The car passed the MOT with flying colours...of course! The results are slightly worse than last years, but still very good! As I had not done much driving since I had the car re-mapped & the ECU updated with the newer VW/Bosch base file, I think the engine is still "learning" certain parameters which could explain the higher HC reading!
The emissions results:-
Fast idle test (2500-3000rpm)
CO = 0.00% (0.20% Max. allowed) (0.02% last year)
HC = 21ppm (200ppm Max. allowed) (11ppm last year)
Lambda = 1.00 (0.97 - 1.03 allowed) (1.01 last year)
Natural idle test (450 - 1500rpm)
CO = 0.00% (0.30% Max. allowed) (same as last year)
My “Service” time!!
That’s the car 6yrs old now!! First of all, time for me to do my parts of the service, so that’s an oil, & oil filter change, using an OEM VAG oil filter, & Castrol Edge Titanium FST 0W40 (which is VW502 00 approved), like I did last year. This year it was time (every 2years) to use Wynn's "Engine flush" to remove any varnish & oil deposits when I drained the oil. I have always done this with every car for piece of mind. I also replaced the Mann “FreciousPLus” cabin pollen filter, that I fitted 2years ago, with the same again!
Decided to "reset" the gearchange cables, which I do every 2years to take into account any stretch of the cables. Unfortunately I had a free fight getting one of the bayonet hold back clamps on the eyes to actually lock the spring closed! Anyway after dismantling the eye from the gearchange linkage, greasing etc, it all worked 100% & I managed to get the cables 100% aligned again! 5min job ended up being 30mins!!
I did the usual full electric function check of windows up & down, lights, switches, headlights, indicators, horn, etc, etc., & a complete VCDS scan, with some fault codes which were left over from then the Revo dealer updated the ECU's firmware. Nothing bad that would cause problems as the module had registered them, tested & cleared.
Also, I carried out a full clean inside & out & the G-techniq crystal black serum ceramic coating is holding up well for 6yrs of age (besides a few stones chips to sort out!) Vacuumed the inside also, & wiped all internal surfaces down with cleaner, then warm water & dried etc. Also applied rubber/trim stuff to all the door rubber seals, & window seals. Again all G-techniq stuff used in cleaning etc the car as I have since I got the coating done 6yrs ago!
I also noticed on the front windscreen a nasty 5mm crack starting from a stone chip (passenger side) so that will have to be drilled & injected by the local windscreen glass company!
The car went to the dealers for an "air conditioning service", basically they plug it into their special machine which removes the refrigerant, weights it, injects dye into the system & re-pressurise it to check for leaks, then fills the system with the correct amount of refrigerant. I have no idea if mine was low on refrigerant or not, but it has never been checked since it left the factory! I also got them to renew the brake fluid & also bleed it out via the clutch servo nipple!
The car passed the MOT with flying colours...of course! The results are slightly worse than last years, but still very good! As I had not done much driving since I had the car re-mapped & the ECU updated with the newer VW/Bosch base file, I think the engine is still "learning" certain parameters which could explain the higher HC reading!
The emissions results:-
Fast idle test (2500-3000rpm)
CO = 0.00% (0.20% Max. allowed) (0.02% last year)
HC = 21ppm (200ppm Max. allowed) (11ppm last year)
Lambda = 1.00 (0.97 - 1.03 allowed) (1.01 last year)
Natural idle test (450 - 1500rpm)
CO = 0.00% (0.30% Max. allowed) (same as last year)
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golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
November 2020
Part 1
New windscreen
So as I mention in the previous post I called Autoglass to come & fix the stone chip in the windscreen that was starting to “spread”. I knew that whilst trying to fix it might spread further & guess what??..Yep it spread to about 20mm long as he was trying to get the machine on the glass, so an new appointment to fit a new screen was made, & they came back one week later with the new screen.
The bloke who did it has a MK6 GTI, & understood me wanting to watch “from 2m away” as he did it! He’s worked for Autoglass for years, & although he said he’s done masses of MK7 Golf windscreens, this was only the second MK7 Golf heated front windscreen that he had done, so a bit rare! What was even more unusual was that the new windscreen was a genuine VW one as it had the VW logos on it!!
He did a good job, everything was ok, & I had helped by removing the wipers, scuttle panel & side trims the day before which gave me time to clean areas, trim, etc.. & make his job easier!
So that’s the first windscreen replacement on this car, however I had one nasty stone chip successfully repaired by the same company in the original screen back in March 2016 which "just" saved me getting a new screen then!
One point to note, is that in the ERWIN (VAG workshop manuals) I could NOT find ANYTHING (in various sections) on removing the electrical connectors for the heated front screen!! The windscreen has two wires attached, one in each corner at the bottom of the windscreen. These wires consist of a black ribbon cable, which then joins to a grey round cable via a black plastic locating tag. The grey round cable then terminates in a VW connector. Watch how the wiring is routed & clipped & the windscreen “ribbon” wire is bent back up/under the screen. Also note those black plastic ribbon holders & cable holders are “yours”, the new screen does not come with them!
There is also a a third wire which is the earth strap ribbon which an eye which fits over a threaded stud with a dome nut to fix. This is in the overhead console immediately behind the front interior roof lights. Only the lighting unit needs to be removed using a trim tool down the side of the lighting clear plastic to release the retaining springs.
I attach some pictures I took of the bottom wiring connectors behind the scuttle panel.
EDIT:- After looking at the photos in detail I noticed that in the bottom photo, the car body side wire (wrapped in black fabric tape) going to the connector is against the black plastic upstand part of the rain cowl for the cabin air intake. With the car going over bumps it could bounce & cause a "sawing" action against the wire, thus early failure of the wires! So I gained access to that area & had a look, double checked & that is as per factory! Cable cannot route anywhere else, so decided to "sort it", & placed some pre-split black corrugated plastic (convoluted) tubing over the wire bundle to protect it from the rain cowl upstand! Bloody VW!!!
Part 1
New windscreen
So as I mention in the previous post I called Autoglass to come & fix the stone chip in the windscreen that was starting to “spread”. I knew that whilst trying to fix it might spread further & guess what??..Yep it spread to about 20mm long as he was trying to get the machine on the glass, so an new appointment to fit a new screen was made, & they came back one week later with the new screen.
The bloke who did it has a MK6 GTI, & understood me wanting to watch “from 2m away” as he did it! He’s worked for Autoglass for years, & although he said he’s done masses of MK7 Golf windscreens, this was only the second MK7 Golf heated front windscreen that he had done, so a bit rare! What was even more unusual was that the new windscreen was a genuine VW one as it had the VW logos on it!!
He did a good job, everything was ok, & I had helped by removing the wipers, scuttle panel & side trims the day before which gave me time to clean areas, trim, etc.. & make his job easier!
So that’s the first windscreen replacement on this car, however I had one nasty stone chip successfully repaired by the same company in the original screen back in March 2016 which "just" saved me getting a new screen then!
One point to note, is that in the ERWIN (VAG workshop manuals) I could NOT find ANYTHING (in various sections) on removing the electrical connectors for the heated front screen!! The windscreen has two wires attached, one in each corner at the bottom of the windscreen. These wires consist of a black ribbon cable, which then joins to a grey round cable via a black plastic locating tag. The grey round cable then terminates in a VW connector. Watch how the wiring is routed & clipped & the windscreen “ribbon” wire is bent back up/under the screen. Also note those black plastic ribbon holders & cable holders are “yours”, the new screen does not come with them!
There is also a a third wire which is the earth strap ribbon which an eye which fits over a threaded stud with a dome nut to fix. This is in the overhead console immediately behind the front interior roof lights. Only the lighting unit needs to be removed using a trim tool down the side of the lighting clear plastic to release the retaining springs.
I attach some pictures I took of the bottom wiring connectors behind the scuttle panel.
EDIT:- After looking at the photos in detail I noticed that in the bottom photo, the car body side wire (wrapped in black fabric tape) going to the connector is against the black plastic upstand part of the rain cowl for the cabin air intake. With the car going over bumps it could bounce & cause a "sawing" action against the wire, thus early failure of the wires! So I gained access to that area & had a look, double checked & that is as per factory! Cable cannot route anywhere else, so decided to "sort it", & placed some pre-split black corrugated plastic (convoluted) tubing over the wire bundle to protect it from the rain cowl upstand! Bloody VW!!!
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golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
November 2020
Part 2
Additional maintenance items, & swap onto winter tyres.
So in between the first visit & the second visit from Autoglass I swapped over onto the winters as its that time of year..AGAIN!! Whilst I did this, I also removed the brake callipers/pads & cleaned them & the discs & re-greased with TRW PFG-110 grease on both the guide pins & bushes, & then used Loctite LB8009 (in USA it is called “Heavy Duty”) on all pad backing plate to caliper/bracket contact/slide points.
See my post from September 2018 here for more info:-
(1) VW Golf MK7 Estate, GT spec, Tungsten Silver, 1.4TSI | Page 6 | GOLFMK7 - VW GTI MKVII Forum / VW Golf R Forum / VW Golf MKVII Forum
I have previously made a point of inspecting the brakes pads etc. on my cars every two years, especially when I swap over onto the winter wheel set, as it makes the work easier, & as its amazing what you find!! Normally its brake dust which congeals with the grease, especially on the upper faces of the lower horizontal surfaces & restricts the movement of the pads! The advantage of stripping back & re-greasing (besides safety) is that you reduce any sticking of pads in the carriers & therefore get better fuel economy!!
I have also noted that the brakes are in far better condition than after previous two year inspections on my cars!! I suspect its because after I wash the car I have for the past couple of years gone for a drive up to a local Industrial Estate at a quiet late evening, or weekend time, & done some 30-40mph brake stops forwards & upto 25mph in reverse, & repeated this. This removes the rust spots which are caused by the wash water & soaps etc., & thoroughly dries the discs out as they get hot!
One final item I did with the callipers removed was to wire brush the loose rust off from the callipers, the fronts were particularly bad for it! This because they are not painted, but just basic zinc plated grey cast steel, the rears are more an alloy type metal so don’t corrode in the same way! I will have to strip them back & get them properly painted one day, just not yet!! Anyway, they got a coat of “Cure-rust” on them to help slow the rusting down!
As per usual, the first drive after swapping alloys/tyres, the small amount of "surplus" grease which is on the alloy hub, & brake pad ears, flies off onto the inside of the nice clean alloy wheel!! This time I decided to chock the rear wheels, put the car in neutral, & using my two trolley jacks lift the whole front of the ground. This allowed me to easily clean the whole inside of the alloy wheels just by reaching through from the front face & rotating the wheel to clean "behind" the brake calliper! Job took no time at all as the fronts always suffer from this more than the rears!!
After the new screen was fitted, I finally manged to get the rest of “my service” items completed like lubricating the locks & hinges, & a nice interior clean!
I also used VCDS to alter the DRLs setting when in “running side light” mode to 78% brightness to make them more visible, I had previously used VCDS to make them 50% bright compared to the factory 26% setting, whilst retaining the lower 26% brightness setting for “parking side light” & 100% brightness setting for “DRL”. I also reset “back to factory” the Xenon’s acting as flash beam when the Xenon’s are off. Previously I had set the front fogs to be the “flash” when the Xenon’s were off, to save firing up the Xenon’s. However, I find that people do not appear to recognise that I am “flashing” them when I use the fogs! Maybe because the light is not from the main headlight & therefore, they don’t recognise it??!!
Anyway, car is nice & clean, serviced & “sorted” for the time being, & still looks good on the five spoke winters, as per the picture below, taken the other day!! Note the summers are all cleaned, coated, inflated to 2.4bar & stacked up on the "tyre tree" & under cover in the far right of picture.
Part 2
Additional maintenance items, & swap onto winter tyres.
So in between the first visit & the second visit from Autoglass I swapped over onto the winters as its that time of year..AGAIN!! Whilst I did this, I also removed the brake callipers/pads & cleaned them & the discs & re-greased with TRW PFG-110 grease on both the guide pins & bushes, & then used Loctite LB8009 (in USA it is called “Heavy Duty”) on all pad backing plate to caliper/bracket contact/slide points.
See my post from September 2018 here for more info:-
(1) VW Golf MK7 Estate, GT spec, Tungsten Silver, 1.4TSI | Page 6 | GOLFMK7 - VW GTI MKVII Forum / VW Golf R Forum / VW Golf MKVII Forum
I have previously made a point of inspecting the brakes pads etc. on my cars every two years, especially when I swap over onto the winter wheel set, as it makes the work easier, & as its amazing what you find!! Normally its brake dust which congeals with the grease, especially on the upper faces of the lower horizontal surfaces & restricts the movement of the pads! The advantage of stripping back & re-greasing (besides safety) is that you reduce any sticking of pads in the carriers & therefore get better fuel economy!!
I have also noted that the brakes are in far better condition than after previous two year inspections on my cars!! I suspect its because after I wash the car I have for the past couple of years gone for a drive up to a local Industrial Estate at a quiet late evening, or weekend time, & done some 30-40mph brake stops forwards & upto 25mph in reverse, & repeated this. This removes the rust spots which are caused by the wash water & soaps etc., & thoroughly dries the discs out as they get hot!
One final item I did with the callipers removed was to wire brush the loose rust off from the callipers, the fronts were particularly bad for it! This because they are not painted, but just basic zinc plated grey cast steel, the rears are more an alloy type metal so don’t corrode in the same way! I will have to strip them back & get them properly painted one day, just not yet!! Anyway, they got a coat of “Cure-rust” on them to help slow the rusting down!
As per usual, the first drive after swapping alloys/tyres, the small amount of "surplus" grease which is on the alloy hub, & brake pad ears, flies off onto the inside of the nice clean alloy wheel!! This time I decided to chock the rear wheels, put the car in neutral, & using my two trolley jacks lift the whole front of the ground. This allowed me to easily clean the whole inside of the alloy wheels just by reaching through from the front face & rotating the wheel to clean "behind" the brake calliper! Job took no time at all as the fronts always suffer from this more than the rears!!
After the new screen was fitted, I finally manged to get the rest of “my service” items completed like lubricating the locks & hinges, & a nice interior clean!
I also used VCDS to alter the DRLs setting when in “running side light” mode to 78% brightness to make them more visible, I had previously used VCDS to make them 50% bright compared to the factory 26% setting, whilst retaining the lower 26% brightness setting for “parking side light” & 100% brightness setting for “DRL”. I also reset “back to factory” the Xenon’s acting as flash beam when the Xenon’s are off. Previously I had set the front fogs to be the “flash” when the Xenon’s were off, to save firing up the Xenon’s. However, I find that people do not appear to recognise that I am “flashing” them when I use the fogs! Maybe because the light is not from the main headlight & therefore, they don’t recognise it??!!
Anyway, car is nice & clean, serviced & “sorted” for the time being, & still looks good on the five spoke winters, as per the picture below, taken the other day!! Note the summers are all cleaned, coated, inflated to 2.4bar & stacked up on the "tyre tree" & under cover in the far right of picture.
golfdave
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Scotland (U.K.)
- Car(s)
- Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Not driving the car much due to the lock down we've been having here...
However I have just re-coded the CAN-gateway (19) for my battery type to "Fleece" & altered the "serial number" by one digit to force it to forget the old values & to relearn new values.
The reason for this is it has been pointed out on my thread "How to retro fit a bigger battery" that the setting of "Binary AGM" is incorrect & that factory fitted AGM batteries are coded as "Fleece"!!
This info was only confirmed on the Ross-Tech site circa December 2019. I found my posts on Ross-Tech dated Feb 2015, when the thread was originally written & even Uwe didn't know then what the settings were!!
Anyway the thread has been re-written & my battery is correctly coded now!
However I have just re-coded the CAN-gateway (19) for my battery type to "Fleece" & altered the "serial number" by one digit to force it to forget the old values & to relearn new values.
The reason for this is it has been pointed out on my thread "How to retro fit a bigger battery" that the setting of "Binary AGM" is incorrect & that factory fitted AGM batteries are coded as "Fleece"!!
This info was only confirmed on the Ross-Tech site circa December 2019. I found my posts on Ross-Tech dated Feb 2015, when the thread was originally written & even Uwe didn't know then what the settings were!!
Anyway the thread has been re-written & my battery is correctly coded now!
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