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D2Beetle 2015 Uni Black New Beetle

8K views 58 replies 8 participants last post by  D2Beetle 
#1 · (Edited)
My past Beetles :crying: ...
... my First - Valdez ... Traded in for a 2015 TSI Beetle March 2016
... my Second - Dear ... Traded in for a 2014 Fiat 500L in April 2015
... my Third - HiLiter ... Accident in March of 2015, not seriously damaged, but the Insurance Company totaled it.

Well, it has been 17 Years and we have purchased a "New" Beetle to replace Valdez.

The wife and I have been pondering many names for our new addition and have settled on "Rook". Here are some basic facts, Rook's are only indigenous to Europe, Russia and the Orient; however unbeknownst to us, rooks have been documented as one of several species of birds capable of using tools and on a spiritual/symbolism note, Rooks are augurs, keepers of secrets, mysteries, hidden knowledge and foretelling the future.

Perhaps that is why I am already working on it. (Day 2) The front passenger side blinker bulb needs to be replaced and the front tow hook cover would not snap into place; turns out it was put in upside down.

For what it is worth, I have never won any lottery, nor will I; honestly I would not want to experience the stress of such an event.

Stayed tuned, pics will be forthcoming, as soon as the rain clears. I am looking forward to Rook's first photo op.

Here are Rook's Specifications from the Window Sticker:

Performance and Handling ...
-1.8L TSI DOHC 16 Valve Turbo whit Direct Injection
-Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV)
-Servotronic Speed Variable Electro-Mechanical Power Steering
-Front - Rear Independent Suspension
-Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR)
-Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
-17" Black Alloy Wheels

Safety and Durability ...
-Drive/Passenger Air Bags
-Drive/Passenger Head/Thorax Side Air Bags
-3 Point Safety Belts
-Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
-Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
-Intelligent Crash Response System (ICRS)
-Lower Anchors/Tethers for Children (LATCH)
-Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

Comfort/Convenience/Additional Features
-RCD 310 AM/FM Radio with in Dash CD Player including Aux Input and MP3 Playback
-8 Speaker Sound System
-Media Device Interface (MDI/iPod/iPhone/iPad)
-Bluetooth mobile telephone connectivity (Basic)
-Power Central Locking with Remote
-Leatherette Seating Surfaces
-Heated Comfort Front Seats
-Manually adjustable Front Seats with Lumbar Support
-Split Folding Rear Seat
-Leather Wrapped Multi-Function Steering Wheel
-Leather Wrapped Shift Knob and Brake Lever
-Height Adjustable Telescoping Steering Column
-Front Center Console with Cup Holders
-Front and Rear Carpeted Floor Mats
-Climatic Single Zone Manual Climate Control with Pollen Filter
-Ambient Interior Lighting (Red/White/Blue) with Front Map Lights and Illuminated Vanity Mirrors
-Multi-function Display with Trip Computer with choice of North American or European Readout
-Power Windows with Pinch Protection
-Power Adjustable Heated Exterior Mirrors
-Variable Intermittent Windshield Wipers with Heated Washer Nozzles
-Daytime Running Lights (DRL)
-VW Care-Net Equipped - Subscription Required (did not subscribe, maybe later)

Package /Options
-Black Uni Exterior Paint
-Titan Black Leatherette Interior
-Monster Mats
-Heavy Duty Trunk Liner with VW CarGo Blocks
-Roadside Assistance Kit
-5 Speed Manual Transmission

VW Care Free Maintenance
-Services Noted in the VW Maintenance Booklet are Free (yep, I do them myself) for the first 12 months/10,000 miles whichever occurs first

Warranty Information
-VW Limited Warranty is 3 Years/36,000 Miles whichever occurs first
-Power-train Limited Warranty is 5 Years/60,000 Miles whichever occurs first
-Corrosion Perforation Warranty is 12 Years/Unlimited Mileage

24 Hour Roadside Assistance
-3 Years/36,000 Miles whichever occurs first - Services provided by a third party
 
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#7 · (Edited)
Well during my first, second and third week of ownership and a over 2000 kilometer's, here is what I have learned from Rook; an owners critique of sorts and to include "ball park" (+/- 100) fuel numbers ...

1) 93 Octane gas is not a requirement for the 1.8 TSI Turbo, but like Valdez, I am using it anyway.
2) I can set the dash instrumentation to display Standard (Miles) or Metric (Kilometers) and I prefer Metric.
3) Bigger and wider than Valdez; has a front nose, so I need to watch out for parking curbs.
4) Turbo lag, never liked it and all turbo engines do it, some worse than others.
5) Quieter than Valdez, makes it hard to hear the engine for shifting.
6) Lugs in higher gears, do not like it, but common in todays cars.
7) The gear ratio is one less than Valdez and what I mean by that is; in 5th gear, Valdez runs @2800 +/- RPMS to maintain 55/90 MPH/KPH and @3900 +/- RPMS to maintain 75/120 MPH/KPH. Rook can maintain 55/90 MPH/KPH @2300 +/- RPMS in 4th gear and maintain 75/120 MPH/KPH @2600 +/- RPMS in 5th gear.
8) Rook does not like to start out in 2nd, which was not an issue for Valdez; so coasting up to time the traffic lights is problematic.
9) There is an RPM gap between 2nd and 3rd gear when doing 30/50 MPH/KPH; in 2nd Rook runs @3100 +/- RPMS and in 3rd @1600 +/- RPMS.
10) The painted color matching interior pieces are nice, but you can indirectly be blinded by the sunlight occasionally; I think a matte finish would have been better.
11) I do not like the location of the front cup holders; if Rook was an automatic, it probably would not be an issue; however IMHO it is an issue for the manual transmission.
12) And the rear cup holder; two rear seats, one cup holder? :confused: It has been this way since 1998; I really would like to know VW's motivation on why only one cup holder for the rear passengers?
13) Roof line and rear seat leg room is smaller than Valdez; however Rook has some head room due to no sunroof. IMHO, for those 6 foot plus, you do not want a sunroof.
14) With the lower roof line, the early morning (sunrise) and late afternoon sun (sunset) are not a problem; the tint is an added bonus.

... so I have some "unlearning" or "reprogramming" to do; when driving a stick I always shift by engine noise. This has proven to be problematic, because Rook is quieter and the gear ratio is lower; lower rpms mean less engine noise. Even with the windows down, the combined wind and tire noise is louder than the engine. I have caught myself mimicking Valdez; basically that means I am doing 55/90 MPH/KPH in 3rd gear and/or I am doing 75/120 MPH/KPH in 4th gear! The wife has been asking me ... "When are you planning to shift up?" :banghead:

So unless I am driving on the interstate I never use 5th gear and here is why; the lower the RPMS and the higher gear you are in, means more work for the engine. At some point everyone will feel like there car is pulling a "dead weight" during an attempted acceleration and no matter what you do the car slows down, until the turbo kicks in, if your engine has one or you could shift down and the problem only gets worse if you are going up hill. This is "lugging" in its simplest form; luggin in its worst form is when you hear valve "chatter" or "ping". Being in the correct gear is the solution for this problem. Driving Rook at 55/90 MPH/KPH in 5th gear causes lugging as engine RPM is @1800 +/-; 4th gear is the correct gear in this situation.

At some point I will be taking a diagnostics cruise with VCDS running.
 
#8 ·
Maybe, you should take a look at the Neuspeed plug/play Power Module; it can be easily removed, for warranty work. Look at reviews on youtube; they seem positive. This upgrade; seems to help with the turbo lag, from what I have heard.

NEUSPEED Power Module
 
#10 ·
I was thinking the same as Billy. Turbo engines are commonplace in all brands these days, yet some, lack that upper-end umph. I reckon they're somewhat detuned via the ecu from the factory.
I'm sure performance end arounds, will become more available, as seen with Neuspeed.

Funny you mention the gearing, and not using 5th gear. With my 2.5l/6-speed DSG, if I put her in sport mode, running close to.65-70, she'll stay in 5th. I guess sport really wants you flying to get that 6th gear, lol.

Looking forward to your results. Might need you a Magnaflow to get you a better note for sound shifting[emoji14]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
#11 · (Edited)
I am sure that there is a factory ECU performance tweak between the Beetle Models, Base S, SE and SEL; if there was not, there would be only one beetle model.

So it seems, indirectly mind you, that VW and I think along the same line. :scared:

Any exhaust modifications are nipped in the bud, so say's the wife! :queen: She also reminded me that the purpose of a "new" car is so you do not have to work on it!
 
#12 ·
I have heard; that VW has updated their ecu software, on a number of their engines. I would contact your local VW dealer and see if you car; has the latest version and also, see if there are any open recalls as well. It couldn't hurt and it wouldn't cost you anything. :)
 
#13 · (Edited)
Contacting VW Customer Care is on my to-do list, but due to the TDI scandal, wait times are excessive. According to their website, there is a 10-14 day lead time on getting a response. So I am waiting.

Regarding Rook's overall performance, am I happy with it. :) I am waiting to reach the break-in mileage (3000Mi/4800Km) and for TOD before pushing any limits. :D
 
#14 ·
I would just go to your local VW dealers service dept.; they can look up your car and see if there are any ecu updates, open recalls. They might be able to do this over the phone with your VIN #; I have done this before with my local VW dealer.
 
#16 ·
OK, it will be two weeks tomorrow and I have put my second full tank of gas in. According to Rooks fuel consumption numbers I am averaging 7.1 liters per 100 kilometers (i.e. 3.0 gallons per 100 miles), which translates to 14 KPL or 33 MPG. This is in mixed driving, with speeds ranging from 30 MPH/50 KPH to 75 MPH/120 KPH. Not to mention the occasional mistake of driving 55/90 in 3rd gear and 75/120 in fourth gear on occasion. So once I stop making that mistake, the KPL/MPG should go up sightly. :)

Valdez's averages were 26/9.0 to 30/7.8 (MPG/KPL). So Rook is going to save me some money! :D
 
#18 ·
Well keep your fingers crossed and knock on wood; I am going to add fog lights to Rook; then from an options perspective, Rook and Valdez match. I have questioned our sales guy about the wiring harness being in place; he said it is. So when I drop all of the plastic protective guards I will find out for sure.

Wait, isn't there another car that I should be working on? :confused:
 
#19 ·
Hey, it is much more fun and interesting; to work on something "new" in your life. :) I'm sure; it will take awhile to make the car, the way you want it to be. :D We all have to do this; to the new "toys" we add to our collection and if this is your daily driver, even more so! I am looking forward; to more info about the newer Beetles, as your work through making your car... "yours"! :)
 
#23 · (Edited)
taking beetle pics would be a start, frank...hint hint.
lol! ;)

If Easter goes as planned I will have plenty of pictures.

And I forgot to mention that I got Rook tinted; Llumar CTX35, which is the max tint for TN. As long as the sun is not coming in from the front windshield, the reflections from the dash and door panels has been reduced and is no longer an issue. I guess this gives new meaning to, "Back in Black". :D
 
#27 · (Edited)
And you shall in 39 days!

Sweet choice of color!! ��
Thanks! :D


OK, my settling in from Valdez to Rook has been improving nicely, I am down to 6.8L per 100km, from 7.1 in mixed driving; however I need to work on my traffic light start ups, as on occasion I stall and drivers in my area have an unforgiving attitude. :rant2:

On another note, I miss the "Blue" Temp Light and Fog Lights :( ... And another subtle difference between Valdez and Rook is, on those frosty mornings I always start the car to warm up and defrost; the DRL's on Valdez would remain off until I release the e-brake. For Rook the DRL's are on when you start the car, regardless. DRL's are OK by me, I just prefer the lights to be off while it is warming up in the driveway.
 
#35 ·
I'm with Billy on the prep. You can do it mang! :bigthumb:
Thanks for the suggestion, the current plan is to paint them flat black, and put black chrome tips over that; that way the actual exhaust tubes should be camouflaged by the tips.

This weekend I am measuring the outside pipe diameter; which I should have done before I started researching.
 
#36 ·
OK, after some research, the exhaust tips will be a future project. I found the information from this site to be informative.

My tips will have to be stainless steel and welded on, due to the fact that the stock pipes are already flared and will have to be cut off. I can do many things, but welding is not one of them; which means taking Rook to a "professional".
 
#37 ·
Did you see these; genuine vw accessory tips? (they slip on the stock exhaust; no mods or cutting required): vw part #5G0071911041

Seem a bit overpriced but obviously, would fit perfect as they are genuine vw:

Exhaust Tips - Black.
Part Number: 5G0071911041
Stainless steel dual exhaust tips corrosion resistant. Easy slip-over design. High-quality black chromed stainless steel.


Volkswagen Beetle (2011-2016). #5G0071911041: Exhaust Tips - Black
 
#38 · (Edited)
Thanks for the suggestion and yes, I did in the beginning, just did not want to pay that much, so I discounted them; however after my research they are number 2 on my list, as I am still going to get an estimate for a permanent (welded) solution. I have concerns about the clamp type extenders.

A while back you suggested that look into parts dot vw dot com and now it is the first place that go; makes getting part numbers easy and dealer price estimates, so I can work up a budget. :)
 
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