{"id":6124,"date":"2016-08-02T16:12:19","date_gmt":"2016-08-02T16:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/\/?p=6124"},"modified":"2016-08-10T13:34:19","modified_gmt":"2016-08-10T13:34:19","slug":"my-car-mk7-golf-r-20k-mile-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2016\/08\/02\/my-car-mk7-golf-r-20k-mile-service\/","title":{"rendered":"My Car: MK7 Golf R, 20K Mile Service"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='__iawmlf-post-loop-links' style='display:none;' data-iawmlf-post-links='[{&quot;id&quot;:4206,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/28437791840&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20251104081422\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/28437791840&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-13 05:39:34&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-01-30 10:44:20&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-01 01:03:11&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-01 01:03:11&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:4207,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/28437791680&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20251104081522\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/28437791680&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-13 05:39:34&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-01-30 10:44:21&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-01 01:03:12&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-01 01:03:12&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]'><\/div>\n<p>Today, I ordered all of the necessary parts to do my 20,000 mile service on the 2016 Volkswagen Golf R. As many of you know, I have a Golf R that\u2019s been modified and has enjoyed a few days at the drag-strip and track. I\u2019ve owned the car for only 12 months but averaging 1700 miles a month has certainly put some wear &amp; tear on it. In addition, for 18K of those miles, I have had a Stage II setup which means my engine has around 400 horsepower and 390 ft\/lbs of torque through a dual-clutch transmission to all 4 wheels.<\/p>\n<p>This means, a responsible car owner should actually be moving up maintenance time-lines to keep the vehicle working efficiently for many hundreds of thousands of miles. I certainly plan on keeping the car for a decade or more. Also, I still expect a sub-100K mile engine rebuild at some point due to the stresses I\u2019m putting on it and at that time, I\u2019ll take up the task of upgrading:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pistons<\/li>\n<li>Intake manifold<\/li>\n<li>Larger Turbo<\/li>\n<li>High Pressure Fuel Pump<\/li>\n<li>Multi-port Euro-Spec direct injection (which comes on the European Golf R)<\/li>\n<li>engine mounts<\/li>\n<li>sub-frame (move to aluminum from steel)<\/li>\n<li>Upgraded AWD Haldex controller<\/li>\n<li>etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I want to wait until there\u2019s a reason to dive deep into the engine before doing that sort of work. I\u2019m afraid just throwing on a larger turbo will cause more harm than good at this point. Remember, it\u2019s still only a 2.0 liter engine.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014-<\/p>\n<p>Volkswagen\u2019s Recommended 20K Mile Maintenance is pretty simple:<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"View 'Golf R 20K Mile Maintenance' on Flickr.com\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/adamjackson\/28437791840\"><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Golf R 20K Mile Maintenance\"  width=\"640\"  height=\"546\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8706\/28437791840_2a5f8e2d23_z.jpg\" ><\/a><\/p>\n<p>At 30K, they recommend the Haldex (AWD) fluid is flushed and at 40K, they recommend brake fluid and the dual-clutch transmission fluid is flushed.<\/p>\n<p>Keeping in mind this is a highly modified performance vehicle which sees hard driving year-round, I chose to do the DSG and Haldex fluid at 20K instead. Here\u2019s what I bought today:<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"View 'Golf R 20K Mile Maintenance' on Flickr.com\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/adamjackson\/28437791680\"><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Golf R 20K Mile Maintenance\"  width=\"627\"  height=\"640\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8764\/28437791680_551515b7c1_z.jpg\" ><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Spark Plugs were done at 17K so they\u2019re good until my 25K mile oil change. The Oil Filter Housing Socket is going to make doing this myself much easier. I also grabbed a rear wiper blade since mine hasn\u2019t been changed yet. If you take out the optional stuff, the cost to DIY is actually pretty low. $110 for DSG (I already have the tool needed), $35 for plugs, $62 for oil + oil filter, $13 for the cabin air filter and $30 for Haldex Fluid.<\/p>\n<p>I added the DSG oil filter housing because it looks cool and it\u2019s not plastic which I tend to break. I love Engine Bling and it\u2019s ribbed to possibly allow DSG fluid to be cooled faster? I really don\u2019t care too much about that but it will make changing the fluid easier.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve actually noticed a slight hesitation going from 1st to 2nd gear when the car is just warming up. I think doing this every 20K instead of 40K is absolutely necessary. The Haldex fluid, not so much.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, this oil change I\u2019ll be saving some of the oil and sending it to Blackstone Labs for analysis. They give an estimated recommended interval based on the minerals found in your oil. VW recommends every 10K and I\u2019ve been doing it every 5K.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sn4xrTUK9mE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u2014-<\/p>\n<p>On another note, I scheduled my 12K service for the BMW R1200 GSA today. It\u2019s a small service but since I\u2019m new to the BMW world, I opted to do it at a dealer and have them show me how so I can do it myself next time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today, I ordered all of the necessary parts to do my 20,000 mile service on the 2016 Volkswagen&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2016-08-02T16:12:22Z","apple_news_api_id":"b93bcc31-e74f-4ef6-b9d2-460ac88f7085","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2016-08-10T13:34:24Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AuTvMMedPTva50kYKyI9whQ","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_custom_appearance":"","csco_disable_excerpt_posts_layout":false,"csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[145],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6124","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-my-car","7":"cs-entry","8":"cs-video-wrap"},"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb3IC4-1AM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5909,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2016\/05\/24\/my-car-drag-racing-epping-dragway-5-20-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":6124,"position":0},"title":"My Car: Drag Racing @ Epping Dragway, 5-20-2016","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"May 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"For the first time ever, I took my car to a drag-strip and for the first run, I did 12.1 seconds. Which is very fast by stock sub-40K USD cars. A Stock Subaru WRX STI does 13.2 seconds so to make it 1.1 seconds faster with only bolt-on mods, I\u2019m\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;My Car&quot;","block_context":{"text":"My Car","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-car\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Golf R Battle of the Tunes 2016 @ Epping Dragway","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7764\/26574334183_e7a0e9f21e_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7764\/26574334183_e7a0e9f21e_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7764\/26574334183_e7a0e9f21e_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3981,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2013\/10\/28\/breaking-down-fuel-costs-with-fuelly\/","url_meta":{"origin":6124,"position":1},"title":"\u2605 Breaking down fuel costs with Fuelly","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"October 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Data is really interesting and it tells the story. My perception and the specs released by auto-manufacturers simply don\u2019t match the real-world. As someone who logs data points about my life every hour of the day, I thought it would be interesting to see how my new car, a turbocharged,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;My Thoughts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"My Thoughts","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-thoughts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2013 10 28 at 8 42 33 AM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adam-jackson.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Screen-Shot-2013-10-28-at-8.42.33-AM11.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adam-jackson.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Screen-Shot-2013-10-28-at-8.42.33-AM11.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adam-jackson.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Screen-Shot-2013-10-28-at-8.42.33-AM11.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6466,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2016\/11\/23\/my-car-blackstone-labs-oil-analysis-on-the-golf-r-mk7\/","url_meta":{"origin":6124,"position":2},"title":"My Car: Blackstone Labs Oil Analysis on the Golf R MK7","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"November 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Full version here. ADAM: Your Golf R is looking good at 21,500 miles. In fact, iron is reading much lower than universal averages, so we certainly have no complaints about the steel parts. Universal averages show typical wear levels for this type of engine after about 6,100 miles on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;My Car&quot;","block_context":{"text":"My Car","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-car\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Golf R - Blackstone Labs Report MK7","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5730\/30827694530_db8d7c2cdc_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4882,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2015\/08\/12\/taking-delivery-of-the-2016-volkswagen-golf-r-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":6124,"position":3},"title":"Taking Delivery of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf R (2016)","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"August 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s nearly 2AM here and I\u2019m writing this after reading through the owners manual and taking up my project management skills to document everything I plan on doing to this beautiful machine. I\u2019ll save all of that for a later post. 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The info was in regards to a fleet of 20-30 Ford Escape vehicles that they felt would be nice to allow employees to purchase as they were being retired from the fleet. Some of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;My Car&quot;","block_context":{"text":"My Car","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-car\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"2015 Ford Escape S my new car","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4873\/44488994580_8a11d73f0a_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4873\/44488994580_8a11d73f0a_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4873\/44488994580_8a11d73f0a_c.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4873\/44488994580_8a11d73f0a_c.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6124\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}