New GTI + delivery

[gonk1959]

Hi l3rady
Many thanks for your reply. Very interesting reading, very much appreciated. Yes they actually say on their "design a plate" that they will show their ID bottom right automatically UNLESS the customer ticks a box telling them not too. My plates have their ID stamped on plate.
So the fact I have album artwork where country flag is could still mean its illegal despite manufactures ID stamp on plate?

I'm no expert on it, and everything I have seen online comes up with mixed opinions on whether a custom graphic in the badge area is road legal or not. I see a lot of cars out there with custom badges showing sports teams and car makes, invalid letter spacing and using the wrong font and seem to get away for it. One thing is though that when you come to MOT, depending on who does your car they may fail you because of the custom graphic.

Personally, from what I've read online, I would think those plates are fine to put on but just be prepared to change them to some bog standard ones when the first MOT comes around.

I've got a custom plate for my new car on the way, and when getting it made, I made sure it's 100% legal with no grey areas, as the consequences for illegal plates is that your custom registration is taken away from you. Don't want to risk losing it when it cost about £400.

Thanks l3rady
Yes a bit of a grey area. I also heard a hefty fine as well as your cherished plate being confiscated. Not sure I want to take the risk? brought the reg about 10yrs ago for £600 and not worth the risk over a bit of custom graphics. Looking like wall art for my shed sigh.

Update from the horses mouths at the DVLA The answer is a simple NO. (see copy&pasted) reply to my email from them below.

Thank you for your enquiry received on 10/5/2019.
Your case reference number is 01472540.

I appreciate you contacting DVLA to seek clarification on the matter.

If you want to, you can display a GB national flag with the letters ‘GB’ on the far left of the number plate.

The flags you can choose from are:

the Union Jack
St George’s cross
the Scottish saltire
the Red Dragon of Wales

The letters you can choose from are:

Great Britain or GB
United Kingdom or UK
ENGLAND, England, ENG or Eng
SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym
WALES or Wales

Although number plates displaying these national flags and letters would be legal when travelling outside the United Kingdom, they are not acceptable for identification purposes.

To meet international requirements, when travelling outside the United Kingdom, the oval GB sticker would also need to be displayed (displaying the European symbol removes the need for this sticker when you are travelling within Europe).

You're not allowed to display any other flag or symbol, and these requirements only apply to vehicles registered in England, Scotland and Wales. For vehicles registered in Northern Ireland, the only symbol that can be displayed is the European logo.

Further information on the display of number plates can be found in the INF104.

I'm sorry I have not been able to provide a more favourable response. If you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.

[l3rady]

Update from the horses mouths at the DVLA The answer is a simple NO. (see copy&pasted) reply to my email from them below.

Thank you for your enquiry received on 10/5/2019.
Your case reference number is 01472540.

I appreciate you contacting DVLA to seek clarification on the matter.

If you want to, you can display a GB national flag with the letters ‘GB’ on the far left of the number plate.

The flags you can choose from are:

the Union Jack
St George’s cross
the Scottish saltire
the Red Dragon of Wales

The letters you can choose from are:

Great Britain or GB
United Kingdom or UK
ENGLAND, England, ENG or Eng
SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym
WALES or Wales

Although number plates displaying these national flags and letters would be legal when travelling outside the United Kingdom, they are not acceptable for identification purposes.

To meet international requirements, when travelling outside the United Kingdom, the oval GB sticker would also need to be displayed (displaying the European symbol removes the need for this sticker when you are travelling within Europe).

You're not allowed to display any other flag or symbol, and these requirements only apply to vehicles registered in England, Scotland and Wales. For vehicles registered in Northern Ireland, the only symbol that can be displayed is the European logo.

Further information on the display of number plates can be found in the INF104.

I'm sorry I have not been able to provide a more favourable response. If you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.

Good to know, thanks for clarifying with the DVLA directly.

If you fancy giving yourself some extra flair to your number plates then 4D plates are quite popular and are road legal providing the font and font spacing are correct and identity marks are present.

Got my 4d plates for £36 for the set.

[JMiddo94]

To add to the above they also need to be made from a reflective material.

[Nora]

Hi Nora
I always have a service plan but I include it when I configure the car and just pay a total each month.

iirc as I have a 4yr extended warranty they quoted me a 4yr service plan for £29-£30 a month via DD, this included minor and major services, timing belt and water pump, brakes disc & pads, 2 MOT’s (yrs 3+4), 2 aircon refreshes, 2 brake fluid changes, and without looking at the paperwork possibly something more

You must’ve ordered your car when VW were still offering the extended factory warranty (no longer available). If you have a 4 year service plan, it sounds as if it’s the dealer’s own (VW service plans have been two year plans since at least 2016) and covers some maintenance items too (brakes).

Looks as if there are elements of the service plan you’ve bought that you won’t get the benefit of;

• timing belt change - the Polo GTI has a chain, not a belt, and the chain is a non-serviceable item.

• In cars with a cam belt, it is advisable to change the water pump when changing the cam belt, but unless it develops a fault (which should be covered under your 4 year warranty) it shouldn’t need changing.

• the second brake fluid change isn’t due until the car is 5 years old (the first one is due at 3 years, then subsequent changes are every two years).

Now I’m home I’ve had chance to check the details, my initial list was incorrect (especially the timing), however the items are:
4 x standard services (years 1,2,3,&4)
2x aircon Services and refresh
2x MOT’s (years 3&4)
1x DSG gearbox oil and filter change
1x brake fluid change

Total cost = £1390.40
With monthly payments of
1x £29.72
46x £29.58

[SRGTD]

@Nora; Yes, that does sound like the dealer’s own service plan, based on the payment frequency. The cost of VW’s official 2 year service plans (if you choose to pay monthly, rather than make a one off payment) is 18 equal monthly payments spread across the first 18 months of the two year plan, rather than make 23-24 smaller monthly payments throughout the whole duration of the plan. And VW don’t have a four year service plan (they used to have a 3 year plan; two minor and one major service, including the first brake fluid change).

At current prices on VW’s website if you were to pay for the items in you’ve listed separately outside of a service plan, the total cost would be £1,711.70 so your plan does represent good value, especially as there’s a fair chance prices are likely to increase during the next four years. Some would say the air con services are not necessary if the air con system is working as intended. Excluding the cost of the air con services from your plan (2x£139) the remaining items in your plan would cost £1,433 at current VW prices, so more than the cost of your service plan which includes the 2 a/c services.

[monkeyhanger]

@Nora; Yes, that does sound like the dealer’s own service plan, based on the payment frequency. The cost of VW’s official 2 year service plans (if you choose to pay monthly, rather than make a one off payment) is 18 equal monthly payments spread across the first 18 months of the two year plan, rather than make 23-24 smaller monthly payments throughout the whole duration of the plan. And VW don’t have a four year service plan (they used to have a 3 year plan; two minor and one major service, including the first brake fluid change).

At current prices on VW’s website if you were to pay for the items in you’ve listed separately outside of a service plan, the total cost would be £1,711.70 so your plan does represent good value, especially as there’s a fair chance prices are likely to increase during the next four years. Some would say the air con services are not necessary if the air con system is working as intended. Excluding the cost of the air con services from your plan (2x£139) the remaining items in your plan would cost £1,433 at current VW prices, so more than the cost of your service plan which includes the 2 a/c services.

It's only good value if Nora keeps the car 5 years and doesn't consider going to an independent once the warranty runs out, and expects to pay full whack for those 2 MOTs.

I used to have a 5 year plan on my Golf R , I had the 4th service done on it before I sold it last month. It did not include the Haldex fluid change for the 4WD system, and if mine wasn't a manual, it wouldn't have included the DSG fluid change, optional aircon recharge. It was £16.50pm x 36 months (£594). Can't see it available now.

You'd be better off with the £199 2 service pack, and buying the other stuff separately as and when it's needed - going independent for your 4th service, as there'll be no goodwill more than a year beyond warranty. Once out of warranty, a lot of dealerships offer cheaper services, because they know you're not feeling obliged to stay in the dealership network once the warranty is gone.

With some of the technician dim-wittery I've seen at the VW dealerships over the years, I don't think going to the dealership is assurance of a job well done.

The extended warranty was pulled in July 18. If you ordered before then, your dealer can ask VW UK to honour it's availability. I nearly pushed for it on my 1st GTI+, but decided to do without.

[peeceeuk]

What's the Autoglym stuff like that they try and push on you?
They're throwing it in as a complimentary freebee for me.

[Nora]

What's the Autoglym stuff like that they try and push on you?
They're throwing it in as a complimentary freebee for me.

Tbh there’s mixed reviews on it, if applied correctly and allowed to cure undercover for 24hrs before being exposed to the elements then ok, but more likely it’ll be applied by the guy who washes the cars, with minimal training and thrown out onto the yard within 2hrs.
Alas I’m not gonna start a long winded debate about the merits of detailing again

[gonk1959]

Update from the horses mouths at the DVLA The answer is a simple NO. (see copy&pasted) reply to my email from them below.

Thank you for your enquiry received on 10/5/2019.
Your case reference number is 01472540.

I appreciate you contacting DVLA to seek clarification on the matter.

If you want to, you can display a GB national flag with the letters ‘GB’ on the far left of the number plate.

The flags you can choose from are:

the Union Jack
St George’s cross
the Scottish saltire
the Red Dragon of Wales

The letters you can choose from are:

Great Britain or GB
United Kingdom or UK
ENGLAND, England, ENG or Eng
SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym
WALES or Wales

Although number plates displaying these national flags and letters would be legal when travelling outside the United Kingdom, they are not acceptable for identification purposes.

To meet international requirements, when travelling outside the United Kingdom, the oval GB sticker would also need to be displayed (displaying the European symbol removes the need for this sticker when you are travelling within Europe).

You're not allowed to display any other flag or symbol, and these requirements only apply to vehicles registered in England, Scotland and Wales. For vehicles registered in Northern Ireland, the only symbol that can be displayed is the European logo.

Further information on the display of number plates can be found in the INF104.

I'm sorry I have not been able to provide a more favourable response. If you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.

Good to know, thanks for clarifying with the DVLA directly.

If you fancy giving yourself some extra flair to your number plates then 4D plates are quite popular and are road legal providing the font and font spacing are correct and identity marks are present.

Got my 4d plates for £36 for the set.

Thanks l3rady
Yes DVLA cleared up any doubts I had. Never heard of 4D plates. Will google them them and check them out.

[peeceeuk]

What's the Autoglym stuff like that they try and push on you?
They're throwing it in as a complimentary freebee for me.

Tbh there’s mixed reviews on it, if applied correctly and allowed to cure undercover for 24hrs before being exposed to the elements then ok, but more likely it’ll be applied by the guy who washes the cars, with minimal training and thrown out onto the yard within 2hrs.
Alas I’m not gonna start a long winded debate about the merits of detailing again

Well, as it happens, they're giving me the package to take home, for my own use.
All I want to know is if it is any good.

[SRGTD]

What's the Autoglym stuff like that they try and push on you?
They're throwing it in as a complimentary freebee for me.

The product itself is OK, but it’s the dealer application that’s the issue. If you were paying for this to be done by the dealer, they probably charge £350-£400, when the products can be bought for around £25, so if the dealer’s throwing this in as a freebie, they’re not giving much away.

For the product to work as intended, the car’s body work needs to be correctly prep’d. If done correctly, the car should have a careful pre-wash and then a proper safe wash using the two bucket method and then dried with microfibre drying towels or a warm air dryer. The car’s paintwork then needs to be fully decontaminated to remove any embedded contaminants (iron fallout, tar deposits etc.), and then ‘corrected’ by machine polishing (if required) to remove any minor imperfections before the Autoglym Lifeshine is applied. It should then be left for the Lifeshine to cure for the required period of time before buffing off.

The preparation work, if done correctly, takes considerably longer than the time the dealer will allocate - time is money to the dealer. The dealer will probably just wash the car using the old fashioned single bucket and sponge method and dry it with a wash leather after the protective covers have been removed, and then apply the Lifeshine product, skipping the important preparation stages, and not allowing sufficient time for curing of the product.

If the dealer gave me the Lifeshine kit for free so I could apply it myself I’d be happy with that, but I’d personally never have a dealer apply Lifeshine or a similar product to a car of mine - even if they did do it for free. The chances are their application method will compromise longevity and effectiveness of the product, and they may inflict swirls to your paintwork in the process.

[gnome]

Just got my stage 7, Car is at Dealership. That means its sat 1 mile from where I work Soo close now!

[peeceeuk]

Just got my stage 7, Car is at Dealership. That means its sat 1 mile from where I work Soo close now!

Got mine too just now.
It gave me news I already knew.

[Nora]

If I was given the autoglym stuff for free and had limited knowledge and equipment to apply it to the bodywork I’d be tempted to use it on wheels. Ideally removing them one at a time, washing them (inside and outside), use a little IPA to clean the residues off and give each alloy 1-2 coats of the autoglym and buff between each coat with a fresh MF cloth

[Nora]

As it was a little damp on Saturday shortly after I took delivery, I found out how “perky” the car can be, as I exited Tesco’s carpark a little sharpish to get out in front of traffic and the car was still wheel spinning on the wet road 100yds further down the road.