Few questions about the rabbit.

[gsd1214]

1. is NGK Iridium IX good?? compared to regular NGK spark plugs? or overall, is NGK good choice for the rabbit or should I buy some other brands? any body used the NGK iridium before?

2.my car...i have a automatic rabbit,each time when it switch gears from 1st to the 2nd gear, theres this strong "manual" feeling and sound.(like manual, it pause between gears)
but frome 2nd to 6th gear, no problem... is this normal? will change the ATF fluid help?

3 I bought my car last oct. from a vw dealer, its a lease return car. at the time of purchase, it has 49732 km on it. but when i check the user manual, on the dealer service section, the dealer already put their stamp on the 64000km tune up.
so i assume that the maintenance is not done properly. because the previous owner supposed to change the break fluid at some ponit according to the manual..but there is no dealer stamp on the break fluid section.

so heres what i done after i got the car
-seafoam-ed it
-changed the oil after that, so new oil and new fliter
-cabin filter replaced (it is dam dirty) so i guess the previous never replaced it.

is there anything should be done at 50k? and beyond that?
since i really loved my car, so i would like to do service more often than the manual stated.
so i would like to have a list handy...

anybody can help?
any input is appreciated
thanks

[Jodah]

This looks like a job for nitro! :-P

Seriously though, NGK Iridiums are very good plugs, if you do a search, there was an entire thread about which plugs to use.

2) there is a known recall out now for the "hard shift" you describe. The dealer should have done this already (imho) especially considering this was a lease. They should at the very least have the paperwork regarding the recall and the only catch is theres apparently a long waiting list for the valve body (the part the recall is for)

3) Again this is something that should be looked into, and the dealership should have a record of all the maintenance they did to the car. Doesn't necesarily mean the previous owner did the scheduled maintenance as often as they were supposed to.

[DonJuan1Jr]

Do a brake fluid flush just to catch up on that service and heres the plugs you should get

http://www.dbcperformance.com/product_p/pzfr5q11.htm

[tibimakai]

why the plugs are so expensive for our cars?

[DonJuan1Jr]

NGKs arent cheap, plus u have 5. A quality iridium plug costs 10ish.

[BadEgg]

. . . heres the plugs you should get

http://www.dbcperformance.com/product_p/pzfr5q11.htm

Don beat me to the punch. I can't comment on the "Iridium" plugs, but I've used the NGK Laser plugs in two different cars and they work really good. After 45k miles (72k km), here's how my plugs look (and the box for the new plugs).



Dirty, tarnished, but the electrodes are in great shape (not broken off, still 100% in tact). The new plugs made a difference I could "feel" in the Rabbit's engine. Not because they are magical, HP-gaining plugs, just b/c I replaced a worn part w/ a new one. I just went on the NGK website and the only plugs they list for the 2.5 is the one Don mentions (the OEM ones that you see in the pic). I don't know if they make Iridium plugs for our car, but the platinum ones are a good bet.

why the plugs are so expensive for our cars?

Tibi -
Why are they so expensive? Material/mileage. The old-fashioned standard $3 plugs have a service of 15k miles (24k km). You pay more for the extended life of platinum plugs (and for the small amount of platinum metal on the tip). Marketing? Sure, I guess that accounts for a couple of bucks, too. But would you rather pop those freakin' coil packs off every 15k, or every 40k? Guess you could say the same thing about the cost vs life of conv oil and synthetic.

[DonJuan1Jr]

The pzfr5q-11 is what i linked...didnt realize they were plats not iridium.

[BadEgg]

As far as doing early maintenance on the car goes - yeah, I hear ya. You got a nice car and you want to take the best car of it you can. Fluids and filters are big. You'll be able to inspect the air and cabin filters, but stick to the schedule for oil changes and tune ups. You can do the fuel filter (the external one under the driver's side) along w/ the bigger services (40k for US, 64k Canada). I used to think that was a long interval for plugs and air/fuel filters, but the air filter in our car is huge, and the Rabbit uses platinum plugs. None of the parts are cheap, so the manufacturer's intervals are a good guideline.

The only thing I do early is oil changes (5k/8k instead of 10k/16k). I feel the oil gets contaminated enough to warrant it.

[gsd1214]

hey, thanks everyone, very helpful