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The car is fantastic, no doubt. Most of my time has been spent messing with the Pioneer system, trying to troubleshoot what works, what doesn't and whose fault it is. Lately it has been about playing random songs through the iPhone, which it won't do. Random mode plays the same list over and over. It turns out it's a well documented bug in the iPhone and not the Pioneer system. It's fixed by creating custom "random" playlists in iTunes, but not without a lot of trial and error, as Steve Jobs hated the PC user.

On the heels of totally forgetting I wasn't going to keep the $350 Vag-Com cable, my new want is an APR Stage 1 ECU upgrade. This is where they chip the car to gain some of the horsepower that you just know VW is giving to owners of more expensive cars with this engine. Automotive journalists will complain that this car is underpowered for its class while enthusiasts quietly giggle, knowing massive power is bought on the cheap.

For $600 you get another 50 horsepower at 91 octane, more if you live by a jet fuel factory. That's 25% more horsepower for $600. APR is mainstream enough that even some Volkswagen dealers offer the service, such as Winn Volkswagen in Fremont. It's a want and for $600, it needs to come from some special magical fund to possibly justify the cost. Must ... resist ... the ... pull....

Mileage: 5,616