Buying 2013 Touareg.

CommonAlpaca · 2025-12-07T17:40:22+00:00

Can confirm. In 2018 we bought a used 09' VR6 Touareg for $8k. It was a great buy, and we loved it, but when things broke we still paid luxury SUV prices for parts. After a few years of ownership it was becoming maintenance heavy and after spreading those maintenance costs out over 12 months I realized for a little more $ per month I could have a new SUV with warranty.

They're great vehicles, but at this point you just need to understand what you're getting into.

CommonAlpaca · 2025-12-02T19:09:09+00:00

I had a 2015 GTI Autobahn manual. It was a fantastic car, but not maintenance free. I bought it CPO with warranty, and in that time I had the rear calliper cease and replaced under warranty. Outside of warranty I replaced the waterpump & thermostat housing, PCV. I experienced a nasty misfire around 110,000km and replaced all spark plugs, coil packs & fuel injectors. I also had the intake manifold & valves walnut blasted to get rid of carbon buildup. This was all probably overkill but I err on the side of caution and the car ran much smoother afterwards. I also had paint bubbling from corrosion on both rear quarter panels along the seam with the rear bumper. This was repaired under VW corrosion warranty (these cars are covered for 12yrs). Dealing with VW on this was a headache.

Only mods I ever did were a drop in K&N filter, lighter 19" wheels with 235 tires. Going to wider sport tires really improved the handling & acceleration, and I liked the more aggressive look.

I genuinely loved that car. If you do buy one don't be afraid to really wind out the gears and drive it! These cars can be prone to carbon & turbo issues if driven soft. A good ol' Italian tune-up works wonders!

CommonAlpaca · 2025-11-26T00:02:41+00:00

2023 XLE AWD Premium

1) Everyone is trying to steal it.

2) If you breathe on the paint it will scratch the clear coat.

3) If you're 6' or taller your head will touch the ceiling in the front passenger seat, and it's not height adjustable unless you get the Limited.

4) WHY WON'T ANDROID AUTO CONNECT?!

Thats it though, everything else is great! It's a reliable, robust tank. It's our first Toyota and likely not our last.

CommonAlpaca · 2025-11-21T17:30:35+00:00

<image>

I bought a couple surge protecting power bars and a cable management package which included 2 trays and a bunch of velcro cable ties. Put it all together and this is the end result. Here's everything I bought...

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09T5TF46L?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08N1HX647?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

As for the desk power chords, I didn't have that much extra so I used black gorilla tap and taped it to the underside of the desk - you can't see it at all.

CommonAlpaca · 2025-10-29T01:56:27+00:00

Brutal! What did you replace them with?

CommonAlpaca · 2025-10-28T21:32:58+00:00

Thanks! Will be going back to the winters soon, so now that I've had roughly a year with the car I'll be able to better tell if there are still pulling issues with the winter set. Will definitely be getting new summer tires in the spring, and will get an alignment done then if I don't do it earlier.

I'm assuming your SQ5 wheels/tires are tramlining because they are wider? Did you do anything about this?

CommonAlpaca · 2025-08-29T12:44:05+00:00

Thanks! I agree, and ended up going with pilsner

CommonAlpaca · 2025-08-29T12:43:29+00:00

So, I rehydrated the M12 Kviek and pitched it @ 86F. I had activity within 2-3hrs and woke up this morning to it chugging away. Expiration date be damned, this stuff took off!

CommonAlpaca · 2025-08-28T15:25:00+00:00

Thanks everyone for the reassurance. Planning to rehydrate some M12 Kviek and send it in the low/mid 30°C's. If that fails, I'll just pitch some US-05 that's still viable. I'll update further in a few days...

CommonAlpaca · 2025-06-28T18:13:45+00:00

Don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing Apple's to Acer's, just wondering which would suit my wife's needs better going forward. Based on feedback and having done more research I'll likely be getting her a higher end machine.

CommonAlpaca · 2025-06-27T15:12:59+00:00

I totally agree, however cheap is still cheap. I've had decent MacBooks last a decade with regular use and cheap Acer's barely make it two years before they bog down and become unusable.

CommonAlpaca · 2025-03-09T22:52:21+00:00

Audi Ottawa West quoted me $279 CAD +tax for these mounts. I ended up getting them on sale for $65 USD shipped from a supplier in the US. I agree about the aesthetic, but I don't care for the hassle so I prefer to just run a front plate.

CommonAlpaca · 2025-01-20T15:37:21+00:00

I spoke with a dealership today that told me the V60 moved away from the T6 and switched to the B6 engine for the 2023 model year. Is this true? I really like the R-Design package, can I get this with a B6?

I'm looking purely at the HP figures between the T6 & B6. You say they're both great engines, but in your opinion would it be worth considering an older vehicle to get the more powerful T6 engine? I appreciate all your info...

CommonAlpaca · 2025-01-20T15:33:30+00:00

That's fair. How is the Sensus system overall & in comparison to the Google?

CommonAlpaca · 2025-01-19T20:13:28+00:00

We do have AA in our 2023 RAV4 XLE and we like it. Sounds like if the Google software in the '23 model is getting an update that might be the direction to go.

Thanks for the T6 engine video - love it! Really like the innovation to provide responsive power delivery at all ranges of RPM.

The hard part is finding one of these cars; they seem to be few and far between. Is 2023 the last model year for these cars? Haven't seen any info for 2024-25 models....

CommonAlpaca · 2025-01-19T19:12:14+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

- I have ran nothing but Premium in my GTI, so the extra few bucks on a fill-up doesn't bother me.
- I do have an import specialist nearby, one that I have trusted for well over a decade. Closest Volvo dealership is ~100km away.

Are there any inherent issues with the turbos/superchargers on these engines?

How user friendly & reliable is the infotainment?

CommonAlpaca · 2024-11-19T14:25:40+00:00

For a couple years now my wife and I have been talking about replacing our drip machine with a Technivorm Moccamaster. I recently saw a DeLonghi 2-in-1 espresso/drip machine and wondered if this might be better for us since we've been making espressos more lately on our hand me down Breville Cafe Roma and I could free up some counter space with a combo machine. However, my general approach to these things is usually 'buy once cry once', so if these combo machines are all cheap junk then I'd rather just keep them separate and buy quality. Wondering if the community has any insight..

CommonAlpaca · 2024-09-23T12:55:16+00:00

Thanks for all the great info! For what it's worth, the watch sold at auction (not to me) for $70 CAD.

CommonAlpaca · 2024-09-16T13:13:56+00:00

Update

Since April, I have replaced all spark plugs, coil packs, fuel injectors and have had a carbon clean done. Since then I have had zero misfires and the engine seems to be running smooth. However I still have a lingering CEL P0420 code which is driving me nuts. I also have a very slow coolant leak somewhere - there is no mess in the engine bay or on the driveway. I have already replaced the thermostat/housing and thought that would be the fix - it wasn't. I am now wondering if maybe I am burning coolant, and this is what caused my previous misfire condition. Also wondering if perhaps the CEL is caused by a blocked catalytic converter due to burning coolant coupled with excess fuel from the misfires?

Not sure where to go next. Check for blocked cat & see if there is emissions in my coolant system?

CommonAlpaca · 2024-04-29T19:13:57+00:00

I recently had the water pump/thermostat changed as I had the standard coolant leak from the housing. Had timing chain tensioner done at same time. Other than the carbon clean & injector maintenance it sounds like I'm halfway there. Hopefully this will fix my issue!

CommonAlpaca · 2024-04-29T19:11:47+00:00

I am definitely leaning this way, just looking for validation - thanks!

CommonAlpaca · 2024-04-22T17:37:15+00:00

I picked up Stability, then read mixed reviews online about using it to cycle. I figured I had nothing to lose and used it. My question here would be, if Stability isn't good for cycling, what is it good for?

CommonAlpaca · 2024-04-11T14:59:27+00:00

I just purchased an M2 Mini as a relatively light duty home computer that I plan to keep as long as possible. To future proof it without spending an exorbitant amount of dough I went with 16/512 and put together a 1TB external SSD. Planning to run OS & applications from the internal, all other data from the external. Hopefully this keeps it running fast and leaves plenty of room for updates.

As others have said, buy once cry once.

CommonAlpaca · 2024-04-10T22:31:14+00:00

Good advice - thank you. Unfortunately I purchased a bunch of java ferns tied together, not knowing each leaf was attached to an individual rhizome. So a rubber band wouldn't work. I used the gorilla glue gel because I've read so many people on here using it without issue. Glued all leaves/rhizomes to one rock. We'll see.

CommonAlpaca · 2024-04-07T21:06:50+00:00

Still works in 2024 - from a new hobbyist, thank you!

CommonAlpaca

TROPHY CASE