UPDATE:
Slowly I get the impression I only comment here if something goes wrong with my R baby. But the truth on a day-to-day basis looks the opposite way. The R is one of the very few cars you can get for reasonable amount of money (used market only, so forget about sticker prices) which rewards you with exceptional driving thrills.
Maybe I should use this thread more than ever to praise this car. At least for the last months of my ownership :beer:
But...
There is again the issue with the exhaust header and downpipe becoming leaky. The second time during my ownership. Or is it already the third time? I lost the count.
It seems to me there is a general design flaw with the exhaust header and the downpipe. The construction itself and the materials are strengthen compared to the RCZ200 but still the extreme heat radiating from the engine does its job to twist the material and to cause ultimately gas leaks.
Since I got the car I always practiced a monk-like procedure to warm up and cool down the whole drivetrain before I step on it. Especially the cool down phase is critical with the R. After a spirited drive you need at least 10 minutes of calm pace to cool down the components. Leaving the car at idle is not exactly the best way to do it. Driving is.
So I do that day by day and still those parts cannot take the high pace of autobahn driving. What a sad fact.
I also talked about that to a racing team using the RCZ R in a touring car racing series over here in ze Germany. They admitted they also have issues with that but the very nature of a race allows them to watch the warm up and cool down process more precisely than me with some erratic driving schedule.
Why am I telling you all that? Cause my R is sitting at the shop suffering from the leaky exhaust system again. In future I will try to turn down my driving tempo even further to prevent this from happening again.
By the way, the 308 GTi has a totally revised exhaust system compared to the RCZ R. Due to fitting issues (lower bonnet) it doesn't fit to the RCZ.
I hope to have my girl back at home soon. I miss her so much and the long weekend is coming
PS: She is close to the magic 100.000 miles mark. An ODO pic is coming soon. Interior still looks like new.