Brief trip to Germany with work (short notice as usual). It's my first time here, and even tho a little rushed on the planning I've still managed to cross a few things off the bucket list.

1. Drive on an Autobahn... unfortunately bit of a let down with hire cars, and have ended up with a Hyundai ix35 Turbo Diesel instead of the Golf TDi had requested. Have managed 191 kph out of it on the A from Berlin to Wolfsburg... thinking "not bad at all" right up until I was passed by a T5

2. Get a photo of a Beetle with a genuine "WOB" number plate (tick)

3. Visit the Autostadt (tick). Unfortunately didn't get to pick up a new VW like seems everyone else in the place is doing... amazing seeing all these people holiday'ing carrying new number plates under their arm.

3. Visit Stiftung Automuseum (tick)

Hopefully tomorrow will get to tick off the Volkswagenwerke Tour before have to head back to Berlin to start my flights home... need to back in time for Warwick after all !!!

Wolfsburg Autostadt Pics

Nice dude. Dont forget the stickers. Bring back a hot german lady for me.

Stiftung Automuseum Pics

... and some more Stiftung pics...

wot? German ladies are stickers?, don't think so, a mate of mine got one years ago and she was off like a brides nighty before six months was up, didn't stick around long at all. great pics by the way.

Great pics Dave, thanks.

Great pics Dave!! How long did you spend in the museum? Looks like there is an easy half a day at a rush for a volksy enthusiast!!

MMMMMM...................Dakar race Touareg............thats if I could only pick one ! Jeez that white notch with weird front end is butt ugly I reckon.

Quote:

Originally posted by donn wot? German ladies are stickers?, don't think so, a mate of mine got one years ago and she was off like a brides nighty before six months was up, didn't stick around long at all. great pics by the way.

what about the Ritz Hotel.... free meals and/or stay if your car is not ready.
Arrive by train ...leave with the new car.

Trade a year old vw and anything needing refurb they charged E1000 only (2006 anyway)

I can get in for free....anyone want to join a tour incl the Porsche Museum?? Stuttgart

Awesome..... hopefully one day i'll get to see those places as well

Yeah, the Ritz Carlton not really my style... It's nice, but I'm all about the cars man !!!

Spent all afternoon at Stiftung Museum... arrived a bit after 1 and left just before closing at 6. Could easily spend a whole day there I reckon. Thing that got me was the little differences very early on, like VERY basic door hinges on the Kommandeurwagen, and the stock wider STEEL guards.

Managed to gt a spot one the Werkestour, but unfortunately only in German. Now waiting in lobby for it to start - no way was I gonna pass up just because of being in the wrong language !!!

Mercedes Museum is great ..they are set up with wifi
you all get headphones and you choose your lingo

come along with me and I can do the English translation...true

Now sitting in HK airport waiting to board again, and first place have had wifi that lets me get onto avd.

Got on the Werkes Tour, and while it was good I felt just a little bit disappointed, especially since it's no pics allowed (I mean, really ?!?!)

Like everything at Autostadt was very well organized with a sealed in bus/train thing that runs around the exterior of the main buildings... gives you a really good impression of how BIG the place is, but really... all you see is the outside of the buildings.

You do get to go inside to part of the Tiguan plant and look down from a platform to the floor where robot's are in action stitch welding the beginnings of the floor tubs, and you occasionally glimpse a fork and trailer scoot past with Tiguan side sections on it, but that's about. Oh there's a Golf VI "chassis jig" on display with engine, trans, suspension and brakes all fitted up which is pretty cool... apparently taken straight off the line, including having oil in the engine, not to mention the 25km of wiring loom and 8kg of bolts.

Other than that, it could have been any factory in the world building any type of product, but just knowing it was Wolfsburg made it feel just a little special.

Hi Sides.
We did the (English speaking) tour last year and the bus/train took us all through the Golf line. We saw heaps of different areas from the early stages of the build to the "wedding" of the body to the chassis and panel presses etc. We had done the (English speaking) tour a couple of years before that and went through the Sharan? line at the time and it was pretty much the same.

Other than no photos which was a bummer, it was a great tour with cars being moved around just over the top of you as you drove around incredibly tight corners in the long train. Maybe it is different for the English speaking tours to the others.

Yogie

Yeah Yogie, that's what I was expecting (hoping) it would've been like !!!

The guest book you get is brilliant (and in English) and the stuff in it lines up with your description. I know the Golf VI to Golf VII changeover is going on, so maybe the tour has been shortened due to that.

Def planning on going back next time I'm in Germany... Autostadt just such a cool place generally, so will take a second crack at the Werkes Tour too and see !!!

We loved the tour both times and were rapt that it was a different tour the 2nd time. We have been there 3 times now and have finally seen all that we wanted so a 2nd trip will be good for you to take in as you know now that you have to book for the English tour of the factory. There is also an English tour of the Turmfahrt and that is great as well and certainly worth it.

Yogie