Our 2026 VW Golf R's $2,400 Pothole ProblemBilly Rehbock - MotorTrendMichigan, where I grew up, is a land filled with potholes. It's almost a rite of passage to have your car savaged by one of them at some point or another. They're seemingly everywhere in the winter, lurking on freeways, alleyways, side streets. They destroy wheels, undercarriages, suspension bits, and more.It's a different story out here in sunny SoCal around the MotorTrend HQ, however, where potholes are a rarer sighting. But they do exist, as our own Billy Rehbock recently found out during an excursion in our yearlong review 2026 Volkswagen Golf R. It became a major ordeal, with a bent rim costing us a chunk of change and a chunk of time with the car in the service bay.Before that unfortunate incident, the Golf also did some patriotic side duty as a camera car for our State of American Performance and World's Greatest American Drag Race videos. Like the famed Baron von Steuben during the Revolutionary War, the German Golf R served honorably alongside its American compatriots.AdvertisementAdvertisementBelow is Rehbock's recounting of his painful pothole experience, from the first hit to final pickup at the dealer, along with a short report from the front lines of our 250th anniversary expeditions.Billy Rehbock - MotorTrendPothole Pain Rains on Golf R's ParadeI originally picked up the Golf R to drive to a friend's bachelor party out in Paso Robles (about four hours northwest of Los Angeles) without issue. Although it was possibly over its maximum payload with four adults and a trunk jammed up to the cargo cover with luggage, the Golf R was surprisingly comfortable and roomy. It helps that it has enough pulling power to accelerate quickly even when loaded up all the way.It was only at the end of the weekend that we encountered the pothole, literally. We loaded the car again and went back to Los Angeles. Initially, the drive was uneventful, and we made good use of the Golf R's excellent Harman Kardon sound system to pass the time. After a stop for lunch, we were pulling back onto Interstate 5 when we hit the dreaded pothole at about 45 mph, sending a huge shudder through the cabin. I suspected immediately that I'd bent a wheel, though my non-car-enthusiast friends assured me everything was fine. I could feel a vibration in the steering wheel that wasn't there before, especially over 65 mph.Billy Rehbock - MotorTrendI stayed in the Golf R for another week, which gave me time to figure out if it was simple paranoia or an actual bent rim. From the outside, the wheel looked fine, and on surface streets I couldn't really tell. But a drive through the sweeping tunnel ramp that connects the 105 and 405 freeways allowed me to finally diagnose the issue. The corner, which you can take at freeway speeds, normally feels smooth. This time, I could feel the wheel hopping and steering wheel shaking. It was time to go to the dealer.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe next day, I took our Golf to Pacific Volkswagen. They started with a quick diagnostic on the car and let me know that in addition to the issue I was experiencing, the Golf R's tire treads were already low, with just 4,637 miles on the odometer. We're super hard on tires during our yearlong tests, which involve lots of driving at the limit, so this didn't come as a surprise.Billy Rehbock - MotorTrendThe dealer reported that the fronts were down to 2/32 tread depth on the left side and 3/32 on the right, a reading it said was critical (the rears were still good at 6/32). The Bridgestone Potenza S005 235/35R19 tires on our Golf R ship at an original tread depth of 8/32, which isn't very deep considering the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tire ships at 9/32.Volkswagen's tire tech recommended four tires (because of course), which would have come to $1,350.28. Upon consulting with the MotorTrend brain trust, we decided buying two tires was the better route for now (we're planning to go to a full set with the car's option tire later in the loan). Two tires came out to $872.71.Then, I got this message: "Hi, William! My lead technician drove the car on the highway at 65 mph, and the technician didn't experience anything irregular or feel anything. He is strongly suggesting [we] do the ACC alignment since we're doing the tires, but also the computer will let us know if there is any internal damage to the suspension. The ACC alignment is $500."AdvertisementAdvertisementWe were fine with an ACC alignment (effectively resetting and realigning the adaptive cruise control sensors) given the impact from the pothole, but we also insisted the tech pull the wheel off the car to check for visible damage. Sure enough, the following day, we received confirmation that the front passenger wheel was bent, just as we had suspected. Our service advisor told us the wheel would be $916.38, and we placed the order. The catch was that our 2026 Volkswagen Golf R has the Euro Style package with distinctive wheels that weren't in stock. In our case, that meant the wheel would be coming from Canada.Our Jetta loaner while we waited for the rim.Billy Rehbock - MotorTrendWe ended up waiting a total of 13 days before the wheel was eventually delivered to the dealership. The holdup? Our wheel got tied up in customs as it made its way from Canada to the U.S. Thankfully, we got to hold onto the complementary rental Jetta that Pacific VW supplied us with during the entire time the car was at the dealership.Once the wheel finally arrived, things moved quickly and the car was fixed that day. The wheel and ACC realignment came to $1,460.65, and with the new tires, the total damage from the damage and the new rubber rang in at a cool $2,380.82 with tax.The difference in ride and handling was easily detectable, and all told, the Golf R feels just like new. That is, except for a cheesy smell that originated from a rotten box of leftovers that magically appeared underneath the passenger seat. The box was covered in sesame seeds that also got all over the floor. The dealership asked for our feedback on the service, and we reported this smelly issue. For now, we'll smell ya later and update you if Pacific Volkswagen gets back to us with an IOU for the leftovers. —Billy RehbockDoing Its Patriotic DutyAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen you're creating the type of highly dynamic, wow-factor moving pictures that our top-flight video squad produces on the regular, you often need a camera car that can keep up with the type of super and hypercars we had on hand for our recent 250th anniversary of America productions.The best camera cars must be nimble and quick, compact and stable enough to easily maneuver and weave in and out of traffic while the cameras roll. Even better if it has a decent amount of space for the video shooter to do their thing. In short, you need a car like the Golf R. So when the team asked for some time with the car to help it roll cameras during those events, I happily handed over the keys.Here's what our head of video operations Brent Baer had to say about the R after his experience with it during their production work: "The Golf R is super planted and great for a twisty mountain road. When using it as a camera car, its midrange torque really helps when maneuvering around vehicles or accelerating uphill. We prefer using this platform as a camera car when shooting performance-oriented vehicles because it can hang well on a canyon road or a racetrack with minimal body roll. As a bonus, it offers more space for equipment and extra bodies."You can see the Golf R (and a peek at our long-term Ford Maverick Lobo) in action on a road we closed for filming in the above video, courtesy of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X's on board data recorder.AdvertisementAdvertisementOur German-born pocket rocket reported for duty and executed its mission without issue, helping the team expertly shoot our tributes to American performance. It's what we've quickly come to expect from Golf R—and now it has a pothole purple heart to go with it.Photo credit: Billy Rehbock - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Billy Rehbock - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Darren Martin - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementMore On Our Long-Term 2026 Volkswagen Golf R:Tearing It Up and Drifting Around on a Test DayArrival: Perfect For Those of a Certain Age?