New to owning a VW and a have a few questions...

[Caffeine]

Hi guys and girls,

I purchased my first Volkswagen last weekend after a bit of a ride in Sydney. If you wish to see how it all went down, head over the my first post in the newbie section.

So, i now own a 2001 VW Bora V6 4Motion in white with black leather interior in all its standard trim glory. The car has had $10k spent on it's driveline since 2011 on front and rear diffs, gearbox, drive shafts and such so i believe it is mechanically well maintained.
I have a few questions regarding what to do about replacing factory parts.
I would like to refrain from going too rice in my mods.

Things that are needed...
Fix/replace foggy headlight covers
Windscreen
Front and rear shocks
Strut tops
Rack ends

Things that i will do if i can afford it...
Repaint/ replace grill
Fix/replace interior door handles(wood grain)

I will eventually pick up a set of 18's and have the cat back replaced on the exhaust side but that will all come after attending to the above mentioned stuff.

Can you guys please advise me on what most Bora users do regarding my "Things that are needed" list?
For example, do owners usually replace the factory struts with OEM parts, uprated aftermarket parts or a coil over setup? What sensibly priced struts are available and is the 4Motion suspension the same as the V5?
I read on 50% of forums that Coil overs are illegal if they are height adjustable so i would prefer to avoid anything that might attract the attention of the local constabulary.

I have had a quote from the local VW reseller up here in northern NSW for my windscreen. $425 + fitting. I am assuming this is on the higher side of pricing? Is the automatic rain sensor built into the windscreen or the rear vision mirror and what impact does this have on replacing the windscreen?

Any other advice or comments are welcome

Pictures pending.

[wai]

Actually, replacing/fixing the fogged headlight covers should be top of the list as they could see you end up with an infringement.

[Caffeine]

Actually, replacing/fixing the fogged headlight covers should be top of the list as they could see you end up with an infringement.

Thanks for the heads up wai.

They are not as bad as some i have seen and i guess i just assumed that with all the Supras and FTO's running around with the same problem, that it would not be a big deal.

I will have a go at polishing them some time over the weekend but in the event they don't come up looking a lot better, is it worth trying to find factory replacements or to just pick up some of those "projector style" headlights for $200 on the ebays from China? Are those China specials even legal?

[LeStig]

Great cars and you will love doing it up and best of all driving it !!
Obviously the things that make it roadworthy need doing first !! i tried to clean dull headlights with some mixed results. I've also bought imported headlights and whilst they look great they perform poorly with scattered light patterns... I've found a set of oem xenon in england and will have these sent out... theres lots of great info on this site and some beautifully modified cars .... pick the best bits out of each and you'll end up with a great car...

[blake_]

Great to see so many Boras on the site!

In my opinion, if you're looking for a noticeably lower car, coilovers are definitely the way to go. I initially installed lowering springs but as I became more involved with modifying the car, coilovers offer a lot more options.
If you're just after a slight aesthetic change to make it look a little less 4x4, lowering springs are a good option.

Goodluck with the car!!

[Caffeine]

@ LeStig
I will try cleaning the lenses up but will most likely buy some replacement lenses or even comepletely replace the lights with some aftermarket units. At the worst, maybe i can use the lenses from the aftermarket units on the factory lights.

Whats the go with the leveling motors? Do i use the motors from my factory lights on aftermarket units or is that a feature that i will loos if i change them out for the aftermarket units?

Do you mind if i grab a link for the OEM Xenons?

@blake_
I am not looking for a noticeably lower car mate.
Eventually when i pick up some 18's, i will want to bring the car back down onto the rims but i am not looking for a floor scraping, kidney breaking ride due to my country roads. Some areas around here require a serious overhaul!

ECS
Worth paying the seriously overpriced US postal service if you purchase enough gear or is there similar place in Australia i can all that sort of stuff from?

Just looking at doing a full suspension overhaul.

• Control arm bushings
• Control Arm Hardware
• Outer Tie Rod Ends
• Lower Ball joints (with hardware)
• Upper Strut Mounts
• Upper Strut Bearing

STR.T Shocks and struts

Total: $675 including $260 worth of postage.

Is this a good deal or can all the above gear be picked up local for cheaper or similar money keeping in mind that i do not live in a capital city?

[LeStig]

The motors were not fitted to the replacements but were easy to swap into as the wiring was included .... The covers should fit .. I didn't try to swap them over. I've spent some time adjusting the lights and that has improved the performance ... I'm hopeful the xenons will be a fair step up overall .... I got mine from the UK and they are rare to find and bloody expensive !!
If you check my thread out "south coast bora" I've got pedders lowered coils fitted and there's no clearance issues.... The car is just below the legal minimum height (subframe) but attracts zero attention from Leo's ... It's used as a weekend get out of town car so it's low enough and comfortable although I'm still playing with rear shocks and springs ( kw coil overs)