Caff's MKV GTI

[golfmeup]

Sounds good- glad we didn't do it today! 3-4cm hail here in town, winds blew the roof of part of the hospital! I was worried for a bit but had a car cover and a few blankets.
Yeah I walked past your car the other day, that straight pipe looks awesome.
Any noticeable power gains, or is it just noise?

[Caffeine]

It's been a while so its about time i did an update

Lots has happened since the last time i posted.

I finally got around to fitting my intercooler.
It did not go as planned as i did not notice that the turbo outlet coupler had not been shipped with the kit till i had the car appart as far as it had ever been. Rather than put it all back the way it was, i hit the faceballs and forums for some help and a really nice guy of fb posted me the coupler wich got me out of trouble 2 days before Christmas... If your reading this, you know who you are and i thank you



Stereo install. Went according to plan...




I added some brushed look wrap to the centre dash pieces as it had developed a couple of cracks.
Bit of a rush job but i think it looks ok and i have enough to do it again for a cleaner look when i have more time.



Payed Chris at ETuners in Sydney a visit on my way through to Canberra. Spend a good portion of my holiday money on a custom ECU and DSG tune but it was worth every cent and Chris was really good to deal with. I will certainly go back if i ever go K04.
The ECU was pulling 3 degrees of timing due to a crappy spark plug on number 4 cylinder but i am moments away from changing the plugs today so i will call it 160kw at the front wheels.
a 20kw improvement over the GIAC tune with the same hardware. Not that i was unhappy with the GIAC tune but i knew i had outgrown it and was not doing my new hardware any favors without a new tune.
No harsh feelings GIAC. If you offered discounted prices to existing tuned customers, i would have considered retuning with GIAC.
Thanks again Chris





I purchased a chinese knockoff Forge diverter valve spacer for ~$25. It is yet to arrive but im not sure i'll fit it anyway. Might just wait and pick up a proper Forge recirc DV.
Also snagged front and rear Whiteline sway bars and some Eibach lowered springs(not sure how lowered though) from the for sale forums. Yet to be fitted after i watched a tutorial on the front bar(that ought to be fun!).
Ultimately i will probably wait and pick up new front shocks and strut tops and do the whole lot in one hit.

So thats it for a while. Might pick up some new shoes when my hours at work return to normal.
But as far as performance mods go, K04 in the future possibly but i am just going to enjoy driving from now on and stop spending money on it lol.

[Caffeine]

Plugs changed!

The offending plug.


So in went a set of these. I used the zip tie trick to get the igniters out which were replaced by VW under recall a couple of months ago.


So i gave it all a bit of a wipe down since i had fitted all my engine bay dress up parts i had been gathering.

[golfmeup]

Hey mate! You've been busy!
Cars looking good. Keen to see it running after the tune.
Cheers

[Caffeine]

Yeah i have been really busy Locky!

We will have to catch up some day soon and set a day to take some photos and drive em both.

[Caffeine]

Update!

Been really busy recently.
The VAG took a rubbing of the passenger side door by a lady too eager to reverse out of her parking spot at Caboolture service station a few weeks back so i had to wait to have the door replaced by the insurance peoples.
Other than that, nothing is different about the car really other than some wheel swappings.

I sold the 18" Talladega's and refitted the Kartoum's. Instantly regretted taking the Tallies off but it gave me some cash to put some new rubber on some 18" ROH Modena 3 piece rims i picked up a couple of months ago and have been cleaning up. I put some Achilles ATR Sport Directional 225/40/18's on them today and they are currently awaiting fitment. Not sure if i'll like them or not but if i don't, someone else will so i'll sell them on and buy a new set of Simmons FR19's to go on it instead if i don't like the ROH's.
STILL need to address the aging shocks and strut tops. Might just bite the bullet and get some coilovers and sell the lowered Eibach springs i bought off the forums a while back. When i finally get around to doing something about the suspension, i'll have a better idea of wether or not i'll keep the ROH's or not.

Pics...





On the hunt for an R32 front bar now...preferably in magic black pearl if i can find one

[memay23]

[QUOTE=Caffeine;1168809]Stereo install. Went according to plan...




I added some brushed look wrap to the centre dash pieces as it had developed a couple of cracks.
Bit of a rush job but i think it looks ok and i have enough to do it again for a cleaner look when i have more time.



Hi Mate. Great work on your GTI.
I'm really keen on DIY install my Sony XAV-712BT head unit, Sony 4 channel amp and 10' sub. I'm just a bit unsure how to do it as my GTI have the factory amp. Does yours have one too? Any tips or reminder on how not to mess it up?
Thanks man! Any DIY links is much appreciated.

Cheers,
Rey

[Caffeine]

Hi Rey,

Yes, i still have the factory amp installed. It currently runs my factory door speakers till/if i install new ones at which point i'll upgrade the amp as well but in all honesty, i'm happy with the factory fitted speaker in conjunction with the aftermarket sub. I just turned down the gain so it does not overpower the door speakers. Nothing worse than trying to listen to your music at low volume and all you can hear is the bass.

Regarding the install, i removed the battery box and went through the factory rubber boot that surrounds the wiring harness. Used the old amp wire taped to a coat hanger method. Took a few tries but i got it. Just make sure you seal the hole when it is through or you'll end up with a damp passenger foot well.
All the plastic moldings are easy enough to remove. Tuck the amp wire right up under the sill earea along the lower door sill or you will have issues with the fronts popping off easily if passengers touch it with their feet.
The only problem i had was the plastic molding on the lower B pillar(?) where the seat belt goes through. You dont need to remove the seat belt but it does take some fiddling.
As for grounding the amp, i just used the earthing point from the 12v power supply in the boot as it was close enough to the amp and i did not want to go drilling a new hole or scraping any paint away from existing holes. From memory, the 12v earth wire is the brown one but double check it with a multimeter.

[Caffeine]

Sorta update time!

Been really busy with the new job and looking for somewhere to live in Coffs Harbour so nothing has really happened to the car recently other than fitting the rims finally.
I love them. I wish i could have spent more time on them prior to fitting the tyres but i was a bit rushed to get some the Karthoums off as they are a bit rashed.



Still in need of some suspension(yes i know ive been banging on about replacing it for nearly a year now) but thats the next thing on my list when time and funds become available.

[Caffeine]

Finally purchased new strut tops and bearings from ECS in anticipation of my new coilovers.
If all works out well(which it rarely does), ill have everything i need to do the suspension by the end of next week. Then i just need to find the time to get it all in lol.