My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

[Lucas_R]

If anyone is looking for a set of car ramps for DIY maintenance, I just picked up a set of these Stanfred low profile ramps. These will lift my car an additional 10-12cm over my current ramps and the low profile approach angle design means they clear the underside of my front bumper.

Part # CRTP1400

Link to product

[Lucas_R]

Took a few hours off work this morning to do a few mods/maintenance items on the GTI.

First up was the rear anti sway bar upgrade. ZSS racing anti sway bar and Moog metal end links. Factory bar is 21.7mm hollow bar, the ZSS bar is 25.4 hollow bar and a good chunk heavier than the factory bar. Fitted up perfectly and should be a nice upgrade.

ZSS REAR SWAY BAR (25.4MM) - VW Golf GTI MK7 (2014-)

While I was under there I cleaned the exhaust mufflers, pipework, fuel tank and rear subframe with degreaser, then hot soapy water and a cloth.

Then onto the rear disk replacement. Ive had these Bosch disks in the garage for about 6 months so it was well and truly time to fit them (fronts were fitted shortly after receiving them as they were pretty worn out). They have a silver paint/coating on them but I painted the hub area satin black. Need to wear the paint off the disk face now.

Ive bought a few other OEM+ and performance goodies with the current Black Friday sales. These should hopefully turn up over the next week or so.

[genebaby]

More nice work. Good to hear about what's going on with your car.

[Lucas_R]

New Turbosmart dual port blow off valve fitted a few days ago. A well thought out Aussie made product that is a direct replacement for the stock DV valve. Have been thinking about getting one for a while now for various reasons, both for the sound when it vents to atmosphere and also to see if would stop the constant and annoying air bypass sound the stock DV valve would make on light throttle.

Turbosmart Kompact EM BOV Dual Port VR1 ' MK7/MK7.5 Golf / Audi 8V S3 / FL RS3 8V.5 / Skoda / EA888.3

So ive only driven about 20km since fitting it but it seems to have stopped the annoying trait the stock DV had with an audible air bypass sound (which you could hear no doubt due to the aftermarket intake) on light throttle, and the pssssst when it vents to atmosphere is great. It only happens on heavier throttle input and if you come off the throttle gently it wont make any sounds - so you can control it quite well if you don't want the sound.

Grabbed it during the Black Friday sales for $250 which was a bargain.

Also recently bought some APR coil packs. Wanted red but everyone was out of stock of the red ones, so opted for the grey ones.

[genebaby]

That blow off valve looks like a worthy mod.

[Lucas_R]

Some little OEM+ mods fitted today, both cool yet totally unnecessary. These are off the Clubsport edition GTI.

- brake fluid reservoir heat shield
- RS3 brake ducts
- underbody aero cover/heat shield
- rear suspension aero covers

[Lucas_R]

Some new goodies for the GTI. The Whiteline arms are on order, and the Vekor display and Inbay charging pad are fitted.

The Vektor display is well designed and good quality - but is unfortunately giving me trouble, I suspect a faulty wiring harness or broken wire. Currently talking to Vekor in Germany to arrange a new wiring harness. It boots up but does not display any data.

The INBAY wireless charger is great, well made and OEM fit and finish. Only negative is that those with larger phones wont fit. I have an iPhone 13 with a 6.1" screen and it only just fits. Anything bigger wont fit.My previous iPhone 8 (4.7" screen) was a perfect fit.

Little Audi 12v cover was a cheap upgrade and matches my Leyo knurled alloy covers for the a/c and radio dials.

Whiteline KTA252 alloy front control arms (with caster and camber correction)

Vektor Data Display unit for Mk7

INBAY Wireless phone charging pad for Mk7

Audi 12v socket plug to replace the factory boring black one.

[Lucas_R]

Had the slimline number plates restyled in the black and silver colouring which I have been meaning to do for ages - looks much better.

And removed the Maxton Design front lip as I was sick of it scraping on e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. It looked great but it literally scrapped on everything and it was giving me the *****$, so I took it off.

When doing my intercooler install late last year, I could see my waterpump/thermostat leak was getting worse, so I booked it in to Pete at Newcastle VW Centre in January for replacement. After chatting to him, he does not recommend the OEM VW waterpump, instead he uses and recommends the GEBA waterpump (Part # 11235/1) which has a 5yr warranty and also has the alloy waterpump section. He said he hasn't had a single GEBA waterpump fail (yet) so is quite confident in them, and that if you compare the GEBA to the OEM pump side by side, you can see the GEBA is more heavy duty. Cost a smidge under $1k for parts, labour and new coolant Geba Water Pump 11235/1 - Made in Germany | Run Auto Parts

[genebaby]

Nice work as always.

I saw this recently in regards to the water pump, I'm guessing it's not a complete solution to the problem?

[Lucas_R]

I saw this recently in regards to the water pump, I'm guessing it's not a complete solution to the problem?

I did consider buying this Bartek waterpump, but ultimately decided it was not necessary. I believe the only difference is the metal impeller wheel, which in theory is more durable, but this is not the part that regularly fails on the VW Mk7 waterpumps. Its the gaskets between the waterpump and thermostat housing, and the plastic body of the thermostat housing itself which cracks and leaks. So in this case, I spoke to my VW specialist mechanic, who said he regularly replaces half a dozen VW waterpumps a week and he recommended the GEBA pump. So I went with his suggestion.