Greig's MKV GTI

[antihero3000]

Hi All,

After a lot of soul searching (and bank balance checking) I made the decision to sell my immaculate MKV R32 recently.

Madness I know but my mod fund ended up being spent on a diamond ring...and then there was a wedding to pay for...and then I found out I was going to be an uncle for the first time...air miles weren't cover all of that unfortunately

As lovely as the '32 was keeping a car stock doesn't sit well with me and a plan was hatched to find a project that was bit more affordable and could still tick all of the petrolhead boxes.

Being a huge fan of V6's (and tuned MINI's) I started by looking at MKIV R32's and a Cooper S that appeared locally but most had high K's and after four months of commuting across Sydney with a DSG box there was no going back, it had to be a GTI. The hunt was on for a facelift CW 3dr...

Car number 1 - The side light blew as soon as I started it and there was an alarming knocking noise from the rear for the entire test drive. It did however pull like a train and had a brilliant induction noise. On inspection it had an aftermarket carbon intake (which the owner knew nothing about). Later a garage diagnosed the knocking as a 'loose panel in the rear which we've never seen before'. Walked away at that point.

Car number 2 - The chap had the car up for sale for six months but didn't seem interested in parting with it. My many attempts at negotiating on price failed.

Car number 3 - Already sold by the time I called.

Car number 4 - Super low mileage car. Advertised on Gumtree as a one lady owner, manual and black. No quite what i'm after but what the hell, the K's are low and at least they want it gone. Give the girl a call and it's her boyfriend's car...which is already advertised on Carsales...and it's blue...and DSG...and has no history. Sigh.

Starting to regret selling the '32 at this point. I'm sure everyone knows this feeling!

Car number 5 - Stumble across this on the forums. It was advertised without any pictures or much of a description but hey, at least it's a facelift 3dr with DSG. This car is black (my second choice) and the owner sounds pretty clued up so I decide to head down to Woolongong for a test drive.



Thankfully the car is an absolute peach. The BMP paint was a lot nicer in the sunlight than I'd given it credit for, the car was like inside and it had a full dealer history. Downsides...well it wasn't loaded with toys, it had a couple of stone chips at the front, the wheels had a few marks and the DSG service hadn't been done yet. All easily remedied I thought and made an offer with a plan to collect after the history checks were carried out.

After getting the all clear I got a train down to the 'Gong on Tuesday night. Bit further from Sydney than I remembered but at least I had an old dude with a comb over next to me. Nothing like someone taking their shoes off, putting their feet up and going to sleep to keep you awake...



Finally it was nearly GTI O'clock...



Although I wasn't entirely convinced I was going to make it there in one piece. Rapey much?



The new toy...



First things first. V-power...



Fuel economy on the way home. Can't do that in an R32!



Safe and sound...





Overall i'm delighted with it. I was a bit suspicious of how dark the tints were but i've checked the paperwork and they were done by the supplying dealer as 'darkest legal' so hopefully I don't have any issues with the 5-0.

Small review compared to the '32:

Pro's

- Fuel economy
- Tuning options (just a matter of time!)
- The DSG tune, might just be me but i'm not always in 6th anymore!
- Turn in is better (less weight)
- DSG fart on upshift

Con's

- No V6 noise
- Less traction
- The brakes don't have the same bite

Updates to follow.

[Andypants]

Congrats on the new purchase mate.

Good choice on colour by the way! even if it was your second preference

[antihero3000]

Congrats on the new purchase mate.

Good choice on colour by the way! even if it was your second preference

Thanks mate.

I did look at Pirelli's briefly but they seem to hold a $5k premium over the regular GTI's and i'd like to see what I can do to this one for $5k

[robbie]

Hey Greig, congrats on the new addition - I am sure you are enjoying the extra kick from the turbo

LOVE your plethora of photos and information you bring to all your build threads. Very tidy and quite desirable in 3dr form.

Look forward to you sharing this build with us all.

[antihero3000]

Finally got a little free time last night to start looking at tuning options for the beastie.

I'm well aware that these discussions normally turn into this...



But looking beyond the fanboys and the cynics it seems like there is still plenty of useful data out there.

I'm considering Revo and APR for two reasons. 1) Revo (VW Village) is near me and 2) APR (European Autotech) are the world's biggest in terms of R&D (and marketing spend...). GIAC, UM, etc are probably all equally good but living in the Eastern Suburbs and working on the North shore, this is what works for me.

The dyno sheets are much of a much:

S1 Revo...



S1 APR...



Both seem to claim gains of around 35KW and 100nm. Taken with a pinch of salt, it's the torque curve that's interesting. Most reviews seem to say Revo boosts harder earlier on a K03 and tapers off at the top end while the APR tune is much more factory, just with more of everything.

The costs between the two are much closer than I expected. This is because normally i'd just import everything over from the UK and the US but the exchange rate has collapsed over the last month which means buying Australian is now a much more feasible option...

S1 costs

APR is circa $500 more (sale price vs sale price) but future upgrades are free while Revo charges $50 per updated map.

S2 costs

With the exchange rate, shipping and taxes a Milltek TBE is slightly more than a APR TBE. The APR intercooler is also a lot cheaper here than bringing one over. However, I can pick and choose my parts with Revo. Sure the APR software is designed to work with APR parts (part of the appeal) but a (budget) Revo S2+, Autotech HPFP, Eurojet TBE and an S3 IC package would be a over $1k less than going the same path with APR.

S3 costs

Let's be honest, this is where things start getting fun...and confusing. APR have a great turn key solution for a K04 swap and if I went S1 - S2 - S3 with them. It's damn near cost effective, with some man maths. Chopping and changing with Revo means more cost at each stage upgrade but each stage individually is cheaper.

Conclusion time

- I like saying GO APR! because I work in marketing and i'm a sucker for good marketing
- The car is my daily. Everything APR sell is tried and tested if not always the best for outright gains
- I like that Revo is a 5min drive away
- I also like that I can pick and choose my parts with Revo so I can get better deals in exchange for slightly more hassle

As i'm used to tuned MINI's and not tuned VW's all of this is new to me so any thoughts on the above spiel would be appreciated. Especially if you're running an Australian Revo or APR tune guys!