GolNat's 2013 GTI 6MT Coupe Stage 2 Bound

[Big_Jim]

boost gauge looks good there. how much does it block the AC duct? also, do you think the ac blowing behind it will fog the glass?

[GolNat]

Originally Posted by lm13vand

What intake are you going with?

Integrated Engineering. One of the nicer intakes besides a Unitronic one and I found a used IE on eBay so I got everything I needed for $100 less then when its on sale. Should be arriving Monday and will get installed ASAP.

Has a 5 inch velocity stack under the filter and larger pipe diameter. Should work great for future turbo upgrade too.

Originally Posted by GLHWCU

Very Nice!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Big_Jim

boost gauge looks good there. how much does it block the AC duct? also, do you think the ac blowing behind it will fog the glass?

Thanks, I think it could pass as OEM if someone was not familiar with the car.

The vent is aimed toward me so when the AC is on it blows in a good spot. You can also still turn it off if it is too much. I hardly use the AC but these past few days it was raining so I had it on and had no issues. It fogged up when I had the gauge in my garage and moved it into my house before it was installed. I would think as long as there is no extreme temperature difference it should be ok. I am curious how it will do in the winter though. The air coming out of the vents can get pretty hot!

[GolNat]

Integrated Engineering Intake installed. Very high quality part and makes the engine sound amazing. You can hear the turbo and diverter when you let off or shift. Even if it doesn't add much power for the stock turbo it is a great upgrade to enhance the overall driving experience. Don't get the cool Stututututu Subie noises but still nice to hear the turbo.

Scored the intake and secondary air filter used off of eBay for $225.



Instal took about 35-40min and everything fit very nicely.

[GolNat]

Got some little parts coming soon. A picture in the meantime. Washed and waxed with 303 Quick Wax/Detailer.





Need to get the DSLR out and get some nice high quality photos.

Cleaned the engine bay some too.

[GolNat]

Bought a cheap used Android phone off of eBay and an OBDeleven dongle to check some stuff on the car. I have a Carista program which is for iOS but it is very limited in it's capability. It was nice for turning off the confirmation honk on lock, enabling fogs with high beams and some other little stuff but that is about it. I wanted to be able to do a little bit of coding if I needed and look at live data. One of things that I wanted to check was the phase position timing to check timing chain stretch. It was measuring -2.49 at idle which is suppose to be in the green zone. At 47,000 miles I was hoping that it was not a concern but it's nice to be sure. My CEL is still on for my secondary air injection pump so hopefully it can come in handy with diag on that.

Bought a used Euro Impulse shift knob off of eBay. Also have a new plaid shift boot coming to complete the look. The knob was black but the sun changed it to a bronze color which looks really nice but I am not sure how it will go with the interior. If I don't like it I'll sand blast and paint it.

[DaveSTi]

[GolNat]

Installed the HPA short shifter, EI shift knob and new boot. Also while I was installing the shifter I took a look at my air injection pump to see if there was any obvious things that would cause it to throw a code. Found a loose connector! Plugged it all the way in, reset the CEL and we are all fixed. So nice when it's an easy fix.

Short shifter was an easy install. Makes it faster when the OEM air box is out of the way.



New shift boot was a perfect fit but took some work to make it fit. The boot ring is a very snug fit and the shift boot had a thick elastic band around the bottom. Wife ended up taking her seem ripper and taking the elastic out and gluing the boot to the ring. Pain in the ass but it came out good in the end.



I don't think I like the shift knob though. The OEM one is actually really comfortable. I'm going to give the EI one some time but I might end up switching it back to the OEM knob. Another benefit of buying used parts. I can resell it and not be out much money if any.

Did a inside detail after the kids were in the car. I don't how they create so much dirt!!! Night shot to add some drama

[Big_Jim]

that metal top looks like it'll be cold in the winter time.

[Foolinaround]

Rubber floor mats were one of the best investments.

[GolNat]

Originally Posted by Big_Jim

that metal top looks like it'll be cold in the winter time.

Yes it does get very cold.

I missed the OE shifter too much so it is back on the car. Listed the EI knob on eBay. I prefer a ball shape/style which I never knew since I have never tried any other style really. All my Honda knobs have been more ball style. I don't remember what the shifter felt like in my Spec-V. I might shorten the shifter height an inch or so by cutting it but not sure if I would like it and it's not reversible.

Originally Posted by Foolinaround

Rubber floor mats were one of the best investments.

I actually have been searching eBay and CL for a set since the end of the summer. Besides people asking almost retail for them and most of the sets being for the MK7 I am still on the hunt. Thanks for the suggestion!!

Did some OBDeleven logs too and have been having fun importing data into excel and making graphs. From my limited knowledge and searching she seems to be running in tip top shape.

[DaveSTi]

Loving the progress!

[GolNat]

So I finally decided to take a peek at my valves to see what kind of carbon carnage I had with 48k miles. It actually didn't look too bad and I am relieved that it is not in need of cleaning ASAP. At least in my opinion I don't think it is that bad. I removed the IAT sensor and inserted a borescope that works off a phone app. Worked well and I was able to check out the middle 2 cylinders.







I was thinking of doing a carbon cleaning next year and once that is done would like to install meth so that it keeps it clean (and for more power of course).

Picked up a turbo outlet pipe, euro switch and automatic light sensor used off the forum. Euro switch is not something I was originally interested in but it gives you more lighting flexibility. With the switch I will be able to run my parking lights and fog lights but not have my headlights on. For parking and fog I would like to add amber bulbs to add some lighting style. The switch also allows for a rear fog light to be wired up so I might add that as well.



Thanks to some of the other members on here I checked out aliexpress and found a USB and AUX plug that will fit into the blank slots in front of the shifter for $20!! I hate having the AUX connector on the arm rest so moving that would be great. Adding the USB will need a little bit work as I don't have a USB connection on the back of the HU, but a small buck converter to lower the voltage and current should do the trick.

[GolNat]

Picked the wife up a new daily. After sitting in a Civic, Accord, Elantra, Sonata, Mazda 3,6, Fusion, and Jetta she liked the Jetta the best. It was the least "sporty" looking and she like the simplicity of the interior. The seats are damn comfy for being just the base cloth ones.

It's a 2016 SE with the 1.4T. Has the important stuff like back up camera and Apple Car Play and only has 36k miles. I could not find much info about these engines as far as problems are concerned but all the issues the previous 1.4T had have been fixed (according to VW).





The original plan a year ago was to trade in her Honda Pilot and get another SUV for the kids and dog. Neither of us liked the idea as she doesn't need all that room most of the time. Something more economical seemed to make more sense but we kept the Pilot for long hauls and taking the dog places. It's an 07 w/ 150k miles on it so it's not like we would get much for selling it plus she runs strong and is still a great family hauler.

I also liked the idea because now if I am adding race car parts to the GTI I can leave it in pieces and just take the Pilot or Jetta. So far I have been taking the Pilot if it rains so I don't mess up my nice shine

[DaveSTi]

Originally Posted by GolNat

Picked the wife up a new daily. After sitting in a Civic, Accord, Elantra, Sonata, Mazda 3,6, Fusion, and Jetta she liked the Jetta the best. It was the least "sporty" looking and she like the simplicity of the interior. The seats are damn comfy for being just the base cloth ones.

It's a 2016 SE with the 1.4T. Has the important stuff like back up camera and Apple Car Play and only has 36k miles. I could not find much info about these engines as far as problems are concerned but all the issues the previous 1.4T had have been fixed (according to VW).





The original plan a year ago was to trade in her Honda Pilot and get another SUV for the kids and dog. Neither of us liked the idea as she doesn't need all that room most of the time. Something more economical seemed to make more sense but we kept the Pilot for long hauls and taking the dog places. It's an 07 w/ 150k miles on it so it's not like we would get much for selling it plus she runs strong and is still a great family hauler.

I also liked the idea because now if I am adding race car parts to the GTI I can leave it in pieces and just take the Pilot or Jetta. So far I have been taking the Pilot if it rains so I don't mess up my nice shine

Congratulations! I love how that era Jetta drives. The 1.4T feels strong considering the size of it, I was impressed by it. Very smooth motor with great FE too. That generation of the 1.4T will be very reliable for years to come, it's been ironed out through it's usage in Europe all of those years.

[GolNat]

Originally Posted by DaveSTi

Congratulations! I love how that era Jetta drives. The 1.4T feels strong considering the size of it, I was impressed by it. Very smooth motor with great FE too. That generation of the 1.4T will be very reliable for years to come, it's been ironed out through it's usage in Europe all of those years.

Thanks!! Yes it is an impressive little motor and the Jetta is a nice chassis as well. Drives very nice minus the **** eco tires. Glad to hear it should be reliable. Before buying I researched like crazy and didn't find many things on the 1.4T except that it is not like the old one and has been alleviated of all it's issues. It is certainly no GTI but it is a fun car. The power deliver is great and it gives you the illusion that is has more power then it does. Of course I checked out tunes for it . With a flash and down pipe you can be close to stock GTI numbers.

Did a few things over the Thanksgiving weekend while I was off.

Picked up a Pendulum Mount (dog bone mount) from a local. I was not considering this style at first because I was afraid of the added vibration. There are some mounts that include a rubber/poly bushing that helps dampen engine vibrations and then there are other mounts like the one I picked up that have a spherical bushing and are more of a solid mount. The price was so good that I figured I would give it a try and if I don't like it I can sell it. On a stock car this is not a part that generally needs replacement but once tuned it becomes a weak link. If it snaps it can cause thousands of dollars in damage. Generally it breaks when the car is launched and the wheel starts hopping. The solid one piece billet aluminium of the aftermarket one should hold up to all the extra torque the engine will be producing. The guy who I bought the mount from said he could not stand the vibrations and removed it after 2 weeks. He has a TDI Golf which is suppose to vibrate a lot more then the gas engine.

APR Pendulum Mount Installed





I only backed the car off the ramps so have not really tested the mount but it was as smooth as butter at idle. It's rainy out today so I took the Pilot to work. Don't want to ruin my nice shine

Also changed the oil while I had the car up on ramps. The car seems to really like the Red Line oil.

Added minor interior bits. eBay seat lever inlays and a vinyl graphic for the steering wheel logo. Tartan (plaid) of course to match the seats and shift boot. Got the Jetta a small Klii inlay for teh rear badge. Makes it look more premium or something when the badge matches the paint as opposed to being black.

Camera flash washed out the color but it's a darker red.







Rear wiper delete kit is in the mail and on it's way (coming from the UK) and so is a Rennline phone mount. Tired of my vent mount blocking all my heat and when you get into the twisties the phone has a tendency to fly off.

[Diablo2424]

Nice! Definitely going to follow your thread, love the way the car is coming together, and I'm a big fan of Forum/eBay/etc. discounts!

I have some similar mods to my '16 Jetta GLI (2.0t Gen 3 - non-MQB unfortunately) including Unitronic Stage 2 ECU tune

[sleeperSL2]

Love the progress. Simple is always better and that seems to be a common theme for you

[GolNat]

Originally Posted by Diablo2424

Nice! Definitely going to follow your thread, love the way the car is coming together, and I'm a big fan of Forum/eBay/etc. discounts!

I have some similar mods to my '16 Jetta GLI (2.0t Gen 3 - non-MQB unfortunately) including Unitronic Stage 2 ECU tune

Thank you. I love the GLI, it is a sharp looking car and I am sure with the stage 2 it hauls ass. Everytime I drive my wife's Jetta I think the GLI version of this has to be awesome lol. I'm still learning VW but why is non-MQB bad?

I see you had a Altima SE-R. I had a Sentra SE-R for a short amount of time. Fun car but hella torque steer.

You should do a GLI build thread!!

Originally Posted by sleeperSL2

Love the progress. Simple is always better and that seems to be a common theme for you

Thanks. Simple is not always the easiest thing as modding can easily get out of hand but I am trying to be patient with this car and take my time getting parts I really want. Looking forward to your C10 project.

[GolNat]

Installed a Rennline phone mount. Fit was excellent and put the phone in the perfect position to change music. Going to make a pop socket adapter so that I can mount my actual phone. When I want to data log then I can remove that and mount my android phone that is only used for OBD11.





Did some random logs too just for fun.

[GolNat]

So my new to me pendulum mount has a very loud and annoying rattle at idle. From info on the forums this is not normal so I contact APR for some assistance. They want me to send it to them to be evaluated and said they will fix it (for free) if there is an issue. After I removed it I checked the spherical bearing and it has some play in it which I think is where the rattle is coming from. The previous owner said it was only on his car for 2 weeks but he had a TDI (diesel) Golf. APR does not list that as compatible (it does fit a TDI) and the guy I bought it from said his car shook way to much so he removed it. He didn't give me the feeling like he was lying and the part looked barley used but I think the diesel engine destroyed the bearing. I explained this to APR and they still asked if I could send it in. I removed it last night and will ship it out next week.

While removing the pendulum mount I noticed something shiny on my splash shield...oil, WTF!!! Started investigating and found that my boost line that runs to my gauge was sweating oil. The PCV prevents most oil from getting into the intake manifold but some still makes it's way in and my boost tap barb is on the bottom of the port so gravity helps it get in there. Ordered some nice silicone hose from Amazon and some small inline filters to help filter out any oil that might make it to the gauge. A filter is not "needed"with a mechanical gauge but it certainly won't hurt.

Placed the filter under the dash as soon as the line comes through the firewall.



Re-routed the boost line a little before connecting it to the boost tap at the intake manifold/PCV.



A GTI forum member sent me some free smoked side markers that he no longer wanted so I popped them in as well. I think I am going to vinyl match them to the body color. The smoked is better then the amber but I think if it matched the paint it would look better.