What did you do to your MK6 today?

[supreme_gti]

I put in a dogbone mount insert last night, what a difference! Instantly smoother shifting and driving, and super minimal NVH. I went for the CTS Turbo insert, which is still pretty soft. I wish I had done it years ago.

this one?
https://www.ctsturbo.com/product/cts-turbo-mk6-billet-torque-arm-insert/

what about the torque arm?

It's better to upgrade both the insert and the torque arm

I'm still running stock (both insert and arm), ko4, no issues but everyone says it's worth the upgrade for smooth shifts.

 

[king1138]

Nope, this one

 

[king1138]

I'll get to the torque arm eventually, but I'm still on K03 and only stage 1. I strongly recommend the insert at least, my shifts are so much smoother now...

 

[jedred1]

I replaced my spark plugs @ 30 Nm. 0.028" gap. Using NGK PFR7S8EG Double Platinum Spark Plug - 1675. Starts faster

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[jedred1]

Today I replaced my fuel filter. Those clips are a pain in the ass so this time I pre treated them with silicone spray and they came right off.

 

[aspro_gti]

Today I replaced my fuel filter. Those clips are a pain in the ass so this time I pre treated them with silicone spray and they came right off.

Where is the fuel filter? In the pump?

 

[Blaznjoe]

Where is the fuel filter? In the pump?

Tucked underneath the car, passenger side, near the rear suspension swing arm mount. Easy to access but those clips can be a pain in ass to undo.

 

[king1138]

Not today, but yesterday had to put in new spark plugs after about 6k miles. Cylinder three must have had a hairline crack in the porcelain and it separated and blocked the electrode. The plus side is I got my 15 year old daughter to help, so now she knows how to work on her own car!

 

[aspro_gti]

Got driver's Recaro seat bolted in (no lights on dash btw... wiring works well)
The seat height is a bit higher than the original plaid one... so I'm still getting used to the driving position.
The shoulder bolsters were made for a skinnier person... I've got wide shoulders (from doing muscle ups... had to flex) and so the fit is not ideal.
I'm 6'0 and my proportions are that of a longer torso and shorter legs, which means that my head is high up on the seat (again designed for someone probably shorter)... meaning that the base of my skull is on the edge of the seat when I sit nice and tall (good posture)... definitely not ideal.
I'm considering making a pillow to slouch my back so that I'm not so tall in the seat.
Passenger's seat being bolted in soon.

 

[This is Ryans face]

Replaced both front swaybar endlinks. Steering was sloppish at highway speeds and I've been systematically replacing every suspension component piece by piece over the last year or two when I find the time.

Bit premature to be sure but steering feels way better and way more planted and with less slop over bumps now. Trying to get them off wasn't too big of a problem but the driver's side didn't require the control arm to be under load to remove it from the swaybar and strut tower. It just popped right out. The passenger side seemed almost locked into place at the strut and clunky at the sway and required the control arm to be loaded with a jack. The genius designer at racingline who constructed my struts decided that the endlink bolt needed to be surrounded by metal slots... no idea what purpose they serve. Had to use an 18mm long head and hope that the bolt didn't just infinitely turn on itself. Good products, but stupid ass design there. I feel bad for putting my racing kit installer through that bullshit.

it's literally impossible to fit anything between those two slots that isn't a torque wrench head. Could've been miserable if it didn't turn properly.

 

[blingdub]

i finally built up the courage to DIY and take the intake manifold off. i was plagued with a P2015 fault and i didn't want to pay another $1k+ to get the damn thing replaced. the last manifold lasted just over 13 months before failing. i had a shop do the work and did carbon cleaning at the same time.

speaking of which....i thought the shop was reputable, as they also work on very expensive Audis/Porsches, but it appears i got screwed... not only did they fail to inform me that the newest revision was incompatible with my car because my fuel rail is too old, they actually put in an aftermarket brand instead of OEM (they still charged OEM price!!). i can't find any VW markings on it, and the runner sensor on the side just has "made in china" on it -- it's not even branded!! figures why it failed so quickly.

anywho, a new fuel rail is not cheap. it's almost $500. sooo, i took a chance and bought a used one off ebay. similarly...i'm taking a chance with a new Febi intake manifold instead of OEM.

project needs to take a pause because i don't have a 24mm socket to turn the engine....so once that arrives i'll do some DIY carbon cleaning. one of the nipples are broken off one of those intake divider things, so i got one as well (why are these things so expensive?? it's $30 each).

all in all, if you were hesitant to attempt this job, don't be. if you can put on an air intake, you can do this job. i was heavily encouraged when i found a video of someone taking the manifold off in 10 minutes, unedited.

 

[blingdub]

this was the condition of my valves and fuel injectors.... i'm actually surprised how bad it was already. the car only had 7000 miles on it since it was done by a shop...

the liqui moly valve clean is magic. it loosens up the carbon really fast.

obviously not as clean as walnut blasting, but for a DIY, good enough. all the big chunks are gone.

and finally, put it all back together!

battery was still mostly dead, so it needed a little help to start. the CEL was still there from previous, so cleared it and took the car for a spin. car drove great. WOT in 2nd pulled hard.

in summary, here was my experience:

• by far the hardest part of this job for me was taking the throttle body hose off and putting it back on. i need to grow more muscles.
• i also took an obsene amount of time putting the 24mm socket onto the crank
• taking the manifold off was pretty easy, i didn't need much force at all
• putting it back on was a huuuuuge pain. those seals on the injectors are really tight, and even with a little silicone lube it took a lot of effort.
• there aren't really many videos that talk about putting it back together. it's not just "the reverse". pay extra attention to the plastic bracket that goes underneath the manifold that has all the fuel injector wires. i wasn't paying attention here and after i already bolted everything down, it wasn't quite in the right place. there was this metal L on the right side of the fuel rail and the plastic thing was underneath it, when it should be over it. so rather than just a straight line, there was a bend. there wasn't enough room to wiggle it back into the correct placement. i didn't want to take everything apart again for this bracket so the perfectionist in me died a little.
• speaking of which....i forgot to clean the fuel injector ports with that brush thing. argh!!
• this entire job was incredibly time intensive. i wonder how many corners are cut at a shop...

 

[jedred1]

I bought a set of Bilstein B8's front and rear (and associated parts) shock/strut and have been googling a ton of how to stuff and was hoping for some advice. This sight helps a ton with DIY stuff but only if everything goes smoothly. I plan on removing the axle and dropping the LCA so want to do the wheel bearings at the same time. Shopping list:

TO-0346011004TD​	Audi VW Strut Mount - 034Motorsport 0346011004TD​	​
VAG-N10127707​	Audi VW Strut Mount Mounting Bolt - Genuine VW Audi N10127707​	​
VAG-N90954802​	Audi VW Steering Knuckle Pinch Bolt - Genuine VW Audi N90954802​	​
FEB-14392​	Audi VW Strut Self-Locking Nut - Febi Bilstein N10106402​	​
LEM-2990001​	VW Shock Mount - Lemforder 1K0513353G​	​
VAG-N90648402​	Audi VW Bolt - Genuine VW Audi N90648402​	​
OES-6N0412249C​	Audi VW Strut Bearing - OE Supplier 6N0412249C​

Got a pound of copper lube. Hub spreader tool. 24mm 12 point impact socket with a 24 inch breaker bar. I have the other tools around. I've decided to replace the front axle bearing as well so another shopping list:

FAG-7136106100​	VW Wheel Bearing Hub Assembly Kit - FAG 5K0498621​	​
VAG-N90948802​	Audi VW Brake Caliper Bracket Bolt - Genuine VW N90948802​

I have drive gear springs currently on the stock struts/shocks and have always wanted to get a better shock/strut combo so I'm all in now. Hope the car lasts forever.

 

[jedred1]

Dou you guys use lock-tight on your nuts and bolts? If so which color? Many of the DIYs use a lot of copper lube. Do you use this on things like axle splines, brake rotors to hub interface ect?

 

[aspro_gti]

I don't use loctite... and when I do, it's loctite blue (struggling to think of last time I used it)
I use copper anti-seize on nearly every bolt underneath the car (ball joints, end links, hub rings, o2 sensors, etc)
I can't count how many old bolts I've snapped due to rust... have to use anti-seize from now on