davethetenor
Passed Driver's Ed
Hello all! As is usual and customary, I will be using this space to keep a record as I modify, tweak, and pile up the miles on my 2012 GTI (4-door, manual, sunroof/nav), which I purchased new at Volkswagen North Scottsdale in Scottsdale, AZ. I'll get some pics of the car up soon when it is clean. 
10/20/2011: APR Stage 1
The first modification I had performed was an APR Stage 1 tune, installed by Goodspeed Performance. The car is so much livelier and more fun to drive; I can't imagine a better use of $694. Not much more to say that hasn't been said by everyone else.
10/24/2011: VCDS tweaks
VCDS is cool. I bought the Micro-CAN cable from Ross-Tech and got to tweaking. I disabled the blasted seatbelt warning, added window up via remote and startup gauge sweep, and tightened up the XDS and brake assist. I'd love to find a way to disable the annoying "entering complex data while driving" warning and the "directory synchronized" notification on the RNS-315 nav unit, but I have no idea if that is possible.
10/29/2011: DieselGeek short shifter
Installed this one myself. The instructions were flawless, the parts were very well-made, and I am extremely happy with the shift quality. The shifts are short, precise, and tactile - a vast improvement over the stock unit. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Excellent investment at $195 shipped. Pic of the installed parts:
10/29/2011: BSH race intake
Since I had to remove the stock airbox to install the shifter, I threw in the BSH race intake at the same time. At the end of the day, I wish I would have waited and paid the extra $100 for the Forge TWINtake. I have three basic complaints. First, the installation instructions are terrible - I had to make a lot of educated guesses and take additional steps to get it done, and after freeing it from the other wiring, the MAF wiring was BARELY long enough (and I had to take apart and reverse the orientation of the harness). Second, the lack of hardware to secure the box to the front of the car is just inexplicable - the box even has a hole drilled for it. A trip to Home Depot and about $3 should fix that problem, but for $312 shipped I expect more. Lastly, there is now a distinctly audible whistle at WOT that is, based on my reading, apparently attributable to the extra capped-off bung that is for a diverter valve relocation application. The noise is tolerable but annoying. Yes, it can be fixed by spending another $250+ for a pointless diverter valve relocation kit, but I shouldn't have to do that. Something tells me this will be coming off eventually in favor of another unit. Pic of the installed intake:
Next up - audio! I have the following components ready to install:
HU harness: SOT-976
OEM Interface: JL Audio CleanSweep CL441DSP
Amp: JL Audio XD700/5 w/ HD-RLC remote, mounted under the trunk floor
Front Speakers: Image Dynamics CXS62 V2 components
Rear Speakers: Image Dynamics CTX65CS components
Subwoofer: JL Audio 10W3V3
Subwoofer box: SRQ Customs
Wiring: KnuKonceptz (various bits/pieces)
10/20/2011: APR Stage 1
The first modification I had performed was an APR Stage 1 tune, installed by Goodspeed Performance. The car is so much livelier and more fun to drive; I can't imagine a better use of $694. Not much more to say that hasn't been said by everyone else.
10/24/2011: VCDS tweaks
VCDS is cool. I bought the Micro-CAN cable from Ross-Tech and got to tweaking. I disabled the blasted seatbelt warning, added window up via remote and startup gauge sweep, and tightened up the XDS and brake assist. I'd love to find a way to disable the annoying "entering complex data while driving" warning and the "directory synchronized" notification on the RNS-315 nav unit, but I have no idea if that is possible.
10/29/2011: DieselGeek short shifter
Installed this one myself. The instructions were flawless, the parts were very well-made, and I am extremely happy with the shift quality. The shifts are short, precise, and tactile - a vast improvement over the stock unit. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Excellent investment at $195 shipped. Pic of the installed parts:
10/29/2011: BSH race intake
Since I had to remove the stock airbox to install the shifter, I threw in the BSH race intake at the same time. At the end of the day, I wish I would have waited and paid the extra $100 for the Forge TWINtake. I have three basic complaints. First, the installation instructions are terrible - I had to make a lot of educated guesses and take additional steps to get it done, and after freeing it from the other wiring, the MAF wiring was BARELY long enough (and I had to take apart and reverse the orientation of the harness). Second, the lack of hardware to secure the box to the front of the car is just inexplicable - the box even has a hole drilled for it. A trip to Home Depot and about $3 should fix that problem, but for $312 shipped I expect more. Lastly, there is now a distinctly audible whistle at WOT that is, based on my reading, apparently attributable to the extra capped-off bung that is for a diverter valve relocation application. The noise is tolerable but annoying. Yes, it can be fixed by spending another $250+ for a pointless diverter valve relocation kit, but I shouldn't have to do that. Something tells me this will be coming off eventually in favor of another unit. Pic of the installed intake:
Next up - audio! I have the following components ready to install:
HU harness: SOT-976
OEM Interface: JL Audio CleanSweep CL441DSP
Amp: JL Audio XD700/5 w/ HD-RLC remote, mounted under the trunk floor
Front Speakers: Image Dynamics CXS62 V2 components
Rear Speakers: Image Dynamics CTX65CS components
Subwoofer: JL Audio 10W3V3
Subwoofer box: SRQ Customs
Wiring: KnuKonceptz (various bits/pieces)
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