LightningRhod's quest to 200k.....and beyond

[LightningRhod]

Car started making a weird noise from the rear when I lock the vehicle, like one of the locks is getting stuck on something (possibly gas tank lock). It happens sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't. I'm not really going to deem this a problem until it happens consistently, however I cringe in anticipation when I lock the vehicle now.

Been thinking more and more about going K04, and I'm sort of............undecided. Some days I say yes, some days I say no. Just not sure if I want to keep going down the route of modding the car.

First world problems :/

Mileage update: Sitting at 126k miles at the moment

 

[Sleepin gti1]

Any updates

 

[LightningRhod]

Haven't updated this in a while, but here it is:

Currently sitting at 133k miles, and there have been a few issues with the vehicle (as well as a few mods).

1) At approximately 129k miles, my trunk latch broke. Pushing in the VW emblem warranted a robotic clicking noise and the latch wouldn't stay shut. I replaced it with part #5K0-827-505-A-9B9. Including shipping, the part cost me $80 (it's about $100-110 if you get it straight from the dealer).

2) After some research, I found that the bad noise I've been hearing from the rear of the car when I lock it is the gas tank actuator. The lock functions fine (will lock and unlock correctly), but just sounds terrible when I lock the car. I have my trim removal tools, will fix it soon.

3) Finally got my Bilstein Sport shocks installed on the car a few months ago. Ride was just a bit more firm compared to stock until.........

4) I got my Hotchkis front and rear sway bars installed. Along with the bars, I got the 034 front endlinks and Whiteline rear endlinks installed also. Front is set to soft, while the rear is set to hard. And holy crap, the car rides SUPER STIFF now. Most of this is probably due to the rear being set to hard. With this set up, I really have to dodge potholes on the road now more than before.

5) With the new sway bars installed, started hearing squeaking over speed bumps after a few weeks of the fresh install. I diagnosed it and found that the bushings on the sway bars need to be re-greased (even though I used ALL of the grease included with them). Shouldn't be that bad to re-grease them, as Hotchkis has nipples in the bushing brackets to allow for re-greasing without the need to remove the whole bar.

6) Finally replaced the stock rear pads with the Stoptech Street Performance pads (same as up front). The stock pads weren't scoring evenly on the rotor anymore (a lot of uneven brown spots on the pad due to track days), so they had to be retired.

7) Driver side clear corner lens fell off. The adhesive probably just disintegrated over the last few years. I'll probably just change out my corners back to the stock (ugly) orange ones.

In other news, my track tires are just about done, so I'll be replacing them soon before my next track day. Will mostly likely go with the Bridgestone RE-11's because they've gotten some good reviews and I just want to try something new. Will most likely be back at Laguna Seca in December or January.

Anyway, I'll try to keep this updated more often. Cheers ya'll.

 

[APRMK6GTi]

Haven't updated this in a while, but here it is:

Currently sitting at 133k miles, and there have been a few issues with the vehicle (as well as a few mods).

1) At approximately 129k miles, my trunk latch broke. Pushing in the VW emblem warranted a robotic clicking noise and the latch wouldn't stay shut. I replaced it with part #5K0-827-505-A-9B9. Including shipping, the part cost me $80 (it's about $100-110 if you get it straight from the dealer).

2) After some research, I found that the bad noise I've been hearing from the rear of the car when I lock it is the gas tank actuator. The lock functions fine (will lock and unlock correctly), but just sounds terrible when I lock the car. I have my trim removal tools, will fix it soon.

3) Finally got my Bilstein Sport shocks installed on the car a few months ago. Ride was just a bit more firm compared to stock until.........

4) I got my Hotchkis front and rear sway bars installed. Along with the bars, I got the 034 front endlinks and Whiteline rear endlinks installed also. Front is set to soft, while the rear is set to hard. And holy crap, the car rides SUPER STIFF now. Most of this is probably due to the rear being set to hard. With this set up, I really have to dodge potholes on the road now more than before.

5) With the new sway bars installed, started hearing squeaking over speed bumps after a few weeks of the fresh install. I diagnosed it and found that the bushings on the sway bars need to be re-greased (even though I used ALL of the grease included with them). Shouldn't be that bad to re-grease them, as Hotchkis has nipples in the bushing brackets to allow for re-greasing without the need to remove the whole bar.

6) Finally replaced the stock rear pads with the Stoptech Street Performance pads (same as up front). The stock pads weren't scoring evenly on the rotor anymore (a lot of uneven brown spots on the pad due to track days), so they had to be retired.

7) Driver side clear corner lens fell off. The adhesive probably just disintegrated over the last few years. I'll probably just change out my corners back to the stock (ugly) orange ones.

In other news, my track tires are just about done, so I'll be replacing them soon before my next track day. Will mostly likely go with the Bridgestone RE-11's because they've gotten some good reviews and I just want to try something new. Will most likely be back at Laguna Seca in December or January.

Anyway, I'll try to keep this updated more often. Cheers ya'll.

any new pics of your car with the bilstein shocks? theres been so many talks on the DG thread if the bilstein shocks raise the car's height or not. did it reduce a lot of roll for you vs stock?

 

[LightningRhod]

any new pics of your car with the bilstein shocks? theres been so many talks on the DG thread if the bilstein shocks raise the car's height or not. did it reduce a lot of roll for you vs stock?

I don't have any new pics of the vehicle, but I can say that the new shocks definitely DID NOT raise the height of the vehicle. Actually, it lowered the vehicle by maybe 1-2mm. Once we got the shocks in, my headlights auto-adjusted and were actually aimed too high, so I had to re-adjust them again. For anybody that has lowered their vehicle and have the Xenon/AFS system, this is usually what happens when you lower the vehicle with new springs/shocks/coilovers etc. I'll try to take new photos when I have some free cycles.

 

[MegaMikeLA]

I don't have any new pics of the vehicle, but I can say that the new shocks definitely DID NOT raise the height of the vehicle. Actually, it lowered the vehicle by maybe 1-2mm. Once we got the shocks in, my headlights auto-adjusted and were actually aimed too high, so I had to re-adjust them again. For anybody that has lowered their vehicle and have the Xenon/AFS system, this is usually what happens when you lower the vehicle with new springs/shocks/coilovers etc. I'll try to take new photos when I have some free cycles.

...well?

 

[LightningRhod]

I've been neglecting this thread, but I have a few updates that I need to type up (repairs/maintenance). For now, here is a shot of how the car sits on the DG springs and Bilsteins I installed more than a year ago:

 

[sauceman101]

I've been neglecting this thread, but I have a few updates that I need to type up (repairs/maintenance). For now, here is a shot of how the car sits on the DG springs and Bilsteins I installed more than a year ago:

What's your mileage up to man? I'm aspiring to 200k as well, approaching 128k stage 1 for over 70k and should be K04'ing the car soon for the next 70k or so!

 

[LightningRhod]

What's your mileage up to man? I'm aspiring to 200k as well, approaching 128k stage 1 for over 70k and should be K04'ing the car soon for the next 70k or so!

I'll hit 160k at the end of the week.

Good luck on your quest to 200k and beyond as well. I was thinking of going K04 too, but after I hit 200k as a sort of celebration lol .

 

[mlody91]

Didn't realize there was a thread like this for long-term ownership. I'm hoping to keep this car to at least 200k as well so this is a sigh of relief knowing that it's possible :thumbsup:

 

[LightningRhod]

Didn't realize there was a thread like this for long-term ownership. I'm hoping to keep this car to at least 200k as well so this is a sigh of relief knowing that it's possible :thumbsup:

Yeah, I didn't see a thread like this on the boards when I started it. I thought it would be a good contribution to the forums :thumbsup:.

 

[MegaMikeLA]

Yeah, I didn't see a thread like this on the boards when I started it. I thought it would be a good contribution to the forums :thumbsup:.

There he is! I hit 110,000 this week and just picked up the car yesterday from getting DSG fluid/filter change. Still stage II APR. Couple new rattles here and there but for the most part she's holding together!!!

 

[LightningRhod]

There he is!

I hit 110,000 this week and just picked up the car yesterday from getting DSG fluid/filter change. Still stage II APR. Couple new rattles here and there but for the most part she's holding together!!!

Glad to see your car going strong. I have a number of rattles/noises too (door weather strippings, sway bar end links/bushings, sunroof rails when opening/closing), but otherwise the car has been good to me :thumbsup:.

 

[LightningRhod]

Just thought I'd do a quick update here, sitting at 173k miles

- Got my timing chain tensioner replaced recently as preventative maintenance a few months ago. Heard some rattling on start up back in Dec 2016, so decided to get it done finally.

- AWE boost hose failed earlier in the year. Audible "wheezing" sound was noticed under the hood after the engine was warmed up. Noticed the boost hose was collapsed which caused the wheezing sound, but no loss in power or anything from that. Replaced the hose since it was a cheap and easy fix.

- Replaced my Continental DWS tires (100k miles or so on them) with Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+. Really like the tires, as they provide comparable grip to my previous track tires (Dunlop Star Specs), but are smooth and quiet for a daily.

- Intake manifold was replaced earlier this year (again) after getting a P2015 engine code. So I'm now on my third intake manifold.


That's pretty much all the major things going on with the car. Trying to get back to Laguna Seca, so I'm aiming for March as a bday gift to myself .

 

[APRMK6GTi]

Just thought I'd do a quick update here, sitting at 173k miles

- Got my timing chain tensioner replaced recently as preventative maintenance a few months ago. Heard some rattling on start up back in Dec 2016, so decided to get it done finally.

- AWE boost hose failed earlier in the year. Audible "wheezing" sound was noticed under the hood after the engine was warmed up. Noticed the boost hose was collapsed which caused the wheezing sound, but no loss in power or anything from that. Replaced the hose since it was a cheap and easy fix.

- Replaced my Continental DWS tires (100k miles or so on them) with Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+. Really like the tires, as they provide comparable grip to my previous track tires (Dunlop Star Specs), but are smooth and quiet for a daily.

- Intake manifold was replaced earlier this year (again) after getting a P2015 engine code. So I'm now on my third intake manifold.


That's pretty much all the major things going on with the car. Trying to get back to Laguna Seca, so I'm aiming for March as a bday gift to myself .

Might join u in March!