Magoo's '14 CW GTI

[g-magoo]

Long time lurker, but I'm finally getting to the point where I want to keep track of what I've done to the car and I prefer forums to FB. Photos are below for the filthy casuals that want to skip all the reading. Apologies in advance for the parentheses, it's just how my writing process works.

I've been around VWs most of my life thanks to my dad; personally owning 3 aircooled when I was in/just out of high school ('73 Super, '58 Standard, '62 Ragtop and worked at an aircooled resto shop during that time period), two mk3 jettas, G60 swapped mk2 jetta, and a stupid-ass 1.8t swapped mk4 golf on BBS that was far too low. I always found the MK6 to be one of the best looking GTIs and when my current vehicle at the time (2017) decided to give up the ghost, this CPO base '14 GTI popped up w/ 28K (currently at ~72K). It was kept stock for the better part of three years (aside for some OEM led tails... priorities) while the wife and I moved a few times and had our first kid.

That being said, I'm not sure how often or special the updates will be in the immediate future. Too many projects/ideas, not enough time. Below is what I can remember doing so far:


Engine -
Cobb AP/Stratified tuned
APR ignition coils
Go Fast Bits DV+
Integrated Engineering Intake


Drivetrain -
034Motorsport billet pendulum mount inserts (upper/lower)


Suspension -
H&R sport springs
Koni yellow shocks
Front subframe collar kit
OEM S3 LCA bracket bushings
Audi TT front strut mounts
Veltsport rear shock mounts
New OEM bushings, ball joints, etc through-out when above was completed


Brakes -
Stoptech street pads
Geomet slotted rotors
Tyrolsport stiffener kit
ATE Super blue


Wheel/tire -
Neuspeed RSE10, 18x8.5 ET45
Indy Firehawk, 255/35/18


Exterior/Cosmetic -
OEM Cherry Red LED tail lights
Color matched lower bumper panel


Interior -
Not a damn thing aside from monster mats


Projects/parts to be completed/installed when I find the time:

OEM HID headlights needing lens replacement (just need to commit to tackling it)
Rear subframe collar kit
S2T paddles, B1 silver (willing to sell these, as I'd really like a black pair)
East detailing suede wheel wrap
Replace headliner with foam backed suede
2 step polish/ceramic coating


Future plans include getting the stuff above done, plus maaaaaybe getting some track time in and prepping the car to reliably handle the stresses of track time in the FL summer. Below are some of the bigger near future plans, engine/drivetrain mounts and camber taking precedence; probably X-mas presents for myself.

- Engine mounts are most definitely due to be replaced. Obviously stock isn't going back in, and see a bunch of people say BFI... but at that price point, why not go with 034 billet streetsport mounts? Is it because more people have BFI and can vouch for them, or did 034's failure prone density line chase people away? Dogbone mount : is a new OEM one with 034 inserts enough or am I asking for a bad time? Always had my eye on the APR mount.

- Adding camber to the front (currently at -1.0F/-1.7R), wavering on superpro ball joints vs. camber plates. I've held out on installing the rear deadset kit and subsequent alignment until I figure out what direction I want to take. Both have their merits, one has a fixed amount of camber but adjusts the roll center a bit vs. the plates with actual camber adjustability, but no roll center correction.

- Engine and dsg oil coolers, probably mounted behind where the fog lights currently reside. Not sure if I want to go the Mocal t-stat sandwich plate or the iABED plate route, probably Mocal. Then there's the task to find something similar to USRT's icecap, due to it having been "back-ordered" for forever. Would prefer something stateside, but I know bar-tek has one. Cooler wise, looking at Improved Racing's MHX series. I've seen them mentioned on here and FB a few times with good feedback.

- Definitely want to do the brakes over as I've never really been happy with the way the brakes feel, probably go with the Macan set-up over the Golf R/PP. Then comes the potential master cylinder hassle when upgrading calipers.


Any feedback, comments, pointers, conversation, etc. are welcome. Thanks for making it this far, I've drawn a lot of inspiration from numerous members and their/your builds on here.


How it currently sits photo-dump.

 

[ktopher]

It looks really clean. The exterior is well-maintained.

 

[g-magoo]

It looks really clean. The exterior is well-maintained.

Sorry for the late reply, made the thread and forgot it existed. Appreciate the kind words though.

Not much progress on the car other than driving it periodically, but Black Friday deals have started popping up and have prompted me to sorting out the engine/trans mount side of things. I know I'm going to pull the trigger on the APR dogbone, but I'm not sure if I want to do the BFI stage 1 or go with the 034 Billet Streetsport mounts. Anyone have a suggestion of one over the other or am I over complicating it?

 

[torga]

More than a few times, I have anecdotally heard that the 034 engine/trans mounts are not great and longevity is an issue for them.

Also more than a few times, I have anecdotally heard that the BFI mounts are the best in the business. I can also personally attest to this, as I've been running them for close to a year. They're excellent mounts in my experience. I moved from BSH mounts to BFI Stage 1 and the difference was night and day. Practically stock NVH when compared to my old BSH mounts.

I also have the mounts paired to an APR dogbone with 034's billet dogbone mount inserts (both upper and lower). No complaints from me at all.

 

[GolNat]

I have BFI mounts and they have been great even with K04. I have no personal experience with 034 mounts but have read on the forum about premature failures. They are not liked on the MK7 forum from what I have read but I have read of people having good experiences with them on the MK6 forum.

 

[g-magoo]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'd never go with 034's OEM looking mounts with harder rubber, those are trash as far as I'm concerned. I have heard nothing but bad things about them failing after limited use with higher than stock power levels.

What I am talking about are these specific 034 mounts. I wasn't sure if these flew under the radar due to the reputation the oem look ones garnered. I have come across a handful of positive reviews for their Tracksport versions on some of the VW/MK6 FB groups; but you never know if its honest feedback, or if those that spent the premium on the mounts we're simply trying to justify their purchase.

Again, thanks guys for taking the time to give me some insight into what you have and why. I'm not trying to justify one over the other, solely trying to 'buy once, cry once'.

 

[torga]

Oh man, completely forgot about those. You're right, I was just thinking of their lower end street density mounts.

 

[g-magoo]

Welp, the Black Friday sales were too tempting. Snatched up a set of the 034 billet streetsport mounts, APR dogbone (on back-order, APR says 3-4 weeks), Superpro ball joints and all new hardware.

It's really a shame these things will be buried under a bunch of stuff in the bay.

Oooo ahhhhh.... sorry, they're just ball joints; but I don't put this somewhere, it will be lost to the photo folder on my phone.

Since I have 3-4 weeks to wait, probably more with the holidays; I’ll be ready to install the mounts, balljoints, rear deadest kit at the same time and have it aligned.

Once that’s done, time for all fluids to be changed, and to get some seat time at local HPDE events.... Now to open another can of worms and start looking into helmets.

 

[g-magoo]

Amusing to see where I was last time I posted in here. Family and work took priority, plus I basically only drive the car to drop off/pick-up the kiddo from school (2.5 mi. away). To say I've been slacking on getting stuff done to the car is an understatement.

Unfortunately, I started to notice over the last couple months that my coolant temps would fluctuate (thermostat crapping out), and I was smelling coolant/slowly losing it. Considering it's a MK6, I dodged this bullet for awhile; 76k miles and almost 10 years of life. Soooooo, I reached out to my local lifetime VW family-friend, who I bring most of the stuff I don't have the time or space to do. He's built some pretty cool cars in the past, stripped MK4 R made to look like a golf, first R32 swapped New Beetle, etc. Anyways, I digress.

Water pump was definitely on its way out. (good/clear photos were not his priority, lol)

Both engine oil change (added liqui-moly ceratec) and DSG service, since it was about time. Oil pan reflective of the on-going leak.

I've had these 034 billet mounts and APR dogbone mount sitting in their boxes for way too long. It was time to throw them in, as the stock ones were feeling quite old and sloppy.

And the dirty bay I'd normally not post, because it hurts my soul for the car to be this gross.

Just looking at the picture. I need to get some t-bolt clamps to get rid of the garbage worm-gear clamps. Air filters need to be cleaned/replaced, the SAI filter needs to be tucked away. Coolant bottle could stand to be replaced, I need washer fluid and then a solid cleaning/detail. I did add some liquimoly DIJectron to a full tank this morning, as its been about 4-5k mi since the last one.

I think the strut mounts/bearings need to be replaced with the clunking they are making, but I'm not sure what I want to do up there, as I'd like to add more negative camber. I can either replace with new TT mounts, 034's new camber mounts, or go with a real camber plate. I'm currently at -1.0 up front (the superpro ball joints should add another -.5), looking to get closer to the -2.5 to -3.0 range. The 034 mounts give -1.5 deg, but they cannot be adjusted. Maybe it's time to make the jump to a real coilover that has camber plates already. Strongly considering a set from RedShift Motorsports, seems for the price you get a lot of suspension.... but I'm also not trying to spend $1800 on suspension anytime soon.

 

[APRMK6GTi]

how is the NVH on the 034 billet street mounts?

 

[g-magoo]

how is the NVH on the 034 billet street mounts?

I only have maybe 30-35 miles on them and the APR dogbone. You definitely know they're all there, plenty of NVH around idle or just outside of idle. I'm gonna play with VCDS and see if I can find a harmonic sweet spot in the idle RPM to get rid of some of it. I'd imagine things will soften up as I slowly acquire more miles, but it feels locked in and there is the piece of mind that it's.... :fingers crossed: one less failure point once I start tracking it. For what it's worth, I know the wife will notice, but the 4.5 year old couldn't care less.

**Edit: Note to self, it does not look like VCDS can adjust the idle speed.

 

[APRMK6GTi]

thanks for the feedback, i currently have the 034 street density engine/trans mount. it feels pretty good NVH wise. not sure if i want to experiment with the billet mounts when it is time to replace the street density

 

[g-magoo]

thanks for the feedback, i currently have the 034 street density engine/trans mount. it feels pretty good NVH wise. not sure if i want to experiment with the billet mounts when it is time to replace the street density

I totally get that side of things, if I hadn't seen numerous stories of them failing, I would have probably gone with them instead of these. The wallet would have been happier.

Funny enough (not really), wife got a flat down the road from the house yesterday morning and we needed to get kiddo to school. So she jumped in the GTI, took little guy to school while I changed the tire on the Tiguan. Not a word about the NVH.