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Two years too late. A tale of my expanding build.

barnes93cb

barnes93cb

Go Kart Champion
I bought my lovely GTI in December of 2012. It was a car I had wanted since Need for Speed Most Wanted. I was hooked on the car. I wanted one so bad. Now when would I get it was the real question. I was originally approved for a 15k loan. That was just what I needed for a MK5 GTI. Which is what I wanted. And then I got approved for a higher loan and a better interest rate. That opened me up to the MK6. And I fell in love with the front end of the car. No other GTI would do at this point. I spent months on this forum and others learning as much as possible before I even bought the car. When it came time for me to finally get a car I had to head home to MD. The Euro scene in SC is kinda bad in my area. And I know MD had plenty of VWs for me.

When I got leave for Christmas I took it as my opportunity to buy a car. I went to the dealerships with some friends on Dec 26th. This proved to be a bad idea. Four teenagers in a dealership doesnt get you any respect or the proper attention. We were able to jump in and out of showroom cars without a single person coming to talk to us. Even though I already had my finances in order and I'm military they never batted an eye. They just saw a bunch of kids(rightfully so). But this meant that buying a car would be an uphill battle. So I decided to go home and come back another day with a parent. After all this was my first time at a dealership and I had no idea what I was doing(I still dont btw). I headed out again on Dec 27th and found my car. Its a '11 BMP 2Dr DSG GTI. I drove it back to SC the 29th no issue.

I had a plan from the beginning. I even made a thread on this forum that quickly changed based on imput from members. Specifically A_Bowers. http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51948 This plan did not stay for long as you will quickly see. The car is ever evolving. Although it may be slow. It keeps me occupied and still interested in the car.

Performance:
APR Stage 2
CTS Turbo Intake
Godspeed Downpipe(converted to CBFA)
MagnaFlow Catback
Autotech Insert
GFB DV+
Twintercooler Setup
WMI Setup (Wanted)
​
Interior:
AWE Vent Boost Gauge
KrautoLed Interior Lights
Stainless GTI Seat Handle Inserts
Maryland Flag Mirror Wrap
Sid Mount Sub Box
Pioneer TS-SW 2501 10" Shallow Sub
Rockford Fosgate PBR300x1 Amp
Speakers(Coming)
​
Exterior:
LED Tails
Color Matched Side Markers
Color Matched Rear Reflectors
Nokya Yellow Fog Lights
Yellow Lamin-x Fog Light Covers
Euro Plate
Chrome Grille Stripes
Xenon Headlights(Wanted)
​
Suspension:

Ksport Kontrol Pro Coilovers
Koni Yellows(NEXT)


How she currently sits:
 
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barnes93cb

barnes93cb

Go Kart Champion
Not a month after buying my car it was at the local APR tuner getting my Stage 1. That was fun but I was quickly bit. An APR Carbonio intake followed in February. The MagnaFlow catback was in March. And my KSport Coilovers were in April. Later down the line I did everything else... Godspeed DP, autotech insert, vinyls, sub, Avid AV-06 wheels, tint, color matched engine bay pieces, color matched side markers, color matched rear reflectors, debadged, soundkator removed, and way moar.

When I first lowered the GTI. Circa April 2013. The rears had no locking collars and the fronts were down to match. I couldnt run that low in town and I hadnt rolled my fenders. It was about 3 weeks of careful driving before I started to bend my fender lip. Before I did any actual damage I reinstalled the rear collars and raised the fronts.



Picture of my car and my bestest buddy Vandorin91's cars when we picked his up.



Doing my FMIC install. It took far too long to do. But now that ive done it. I could do it in probably 1 hour next time.



Look at that FMIC goodness. Disregard the ugly Halogens. I want to get rid of them so bad.



One of the best photos of my car ever taken.



Obligatory SoWo bridge shot. The cops had started cracking down on people parking on the bridge so Vandorin and I had to take some quick snaps. I wish the overcast wasnt so thick. It takes away from all the time we spent detailing the cars. But this year the cars wont even look the same and we will be back for another great trip.



The day I got my new wheels mounted. It was a very happy day. 1 1/2 years into ownership and it finally happened.



IPhone photo I took after getting my wheels. Instagram filter FTW. It isnt perfect but I love the look.




As of now I am undecided on how far I want to go with the car. I do plan to upgrade my rotors, pads, lines, and fluid. But the real question is if I want to go K04 or not. I would like to get a LSD but the price and install are just too much for me to be willing to pay. The car is currently lowered and tucking tire. But once I get my brakes upgraded and some money set aside. I am planning to track the car. So ill have to raise her up to a normal height. A speaker and head unit upgrade are projected for this spring. I am forced to keep my volume low because my passenger speaker isnt sounding too hot right meow.
 
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VanDorin91

VanDorin91

Go Kart Champion
Hot damn! Its about time!


:needpics:

jk haha
 
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ncsugray90

ncsugray90

Ready to race!
Damn, sounds like you have one hell of a platform already! I look forward to seeing pics and future updates!
 
barnes93cb

barnes93cb

Go Kart Champion
jay745 said:
sub'd. car looks good. If you're on the fence about doing k04 or not... see if you can get a ride along from someone local who has it. I did it on mine about 2 months ago and love every second of it.
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The problem is I have the most modified GTI locally. The VW scene here is me and Vandorin.

EDIT: Thanks. The car looks even better now that I have new shoes on it.
 
Tk_mkv1

Tk_mkv1

Go Kart Champion
that maryland flag vinyl, i definitely would not want to rock the Virginia one since i had a lot of gripes about this state.
 
Brinkmen

Brinkmen

VW NUT!
My $.02. I think K04 power is too much for a FWD platform. If you want more power than you have I'd say go get a Golf R or an S4. Or keep what you have and spend that cash on LED tails like you plan too and then some HID headlights. Also as far as head units, go top OEM with an RNS-510 and you won't regret it. But hey like I say that's just my opinion. I'd considered going K04 but just decided the extra power wasn't worth the money I'd have to spend on the turbo and supporting mods on top of that.
 
barnes93cb

barnes93cb

Go Kart Champion
brinkmen said:
My $.02. I think K04 power is too much for a FWD platform. If you want more power than you have I'd say go get a Golf R or an S4. Or keep what you have and spend that cash on LED tails like you plan too and then some HID headlights. Also as far as head units, go top OEM with an RNS-510 and you won't regret it. But hey like I say that's just my opinion. I'd considered going K04 but just decided the extra power wasn't worth the money I'd have to spend on the turbo and supporting mods on top of that.
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Thats my constant fight about going K04. Is the power worth it or not for me? The tires ill burn up. The open diff that I would want an LSD to match my K04. Is it all worth it? I do plan to get the tails and headlights at some point. Just not too sure when. Also I want an aftermarket radio for the added sound tuninig abilities. The RNS-510 is nice. But for the price I can get something I personally think is better. Im no audio guru so I may be wrong about that.
 
ncsugray90

ncsugray90

Ready to race!
Those wheels and tires look seeeeexxxxyyyyyy.

As for the k04, I completely agree that its too much for FWD. As much as I love my car and will enjoy tracking it, I plan to get an old bugeye WRX as a track car once I pay this suker off. Great car, great daily, but not set up for tons of power.

Just my $0.02
 
barnes93cb

barnes93cb

Go Kart Champion
ncsugray90 said:
Those wheels and tires look seeeeexxxxyyyyyy.

As for the k04, I completely agree that its too much for FWD. As much as I love my car and will enjoy tracking it, I plan to get an old bugeye WRX as a track car once I pay this suker off. Great car, great daily, but not set up for tons of power.

Just my $0.02
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Thanks. I love my wheel/ tire combo. I dont feel safe tracking the car on them though. Im running wobble bolts. Although they are TUV rated. And I havent had any problems with them. There is a constant thought in the back of my head about them.
 
Brinkmen

Brinkmen

VW NUT!
I'll probably eventually get a Golf R then likely put all that extra power into an AWD platform. Likely in like 3 to 5 years and I'll get a CPO MkVII R.
 
barnes93cb

barnes93cb

Go Kart Champion
brinkmen said:
I'll probably eventually get a Golf R then likely put all that extra power into an AWD platform. Likely in like 3 to 5 years and I'll get a CPO MkVII R.
Click to expand...
About a year ago I was thinking of getting rid of my GTI for an R. But the added costs didnt appeal to me. I think ill stop with fast parts for the GTI and eventually get a toy better suited for speed.
 
Brinkmen

Brinkmen

VW NUT!
barnes93cb said:
About a year ago I was thinking of getting rid of my GTI for an R. But the added costs didnt appeal to me. I think ill stop with fast parts for the GTI and eventually get a toy better suited for speed.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you agree. I mean. Our cars are by no means slow. Especially with Stage 2 mods. They are stock STI quickness I'd say. But much easier to daily drive. That's what the GTI does so well. I love it for its combo or speed, refinement, and versatility. The R just adds that AWD to the speed capability and versatility in being able to use that AWD in more places. The only thing I'm a little unsure about with the R is the added possible maintenence costs of said AWD.
 
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