Andromeda

So I finally joined the GTI world about a week ago. The car is a 2010 Candy White 2 Door 6 speed with roughly 32,000 miles on it. It came with a APR Carbonio Stage 1 and was otherwise stock. The dealership told me it had a Stage 1 tune on it, but after more research I've concluded this is not the case.

So far I have only installed one mod, the Dieselgeek Sigma 6 short throw shifter. I initially messed up by pulling the side to side cable toward the front of the car. This got rid of 1st and 2nd gear, and made the other gears very unpleasant to shift into. I quickly readjusted the cable by pushing it toward the firewall and tightening everything back up. It's all buttery smooth, short shifts now.

I also removed the hood liner and weather strip in hopes of hearing a little more of the turbo. It didn't seem to do much and I'm pretty sure from reading around here the Carbonio intake is one reason for that. Oh well, it's on there and I'm not paying more to replace it now. Plus it seems the stock turbo is known for being quiet.

In two days I will be having some more done to the car. I am getting a Stage 1+ APR tune with the high torque file. I was told this will eat my clutch up quickly. So I am researching which clutch to go with. I plan to do a bigger turbo in the future, but probably not for 1-2 years. So that will not influence my clutch decision all too much.

I am getting an AWE catback exhaust put on at the time of the tune. I went with the black tips as I would like the contrast against the white car, chrome isn't necessarily my thing, and I also would like to better hide the dual exhaust tips. I prefer having a single exhaust exit on any car, especially a 4 banger. Deal breaker? Nope, as I obviously bought the car and love it so far :thumbsup:

I am also having a 034 Motorsport Dogbone mount installed at the shop to help with the little wheel hop I get now in 1st, but also in anticipation of the extra power the tune will give.

Lastly, for now, I ordered a FMIC. I noticed heatsoak after driving for short periods, especially as I do lots of stop and go driving trying to get out to the mountain roads. I'm not putting up with this in stock form, so with a tune it won't be any better. I've read probably close to 100 pages on this topic. It seems highly debated and controversial to go with something other than name brand, especially if it's a blatant copy of a better known, more respected brand. I understand the reasoning for this, but I still decided to go with an ARM Motorsports FMIC. It's the same (looks wise anyhow, to avoid debate here) as the Neuspeed FMIC. The challenge will be installing this in my apartment garage quickly as to not get in trouble :laugh:

Near future upgrades will be the clutch for sure. Possibly a DV+ (still researching), a Stage 2 intake (also researching), and definitely a boost gauge. I would also like to get a VAGcom but have almost no clue what I'm looking for there haha. I will have to ask my brother about his and what he suggests, in addition to the extra info I find on here.

Past that other upgrades are being researched, but I need to try and stop myself from spending too much on this car too quickly.

Welcome! :thumbsup:

2010 with 32k miles? That is awesome!

corrado917 said:

Welcome! :thumbsup:

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Thanks! Happy to be here.

lilfleck said:

2010 with 32k miles? That is awesome!

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Right?! I was very excited to find one with such low miles. All of the others in this price range had 60k+ miles on it by me. It's real clean inside and out too, so far seems to be a good catch.

Got the three items installed today! APR Stage 1+ tune, AWE Catback exhaust, and 034 Motorsport Dogbone mount.

I have to say the car has really come alive. It was fun and spirited before, but now it really pulls. The power "loss" nearing redline is more prevalent, but that just means I am shifting sooner and get to enjoy the car more. In the future I know this can be remedied with a bigger turbo and full exhaust, but that's further down the road.

The turbo seems to come on much sooner and is very welcomed. With the added boost the DV is much more noticeable. I'm not upset with my intake anymore. The noise when lifting from throttle is much more pronounced, although not so much that it'd be obnoxious to most. Windows up and/or some music, it wouldn't be heard. Windows down and/or no music it's there if I had a lead foot prior to lifting off.

The AWE catback is another gem for me. I don't think online videos i found did justice of what some of these cars can sound like. It's very mellow at idle and cruising around town, or even on the highway. Most of the time I don't even realize it's not a stock exhaust. However under more throttle or WOT it sounds beautiful. Not raspy, not tinny, and not droned out. It just sounds like a boosting car with a clean bellow. If ever I get the chance I'll get some videos, although I don't have any great way to get the sound just yet. The black tips blend into the lower bumper very nicely and call less attention than the chrome tips. I'm quite pleased.

As for the Dogbone mount it seems to have helped. It was installed at the same time the tune and exhaust were which makes judging it a less than accurate call, however. It seems some slight vibration at idle gets to the car now, but very subtle. Wheel hop happens when my tires spin in first, but not so much in second. Although the wheels do chirp in second toward the higher RPMs. Overall I think it has helped to at least some degree. My brother said it's better compared to his MKV even when his was stock, not Stage 2.

FMIC should be here Friday, though I don't think I can get away with installing it in my parking garage. I need to either find a place to do this, or end up paying a shop. I would like to get it on as soon as possible, but I may wait until I can get a Neuspeed TOP and possible an Air Charge Pipe. I have been reading the TOP helps with some slight spool and power, and the ACP is more to eliminate the stock soundaktor. We will see what happens.

That's pretty much it for now.

Sounds like you've got a good plan and are going places! Welcome to the CW club! Good find too.

Thank you what does CW stand for? I haven't heard that one yet.

I've been driving the Stage 1+ tune on this car and loving it. As with any other car, especially boosted, I am looking for more. I knew I would be and that's ok. I really like the idea of a big turbo, but have decided against it. It would take me longer to save comfortably for that, but also because the money can eventually go toward something like a LSD, tires, and more gas. I have also read the K04 is quite an upgrade as is, and doesn't "require" touching the internals like a big turbo would. I've read you don't need to, but upgrading things like pistons/rods/etc would be a good idea for reliability.

So the K04 is my next move along with a downpipe and the other 034 Motorsport motor mount pair. The downpipe I plan to stick with AWE, but am going to see what my local installer suggests. I am also going to keep reading about the f23t in case that's a better option, but I would want to make sure I could be tuned for it. Since I'm already on board with APR, I'll probably just stick to the K04 route... maybe even splurge on a 100 octane file haha.

The first thing going into my car though is a new clutch and flywheel. It may happen with the rest of the install, or on it's own. But that'll be first since my clutch is going to go, having read lots about that. I'm planning to do the South Bend DXD Stage 3 Daily. Especially if I end up with the 100 octane file on the K04.

The FMIC is still not on my car, but will be no later than when the K04 gets put on.

That's it for now. Still considering small things like TOP, weighted shift knob, removing that daft sound enhancer.

gtimk6spd said:

Thank you what does CW stand for? I haven't heard that one yet.

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whew...an easy one FINALLY!!

CW stands for....wait for it....Candy. White. :character0293:

Blakcard said:

whew...an easy one FINALLY!!

CW stands for....wait for it....Candy. White. :character0293:

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Haha it's so obvious now! Thank you

I'm back after more driving! Things started great with Stage 1+. My concern now is that I could spin the tires in 1st and 2nd when I first got the tune. Now I can barely chirp the tires in 1st gear. The car sounds like it's running fine, but feels like it's restricted on the top end. Usually at full boost around 4k+ RPM it pulls "smooth" but feels "lacking."

So a few things could be the cause to my knowledge, so far.

1. Clutch. But I don't think it's this. I haven't launched the car from a stop, only floored it when rolling. In gears 3-6 I've sat at different RPM ranges and then gone WOT with no spike in RPM due to slip. In 1st and 2nd it still pulls hard enough, so I can't tell if it's slipping there because the RPMs climb decently fast as is.

2. The usual butt dyno getting used to the power and craving more. No, it definitely is slower. I can't even beat a Mazda 6 (non-speed) V6 now, before I could.

3. Traction, improvement?! No, this one is kind of a joke. I didn't modify anything between getting the tune/exhaust/dogbone mount and now, including tires. I've driven on the same roads in the same temperatures, so I doubt it's having gained traction.

4. Fault Codes. I'm putting my money here. P0302 and P2015. For the P0302 I am going to start by putting new BKR7EIX plugs and R8 coils in. $120 to do something I wanted to anyway. I'm hoping it's not my injector, and really hope it's not something like carbon buildup needing to be cleaned out. I'll try to check my plugs tomorrow to see how they look, but I plan to order those parts anyway.

For the P2015, well that just looks like a pain. I am still reading more, but it seems I may have to replace the intake manifold? I read this part was put under extended warranty by VW because of it's common failure, but I don't actually know. I plan to get in contact from the VW dealer I purchased this from and see what they say.

That's all for now, any feedback is welcome.

Got in touch with my VW dealer, they said the service manager will look into it and give me a call back sometime next week. If they don't warranty this I'm just going to go back to my local tuner and get a better flapless intake put on, probably have them clean up any carbon buildup while they're at it.

Got a call from VW today and scheduled an appointment, to which I dropped my car off today after work. They checked and confirmed it was my intake manifold needing replacement, which is warrantied. Because of that they are more than likely putting the $60 engine diagnostics charge to the warranty bill, making it free. Awesome. They offered to clean my valves, and cylinders, for $280. I said yes, even though I think they meant just my valves. $20 rental car and I am sitting right at $300. I'm not happy to spend money, but I think it's a good value for what's being done.

I should have the car back tomorrow and be able to report anything new.

Got my car back today. It was completely free since they said my valves didn't need cleaning. So the intake manifold was replaced and the car seems more lively again. It doesn't lag as much in the lower RPM ranges. I do think my clutch may be going after all though. In 2nd gear I'll floor it and it will quickly climb RPM to 5000. At that point it sits for a very short period, maybe 1/2 a second, and then continues to climb. I will have to look at my speed next time to see if it hesitates at the same point.

So I'm pretty happy with this dealership and their service. I didn't like the main manager there though. When I bought my car I bought it with a warranty still active, they said it was and showed me what was covered. Once I signed all of the papers and was leaving the manager came up to me, took the papers out of my hands, ran to his office, came back and said I have no warranty. Quite shady if you ask me.

Now it's back to prepping for a turbo upgrade. I'm still debating getting a GTX upgrade vs the K04. If I want more power I could do the 100 octane file, but it's still "lacking" in comparison. Plus that gas is harder to find and more expensive. Who knows... hopefully early next year I'll have a new turbo on.

Welcome to the CW club!