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Blue Graphite Pearl - mk6 TDi

rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Car: 2012 VW mk6 Golf TDi - Sunroof+Nav
6-Speed MT
Blue Graphite Pearl

Purchase Date: July 30th 2015

My new toy was purchased from a VW Dealership in PA and was previously owned by a VW Enthusiast that I know, and know that he took very good care of it. He actually did not even want to sell it, but his wife said it had to go bc they have a baby on the way so he traded it in for a VW Sportwagon TDi, and I immediately bought his mk6 Golf TDi.
At time of purchase, Car had 56,150 miles on it, and it is my DD. I plan on driving it until the wheels fall off, so I will definitely be putting a lot of time and money into this car, and I already have a pretty extensive list of things I want to / will be doing to it.









As tempted as I was to go get a Malone Stage II tune with DPF/EGR Delete the first week I had it, I've decided to hold out on touching anything with the Engine and Exhaust for awhile, as difficult as that is.

I know a Tune is definitely one of the best bang for your buck upgrades, but because I have a 100k Extended Warranty that I basically got for free, I've decided to hold off on getting a Stage II Tune and ripping the DPF out until the Extended Warranty runs out.

The DPF is supposed to last for somewhere around 120k miles before it fills up with ash/clogs and needs to be replaced. My original plan was drive it until the Extended Warranty ran out and then once I started having issues with the DPF, instead of replacing it, do a DPF/EGR Delete and Stage II Tune.

Now with this whole "TDi Defeat Device Scandal" going on, I figure that's even more of a reason to stick with my plan, and rip the DPF out + get the Stage II Tune as soon as I have any issue with the DPF.
Ha I'm half tempted to sign up for VWs stupid "Goodwill Program" that they setup, and put the gift card toward doing the DPF Delete.
Nothing like having VW pay for a good chunk of the upgrade to remove the Emissions Equip that they are giving you money for in the first place, right?
Luckily, I live in a state that doesn't req emissions test for a diesel, so this TDi Cheat isn't nearly the concern for me, as it is for someone that owns a TDi in say California.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For now, most of the mods I've done are small Interior / Exterior upgrades that are mostly cosmetic to start to give the car a look that is more to my taste, but slowly I'll be adding more and more on until I pass 100k miles and can start to really have some fun.

The Interior is pretty much done and I've added all the little things I personally wanted.

So far..
- Full Interior LED Light Swap
- Red LED Footwells
- Seat Handle Inserts
- TDi Monster Mats
- and a few more things that I'm waiting to receive in the mail and will post once installed.





Will be adding Updates & Pictures as I go..
 
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rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Bought a DieselGeek Sigma 6 Short Shifter. Absolutely awesome. Makes shifts and side to side a lot shorter and makes shifts a lot more precise and removes a lot of the stock shifters sloppiness.




DG SS makes shifts a lot better, but doesn't actually shorten the shifter's height at all.
To me, the stock VW shifters look really tall. I modified the shifter so it's a good bit shorter. Didn't change feel of shifter/shifts at all, but looks a lot better.

Before


After
 

rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Swapped out the Front and Back OEM Chrome Emblems for Gloss Black Emblems.

Originally sent Matte Black Emblems by accident. While I know some people like the Matte Emblems, personally I think they look cheap and frankly look awful.

Eventually got the correct Gloss Black Emblems. They look a lot better and match the front grill perfectly.



 

rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Two weeks ago I finally tinted it. Was def overdue and makes it look a lot better with the Gloss Black Emblems.

Debated for awhile, but finally decided on Llumar 20% all around. Came out really good.

Ended up tinting the lights on the mirrors, as well as the Side-Markers with 2 layers a day later.














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rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
There are very few things I don't like about this car, but one of the things that drives me nuts is that the Center Console 12v Outlet doesn't stay hot when you take the key out.

I hated how you can't charge your phone unless the car is on/key in ign or let your phone charge in your car while you run into a store or something so I decided to mod it so the 12v outlet is always Hot so it's not such a pain in the ass now.


Bought an ATC Fuse Holder and put a connector on each end..





And then made it look like this..




Super easy less than 5 min install and I can now leave my phone in my car to charge if needed.

Has turned out to be an extremely useful mod. Glad Somebody figured this out bc I use it constantly.
This is how VW should have made it from the factory.
 
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rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
This past weekend installed Drivers side Under-Seat Drawer.
Bought it used but mint from someone on forums for cheap.
Easy install and quite useful.
It's not that I don't think the mk6 VWs have enough storage room because they do, but the Underseat Drawer is great for little things and hiding something from view.
















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rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
I decided shortly after purchasing the car that I wanted to get some kind of monitoring device/system for the car so I'd be able to monitor things like Boost, coolant temp, EGTs, etc.

I figured it would be nice to be able to keep an eye on the cars vital signs, as well as the DPF for when it decides to do a regen. While I wont have to worry about DPF Regens once I go Stage II and do a DPF/EGT Delete, it will obviously still very useful to have.
As most people already know, VW TDi's don't let the driver know when the DPF is doing a regen. Even though i can easily tell when my Golf TDi is doing a regen, I thought it would be nice to be able to monitor the car during and after a Regen Cycle.

After doing some research, I was able to narrow it down to a few different options.

The obvious stand out winner that fits exactly what I'm looking for is the P3 VIDI Vent Gauge, which would allow me to monitor all the vitals, temps when DPF is doing a regen, and most of the other stuff I want, but the only problem is that it's far from cheap..
Since I don't have the luxury of being able to spend $400+ to be able to monitor my car I kept looking for a cheaper alternative.

I ended up buying a Wifi OBDII Scanner off Amazon for $18, and since I just recently got a new iPhone 6s, I had my old 5s that I could use as a dedicated monitor.
Doing some research, I found 2 OBDII iOS apps that seem to be the most popular/highly rated. After looking up both & reading reviews I ended up buying the OBDII Fusion App for $10, which I like a lot & is highly customizable.

I then needed to mount the iPhone in a more semi-permanent way so it could be used as a monitor.
I def didn't want it attached to the windshield, and I didn't want to block a Vent, so I ended up getting a Magnetic Suction-type mount that I attached to the inside wall of the small center compartment above the shifter.
The phone then attaches magnetically and can sit horizontally or vertically.

I still have access to the compartment/12v charging port and can still open/close the compartment door.
I was originally a little nervous that where it was mounted would get in the way while shifting, but luckily I have no issues shifting & it doesn't hit it my hand AT ALL, although I do have a DG SS which is def helping that cause.
Overall, I'm really happy how it came out.










What I finally ended up with might not be as streamlined/nice as the P3 VIDI, but it does provide me with the same functions as the P3 VIDI, and I ended up spending less than 1/10 of the P3 VIDI cost to do it.








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whitewolf33

Go Kart Champion
Looks good so far, keep it comin... Can you provide a little detail on the constant 12v wiring? Which two did you bridge?
 

rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Looks good so far, keep it comin... Can you provide a little detail on the constant 12v wiring? Which two did you bridge?


Thanks dude! Slowly but surely it's coming along.
The 12v Always Hot Mod is actually really easy to do and you'll likely only need to buy one piece to do it, if you have some spare connectors laying around.

First you'll need to buy an ATC Fuse Holder like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0SWSMTBCR8DCS7A5NX0D


You can get them locally or online, I bought mine at Pepboys for like $3.

Make sure you get one for a FULL size fuse, so then you can just reuse the same fuse that you'll remove to install the Fuse Holder.

You'll also need 2 small connectors so buy them too if you don't have them laying around.
Just make sure you get ones that are about the same size as the fuse prongs, since you will be plugging it in just like a fuse.

Strip both ends of the ATC Fuse Holder & crimp a connector on each end.

Once that's competed you should have something that looks like this:




Once you get to this point your ready to install.
Obv make sure car is completely off.

Pop off the cover and look for Fuse #42.
This is the fuse for the 12v Outlets in Center Console & Trunk.
Pull that fuse out, and insert into the ATC Holder.
Essentially, all your doing is instead of both prongs being inserted into Fuse#42, one prong will be inserted normally into Fuse#42, and the other will be plugged into a different Fuse # slot. This other fuse location is the one that's Always Hot, which will allow the 12v to always be hot.

Now that your ready to connect, relocate Fuse#42.
Insert one of the ends from your ATC Fuse Holder into the BOTTOM slot of Fuse #42.
Make sure it's inserted into the lower prong location, bc on the other end your going to be plugging it into the TOP slot location of the other fuse.
Make sure this is right or it won't work!

Once that's done, your now ready to connect the other end.
This is where I've found some variations with different cars/fuse boxes.
The top few rows of fuses are most of the ones that are Always Hot.

You'll have to check to make sure nothing is already connected there in your car, but locate Fuse#22. I know of others that had success using a different Fuse Slot, but I used #22.
If that slot is open, insert the other connector end into the TOP prong location of Fuse#22

So once that's done, instead of having both prongs plugged into the top & bottom of Fuse#42, like normal, you will have the bottom prong still in the BOTTOM Slot of fuse#42, but the top prong plugged into the TOP Slot of Fuse#22

Should look something like this:




Anndd.... You're Done!

I think you'll find this mod to be one of the easier ones to do, but it's one you'll prob use the most. Took me less than 5min to complete.
Oh, and if anyone is wondering.. It does not kill your battery. Ive left phones/ipad/etc charging in my car overnight and it has always started right up with no issues.

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes if you end up doing it!


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rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Over the weekend, I finally had the time to get rid of my VWs potentially serious case of, as its been properly named, Black Butt-hole Disease.



Any Black rear emblem will certainly contribute to making it look like you've got a big black hole on the rear of your car, but its the hideously ugly grey textured plastic piece that the Emblem snaps onto that VW decided to use that makes it look a lot worse.

As prev mentioned, I ordered a Front/Back Set of Gloss Black emblems awhile ago, but was orig sent the Matte Black Emblems instead.

I knew I wasn't keeping them bc I think the Matte looks cheap, but I stuck it on just to see how it looked.









Seeing that not only confirmed that it was mandatory that I paint the ugly plastic Hatch Handle if I wanted a Black Emblem, but I didn't want to even put the Rear Emblem on until I finished color-matching the plastic.





I originally brushed it on w/ touch up paint, then brushed the clear-coat layers. Followed it up rubbing compounding to remove brush strokes, then Polish, then Wax.

It came out glass-like smooth etc and still looked pretty damn good but bc the paint is a Metallic/Pearl it really should be sprayed to look right, so It looked ever so slighly off.


My guess most people would have left it bc it was only slightly & still looked good , but me being kinda OCD, ended up stripping the entire piece back down to the plastic and doing all the steps all over again.



This time I ordered a custom mixed Blue Graphite aerosol spray can, and did many very light passes + clearcoat. Left no brush strokes and didnt smear metallic flakes around making it look slightly "off", like using a brush did.

Once Polished, Waxed, etc it matches perfectly & looks great.

Prep-Work



After 3-4 coats of paint + plus 2-3 dustings



After 4 coats of Clear-Coat Applied



After Rubbing Compound/Polish



Finished Product






Now with everything painted & the Black Gloss Emblem attached, the rear hatch section looks super clean and it looks a lot better then your car having Black Butthole Disease
 
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rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
I decided to hold off on any major upgrades until winter is over, but in the mean time I decided to do a few small things.

Now that I have the old iPhone setup to work as a monitor/gauges I decided I wanted to add a USB port besides having a USB plugged into the 12v center, especially since I'm currently using one of the USB slots in the 12v to keep the iPhone Monitor charged.

Although the Double Apex USB kit is nice and was exactly what I was looking for, I frankly think it's overpriced for what it is, and I couldn't justify spending $65 for just a USB.

With some research, I was able to build my own kit for under $20 for everything. It's basically just like the Double Apex kit, except the way I did it keeps the USB hot all the time, even with the key out, which is something I wanted.

What's Needed is :

- The USB Switch

- Switch connector to Male USB cable

- Female 12V Plug & a USB 12v charger to plug into the female 12v

- Add-a-Fuse












I wired the add a fuse to the Red and connected the Black to the big screw above the fuses and ran the wires to the floor near your feet.
Then do the same thing to the other side. Connect the USB Switch to the cable and run the male USB to the back/floor also near your feet.
Then connect the USB to the charger in the Female 12v and tuck that up under the plastic that's below the steering wheel.

Done.






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trickster640

New member
Thinking about doing this myself -- would love some more details on your DIY process.


I decided to hold off on any major upgrades until winter is over, but in the mean time I decided to do a few small things.

Now that I have the old iPhone setup to work as a monitor/gauges I decided I wanted to add a USB port besides having a USB plugged into the 12v center, especially since I'm currently using one of the USB slots in the 12v to keep the iPhone Monitor charged.

Although the Double Apex USB kit is nice and was exactly what I was looking for, I frankly think it's overpriced for what it is, and I couldn't justify spending $65 for just a USB.

With some research, I was able to build my own kit for under $20 for everything. It's basically just like the Double Apex kit, except the way I did it keeps the USB hot all the time, even with the key out, which is something I wanted.

What's Needed is :

- The USB Switch

- Switch connector to Male USB cable

- Female 12V Plug & a USB 12v charger to plug into the female 12v

- Add-a-Fuse














Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

rd17VWTDI

Passed Driver's Ed
Thinking about doing this myself -- would love some more details on your DIY process.


I added a little more info about what I did.

These are the links to what I ordered..

Cable -
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Volk...le-Standard-USB-Cable-Adapter/1588071699.html

Female 12v -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0119BD1ZO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

The actual USB switch I also got from Aliexpress too. I dont have time to find the link right now but it was about $8 shipped.
Buy just the switch, some come with a cable but its NOT the one you need. You need the cable that has a USB on one end.

The Add-a-Fuse I already had but you can get them online or at an auto store for a few bucks.

Let me know if you have any questions
 
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