This is my 2001 Volkswagen GTI 20V 1.8T 5 Speed Manual.
I bought this car in September 2011 from another Volkswagen enthusiast who had this car tuned for his wife, who really did not need or want anything more than an average car to transport herself to and from work. She really disliked the fact that it was so low, and pushed her husband to sell it and buy her an average sedan and leave it the hell alone. The car came with the following mods:
When I purchased the car, there were no noticeable issues. I was taken on a short ride, just long enough to see what the car could do. Upon further inspection however, there was a bad coolant leak and a noticeable 'clank clank clank' noise that was made on sharp right hand turns. The coolant leak seemed to be coming from the heater hose, so I systematically replaced clamps hoping it would only cost me a few dollars and it would be over with, however, the coolant was actually leaking from the plastic piece (part #17 on VW's diagram of the engine) that connects directly to the engine, and was running down the hose and dripping off which is what initially made me think that's where it was coming from so it ended up costing over $100 for the new piece and $120 in 6L's of spilled Pentofrost SF coolant, but it's done now and that's the main thing. As for the issue on turning, I suspected it to be the left driveshaft. I ordered both left and right driveshafts from Concept-1, went home and got it all prepped and ready to go on. When I removed the left driveshaft, to no surprise the boot was torn and so I figured I was right. I put on the new one and the problem was not solved. I now think it must be the wheel bearing(s) and will now have to bring in into a shop and get that taken care of.
I haven't done any engine tuning, however I have purchased new genuine Monster mats for my car as the fabric just doesn't cut it, especially in the winter. I also swapped my shift knob with a carbon fibre MOMO shifter and will likely get some silver and black pedals to match, right now I have an old set of red/black/yellow MOMO pedals which match the wheel but not the car and are kinda lame. I have also debadged the hatch and eventually want to do a full shave. I'm looking at getting some sawblade rims and spacers as well. I have brand new headlights and an HID kit, as well as a badgeless grill to install but I'm waiting until after the winter to do that.
I am going for a clean look, nothing flashy, no need for speed, that only attracts assholes and cops.
As I progress with my ride, I'll move from a short paragraph to another listing of complete mods the car has. Any suggestions/tips/help is much appreciated. I'm young and inexperienced, though I'm doing the best I can.
I bought this car in September 2011 from another Volkswagen enthusiast who had this car tuned for his wife, who really did not need or want anything more than an average car to transport herself to and from work. She really disliked the fact that it was so low, and pushed her husband to sell it and buy her an average sedan and leave it the hell alone. The car came with the following mods:
- Shaved head
- Supposedly bored over to 2.0, though some folks disagree and I have not yet inspected the cylinder walls
- APR diverter valve
- Eurojet airlines
- K&N filter & short ram intake / Neuspeed heat shield
- Remapped ECU to compensate for the said mods
- FK Silverline coilovers - lowered to 1.25'' in the front
- 2'' aluminum skid plate
- Aftermarket stubby
- MOMO steering wheel
When I purchased the car, there were no noticeable issues. I was taken on a short ride, just long enough to see what the car could do. Upon further inspection however, there was a bad coolant leak and a noticeable 'clank clank clank' noise that was made on sharp right hand turns. The coolant leak seemed to be coming from the heater hose, so I systematically replaced clamps hoping it would only cost me a few dollars and it would be over with, however, the coolant was actually leaking from the plastic piece (part #17 on VW's diagram of the engine) that connects directly to the engine, and was running down the hose and dripping off which is what initially made me think that's where it was coming from so it ended up costing over $100 for the new piece and $120 in 6L's of spilled Pentofrost SF coolant, but it's done now and that's the main thing. As for the issue on turning, I suspected it to be the left driveshaft. I ordered both left and right driveshafts from Concept-1, went home and got it all prepped and ready to go on. When I removed the left driveshaft, to no surprise the boot was torn and so I figured I was right. I put on the new one and the problem was not solved. I now think it must be the wheel bearing(s) and will now have to bring in into a shop and get that taken care of.
I haven't done any engine tuning, however I have purchased new genuine Monster mats for my car as the fabric just doesn't cut it, especially in the winter. I also swapped my shift knob with a carbon fibre MOMO shifter and will likely get some silver and black pedals to match, right now I have an old set of red/black/yellow MOMO pedals which match the wheel but not the car and are kinda lame. I have also debadged the hatch and eventually want to do a full shave. I'm looking at getting some sawblade rims and spacers as well. I have brand new headlights and an HID kit, as well as a badgeless grill to install but I'm waiting until after the winter to do that.
I am going for a clean look, nothing flashy, no need for speed, that only attracts assholes and cops.
As I progress with my ride, I'll move from a short paragraph to another listing of complete mods the car has. Any suggestions/tips/help is much appreciated. I'm young and inexperienced, though I'm doing the best I can.
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