Miguel's MK7 GTI Autobahn DSG CSG

[Miguel1]

A little bit about how I got my car. I picked her up around August 9th, 2015 and I couldn't believe I was getting this brand new GTI for my first car. In my excited state I wasn't really looking at the car and I realized that Bi-Xenon's were a must.

Then I really started to like the car when I drove it, it was an wolf in sheep's clothing! Anyways I got her right off the transport truck and I went home with her the same day.



Mod List (in chronological order):

• Tint 35% front 5% Rear
• Injen Intake (1500 or so miles)
• Wheel Spacers (15mm front, 20mm rear) (2000 or so miles)
• Ed's Golf R Replica Headlights with 5500k Morimoto HID kit (03/8/2015)(8000 miles)
• Chinese OEM Led Tails (03/18/2015)(8500 miles)
• Craftsman 254-piece Mechanic's toolset(03/18/2015) (8000 miles)
• Ross Tech Cable with VCDS software (04/03/2015) (9400 miles)
• Blaupunkt 8" Powered Subwoofer (04/15/2015)
• P3 Vent Gauge (05/08/2015)
• Magnaflow Muffler Delete (05/14/2015)

Future Mods:

• VWR Race Springs (1.4" drop)
• Eurodyne Tune
• 235/35/19 Michelin PSS
• TSW Nurburgring 19x8 (Bronze/Gunmetal) or Neuspeed Rse14 19x8 (Bronze)
• Phone Holder
• VWR600 intake
• Downpipe
• Exhaust

VCDS Tweaks so far:

• Window Open/Close from Key Fob
• Led License Plate Lights
• Automatic Window Closing When Raining
• XDS Complete Defeat
• Auto Air Recirculation

 

[Miguel1]

Injen Intake Review

The Injen Intake was the very first mod I bought for my car. I knew an intake was the most common first mod and for the price that was listed at the time, it was a steal!

Quality: The intake is well made and the materials used don't seem out of place like they can be with some cars. The hydro shield that was included for free has done its job for thousands of miles and a couple of rough rain showers. Clamps included are very sturdy but be careful not to over tighten, my room mate wanted to help me with the install and managed to snap one of those clamps. We got it back together and it worked fine so user error there. Overall, I give the quality of of the intake and its supplemental materials a 4.5/5.

Power: Everyone will make their own claim to whether intakes make a difference on a stock tune. I believe that this intake added maybe 5 HP but definitely made throttle response much sharper and the engine likes to rev out more. I feel a bit more power in the upper range and the power band doesn't die off as quickly. If you're expecting huge power gains, look somewhere else. This will give you a small boost in power but mostly is for better drivability.


Noise: Wow! When I first installed this I thought I had left something out, I couldn't believe how restrictive the stock intake was! I gunned it right outside of the AutoZone parking lot on the street and I couldn't believe what I heard! It was a mixture of air and electricity being sucked into engine. I kid you know when I say this, whenever I get the intake noise sucking in, it feels like electricity is in the air and when I let off the throttle it gives a huge blow off valve sound but that's just the intake. For those looking for some more sound, you won't be disappointed in this open air filament. 5/5

Overall, great intake for a great price.

 

[Miguel1]

Ed's Golf R Replica Headlights with Morimoto HID Kit

Up next is Ed's headlights and I couldn't be happier with them.



Quality:They truly are a HUGE improvement from the stock Halogens. They are at least 300% brighter. The headlight itself is very rugged except for some of the plastics used. It doesn't feel 100% as sturdy as the OEM plastic and is a little malleable. Aside from the soft plastic, that was my only issue with the headlights. Everything else worked flawlessly and fit into place. I haven't seen any condensation inside of the headlights up until now and i've had the car through a couple of shower storms.

Installation: This was where things got a little rough but not because of the process itself being hard, I kept the car on the ground so loosening those bottom screws on the front bumper was a pain. I do suggest removing the bumper if you feel comfortable doing so, though. It makes the installation so much easier because everything pretty much falls into place. and there's no need to move the bumper out of the way while you're trying to install the lights. Once the lights were in reinstalling everything else to normal was a breeze. Be sure to follow Ed's instructions and it should be an easy installation. There is also a video on Youtube from Deutsche Auto Parts detailing the differences between headlights and how to install.

Morimoto Kit: I'll keep this one short and if you have the money for it, get it. The kit is very well built and doesn't spare any expense. From the ballasts to the bulbs everything looks top notch and looks like it's gonna last a long time. I know those other kits are cheaper but if you want the one of the best for your already awesome car, these are the way to go. 5500k is the way to go if you want to match the fogs. My fogs are slightly less white and they almost fade into the headlight beam. It's like one continuous white beam ready to light up the road.

 

[Miguel1]

LED Tail Lights

I received the LED Tails on 03/18/2015 and they make a huge difference in the appeal of the car. The LEDs make the car look more upscale than it already is and ties the whole car together.

Installation: There's multiple videos on how to install these tail lights so I won't go too in depth of how to to do it. My tips for those reading and thinking about the install are as follows:

• Be careful with the driver side harness, it is a bit short.
• A notch has be shaved off from the outer tail light harness but a file will get the job done. A pocketnkife will cut through the plastic easily but as always, proceed with caution.
• An 8mm socket will be needed for the inner tail lights on both sides.

Quality: Here's the only part where I had an issue. One of my tail lights came scratched but the eBay seller gladly offered me a percentage refund (very generous for how small the scratches were) and everything was all right. I haven't gotten around to buffing out the scratches but they don't even catch my finger nail so i'm not too worried about that. Other than that, they're OEM VW and the materials are like the stock one.

Fitment: Same as stock, exact same body lines and everything.

Overall: Even though I had those scratches, I am very happy with this purchase. I got these tail lights sub 400$ with the discount which is a steal compared to what other sellers are offering theirs for. I didn't get the more expensive option to get the tinted tail lights but these look just fine and some tint will fix my issues.

 

[Henrysan]

The one thing I miss when driving my stock gti is the turbo spool up sound that my modded eclipse makes. Your review of the injen intake just sold me. Thanks, And nice car!

 

[Miguel1]

The one thing I miss when driving my stock gti is the turbo spool up sound that my modded eclipse makes. Your review of the injen intake just sold me. Thanks, And nice car!

Thanks! Glad I could be of a help to your purchases.

 

[Miguel1]

Sitting here in my dorm room looking at cleaning and detailing products make me want to go out and get my car clean! Makes me a little sad to see pollen on the roof, I want to see it clean. For those reading, is there anything you guys recommend? I have the stuff in the first picture below at my disposal but find myself using the pinnacle wax, clay bar, Klasse products and the zymol leather cleaning products to detail my car. I don't have a picture of the soap but I just know it smells like blueberries lol it's a really good soap my dad uses for his truck too.

I bought some Tire Wet tire dressing and some armor all protectant from Advance Auto Parts because of a special they had going on, two car care products(really nice selection) for 9$ and a free bucket. I did it for the bucket honesty, I've needing another one. For those interested, I recommend checking that out if you need a bucket for your cleaning.

I didn't get a chance to use the armor all, though. My friend and I didn't realize his Mazda 3 was actually pretty big and after spending about 2 hours on his car, we were pretty tired. We did a wash, dry and sealing with the Klasse grey bottle. I found that it actually works pretty well in creating a waxy layer that repels dirt. I had the pressure washer going one afternoon for my mom to wash the pavement and decided to wash off the pollen and it came off with no scrubbing whatsoever. Dried it, gave it a once over with the microfiber towel and had her looking real nice and clean.

I still need to get a good cleaning session in where I clay and apply wax. Maybe this weekend, not sure. I'll be sure to snap some pictures of my detailing kit sometime tomorrow.

For now, enjoy some more pictures.

 

[Miguel1]

Had to spend a little time either at the mall wandering aimlessly through the Apple Store or a little time detailing. I took out my kit and started to clean all the glass on the car. I truly apologize for forgetting to snap some pictures for you guys but I guess you can guys can visualize it.

1. Spray Rain X on dirty windshield and give it a minute to let it seep in and clean.
2. Wipe off Rain X and go over with a microfiber
3. Clay bar the windshield
4. Apply Rain X as per instructions


I realized I finished too early and still had a lot of time so I put some of Klasse's High Gloss Sealant on my wing mirrors (only part clean enough to wipe off) and I can't attest enough how well this product works. It always brings out more depth from my paint and makes it shine like crazy on those sunny days. I have yet to clay with this product after so I expect it to have fantastic results.

 

[Miguel1]

Blaupunkt 8" Powered Subwoofer

Yesterday I installed my new Blaupunkt powered subwoofer under the driver's seat. I wanted a little more low end bump that the Fender Audio System was lacking.

Things you need for the install:

• Trim Removal Tool
• Add-A-Fuse
• Wire Stripper or Small Knife
• Black Electrical Tape
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Torx Screwdriver Set

Quality: The subwoofer is sturdy and has a lot more heft to it than one would think. It's probably about 12 pounds, easily carried in one hand. I's encased all in metal and there's a protective grille that I didn't have too high hopes for but actually is pretty nice and sturdy. I would feel comfortable if a grocery bag or carryon bag fell on it, no problem.

The included wiring harness has double of everything (power, ground and left and right channels) and has a good amount of cable to use. I mounted it under my seat and was able to route it completely to the glove box and still had about a foot of slack to work with.

Audio Quality:Impressive. I didn't expect a lot from this but it definitely blew me out of the water. It's adjustable to wether you want punchy bass or boomy bass. I hooked it up directly to the Fender Subwoofer (why is it so small?) so whenever I adjust the subwoofer in the headunit, it also changes the powered subwoofer.

I set my crossover and phase right in the middle and adjusted my volume about 65%. I found that I can set my subwoofer setting in the sound menu to 9 and only on really boomy bass songs will the subwoofer start to shake, it doesn't clip but the subwoofer wasn't made for that low of frequencies that it is too much. This subwoofer can definitely provide more than enough power for those looking for more bass without wanting to add the traditional subwoofer box and amplifier combo.

Wiring:First off, I ran the red power cable under the seat under the rails and tucked it under the sills and into the fuse box. You can also tuck it under the weather stripping and both cables fit just fine and aren't pinched when the door is closed.

I then used an add-a-fuse to tap into where the bottom yellow 20A fuse is. That's the fuse for the 12v sockets in the car. You can set your sockets to be live all the time by moving the 20A fuse one spot up in it's location. Keep in mind that if you do this you can't leave things such as chargers plugged into the 12v socket because it will drain your battery. The subwoofer is fine because it won't turn on until it picks up an audio signal.

I'll take some more pictures later when I get into the car again, I'll show exactly how the add a fuse looks, I was so confused trying to figure out how it goes. Keep in mind I ran both red power wires but only connected one.

For the ground and the rest of the gray and white wires, I first stuck them under the mat.

Then routed them up towards the side of the rear seat and towards the rear of the vehicle and under the spare tire cover. I will later tuck the wires showing under the seat, I did this install in my a parking garage with basic electrician tools.

(This is where the edge of the rear seat meets the pillar trim.)

After that we get to the Fender Audio subwoofer

It is enclosed under a plastic cover that is screwed in by 4 Torx screws. Don't know the exact size but it's about a T15 or T20 if I was to guess. Anyways, lift the subwoofer out and flip it upside down exposing the leads.

I took out the black prongs/clip things with some needle nose pliers and put the white wires inside the clips and put them back into place. To make sure i connected them correctly, I turned the car on, which should turn on a green light on the subwoofer and tested the wires in different locations to see which one worked. After you get yours in, replace the subwoofer and it's cover.

After that is done you have the ground left to do. You can put that on any bolt in the car, the closest being the seat bolts. I ran mine to the trunk with my gray and white wires and found some bolts on either bottom corner of the trunk. Put your ground in and your done.

Adjust your your volume, crossover and phase knobs to your liking and enjoy your subwoofer.

 

[Miguel1]

I also took some dirty car cellphone pictures after the install in the garage. Enjoy.

Ignore the can, that wasn't me who left it there. I threw it away after though. It added another layer of meaning to the picture haha

 

[Miguel1]

Got a new camera today and it was a beautiful day so I took the car for a wash and took some pictures. Also ran into a Corvette C2. The guy detailing it said it only had .4 miles on the odometer, the engine had just been rebuilt.

 

[Noodile]

For the Morimotos, did you need to buy the canbus? or just the regular harness? Any bulb out warnings?

 

[Miguel1]

For the Morimotos, did you need to buy the canbus? or just the regular harness? Any bulb out warnings?

I bought the kit directly from Ed so he included the CANBUS ballasts for me. You do need the CANBUS for your headlights though. I do not have any bulb out warnings with the ballasts Ed supplied.

It's a great kit, much better than the stock VW HID kits on the LP GTIs I have seen.

 

[Noodile]

I bought the kit directly from Ed so he included the CANBUS ballasts for me. You do need the CANBUS for your headlights though. I do not have any bulb out warnings with the ballasts Ed supplied.

It's a great kit, much better than the stock VW HID kits on the LP GTIs I have seen.

The kit had this with the ballast right?

 

[Miguel1]

The kit had this with the ballast right?

Yes, I had that in my kit.