Mike1082's MK7 GTI Log

[Mike10821]

Here it is, my first new car, my first Golf GTI, and in fact my first Volkswagen. It's a 2015 4 door SE DSG with Performance Pack, Lighting Pack, and DCC in Carbon Steel Grey. Back in December, I placed an order for this car in Pure White. Ended up cancelling that order and going with another dealer for a better price.
Order was submitted December 16th, and almost 4 months later I had no information about when it would arrive. Finally a few weeks ago I learned it would arrive in June, but I was really looking forward to taking delivery in April when the weather was getting better.

Long story short: Last Monday, I decided to check the inventory of a bunch of local dealers. None of their sites showed anything close to my spec. Checked VW.com and there was nothing. Clicked the "Close Matches" button (or whatever it was called) and found this car "in transit" in my exact spec, just a different color. Called the dealer, and was informed that it had just arrived that day (it was not yet listed for sale in their inventory). Got to the dealer at 5:30pm, just as technical PDI was bring completed (no strut pucks). Got my hands on it before the detailer, and asked to not have it touched. No front plate holes had been drilled, and the plastics had just been removed. Ended up getting the car for exactly the same price I had worked out before, and drive it away that night.

This car is my daily driver, and might see a track day here and there. But it is mostly for getting me to work, and getting my wife and 7 month old daughter around safely when we don't need to take the larger vehicle (wife has a 2015 Acura RDX for longer trips and bad weather). I opted for the Performance Pack for the diff, as I do enjoy "spirited" driving, and really like to push my cars when no one else is in the car with me.

My first impressions after a week of driving are overwhelmingly positive. I really do love driving this car. It has the practicality of a small SUV (with the seats folded down) with much better fuel economy (over 30 mpg so far). It is very comfortable for me and my wife, even with an infant seat in the back (on either side). For reference, I am 6'1" and 230lbs, and I can sit comfortably with the infant seat behind me (though I choose to put it behind the passenger seat as my wife is about 4 inches shorter than I am). The cabin is very quiet when travelling down the freeway, and even though the car is small, it feels very planted. The steering is not what I am used to in a sporty car (my last car was a 2004 350Z). But it is perfectly acceptable for me for daily driving. The DCC really is fantastic on bumpy roads, and smoothing things out with a sleeping baby in the back seat. Sometimes I leave it in comfort by accident, and I can actually feel it tighten itself up when taking corners at speed. That is the beauty of DCC, and something that many seem to not realize.

My plans for the car are to improve handling a bit, and give it some more power. In the short term, I have a set of VWR springs that have been in the garage for months. I plan on getting a set of summer wheels, and eventually some better tires (Michelin PSS most likely) with a separate set for winter. After reading RjRacings build thread, I may look into a larger rear sway bar as well. I have had a box of LED replacements from DeAutoKey that have been waiting to be installed, as well as some Osram cornering bulbs, as recommended by Roger2050 on Vortex. I will also get a tune after break-in period and early oil change. Going to start with the low output APR Stage 1, and will probably bump it up to high output after getting better tires. I know I will probably get some hate about that last part, but the crappy all season Pirelli's are breaking loose as it is (and I have not taken it above 4k RPM yet). Definitely needs window tint as well, will most likely go with 35% all around.



Anyway, on to the pics!

This was at the dealer, just before I signed the paperwork. No other customers ever got a chance to look at it or drive it. 12 miles on the car.

MK7 GTI by Mike1082, on Flickr

This was the next morning at work. I always get in early for the good parking spot. My friend arrives soon after in his CSG MK6. I was very inspired to look into a GTI after driving this car, and another slightly older MK6.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

I am a self-proclaimed detailing enthusiast, so the fact that I do not have proper paint protection installed right now is killing me. But when you start having kids, your free time disappears very quickly. This weekend (after 5 painful days of driving with no protection) I finally had just a few hours to myself early in the morning. Gave it a quick foam bath using my AR383 Pressure Washer and MTM Hydro foam cannon (if you are interested in this setup, you will need this adapter from AR to attach a foam lance, and consider a female-female brass hose fitting, as the one at the hose inlet of this pressure washer leaks like an SOB).

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

A few weeks ago, I attended a "Detailing Clinic" at Detailers Domain, sponsored by Adam's Polishes. I had always known they made great products, but this new one is really nice. You spray it on the paint right after a wash, while it is still wet. As you are drying the car, you are adding a quick layer of protection. Probably not as durable as a true sealant or coating, but super easy to use and fast (this part is going to be key for me). I bought it at Detailers Domain right after seeing it demo'ed, but you can find it here.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

I was very happy with the outcome. Though I do plan to do a full wash/decon/wash/polish/coating in that order as soon as I am able, this will do for now.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

Though this was not my first choice in color (mainly because a friend at work has the same color on his MK6, and I just love some cars in white) this color really does look fantastic when it is clean.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

Soon enough, with nicer wheels, springs, and tint installed, I think it will look great. Now I just need to make sure I have enough cash to buy a bigger house without touching my car fund... :laugh:

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

Finally, here is a bonus pic of my old car, which sadly I had to trade in to buy the wife's new car (no room for an infant seat in here )

 

[Mike10821]

Reserved...

 

[Mike10821]

Late one night last week, while the family was asleep, I sneaked out in to the garage to play with some LEDs.
Had a box from DeAutoKey including Front Turn Signals, Rear Brakes, Reverse, Lisence Plate, Footwells, Trunk, and Glove Box LEDs.
Didn't bother diving into the turn signals or tail light area, but I got the rest done. Very happy with the results, and the quality of these LEDs.
The white LEDs in the lisence plate, glove box, and trunk are all super crisp and bright. Much better than stock.
In the footwells I opted for red, as I felt it better fit the theme of the interior at night. I think I was right!


Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

Looking back, I wish I had taken this picture with the ignition on. Oh well, maybe I will update this later with a better pic.
Soon enough I will get the remainder of the LEDs installed.

 

[Mike10821]

Last update for today... my phone mount.
I am very happy with how this is turning out. I had a ProClip in my previous car, and so I kept the mount for the GTI (just had to order the GTI-specific part to mate to my existing iPhone 6+ mount). I highly recommend these phone mounts. Yes they are expensive, but they really do a great job of holding the phone securely.

I decided (just like I do with all of my cars) that I did not want to have a bunch of visible wires dangling around my dash area. So, as I did with many cars before, I hardwired directly to the fuse panel.

First things first, I cracked open a 12v USB phone charger. This one has 2 USB ports, 2.1 and 1 amp. It was a cheap unit with an annoying blue light, so I would rather have this one taped up and hidden somewhere anyway. The spring is where the positive 12v should be wired to, and the black wire is for ground.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

Something like this. I always solder and heat shrink my connections. Don't skimp here, since this will be buried in the dash, and won't be a quick fix if a connection comes loose.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

When it is all back together, it looks like this. One step I forgot to photograph was the ziptie on the wires before they exit the pin hole at the end. When tied tightly around the wires, it prevents pressure being applied to the solder joints if the wires are tugged on.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

Next step was to wrap it all up in felt tape. No way am I going to have this thing rattling around in my dash. Plus it makes the wiring look more OEM-ish.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

Now on to the phone mount. ProClip says to mount it in the lower position, attached to the HVAC control trim. I prefer to have the phone mounted a bit higher, so I mounted it to the radio trim. It is worth mentioning that it MAY be slightly less secure in this location, as the dash sticks out slightly less behind the bracket here than it does in the lower position (maybe 1/4" as opposed to the 1/2"+ at the HVAC trim). Time will tell if this was a mistake on my part. Also, I noticed that there is a small gap between the radio and HVAC trim that the wire can fit through (this is not visible normally, but you can feel it if you run your finger under the radio trim). I saw this as an opportunity to have a very short length of visible wire. Removing these panels was quite easy. Open the lower cubby half-way, put your fingers under the HVAC trim, and just pull the trim straight out. You will have to wiggle the top a bit, but it is rather easy. The cubby then pulls straight out, no screws at all.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

I noticed a few channels that seem to be made for routing iPhone charging cables through. Seriously, this was almost comical. The rectangular hole that the cable disappears into is only slightly larger than a USB plug, and lets out behind the HVAC controls. It then opens to the area behind and underneath the cubby. I just needed to fish the cable out from behind the HVAC unit by putting my other hand back there. Perfect spot to mate the USB cable to the charger. These little "channels" proved to be very useful as well, as the trim for the HVAC sits rather flush to the controls.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

No pic of the next part (sorry), but in the drivers side footwell, I only had to remove 2 panels to route the wire. One is above the pedals, and had 2 screws. The other was the lower most panel of the center console, furthest to the front (right next to the gas pedal). This was only 1 screw, and then a few clips (pull straight down). After that, I could snake the wire easily from the center console and over to the fuse panel. I still need a ring terminal to use for a ground, and need to finish dressing up the wiring at the fuse panel to clean it up a bit.

When I bought the ProClip, there were many options for my specific phone. Integrated lightning plug, provisions for snapping in the OEM apple cable, no cable at all, 90 degree cable, etc. For whatever reason, I chose the one designed to work with the original Apple cable. I didn't care on my old beater car, but in this all black interior, the white cable (even at a very short length) just stood out way too much. (You might also notice that my phone holder is broken on the right side... someone stepped on it in the garage :banghead: It will be replaced soon enough.)

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

Lucky for me, I had some left over tech flex from my previous car audio install in the Z. Wrapped up the iPhone cable in the black tech flex and reinstalled it... MUCH better. now it blends in pretty well I believe.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

From a bit further back, the cable is now hardly noticeable.

Untitled by Mike1082, on Flickr

No power at the moment, as I don't have a proper ground. Couldn't find my larger torx bits that I needed. But I think you get the idea.