Mystic's Golf 1.8T

[MysticBlueX3]

Current Mod List
Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust / Tune
- Custom Intake Vents/Ducts
- Neuspeed P-Flow Carbon Fiber Intake
- 034 TIP
- CTS Turbo Muffler Delete
- Secondary Euro Engine Cover
- AWE Track Exhaust
- Shorty’s SSK & 42DD Shifter and Relay Bushings
- IS20
- GTI Stock Downpipe
- APR IS20 Stock DP 91 Octane Tune
- BFI Stage 1 Transmission and Engine Mount
- 034 Dogbone and Upper & Lower Insert

Wheels / Tires / Suspension / Brakes
- 18x8.5 et45 Neuspeed RSe10s, Gunmetal
- Conti DWS 06 235/40/18
- VWR Springs
- StopTech BBK, Yellow ST40 Calipers, 355mm Slotted Rotors
- 25mm ST Rear Sway Bar & Moog End Links

Cosmetic, Exterior
- Ed's Rep. Headlights (pre-facelift) w/ Morimoto Ballast & 4500k Bulbs
- Ed’s Rep. MK7.5 LED Tail Lights
- Maxton Front Splitter
- Maxton Side Skirts
- Clubsport-like Carbon Fiber 3 Piece Spoiler
- Carbon Fiber Mirror Caps
- Center Exit Rear Valance
- 4.5” Double Wall Chrome Exhaust Tips
- Llumar CTX 50 Ceramic Tint
- OEM VW Roof Cross Bars
- Kuat Bike Rack

Cosmetic, Interior
- Aluminum Pedals
- Aluminum Door Sills
- BFI GS2 Heavy Weight Shift Knob / Black Air Leather / Black Anodized
- Golf R Steering Wheel
- Black Brush Metal Vinyl Wrap Trim

Infotainment / Electronics
- Helix Subwoofer/Audio Upgrade
- 8" Discover Pro

Waiting to be Installed
- BMS IC

Wish List
- South Bend Stage 2 Daily Clutch
- BMS IC
- Power Folding Mirrors w/ BSM
- Ambient Footwell Lighting
- Powder Coated Rear Calipers/Carriers (to match front)
- Osram LED Head Lights
- Digital Cockpit

My Story
Picked up a new Golf back in January. A 2017 Tungsten Silver Golf 1.8T Wolfsburg edition 5MT w/ black interior. Got a pretty sweet deal w/ the MK7.5 coming out. The whole idea was to get something inexpensive, have 4 doors and practical, a manual, cheap so I can save money, but was still fun to drive and throw around.

I was really impressed by the fit and finish of the car. For an entry level VW w/ just one trim up from base model you get:

- Backup camera
- Keyless entry
- Push to Start Button
- Fake leather seats which is just as good as real leather IMO.
- Touch screen entertainment system w/ Apple Car Play
- Heated front seats
- Front collision warning/breaking system
- Blind spot detection

The few minor things that bugs me are:

- 5MT, 6 would be better but I've have since gotten use to it.
- Front Wheel drive. My last two cars were AWD (Audi S4) and RWD (BMW 135i)
- 16" wheels! And the stock tires are crap too.
- The suspension and huge wheel gap. This thing rides higher than my wife's SUV and bounces around like crazy. Easy fix I guess.
- The quiet exhaust and those ugly stock pipes.
- Yellow halogen headlights.

Other than that, I'm very happy w/ the car and the low price tag. I guess I probably could have gotten a stock GTI w/ the money dropped on the MODs but then I wouldn't get the fun of modding and making the Golf my own =) Plus, it was a lower financial hit up front and I can choose the timing of the mods.

 

[MonkeyMD]

Welcome to the 1.8 club. You'll be amazed once you get an ecu tune. Completely transforms the car.
Great color btw.

 

[myles1]

Great looking 1.8T. I've completed a few mods you've listed on my 1.8, so let me know if you're looking for help with them. Happy modding!

 

[MysticBlueX3]

Great looking 1.8T. I've completed a few mods you've listed on my 1.8, so let me know if you're looking for help with them. Happy modding!

Thanks! I’ve started reading some of your journal and very inspiring! I especially enjoy reading about the coding that you have done. I definitely miss the passenger mirror dip when reversing feature. I’ve had that in my last two cars and it was so helpful. Also, it’s nice to see other non-GTI members modding their cars!


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[Sparky589]

Welcome to the club! You've got a good list of mods already, but let me recommend you look into a dogbone insert. One of the absolute best bang for your buck mods, and they really do wonders for fixing some of that slop in the drivetrain.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[myles1]

Thanks! I’ve started reading some of your journal and very inspiring! I especially enjoy reading about the coding that you have done. I definitely miss the passenger mirror dip when reversing feature. I’ve had that in my last two cars and it was so helpful. Also, it’s nice to see other non-GTI members modding their cars!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey mate, I haven’t got a journal up here so it must have been someone else’s. Glad to see you’ve found useful information on the forum though! The forum has been my #1 resource for the past year.


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[GTI Jake]

Welcome to the forum, lots of good info here to help you enjoy maintaining and modding your new golf

 

[david9962000]

Nice car, i wonder if a 6MT from a GTI would be a direct swap? Used they can't be that expensive.

 

[MysticBlueX3]

Added a few simple mods from my list!

- VW Roof rack from a fellow forum member. Totally transforms the look of the car!
- Ebay Aluminum pedals
- Ebay Aluminum door sills
- Ebay Chrome exhaust tips

 

[MysticBlueX3]

I actually did this mod back in May of last year. Finally got around to posting some pics. Bought these ED replicas from another forum member that never put them on his wagon. Thanks golf2k87 if you are reading this! It was nice to meet you! It came with Morimoto ballasts, wiring harness, and bulbs. The bulbs were 4500k which I found too yellow next to the blueish DRL LEDs. I will probably switch over to 6500k eventually.

Install: The install was pretty straight forward. Direct plug and play. Doesn't throw any errors after the install. Took about 2-3 hours. I followed a DIY guide and video I've found. I tucked the driver side ballast next to the battery and the passenger ballast under the side fender panel. My only complaint is I was not able to adjust the lights horizontally. I've tried adjusting both screws on the housing (one is suppose to be vertical adjustment and the other horizontal) but turning both screws only adjust the light up and down. The horizontal positioning is perfect on the passenger headlight but the driver side light is a bit skewed towards the right. I guess I can shim the housing a little so it rotates to the left a little to compensate. But its not bad enough nor do I drive at night enough for me to go through that hassle.

Quality: The built quality of these replicas are very good minus not being able to adjust the light horizontally. The fitment was like OEM.

Looks: Much better than the stock halogens. A must mod for those w/ halogens. Now the front of the car actually matches the u-shape elements of the rear taillights. It also gives the car a more aggressive look. The eyelid and the inside of the housing actually has some cool texture to it. Great attention to detail. Too bad the eyelids get covered up by the hood.

Performance: Night time visibility is much better (when I do drive at night). Here is a side by side.

Reliability: I've been using the lights now for 9 months. No issues w/ the LED DRLs at all. Every now and then the passenger HID headlight would not turn on. I would get a light error on my dash. It only happens on a cold start. It started happening when the weather got cold. We will see if it goes away when the weather warms up in the coming months. The HID would turn on by itself after awhile. I'm assuming some relay is probably stuck due to the cold but once the engine bay warms up it unsticks? But again, doesn't happen enough for me to find the root of the problem.

Before:

After:

 

[MysticBlueX3]

Now that taxes are done and there are no surprises, I've finally decided to cross a big item off my list. Lowering springs and wheels! I'm going to go w/ VWR springs, 18x8.5 et42 Enkei TX5s with 235/40/18 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S or Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06. I really like the oem look of the Pretoria (10 spoke star pattern) and the Enkei TX5s fits the bill. After seeing pictures of them on a GTI, another fellow member on this forum, I was sold.

Initially, I was holding off on any big ticket items as I was planning to save money for another car. Possibility a used M2 or used 6MT TTRS. The Golf would be the dad car (take the kids to school, park, playdates, etc.) and the coupe would be the fun car. But with another kid on the way, its looking more like the Golf will get way more use and the coupe will mostly sit in the garage. So its more practical to just stick with the Golf and spend the money on mods where it will get the most enjoyment.

New Mod List (in order):
- Enkei TX5 and VWR Lowering Springs
- Maxton Front Lip
- CTS Intake
- Dual Center Exhaust and Rear Valance
- JB4
- VW Roof Spoiler
- Steering Wheel Wrap w/ Grey Stitching
- Shift Boot w/ Grey Stitching
- BFI Shift Knob
- GTI side skirt

 

[MysticBlueX3]

I guess its my lucky day. ECS Tuning had the front splitter I want at 75% off!

 

[Cuzoe]

I guess its my lucky day. ECS Tuning had the front splitter I want at 75% off!

You just made my day. I ordered one as well. Added an Obdeleven Pro (that I wanted anyway) to get free shipping on the whole lot. Great deal on this for the Golf drivers. I'm already running the GTI rear valance, now just have to choose side skirts to round off the look of my TDI.

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[1.8T EA888]

Trying to order the splitter too but can't get free shipping??

 

[MysticBlueX3]

Yeah. Pretty funny shipping cost more than the part. I had to pay for shipping too. I think you have to spend a minimum amount to get free shipping. But $100 for a brand new front splitter shipped to your door is still a steal