Project Red XIII: avenali312's OEM+ GTI

[avenali312]

Huge update.

New wiper blades. Bosch AeroTwin for $26.00 on Amazon.

 

[avenali312]

This will probably be the biggest cosmetic change that I end up making to this car.

I've been looking for Lagunas since I owned my MKV. Well, I finally found a set that was the right price and in the right condition. Had my DWS 06 transferred from my Austins to the Lagunas since they're still near new condition. Couldn't be happier to get rid of the Austins and really enjoy the anthracite/titanium/gray color of the Lagunas on tornado red.

Excuse the pollen. The car will be getting a proper post-winter wash and pre-summer wax next weekend.

 

[AtlantaDad]

Those look fantastic! Bravo! [emoji122]

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[MaxM97]

This will probably be the biggest cosmetic change that I end up making to this car.

I've been looking for Lagunas since I owned my MKV. Well, I finally found a set that was the right price and in the right condition. Had my DWS 06 transferred from my Austins to the Lagunas since they're still near new condition. Couldn't be happier to get rid of the Austins and really enjoy the anthracite/titanium/gray color of the Lagunas on tornado red.

Excuse the pollen. The car will be getting a proper post-winter wash and pre-summer wax next weekend.

Those look so good! I’ve been searching for a clean set for mine. Are you running spacers with these as well?

 

[avenali312]

Those look fantastic! Bravo! [emoji122]

Thanks! If that CSS muffler ever just fell off your car and under mine while you're traveling through Smyrna or Buckhead, I wouldn't be upset

Those look so good! I’ve been searching for a clean set for mine. Are you running spacers with these as well?

Thanks! Pretty much all of the photos in this thread are shown with spacers installed. I kept my ECS Flush Kit from my MKV and used them with the Austins and now the Lagunas as well. The MKV kit is 10mm front and 15mm rear.

Austins were ET49 and the Lagunas are ET51, so they're a bit more tucked in now than they were, but a very small amount. Doesn't bother me since next time around I'll probably go with a slightly wider/meatier tire.

 

[avenali312]

Minor maintenance update today. I had a brake fluid flush done for the first time (sorry car, I know it's a year overdue based on your build date) using Liqui Moly DOT 4 fluid. I'll get back to the regularly scheduled 2 year interval from here on out.

 

[avenali312]

Added around 12 horsepower this weekend. I figure at least 5 per sticker and then another couple for the reduced wind resistance after a wash and wax.

 

[Bäsemödel]

dig the lagunas a ton... the 20/25 spacers would make them look even better IMO but those wheels compliment the car very nicely...

 

[avenali312]

dig the lagunas a ton... the 20/25 spacers would make them look even better IMO but those wheels compliment the car very nicely...

Thanks! I'm still running my 10/15 spacers off of my MKV, so there's definitely some room to push out more, but I'll probably leave it alone and go to a slightly wider tire next time they're due.

 

[avenali312]

Well, it looks like this will be something I'll have to deal with sooner rather than later. Slow coolant leak has developed. The two photos below are taken about 2 months apart.

 

[avenali312]

Not a huge update here, mostly just regular maintenance stuff, but I had my 40k oil change and DSG service done.

Since my wife and I started working at the same company, our cars are seeing less mileage because we can commute together. In the past year, my car has only seen about 7,600 miles, so this oil change was done based on VW's recommended one year interval and not mileage. I just sent off the oil to Blackstone to see how it held up being in the car for that long and also to make sure nothing weird is wearing inside.

I'm currently sitting around 37,000 miles and figured it's close enough to 40k to have the DSG done as well since I'd be in the shop.

Special thanks to Eurofed Atlanta for taking care of me.

 

[Diggs24]

Did the coolant leak get solved?

 

[avenali312]

Did the coolant leak get solved?

Oh snap. I totally meant to put that in my post. Thanks for reminding me.

It's still there, but while they were draining the fluids from the car, I asked if I could go back and look under it. They obliged without question.

Definitely a slight coolant leak coming from the water pump or thermostat. I didn't have them remove the belly pan to see exactly where. I just had to see the residue from dripping on the oil pan. I haven't dealt with the dealer just yet, heading out of town for a couple of weeks, but I will when I return.

 

[avenali312]

Special thanks to cbell3186 for the awesome deal (just paid the shipping cost) on the VW sunshade! I had been using the custom fit one from my MKV, but it was definitely not the right dimensions.

 

[avenali312]

And here are my results from my Blackstone oil analysis.

Oil was in the car for 7,662 miles and 362 days (since my wife and I work at the same company now, we share the driving and each of our cars is seeing less mileage). I'm not sure what brand the oil was as the dealer didn't note it on the invoice, but the car seems to be running clean and not creating a lot of metal or any other contamination. Oil change was done and I'm now running Liqui Moly 2040 5W-40.

ADAM: Thanks for the notes. We think this VW would do well with a 10,000-mile oil change, even if it takes more than a year to get there. Calendar time is largely irrelevant for a modern engine such as this, and we tend to focus more on miles for that reason. Universal averages show typical wear levels for this type of engine with about 6,200 miles. Your 2.0L made a similar amount of metal over a longer oil run, so it's wearing well for the type. The oil is in good condition too. There's no contamination to point out, and viscosity is still in the 5W/40 range. Solid report!