Rabbit-19 Pandemic Build

[uranorab8]

Hi all, This is my CPO 2019 VW GTI Rabbit in Urano Gray. I took delivery of my Rabbit on May 16, 2020 and have been enjoying every moment of owning my first GTI. My previous car was a 2012 Mazdaspeed3 so naturally this transition was a fairly easy one. I opted for the DSG gearbox this time around since I live in San Francisco. It gets old having to creep in hilly traffic but I do admit I miss rowing my own gears.

Initially, I wanted to keep this as a nice mostly OEM daily to preserve the warranty. I have heard the horror stories personally and on the internet about how terrible German cars can be for reliability so naturally I wanted to avoid anything that could compromise my warranty or the reliability of the car. The 19 models have a generous "People's Warranty" that is good for 72k/6 years and on top of that the CPO warranty which brought it up to 84k/7 years. After visiting these forums and talking to two of my best friends who also had MK7's, I lasted only a month before I started tearing out the OEM parts for better ones. There was no way I would wait 7 years or 84000 miles to do the fun stuff on my Rabbit.

Current Modifications​

Powertrain​

EQT Stage 2 E85 Tune
EQT DSG Tune
HG Motorsport MK7 Direct Fit Intercooler
MST Performance 3" High Flow Turbo Inlet Kit
VWR Racingline R600 Intake
AWE Touring Turboback Exhaust
CPE 55 Duro Engine and Transmission Mount
ECE Audi S3 Street Polyurethane Dogbone Transmission Mount
NGK R7437-8 Spark Plugs
Autotech HPFP Internals

Suspension/Brakes​

KW Street Comfort Coilovers on a 1" Drop
Superpro Camber Strut Mounts
Audi A3 Aluminum Subframe
Tyrolsport Subframe Deadset Kit
BFI Solid Rubber Bushings LCAs
Eibach 25mm Rear Sway Bar
Whiteline 24mm Front Sway Bar
Whiteline Adjustable Front Endlinks
Nexxen Sur4g 245/40/18 (Track) or Michelin PS4S 225/40/18 (Daily)
OEM RS3 Brake Air Deflectors on LCAs
Ferodo Racing DS2500 Front Brake Pads
Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid

Cosmetic/Exterior​

MK7.5 OEM Euro Taillights with Aspherical Euro Mirrors
18x8.5 Konig Hypergrams for Track Duty
OEM Euro Power Fold Mirrors
Side Mirror Dynamic LED Turn Signal Lights
Suntek PPF on Hood, Front Bumper, Side Mirrors
Ceramic Pro Silver Coating
Draw Tite Tow Hitch 24979
OEM Rear Subframe Harmonic Dampener
ShopDAP 10mm/15mm F/R Wheel Spacers for OEM GTI Wheels

Interior/Radio​

MIB2 8" Glass Infotainment Retrofit
2016 OEM GTI Felt lined Glovebox Retrofit
VW Helix Subwoofer and Amp Upgrade
Homelink Mirror
DSG Metal Paddles from Amazon
deAutoLED Trunk Strip LED
OEM Driver Seat Storage from MK7 2015-2017
OEM Overhead Map Lights/Illuminated Buttons from MK7 2016

 

[uranorab8]

Saved

 

[hotbascosauce]

Nice mod list. Mine is a 2019 as well so I have been tiptowing around the warranty. I have maybe 80% of similar mods as you, biggest one, I'm only running JB4

 

[GTIfan99]

I'm starting to kick myself for not going dsg this time.

Nice looking Rabbit

 

[Fcs003]

Hi all, This is my CPO 2019 VW GTI Rabbit in Urano Gray. I took delivery of my Rabbit on May 16, 2020 and have been enjoying every moment of owning my first GTI. My previous car was a 2012 Mazdaspeed3 so naturally this transition was a fairly easy one. I opted for the DSG gearbox this time around since I live in San Francisco. It gets old having to creep in hilly traffic but I do admit I miss rowing my own gears.
View attachment 216997
Initially, I wanted to keep this as a nice mostly OEM daily to preserve the warranty. I have heard the horror stories personally and on the internet about how terrible German cars can be for reliability so naturally I wanted to avoid anything that could compromise my warranty or the reliability of the car. The 19 models have a generous "People's Warranty" that is good for 72k/6 years and on top of that the CPO warranty which brought it up to 84k/7 years. After visiting these forums and talking to two of my best friends who also had MK7's, I lasted only a month before I started tearing out the OEM parts for better ones. There was no way I would wait 7 years or 84000 miles to do the fun stuff on my Rabbit.

Current Modifications​

Powertrain​

EQT Stage 2 E85 Tune
EQT DSG Tune
HG Motorsport MK7 Direct Fit Intercooler
MST Performance 3" High Flow Turbo Inlet Kit
VWR Racingline R600 Intake
AWE Touring Turboback Exhaust
CPE 55 Duro Engine and Transmission Mount
ECE Audi S3 Street Polyurethane Dogbone Transmission Mount
NGK R7437-8 Spark Plugs
Autotech HPFP Internals

Suspension/Brakes​

KW Street Comfort Coilovers on a 1" Drop
Superpro Camber Strut Mounts
Audi A3 Aluminum Subframe
Tyrolsport Subframe Deadset Kit
BFI Solid Rubber Bushings LCAs
Eibach 25mm Rear Sway Bar
Whiteline 24mm Front Sway Bar
Whiteline Adjustable Front Endlinks
Nexxen Sur4g 245/40/18 (Track) or Michelin PS4S 225/40/18 (Daily)
OEM RS3 Brake Air Deflectors on LCAs
Ferodo Racing DS2500 Front Brake Pads
Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid

Cosmetic/Exterior​

MK7.5 OEM Euro Taillights with Aspherical Euro Mirrors
18x8.5 Konig Hypergrams for Track Duty
OEM Euro Power Fold Mirrors
Side Mirror Dynamic LED Turn Signal Lights
Suntek PPF on Hood, Front Bumper, Side Mirrors
Ceramic Pro Silver Coating
Draw Tite Tow Hitch 24979
OEM Rear Subframe Harmonic Dampener
ShopDAP 10mm/15mm F/R Wheel Spacers for OEM GTI Wheels

Interior/Radio​

MIB2 8" Glass Infotainment Retrofit
2016 OEM GTI Felt lined Glovebox Retrofit
VW Helix Subwoofer and Amp Upgrade
Homelink Mirror
DSG Metal Paddles from Amazon
deAutoLED Trunk Strip LED
OEM Driver Seat Storage from MK7 2015-2017
OEM Overhead Map Lights/Illuminated Buttons from MK7 2016

How are you liking you KW Comforts? Im considering getting them or B8's With DG springs

 

[uranorab8]

How are you liking you KW Comforts? Im considering getting them or B8's With DG springs

I’ve been really happy with them! I’ve owned them right about a year so far and they’ve held up well to the bad roads here in the Bay.

The ride is even more complaint than the factory setup but still manages to be decently sporty in spirited driving.
Adjusting the height of the coils is easy but forget about changing the dampening of the rear shocks (will need to take them out of the car to adjust).

I’ve started tracking the car pretty regularly and while it does okay. I wish I had opted for something more aggressive. It’s just too soft for anything involving a track. If you’re staying on public roads, I suspect you’ll be really satisfied with them.

 

[daily_golfgti]

Great setup, im debating on getting springs to start out with, wondering if you suggest to go straight to coils

 

[JerseyDrew77]

What is up with all these newbs coming in and saying that they have heard the horror stories on the internet about how terrible German cars can be for reliability? German cars are very reliable but if you don't take care of them and keep up with the maintenance, then yeah they will start having issues just like any other brand.

 

[GTIfan99]

Great setup, im debating on getting springs to start out with, wondering if you suggest to go straight to coils

Spring with aftermarket shocks or coils, but don't just install springs unless you have DCC.

The base Sachs shocks can barely handle the stock spring rates and height. If you lower the car with then, you're putting the car into the bumpstops in situations where you need to brake hard and swerve. Instead of actually turning, the car will understeer straight ahead.

 

[uranorab8]

What is up with all these newbs coming in and saying that they have heard the horror stories on the internet about how terrible German cars can be for reliability? German cars are very reliable but if you don't take care of them and keep up with the maintenance, then yeah they will start having issues just like any other brand.

I've owned nothing but japanese cars and grew up in an area (Oklahoma) were access to european cars was pretty scarce. I'd mostly here anecdotal stories of German cars breaking and I had a good friend own a mk6 GTI that would eat coilpacks every thursday and leave him stranded(it was a lemon). Coming up on two years of ownership of my mk7.5, yes, I agree that this car is as reliable if not more than the previous cars I've owned (mazdaspeed 3, mazda 6, 626, and a 2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R). I think the 2000's gave german cars a bad rap but nowadays, it seems that most cars from any company are pretty reliable.

Spring with aftermarket shocks or coils, but don't just install springs unless you have DCC.

The base Sachs shocks can barely handle the stock spring rates and height. If you lower the car with then, you're putting the car into the bumpstops in situations where you need to brake hard and swerve. Instead of actually turning, the car will understeer straight ahead.

Great setup, im debating on getting springs to start out with, wondering if you suggest to go straight to coils

I think going to a properly valved shock and spring are crucial to keeping your ride comfortable and safe. Just like GTIfan99 is saying, you're going to be taking that suspension apart again sooner rather than later if you do lowering springs first on factory shocks.

 

[lordnikon228]

Any easy way to change out the glovebox lid without ripping the dash apart? I bought a felted glovebox but it's difficult to get the hinges out.

 

[uranorab8]

Any easy way to change out the glovebox lid without ripping the dash apart? I bought a felted glovebox but it's difficult to get the hinges out.

If I remember correctly, there’s a plastic rod/pin you can slip out at the hinges. You’ll need to get your head in the footwell to get a good view of it. Good luck