I’d read the review. I was just talking to @Javwohl about this yesterday
7
What did you do to your mk7 today?
- Thread starter GTA5
- Start date
nok513
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Orange County, NY
- Car(s)
- 2020 VW GTI S
Interested
nok513
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Orange County, NY
- Car(s)
- 2020 VW GTI S
Wish my Monday's were fun days...sheeeee
Nineeightyone
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Car(s)
- 20 CX5 19 GTI 10 MZ3
Is this the "v2"/thicker (90cm) one? I just got mine on Friday, and I'm hoping next weekend I'll be able to get the car up to do the installation. In what way did you wind up having to modify things? I'm hopeful for a relatively straightforward install, so any 'surprises' I can get out of the way early would be nice.
mfrench2022
Ready to race!
- Location
- Mass
- Car(s)
- mk7.5 r
New wheels finally came in so had them mounted and balanced. Waiting on my OSRAM side markers to come in an should be done on the exterior.
Yep, 90mm version.
First off, you need two 2.25" couplers, about 2" long.* These fit inside over the factory intercooler inlet and outlet and enable the twincooler hoses to fit snugly. In a pinch, you can cut the factory hoses to do this, but it is much better to keep them whole in case you can't make the twincooler fit.
No other hose modifications are necessary.
* One of these cut in half works well:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01M0OB...colid=FFUUF3LSVZSW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
The tricky part is the brackets. They set the intercooler at a forward lean (if yours is like mine) and must be cut in half, and welded or drilled and then riveted back together.
I went with the pop rivet method and had no issues in over a year of use. Place the unit against the radiator support to see how it fits. If the top sticks out past the bumper at the corners, it's cutting time.
This was my first try at modifying the brackets:
Each bracket was cut vertically and re-attached at the same angle the came in - only 3/4" closer to the radiator. That was my mistake. I should have made them sit more vertically, as there was still a lot of room at the top in front of the radiator. That yellow thingy at the bottom is a piece of plastic I wedged in there, because the bottom was making contact there at the A/C condenser line.
Just outside that spot is ultimately where you want to end up, only the top and bottom of the intercooler roughly the same distance from the radiator.
Because I had to do this twice, eleventy billion rivet holes were the result. If I did it right the first time, I could have made it way less ghetto. And for the same reasons, I had to grind off an 1/8" of the bumper lip at the corners of the intercooler. They were hitting there and the unit wouldn't seat properly.
Notice that even though I only made the top of the bracket shorter, the bottom pivoted out and there is much more clearance at the A/c line than before. I painted the A/c lines black, for a cleaner look through the grille.
You have to move the horns to fit the hoses. Make sure the openings are oriented towards the ground, or the horns will fill with water and stop working.
You also have to muscle the bracket that holds the secondary air injection pump out of the way to clear the hose. I just used vise grips on the bracket and bent it far enough for clearance. No need to remove the pump.
The air temp sensor attached to the bumper must be relocated. The instructions say to put it in a pre-drilled hole in the twincooler bracket, but that puts it behind the hose and at a weird angle. I zip tied mine to the hose clamp - pointing forward, like it was from the factory.
Then through trial and error, you will have to trim the lower grille as needed.for clearance. It is a good idea to cover your headlights and fenders with painter's tape, where they could get scratched from installing and removing the bumper cover a bunch of times. Also ball up a glob of tape and put it on the pointy corners of the bumper cover. They can get damaged if you aren't very careful.
But you know what is the worst part of the whole affair? Removing the stock upper grille. It does not lift out like the mk7s do, it pulls out forward at the bottom. Mine would not budge and was bending to the point I was sure it would break. There are some kind of tabs at the bottom that are a bitch to get to. I ended up feeding a ratchet strap through the grille and pulled until it came flying off. The bottom tabs all broke, but at least I can remove the upper grill with ease now.
Should you do this to your car? If you have the tools, the time and most importantly a second car, it is very doable. Especially with all this free training.
I only have one car that works, so had to rush the first bracket mod, which eventually led to the second.
Take your time and you should have better results. If you have a Mk7, I think these fit without too much hassle.
Clem604
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Vancouver BC, Canada
- Car(s)
- 2018 VW GTI
I have the AliExpress ones and I totally agree that the Osram ones look better but at what I paid ($41USD shipped) for my Aliexpress ones I can't really complain
hotbascosauce
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- Seattle, WA
- Car(s)
- 19 GTI SE DSG W/DCC
Do you have photos of what the bottom of the MK7.5 grill looks like so I know where the clips are at?But you know what is the worst part of the whole affair? Removing the stock upper grille. It does not lift out like the mk7s do, it pulls out forward at the bottom. Mine would not budge and was bending to the point I was sure it would break. There are some kind of tabs at the bottom that are a bitch to get to. I ended up feeding a ratchet strap through the grille and pulled until it came flying off. The bottom tabs all broke, but at least I can remove the upper grill with ease now.
Should you do this to your car? If you have the tools, the time and most importantly a second car, it is very doable. Especially with all this free training.
I only have one car that works, so had to rush the first bracket mod, which eventually led to the second.
Take your time and you should have better results. If you have a Mk7, I think these fit without too much hassle.
bobloblawGTI
Autocross Champion
- Location
- DC
- Car(s)
- 19 GTI SE 6MT
The bottom of the top grille? The tabs are all broken on mine, so a picture probably wouldn't do much good.
Have to do my taxes now.
If you want, I'll try and get a picture tomorrow.
Acadia18
Autocross Champion
- Location
- The Greater Boston Metropolitan Area
- Car(s)
- 2019 Golf R
jimlloyd40
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Phoenix
- Car(s)
- 2018 SE DSG
Hell I'm not even going. There just should be one.
