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How to retro-fit the GTE air intake to a Mk7 Golf

golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Disclaimer:- This info is for community usage. I am NOT affiliated to, or sponsored by, any company/individual to promote them or their products. Companies/individuals may NOT use my name, photos, or threads/technical guides, for financial or personal gain (fraudulent misrepresentation).

Part 1 of 5
Vehicle used in this guide

UK spec, 2014yr model, Mk7 Golf Estate (GSW), GT (Highline) trim, 1.4lt TSI (140PS) CHPA petrol engine, MQ250 6speed manual gearbox, multilink rear suspension.

Vehicles that this guide is applicable to
All VAG MQB platform cars with the same air intake slam panel duct.

Special thanks to
To forum member “Chillout” for pictures of his original GTE air intake slam panel duct.

Introduction
In this “How to guide” I am taking about the air guide/intake duct which is part of the “slam panel” & lock carrier. This is Item No.14 which you just see the top cover of (black plastic) with the warning stickers on & immediately behind the bonnet lock. When I talk about left/right & front/back, I am standing looking at the item with the bonnet open. Left or right is to the side of the VW badge, front/rear is front grill face or rear engine face of the item.

There have been quite a few people on this & other forums, modifying the air intake duct by cutting open the closed right front side. Other people have found the left rear blanking plate made by VW & have retro-fitted this. Several aftermarket companies make new ducts as part of a performance CAI, with both left & right front sides open & the rear left closed off. All outlets to the air filter are on the rear right side.
 
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golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Part 2 of 5
Research

I did some research on the parts made & when I went to the dealers to get the rear left blanking plate we discovered the front right plate with the holes in which is fitted as standard to the GTE (see pictures)

This is the air guide my car came with & what is fitted to all Mk7 Golfs from 2015;-
Item No.14:- 5Q0 129 254 B, Air guide
PR codes:-
T9B = 4-cylinder gasoline engine 1.4L unit 04E.F.
TK8 = 4-cyl. SI engine 1.4L unit 04E.D.
TL1 = 4-cylinder gasoline engine 1.4L unit 04E.A.
TM5 = 4-cylinder gasoline engine 1.4L unit 04E.G.
TP1 = 4-cylinder gasoline engine 1.2L unit 04E.B.
TH8 = 4-cylinder gasoline engine 1.4L unit 04E.C.
0Y3 = Cold zones.
0Y8 = Extremely cold zone.

This is the air guide that the GTE (pre 2015) has as standard fit;-
Item No.14:- 5Q0 129 254 C, Air guide
PR codes:-
TH8 = 4-cylinder gasoline engine 1.4L unit 04E.C
0Y1 = Standard climatic zones.
0Y2 = Tropical zones.
0Y4 = Cold & tropical climatic zones (US).
0Y5 = Cold & tropical climatic zones (China).
0Y7 = Tropical zones & high-water country.

So VW made two different parts, the only difference being the row of holes drilled in the front right side to let more air in on the “C” part.

They also did two additional parts to fit the “C” version of Item No.14 as they state in the parts info “for 5Q0 129 254 C, Air guide only”. These are the rear left blanking plate (Item No. 21:- 5Q0 129 849) & the front right plate with holes in (Item No. 20:- 5Q0 129 849 A).

The rear left blanking plate most people just state “this item just clips into place easy”. This is true but the item is not 100% secure for my liking. There are two mounting points on the plate for self tapping screws. However the VW parts system, ETKA, does not list any for this location! Some “B” version air ducts have the holes pre-drilled at the factory to fit these screws through also (mine did not). I have numerous VAG “spares” so I found one screw which was a perfect fit & type, then using some Google foo I found another! However the first one is the better fit & the one I recon would be factory fit.

The GTE uses the EA211 1.4lt TSI ACT 150PS engine, which is basically the same as mine. It is moved more to the left of the engine bay to make room for the hybrid motor & electric’s on the right hand side of the engine. The GTE also has a full length engine undertray which has numerous vent slats in it. The fact that they also blank of the cold air route into the top of the engine bay is interesting. This engine bay gets very hot due to the lack of free space, the engine & the electrics, & there is very little in the way of direct outside air into the engine bay. Also as this is duct is coded for “tropical” & “high water” climate zones, it will cope with high temperatures & high road spray conditions.

Engineering wise & logically it makes perfect sense as the two row of holes at different levels make a water baffle to allow more air in without letting more water in, & any that does get in is forced to the bottom & then into the internal drain pipe. Other engines which have a different main air filter housing are different from Item number 13, which is the connection from the aid duct Item No.14 to your specific air filter housing.


Parts Required
VAG ETKA illustration for Golf/2013/Engine/GTE/No.129-000,
Parts list & approx. Costs in UK £

Item No.20:- 5Q0 129 849 A
, Trim, £10.44 (x1)
Item No.21:- 5Q0 129 849, Trim, £12.42 (x1)
N 906 986 06, M4.2x16mm bolt/screw £0.20 (x2)

Now both of these items state that they are for the “C” version of Item No.14, but when you look at the C version it states “Now superseded by “B” as from 2015”..!!

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GTE-inside-reduced.jpg
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golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Part 3 of 5
Fitting

First you have to remove the whole air duct itself. There are 4 TX star screws to remove which are all visible on the top, two each side. Two are for the top “lid” the other two are for the actual main duct. Best to remove the two for the lid & undo the “tab” at top centre rear. The lid hinges at the front only a small amount, then pull forwards as at the front of the lid there are locating tags which slide into the duct. To remove the duct/air guide you have to lock in the release position the metal band around the pipe work to the air duct & pull the pipe work off. Then the duct needs to be pressed downwards from the screw positions where it has two tabs. It is best to move the duct to the right to lift the left side up, & thus the rest of the duct.

The rear left blanking plate:-
If your part “B” has exiting screw holes for this rear blanking plate, you can skip this bit, if not read on! Clean the area where the rear blanking plate will fit, & then press fit the blanking plate into position. Now using a sharp pointed nail, bradawl etc., mark on the duct the positions of the screw holes in the two tabs. Remember to hold the plate firmly in the correct position whilst doing this to be 100% accurate! Then using a 2mm or 3mm drill bit (for metal) carefully drill the holes, then repeat with a 4.5mm or 5mm max drill bit. I used a 4.5mm & allowed it to spin slowly to clean cut the edges. Trim with a sharp knife any plastic burrs. Fit the blanking plate & the two screws. Use some oil on the screws & go slowly as you have to cut the threads in the plastic “block” with the screws.
 

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golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Part 4 of 5
Fitting continued
The front right air baffle plate:-
This is the most tricky to get right, even I did this by close observation of the original GTE item in the picture & just carefully guessing! The holes are all 8mm, so I used a 4mm drill bit first, then a 6mm, then an 8mm. This is just to stop too many “burrs” which on thin plastic can cause the drill to snag & tear the hole. I placed several layers of masking tape (blue) along the bottom edged to protect from the upper section of the drill bit & I drilled from the front facing section & not from the rear (inside) part. The two holes for the fixing sprung “legs” of the plate, I just carefully measured using a pair of dividers/compass the distances from the centre of the legs to the edge of the plate allowing for the plate overlap. I then marked the duct with the compass. When I drilled the first 4mm holes for the legs I placed the plate where it should go & checked alignment of holes with plate & then I could move the bigger drill bits to suit.

Again I finished of with a sharp craft knife the edges & also used wet & dry sandpaper 2000grit to really smooth over. Make certain you get rid of ALL burrs, debris etc as this is the air intake & anything will then be sucked into the engine air filter! Baffle plate then clip fits onto the outside face & the legs should protrude from the rear of the holes. When you refit the duct you will notice that the plate is actually captured between the duct & the top section of the lock carrier, so it cannot go anywhere!

Further considerations on fitting
If you do not feel up to the challenge of carefully drilling the holes in your “B” version to replicate the “C” versions then I suggest the following. Cut/Dremmel the lower half area of your “B” version to open up the area where the “C” version holes are. Then either get the plate “A” & cut the “legs” off it & use black automotive silicone sealant to glue it in place, or fit a strip of thin black plastic across the lower half where the plate would go.
 

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golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
Part 5 of 5
Results

A cleaner engine bay for starters, by blocking off the left rear opening! Also having done various long drives over roads I know well, I can report the following:-
The turbo spools up much sooner & quicker & is quieter! Mainly because it can suck in more air, which is colder, it is not “straining” to pull the air in, so the noise is less & no “rasp” when high in the rev range! The whole engine response is smoother, quicker, more linear, less “lag”. I love it & it could have been like this from the factory!

Conclusions
The fact that the “B” version is all that is now made, & fitted to everything from a 1lt to the 2lt “R”, proves that VAG consider the airflow “adequate” for all climatic conditions & power outputs. The rear left blanking plate can still be fitted to the “B” version to meet the PR codes for “tropical zones” & “high water countries”, however the front right blanking plate cannot easily retro-fitted to the “C” version. So if you have a crash & have the “C” setup from factory how does the dealer/body shop refit exactly when the part is no longer made & has been superseded by part (B) which has no holes on the front right side?

What is strange is that the VAG engineers in the first place decided to make the “C” version & the front right plate “A” to let more air in & to do so without letting more water in. So there is sound engineering behind doing this mod & letting more air in via the front right side. Just VAG bean counters got in the way again & obviously asked the engineers if the “B” part will do to for all cars to cut the cost of having to make the “C” version & the front plate “A”.
 
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tigeo

Autocross Champion
So just to make sure I understand, the "C" version of the air duct that is no longer available was completely open on the right side vs. closed as on the "B" version? And the plate with the holes in it was a separate blanking plate that was included but could be removed?
 

golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
So just to make sure I understand, the "C" version of the air duct that is no longer available was completely open on the right side vs. closed as on the "B" version? And the plate with the holes in it was a separate blanking plate that was included but could be removed?

Not completely open....the right front side had holes in it on the lower edge...the plate which sits in front has holes on the top edge..there is about a 1cm gap between the two items.....its a water baffle...:cool:
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
Ok...now I get it! Thanks for the extra detail.
 

MysticBlueX3

Ready to race!
Location
Bay Area
Just did this mod. I didn’t do the rain baffles on the right. Just cut it all out. Not much rain in California. And I really don’t think it is that easy for water or snow to make it all the way to the intake anyways. It would have to travel under the hood (in the tiny opening between the hood and the grill) and then travel another foot or so before getting to the intake. Another thing I did not do was to block off the left side. Not sure how much benefit it will be to block the left side since air would have to make two 90 degree turns to get to the intake. I figured plenty of air will go straight in from the right. Path of least resistance right? I figure leaving the left side open will help get more air to the engine and IC. Either way, I did see the car is noticeably more responsive. I can’t believe the original design. Without the left blocker plate, air would just go straight into the engine bay and like the OP said, the intake has to work hard to suck air in. Best free mod ever!



Next I’m going to try to cut some slots on the top of the grill (on both sides) to drive air through the grill and up through the slots and into the air ducts. I believe GTIs already have these slots on the left side and I’ve seen aftermarket kits for the right side.
 
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davide.bonetti

Ready to race!
Location
ITALY
I am ok with closing the rear left of the box with the blanking plate but I am a little perplexed about the front.

since the front left is already open, why should I bother drilling holes in the front right and adding the right baffle? wouldn't the box suck enough air from the left side, especially after the rear left gets sealed?

please explain to me, cause I am about to order parts and I don't really see the need for the front right baffle.
 

golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
I am ok with closing the rear left of the box with the blanking plate but I am a little perplexed about the front.

since the front left is already open, why should I bother drilling holes in the front right and adding the right baffle? wouldn't the box suck enough air from the left side, especially after the rear left gets sealed?

please explain to me, cause I am about to order parts and I don't really see the need for the front right baffle.

Obviously VW didn't think there was enough air for the GTE as that is how it is...rear left closed...front left open....front right water baffle partially open...rear right pipe to air box...
 

Daner

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Stockholm
I am a bit late to the party here, but it seems to me that the likely original engineering reasoning behind the full-width scoop in that specific location (which is typically one of the areas of highest aerodynamic pressure for a car at speed), was to create a sealed ram-air plenum. These types of pressurized cold-air intake systems have been used to good effect in many motorcycles and racing vehicles, both naturally aspirated and with forced induction, but a production car requires protection from incoming moisture from precipitation and/or road spray, thus resulting in the baffles and channeling and drainage built in to the design in our cars.

What I can't figure out is the reasoning behind them opening up the left rear side to let air flow through into the engine compartment. To my mind, that would seem likely to reduce or even eliminate any potentially beneficial pressurization of the intake system that might result from the design. Beyond missing out on potential improvements in power and efficiency, I can also imagine that this might also result in a slight increase in aerodynamic drag due to additional airflow into and through the engine compartment. As Dave has pointed out, if the GTE with its greater heat-generation potential and higher engine compartment packaging density does not need the extra airflow, our cars can certainly do without it as well.
 

RaySkodaTSI

Ready to race!
Location
New Delhi India
Dont think that the air intake can be pressurised by closing the back of the intake duct. There exists a water drain at the base of the oem air box that will let excess air out as well, so no chance that the intake gets pressurised by excess air from the left intake duct.
I am a bit late to the party here, but it seems to me that the likely original engineering reasoning behind the full-width scoop in that specific location (which is typically one of the areas of highest aerodynamic pressure for a car at speed), was to create a sealed ram-air plenum. These types of pressurized cold-air intake systems have been used to good effect in many motorcycles and racing vehicles, both naturally aspirated and with forced induction, but a production car requires protection from incoming moisture from precipitation and/or road spray, thus resulting in the baffles and channeling and drainage built in to the design in our cars.

What I can't figure out is the reasoning behind them opening up the left rear side to let air flow through into the engine compartment. To my mind, that would seem likely to reduce or even eliminate any potentially beneficial pressurization of the intake system that might result from the design. Beyond missing out on potential improvements in power and efficiency, I can also imagine that this might also result in a slight increase in aerodynamic drag due to additional airflow into and through the engine compartment. As Dave has pointed out, if the GTE with its greater heat-generation potential and higher engine compartment packaging density does not need the extra airflow, our cars can certainly do without it as well.
ont
 

sloopercat

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Knoxville
It would seem to me that there is a difference in air flow needs for a gas vs electric drivetrain. Fitting electric drivetrain air flow parts to a gas engine car seems to counter the intended design. I think the engineers wanted airflow into the engine bay on the right side, as per the normal convention, considered from the driver seat perspective. VW had all these parts available to them, it seems odd for them not to use them. I take claimed benefits with a large grain of salt, it’s normal to perceive benefits from mods when there is none, BTDT. I did open up the existing air duct directly in front of the filter housing to allow easier air flow, but not sure it made a whole lot of difference.
 

golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
It would seem to me that there is a difference in air flow needs for a gas vs electric drivetrain. Fitting electric drivetrain air flow parts to a gas engine car seems to counter the intended design.

These parts are from the GTE.....this is a hybrid car which as I stated has the same 1.4lt petrol engine as mine..but it also has a hybrid electric drive unit also shoehorned into the engine bay...

The all electric MK7 Golf is called e-Golf...
 
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