Installed the intercooler last night. What an annoying job. Haven't taken it on a test drive yet, but I started the car and didn't have any warning lights, so for now, I'll call it a win. Most of my issues could've been avoided by buying new, but it is what it is.
Check out the increase in core size.
My H&R springs came in yesterday too. Hopefully I'll have a chance to install those this weekend
Did those clips break? Or did the heat gun trick work?
In reply to docwyte :
The heat gun trick worked on the passenger's side, but the driver's side broke. Good call on having new ones ready!
In reply to Turbine :
Learned that one the hard way. I had them on hand when I took the R back to stock and of course didn't break either clip.
Well this is frustrating.
Two days ago driving into work, I got a bulb out warning for the PS low beam. DRL's still worked, so I figured I'd just buy new bulbs and throw them in. Except the new bulb didn't work. And swapping ballasts with the DS headlight didn't work. Neither did swapping the headlight control module.
The DS headlight worked when plugged into the PS harness, so at this point I'm left thinking it's an issue internal to the headlight itself. Unfortunately a new headlight assembly from the dealer is $1300. No other options really seem to be out there for these
Lots of furious searching found a used replacement on eBay for $700, so a little easier to stomach, but I'd hate to be out that money if it doesn't work. Interestingly, the dealer's part number is slightly different than what I pulled off the car: 5GM941754D (new) vs 5GM941752D (mine).
More work on the Alltrack over the last week or so.
First, I replaced the headlight assembly. No pictures of this, but it works now and lightened my pockets $900 (still salty about this lol)
Then, the brakes. I found a set of Performance Pack calipers from a GTI, so those went on along with 340mm rotors, a slight upgrade from the stock 312mm. Probably not a major performance upgrade, but they are 100% more red. Bled the brakes with some ATE Typ200.
Then, I finally got around to installing the struts and springs I've had laying around the shop for a while.
These are Koni Special Active struts (Golf R fitment) and H&R OE Sport springs (GTI fitment). I love the look, but I'm worried it might be too low. I guess I'm getting old. Haven't had a chance to drive to see if it'll rub or not. The rear's about 1/4" lower than the front too. I'll have to see what I can do about that.
In reply to Turbine :
For the reverse rake, Audi TT rear spring rubbers are the most common fix. H&R springs are notorious for having slight rake. I need to show this to my wife, she wants a wagon and this looks great.
In reply to 10001110101 :
Thanks!
Unfortunately, I've already got the Audi TT pads and EMD pad spacers in the rear. Not sure if I can double stack TT pads, or if I should just source some Golf R estate rear springs. Ah well, I'll just drive it for a while!
1 week and 550 miles on the new suspension, and overall I'm really happy with it. Some minor rubbing in the front end, but I haven't done the fender screw mod yet. Still looking into ways to raise the rear a bit, but I can live with it.
Can't imagine a better car for my current needs. It does it all.
Looks cool but is too low for daily use for me...
In reply to docwyte :
Yeah, thankfully we've got pretty decent roads in my area. The rear end definitely needs to come up an inch or two, but the front still has more clearance than my old Passat.
I was (and still am) kinda torn about lowering an Alltrack, but for now I'm liking the look, and I kept the stock springs in case I decide to go back. I'm just not in a rush to have the front end apart again anytime soon lol
Lots of frost heaves, potholes etc on the roads here. Plus need the clearance for snow/ice etc. Not that any of that matters with the Land Cruiser, it just sorta goes over everything. On my old R I only lowered it something like 1/4" from stock, as the stock ride height was actually pretty low already. My 996 is lowered 3/4" from stock, since its got a long nose I've got to be really careful with the front lip. In the 5 years I've owned it I've destroyed something like 7-8 front lips on it.
A couple of updates on the dadwagon.
Added a BFI DSG knob because why not?
And an IE RSB for a nice increase in handling.
I also took some time to retrofit the mk8 PCV system. I'd started noticing oil accumulation around the main PCV hose, and after reading up on the swap on Data Driven MQB (GRM user flatlander937's site) I decided to tackle the swap. He's done multiple videos outlining the advantages of the mk8 PCV that explain it far better than I ever could, so I'll just say the mk7 PCV sucks and the mk8 improves upon it in just about every way.
The mk8 PCV bolts up to the same location as the mk7, and connects to the mk7 turbo inlet pipe via a PCV hose from a 2021 Tiguan. The top port on the Tiguan hose is plugged with a 3/8" vacuum cap. It's pretty straightforward, but I did run into one snag.
As you can see, there are two O rings (gray and brown) on the end of the hose that snaps onto the TIP. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that the gray o ring was catching on a lip on my IE TIP
You can see the lip here.
The stock TIP doesn't have this lip, and the PCV hose snaps onto it without issue.
Thankfully I kept the stock TIP around, otherwise I might still be fighting with it. In the end, I removed that lower O-ring and ground down the ridge it rests on slightly and was able to get everything back together. I took a 30 minute test drive afterwards with no apparent issues, so I'm gonna call it good. The original mk7 PCV only has the upper o-ring so I don't see this being an issue, but I'll keep an eye on it.
In reply to Turbine :
Hi. I've mirrored your furious searching for bi-xenon replacement lights for my 2016 Golf SE. My PN is that of your new part (5GM941754D).....and all O can find used is a 5GM941752D. Did the 4D (new light) plug and play with your old light housing (2D)? Curious if any warning lights or functionality was lost (self leveling) between those two PN's?
TIA
In reply to klerk :
Hey! Sorry to hear you're dealing with headlight issues too.
I didn't have any issues going between the two. All of my modules from the 2D housing were plug and play in the 4D. I did initially have a fault code for the adaptive headlights, but it went away after running the initial coding/adaptation program in VCDS, and now everything's fully functional
Love this build, and great to know about the MK8 PCV! I'm selling the Touareg once VW replaces basically everything under warranty, and Alltracks are on the short list. How did you go about your search for one? FB arketplace yields people who think they have gold, auto trader seems to be the most reasonable listings.
In reply to Parker with too many Projects :
Thanks! Yeah, I ran into similar issues when I started the search for mine and ended up going the Autotrader route. Even in the Alltrack FB groups, the prices are...optimistic.
Anyone want to help me choose some new wheels? I've narrowed it down to two options
1) Neuspeed rse11r 18x8.5 - gunmetal or silver, haven't decided yet
2) Apex SM-10 17x9 - bronze
Neuspeed pros: More proportional to the car (imo), looks great - similar to the VW motorsport wheels, but more aggressive
Neuspeed cons: More expensive wheels, more expensive tires, worse ride quality compared to 17's, although not a downgrade since the current wheels are 18s
Apex pros: Cheaper wheels and tires, I like the bronze color, meaty sidewall with a 255/40 looks cool and rides better than the 18's. If I don't like them on the Alltrack, I might be able to run them on my Audi 200
Apex cons: Can't decide if they're too small proportional to the car (imo).
Honestly, I think i'd be happy with either option.
personally, when I go from 18 to 17s on my audi wagon, the increase in ride quality and NVH is substantial, and why I would go with the 17s 10/10 times regardless of other considerations. I'm 40, comfort is almostttt* everything, haha.
I like bronze wheels. If you don't like those, go with silver. The gunmetal on a grey car isn't enough contrast. On my R I went from stock 19's to 18's. Liked the ride much better, I probably would've gone with 17's if I could've
I have those apex wheels on my b5s4. I liked the bronze initially but I've since grown to really bug me. I'm ditching them as soon as I find something cooler.
In reply to iansane :
Just tired of the color, or is there something else wrong with the wheels? Just curious.
In reply to docwyte :
Yeah, good point about the gunmetal on gray. The only real reason I'd consider gunmetal is to run them on the Audi since silver on pearl isn't my favorite combo either. I wish there was a better bronze option for the Neuspeeds, but their bronze doesn't look right to me.
One of them is bent from daily duties but that's why I grabbed 5 initially. I don't think it's a failure, I must've just tagged a pot hole agressively. My disdain is purely cosmetic. Color and design have just gotten old to me very quickly.
Yours being lowered and long, the 18's look a little better IMO. In that regard, I actually kinda like the OEM SEL wheels with a spacer, though I bet they're heavy.
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