Justin's MkIV R32 Golf

[dainese]

feel free to post me the R32 seats if you dont like them...
Shame about the polo. hows the A4?

Haha, will have to store them somewhere.

The A4 is much refined.
Good ride quality (mainly from the high profile tyres)
Good noise insulation, but loud tyre noise.
All the switchgear is top notch, as is the materials and fit.
Seats are nice, and the steering wheel is a little thin in comparison to R32.

The 1.8T is a good engine, and very economical. The 8 speed auto gearbox is clunky at low speeds (it drops into first gear too easily, and jerks while still rolling at low speeds to accelerate). the 'S' mode transforms the car. In all other modes (manual included), the throttle response is very doughy. to the point of feeling numb. S mode sharpens this up to close to manual transmission response times and holds gears for longer, keeping the turbo on song, and the driver engaged. Quite impressive.
Brakes are not progressive, and are way too touchy. Quite annoying actually. But the pull well.

Boot space is also amazing. VERY deep and quite wide. With the option to fold down the rear seat backs (easily done too) it turns the car into bigger than Hatch carrying capacity, albeit without the height benefits.

[dainese]

new wheels fitted

[dylan8]

new wheels fitted

needs more pics yo!

[dainese]

needs more pics yo!

Here sir

[fuzion]

Wheels look good! Some tyre changes needed i think though! lol

And boy does it need to be detailed (the car!)

[dainese]

Wheels look good! Some tyre changes needed i think though! lol

And boy does it need to be detailed (the car!)

I've got pepe's tick of approval. That's enough for me..

Such a bummer. But all good. Tyres up front were sort of a test fit.

We all know what it needs and when
Shouldn't you be flat out? Haha

[tomtom_r32]

Wheels look sweet. Loving the step lips.

MK4 R rolling on JDM SSR's = WIN.

[dainese]

Thanks mate.

New taillights.


Needed correction and glossing work. They are also leaking moisture too. So another to do. Not happy considering they are 'new'.

--------

So after 11+ hours detailing the car. We increased the clarity ten fold, removed 90 percent of swirls and imperfections, and improved the depth a great deal too. It's liquid smooth and looks and feels fantastic. So stoked.

Used:
Dodo juice clay and lube
Mint apc
festool rotary, festool rotex, carcareproducts das6 pro
Menzerna polishes FG500, PF2500.
Mint apc wash again
Dodo juice lime prime
Duragloss 601 bonding agent
Duragloss 105 sealant
Duragloss 111 clear coat polish.

Will layer the car with dodo juice blue velvet wax soon, and. Top up with dodo juice red mist.

Thanks to pierre's rotary wielding skills and car care products.





Sent from my GT-I9100

[Connadawgz]

awesome car dude, love mk4 r32!.. quick and sound tough!
wheels suit car pretty wheel

[tom89]

Paintwork looked great (as did the whole car) when I saw it in the carpark on Monday..

[Big_M]

Looks good mate. Mine is so much in need of a good detail and some correction work.

The new tail lights look good. They the US ones ?

[dainese]

awesome car dude, love mk4 r32!.. quick and sound tough!
wheels suit car pretty wheel

thanks mate

Paintwork looked great (as did the whole car) when I saw it in the carpark on Monday..

oh, did you come in? Did I meet you?

Looks good mate. Mine is so much in need of a good detail and some correction work.

The new tail lights look good. They the US ones ?

yeah its worth it. i left it too long.(more than 2 years).

They are the 'ocean taillights' also known as RWRR tails

[fuzion]

From the Canon S100 - as is raw untouched ;

[dainese]

Spent 6 hours on her today. Posting because it was productive.

So... I always thought that the raspy exhaust note was normal. And well, it is. What I made the mistake of doing was (like an idiot), think that the mild rattle on acceleration @ 1500-2500rpm was part of the note... The rattle didn't continue through the rev range. Indicating that it was a vibration on materials and perhaps not a sound characteristic.

It was the heat shield above the muffler. So I dropped the exhaust, got a bunch of gravel in face, hair and eyes.

Cleaned with Duragloss all wheel cleaner, then APC, pressure washed and air pressure blown, then sun roasted with todays nice weather.




So after it was cleaned and dried, I padded the upper side with Dynamat. Leaving the holes and mounts exposed. Worked a treat. You could drop it flat on the ground and it just 'thuds' now (as opposed to a racket of thin sheet metal reverberating through the air).



Also, saw a wonderful opportunity to upgrade the rear sway bar to a 21mm H&R. Also changed the D-bushes.
(See mini opinion piece at end of photos)


Because the SSR's I bought have a spoke option that's not specced for one with a chunky caliper, I have had to run a 15mm spacer in the front to bring the ET down to 22. This was still so close that both sides scuff the caliper retaining clip (it reduces the flex on compression). I had to shave these down to be thinner. They were rusting abit, so I sanded it all down, primed it and painted it brake caliper black. (i can't paint for ****)


An upskirt for the perverts out there.



I also applied Nanolex to the front wheel's faces and lips, and AutoGlym's alloy wheel seal to the inner barrels. Reason being; a) cheaper b) easier to cover a larger area.

Wheels were cleaned with Duragloss AWC, then diluted APC and repeated twice. Nanolex also requires cleaning with Isopropanyl Alcohol, and this was done twice. noticed that some of the paint is flaking (its machined aluminium/alloy underneath!) and that the lips are stained in some sections, maybe should have hit it with autosol paste polish...





So, results?
Exhaust doesn't have the rattle at that RPM range..! Can't believe I thought it was normal For more than 2 years...
It sounds healthier and meatier now. Still not my ideal exhaust note overall, but I can't afford and dont want to buy a new exhaust anyway.
Dynamat is really good stuff. Have it in drivers door too.

The sway bar was also a pleasant improvement. I gave it a good prod and test run around the neighbourhood (slalom, sweepers, roundabouts etc) and it really does feel better.
The turn in is much more positive and reactive. mid corner balance seems less wallowy. and I reckon it tracks better mid corner and has more grip and assurance.

My next tasks for maintenance and repairs are;
The weak pedal (suspected master cylinder). follows on from the drama in getting the car ready for Wakefield last year.
N/S door lock actuator doesn't register opening of door.
Need new tyres, to replace front worn pair, and to stop the scrubbing (Rayray, said that 'you ain't dubbin, if you ain't rubbing'. But i don't know...)
Put the other Recaro in.
Install 12" sub and amp that my mate gave me.

[dainese]

Couple of pics.