Golf Girls 103TDI Build

[Golf Girl]

Golf Model: 2012 Mk6 2.0 103TDI Comfortline Bluemotion

Started out nice and stock




First thing I did was put on the OEM door sills on front and back doors:
Front door
Back door

Put the OEM loading sill on the back


And the OEM luggage compartment tray


A good start to making my golf a little bit different.

Then I added custom made front seat covers.
Pic will be added later.

Then I bought a second hand OEM GTI front bumper for the eventual conversion to bi-xenon at a later date (to good a price to leave). Not installed yet.


After that I decided to concentrate on getting the OEM RNS510 and OEM Highline RVC.
Got lucky with a cheap one from ebay.

Original unit. What is it a RCD310?


And the RNS510 in all its glory.



Then I was convinced to get the windows tinted by my fiancé Matt.
It's looking super bad ass now with the 35% tint.


Up next was the fantastic DSG and ECU RD Technik tune. With even better fuel economy and an excellent increase of power and torque I consider this a fantastic mod.

Golf at the wheel before tune: 77kw and 355nm
Golf at the wheel tuned: 100.1kw and 459nm
30% increase across the curve.




Best figures. But at the end of the tank of diesel it came to 1200km at about 4litres/100km.

Next was the highline RVC which shows it working with guidance lines and no calibration done.
Big thanks go to Tigger73 for the loan of the VCDS cable.

Matt and I then played with the VCDS and enabled:

Enable Emergency Braking Hazard Lights
Enable Tear Drop Wiping on Rear Wiper
Tried the needle dance but wouldn't work (not a gti)
Automatic closing of windows when rain detected on the windscreen

5/1/2015

Have the GTI steering wheel installed It feels much lighter than the standard wheel.
This was the biggest modding hassle I've had so far. Murphy's Law decided to hit me hard on this one.

Wheel came second hand from somebody that used it in their non-GTI Polo and assured (and Matt did research) me that my airbag would fit it. No, it didn't fit.

Bought a brand new OEM airbag destined for a Transporter that was never used. Assured (with Matt doing research) would be perfect. The wiring harness didn't have the connection to make the multi function steering wheel buttons work. *sigh*

Bought a brand new wiring harness from ebay. Not OEM (the only thing in my car that isn't) but for $20 from China I couldn't complain.

Yes I can complain as while it was all stored together one of the metal crimped clips for the horn broke off. Matt did some nifty soldering and heat shrinking using bits from the harness that came with the airbag that we couldn't use and were back on track.

Installed without a hitch and Tigger73 was generous to lend us his Ross-Tech cable for coding the flappy paddles.

Overall spend about $820.00. Buying second hand really helped to keep the price down



Sorry guys I don't know why my edited post has put the pics in twice.
Things I want to get:
Ross Tech VCDS cable.
GTD clip for steering wheel
Chrome window buttons
LED interior light conversion
Replace red reflectors with LED lights in front doors
R tail lights
GTI accelerator/brake peddles
Euro Numberplate
Bi-Xenons
Leather interior from a Mk6 Highline

[tigger73]

Hi and welcome Golf Girl.

Sounds like you've fallen in love with your VW (like many others here).

You should find a bunch of useful information here in terms of aftermarket upgrades to keep your Golf-love going.

Also feel free to come along to some of our events - we have a small female contingent but always good to see new faces.

Check out the events section for details: SA Adelaide: Monthly Coffee & Drive Meet - Discussion Thread

Upcoming event is a coffee night which is on next Wednesday if you're interested.

[Mr_VRS]

Welcome Golf Girl

[AdamD]

Welcome Emma!

[tigger73]

Greetings from a newbie mk6 golf

On second thoughts it may be a bit of a drive for you to attend... Will be down in the Mount in a couple of weeks maybe we can organise a mini VWW coffee night mid-week if you're interested (and also know some other VW owners in the area).

Suggest door warning lights as a good mod for future... and mirror puddle lights if you're keen. Given that you're part way through a bi-xenon upgrade and changing the front end these should be a walk in the park once you've done this mod in comparison.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Golf Girl]

Thanks for the warm welcome Tigger73, Mr_VRS and AdamD

Adam and Tigger73 both your cars are gorgeous.
So many mods on the Tiguan are awesome, and I love the red GTI. Red makes everything go faster.

Tigger you have earned your name being a super moderator. How did you figure out I was in the Mount? I'm usually very careful about giving out my location (being a girl etc..)
I only know one other couple locally with a VW (my fiance's aunt and uncle) but I'm sure we can either advertise or it'll be a nice small meeting. But I'd love a meet-up and see your Tiguan.

Things to do: Rear badge reverse camera (got the parts just need an installer and VAG-COM), Chrome window buttons, Pop hatch kit, Euro number plate, Leather seats (highline, not gti), Fog lights, Bi-Xenon headlights (got the front bumper), R-Line LED taillights, Stage 1 Tune (in the next week or two) going to have dyno tests.

I have barely started with the Bi-xenon. I have a GTI bumper (wrong colour) with fog lights but no water bottle or the wiring for the fogs. I am trying to do as much OEM as possible but they are super expensive and more on the back burner until I get all the parts first.

Have had lots of trouble with the rear badge camera. Been to 2 local installers (one being the local authorised service centre) and neither had software that would work with the camera. So-called genuine part but wont work with VW own software? *sigh* I just want it done. Will probably need a trip to Melbourne for installation.

The door warning lights? Interesting, is that changing them to LED lights?
I am always open to ideas for mods.
Car is still under warranty so I am bit picky what I'll do before it runs out.

Oh and I have no mechanical experience at all. I can check the oil, water in the washer, and possibly change a tyre but no other experience. My fiance Matt has lots of experience and can service his own Ford. Has recently changed his entire interior for leather seats, door cards, and put premium sound in his XR6.

Long live VW (especially mine).

[tigger73]

Adam and Tigger73 both your cars are gorgeous.
So many mods on the Tiguan are awesome, and I love the red GTI. Red makes everything go faster.

Thanks. It has taken a couple of years to do all the work and now the mods are slowing down and I'm enjoying driving it.

Tigger you have earned your name being a super moderator. How did you figure out I was in the Mount? I'm usually very careful about giving out my location (being a girl etc..)
I only know one other couple locally with a VW (my fiance's aunt and uncle) but I'm sure we can either advertise or it'll be a nice small meeting. But I'd love a meet-up and see your Tiguan.

Some of your profile pics gave a clue - mainly the pictures at the dealers (sad but I know all the SA VW dealers showrooms). I also travel around the state as part of my job so occasionally drop into various dealers to have a look at new models/find out what info dealers have on upcoming releases.

Things to do: Rear badge reverse camera (got the parts just need an installer and VAG-COM), Chrome window buttons, Pop hatch kit, Euro number plate, Leather seats (highline, not gti), Fog lights, Bi-Xenon headlights (got the front bumper), R-Line LED taillights, Stage 1 Tune (in the next week or two) going to have dyno tests.

I have barely started with the Bi-xenon. I have a GTI bumper (wrong colour) with fog lights but no water bottle or the wiring for the fogs. I am trying to do as much OEM as possible but they are super expensive and more on the back burner until I get all the parts first.

Have had lots of trouble with the rear badge camera. Been to 2 local installers (one being the local authorised service centre) and neither had software that would work with the camera. So-called genuine part but wont work with VW own software? *sigh* I just want it done. Will probably need a trip to Melbourne for installation.

There should be some install threads around the place / youtube vids of these installations to help you/your boyfriend or whoever is doing the install. I'd aslo recommend either getting or finding someone that knows what they're doing to do some VCDS tweaks (i.e. enabling settings when you install the various components).

I believe Transporter (forum sponsor/admin) who has a mobile service business comes down your way - perhaps worth talking to him and he may be able to help out with servicing and some of the upgrades you have planned.

The door warning lights? Interesting, is that changing them to LED lights?
I am always open to ideas for mods.
Car is still under warranty so I am bit picky what I'll do before it runs out.

Door warning lights replace the little reflectors in the bottom of the doors and come on when you open the door. They have these in Europe as standard but we just get the cheap reflector. It's a nice mod to put the OEM wiring and light back in.

Oh and I have no mechanical experience at all. I can check the oil, water in the washer, and possibly change a tyre but no other experience. My fiance Matt has lots of experience and can service his own Ford. Has recently changed his entire interior for leather seats, door cards, and put premium sound in his XR6.

Sounds like you've got a handy husband-to-be (always useful). You should be able to do a LED upgrade on the interior lights though - just change all the bulbs for LEDs. Two of my wifes favourite upgrades were the interior LEDs and the chrome window buttons. Small things that are finishing touches that are pretty easy and require no changes to wiring etc. If your BF has had door trims off before this should be easy for him.

[AdamD]

Tigger you have earned your name being a super moderator. How did you figure out I was in the Mount?

He's a super stalker!

Have had lots of trouble with the rear badge camera. Been to 2 local installers (one being the local authorised service centre) and neither had software that would work with the camera. So-called genuine part but wont work with VW own software? *sigh* I just want it done. Will probably need a trip to Melbourne for installation.

Here are some useful DIY resources, that you could potentially show to a local installer who should be able to follow them:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com/forums/f112/retrofit-rvc-mk6-golf-r-vw-ops-50657-post697593.html#post697593

DIY Rear View Camera (RVC) installation on Golf "R".
OEM backup camera installation for mk5-mk6 VW Golf hatch badge | VW TDI forum, Audi, Porsche, and Chevy Cruze diesel forum

I have barely started with the Bi-xenon. I have a GTI bumper (wrong colour) with fog lights but no water bottle or the wiring for the fogs. I am trying to do as much OEM as possible but they are super expensive and more on the back burner until I get all the parts first.

Just be aware, before you go too far down this path, that doing an OEM HID retrofit legally will cost at least $4k in parts and labour. It's a huge job and most all people end up deciding it's not worth the cost and effort. Obviously in addition to the HIDs themselves there's the ballasts, water washers, and various sensors over the car for the mandatory auto-levelling. It's a massive undertaking. There aren't any great DIYs that I know of, but there are sellers who offer installation services in some states (inc Adelaide and Melbourne). Just don't be shocked by the cost!

Stage 1 Tune (in the next week or two)

Which tune are you thinking of for the TDI? I know Oettinger do a good TDI tune, but I'm not sure of any dealers down your way.

R-Line LED taillights

As per my reply to you in the Mk6 LEDs thread, your CECM should be fine as-is, and you should only need the tails themselves (and adapters). I and many others bought these from a German VW dealer and saved quite a bit over some of the other sellers. Check the first post in that thread for details and links.

Have fun with your VW, and hope to see you at one of our meets if you make it up to Adelaide occasionally!

[Golf Girl]

Some of your profile pics gave a clue - mainly the pictures at the dealers (sad but I know all the SA VW dealers showrooms).

Ah sneaky. Well I'm safe knowing not many people can figure out what you did lol.

There should be some install threads around the place / youtube vids of these installations to help you/your boyfriend or whoever is doing the install. I'd aslo recommend either getting or finding someone that knows what they're doing to do some VCDS tweaks (i.e. enabling settings when you install the various components).

I believe Transporter (forum sponsor/admin) who has a mobile service business comes down your way - perhaps worth talking to him and he may be able to help out with servicing and some of the upgrades you have planned.

I don't know anyone down in this area that has VCDS or VAG-COM. If I could afford it I'd think about investing in the software myself as most people seem to be 500km away from me.

I think I know who you are talking about. Do you know anyone that he's done work for?

Door warning lights replace the little reflectors in the bottom of the doors and come on when you open the door.

You should be able to do a LED upgrade on the interior lights though - just change all the bulbs for LEDs. Two of my wifes favourite upgrades were the interior LEDs and the chrome window buttons.

I really like the idea of the door warning lights. And the interior lights sounds nice and easy. I have planned to change the window buttons but it's not cheap if I keep with my OEM plan.
Of course if I wanted to stop complaining about money I probably shouldn't have bought a VW.

[Golf Girl]

Here are some useful DIY resources, that you could potentially show to a local installer who should be able to follow them:

Thanks

Just be aware, before you go too far down this path, that doing an OEM HID retrofit legally will cost at least $4k in parts and labour.

Yep I'm well aware of the cost involved.
I live in the country and most nights I drive home in the dark on highways with lots of kangaroos around.
I consider while it's incredibly expensive its a worth while mod to do. (and as a added bonus they look mega amazballs.)
I found a forum link that had a list of parts a person needs to do it

Its a job I'll probably pay to have done considering the work involved.

Which tune are you thinking of for the TDI? I know Oettinger do a good TDI tune, but I'm not sure of any dealers down your way.

I was leaning towards Oettinger but travelling is always an issue. But my local tuner that works on Fords and Holden's has agreed venture into the euro diesel market and work with AP Tuning using RD Technik tunes. The local tuner, AP Tuning and Matt and myself are very excited about the results and my dyno runs will be used for advertising (teehee!). I'll be doing a proper review on it all on watercooled and vwgolf forums. I've had the DSG tune already done (and boy I feel a change in the car already), getting the ecu tune soon and then what they call a RDT-Shift-PLUS later on.

A little bit of me would have liked a well known brand tune. But this will be custom tuned on a dyno and I'll have local backup, instead of having to travel 500km for anything. And to good a deal to pass up.

As per my reply to you in the Mk6 LEDs thread, your CECM should be fine as-is, and you should only need the tails themselves (and adapters). I and many others bought these from a German VW dealer and saved quite a bit over some of the other sellers.

I only asked because on jku's website on the part it says I need a highline cecm. Which I'll need anyway for the bi-xenons.

Oh I always have fun in my car. Everytime I get into it, it puts a big grin on my face.
You never know I might once in a blue moon get to take time off and make it to Adelaide for a meet.

[3R Technik]

Welcome....So a cruise to the mount is in order then...lol

[tigger73]

Ah sneaky. Well I'm safe knowing not many people can figure out what you did lol.

Yes it's a bit sad really

I don't know anyone down in this area that has VCDS or VAG-COM. If I could afford it I'd think about investing in the software myself as most people seem to be 500km away from me.

If you get yourself organised I can bring my cable with me when I'm down in a couple of weeks (I usually have it with me in the car anyway - just in case). If there's any little bits of coding you need we can do it then.

I think I know who you are talking about. Do you know anyone that he's done work for?

Yes me . I'm not sure what the dealer service is like in Mt Gambier, however in Adelaide you're more than likely paying $200/hr to have the apprentice work on your car.

I rather have a 30 year experience mechanic who cares about his work/knows VWs inside out doing the work.

Plus when your vehicle is tuned it will get flagged at the dealer whereas with the independent it won't. You'll still need to go to the dealer for any warranty work, however for the standard servicing a lot of people with tuned cars steer clear of the dealers for that reason.

Transporter can also do autologic tunes if you're interested but sounds like you're already heading down a path (at least it's an option that doesn't require travelling). Other option you have for diesel tuning is to remove your ECU and send it off to get flashed. I think DNA Tuning in Melbourne have done quite a few diesels also.

However nothing beats local support when you have issues with a tune so if you're happy with the guys you're dealing with I'd keep going down the path you're on.

I really like the idea of the door warning lights. And the interior lights sounds nice and easy. I have planned to change the window buttons but it's not cheap if I keep with my OEM plan.
Of course if I wanted to stop complaining about money I probably shouldn't have bought a VW.

Not sure where you're getting parts from but one place for a lot of these bits is bold-sport. There's quite a few people that have used these guys for parts (including myself). They're not necessarily the absolute cheapest but service and quality are good and they ship out pretty quick. Happy shopping!!!

[Golf Girl]

Yes it's a bit sad really

Of course you did just explain it on a forum for all to read lol. So perhaps not so secret now.

If you get yourself organised I can bring my cable with me when I'm down in a couple of weeks (I usually have it with me in the car anyway - just in case). If there's any little bits of coding you need we can do it then.

That sounds great. Would you be able to code the rear badge camera? Could it be installed before hand and not coded and not have any troubles until it was coded? Hmm may have to consider blowing the budget and get those R tail lights. Better crunch some numbers (and see if Matt can put up with me complaining about spending lots of money ) My local service centre was willing to have a go installing the RVC and keeping the price the same as Transporter, no real experience in this but it meant no traveling fees.

Yes me . I'm not sure what the dealer service is like in Mt Gambier, however in Adelaide you're more than likely paying $200/hr to have the apprentice work on your car.

The local service centre is pretty good. Never had any troubles with them, and they always serviced my Getz too.
They installed my RNS510 for me for $120.

Plus when your vehicle is tuned it will get flagged at the dealer whereas with the independent it won't. You'll still need to go to the dealer for any warranty work, however for the standard servicing a lot of people with tuned cars steer clear of the dealers for that reason.

Then why have I read on many forums and been told that they tune is undetectable?

However nothing beats local support when you have issues with a tune so if you're happy with the guys you're dealing with I'd keep going down the path you're on.

Yep I'm pretty happy with them. Get a good feel, and he's local which means a lot to me.

I've heard of bold-sport. It looks like really nice stuff.

[AdamD]

That sounds great. Would you be able to code the rear badge camera? Could it be installed before hand and not coded and not have any troubles until it was coded? Hmm may have to consider blowing the budget and get those R tail lights. Better crunch some numbers (and see if Matt can put up with me complaining about spending lots of money ) My local service centre was willing to have a go installing the RVC and keeping the price the same as Transporter, no real experience in this but it meant no traveling fees.

You can have the camera and the tails physically installed but not coded, and although the camera won't work, the tails will and the car will be A-OK to drive.

The RVC coding tells the RNS and CECM that the camera is installed; without it, the camera simply won't be displayed (although I believe the mechanism itself should still operate - ie pop out - when reversing; that is driven by the physical connections rather than software codes IIRC).

The tails coding is just telling the CECM that LEDs are fitted; LEDs draw less current than regular incandescent bulbs and so if the module hasn't been coded, it will throw a bulb-out warning on the dash because the low current draw from the LEDs looks to the module like a blown regular bulb.

When it comes to installation of these things, a dealer who's happy to help is great, but just make sure they're also careful, and don't just throw an apprentice at the job. Instructions for them to follow are essential, and because of the trim to be removed for the RVC install, they'll need to be careful not to scratch parts or do a ham-fisted job. So care and quality are key. If you've got a good relationship with your service manager and are confident that they'll treat your car with respect (as you tend to find more often in regional dealerships), then your local should be fine, as long as you ply them with good instructions.

Then why have I read on many forums and been told that they tune is undetectable?

A few years back, some tunes were undetectable: they could be concealed from the dealer by being deactivated/switched, and locked out. (APR offers this functionality on some of their tunes - you can switch back to the stock tune, and lock out the switch functionality with a code so it's hidden to an end-user.) However, the VW systems have since become a lot smarter, and they now have the capability to detect if the software installed on your ECU has been modified/replaced. When the dealer plugs the car into their VAS computer (which may not happen at every service, but usually does), VAS establishes a connection between the car and the VW systems back in Germany. It will often look at the checksum of the software running on the ECU (think of that as the fingerprint of the software), and if it differs to what they're expecting, the car will be flagged by VW as "TD1" - which means that the car has been modified. The checksum cannot be spoofed/faked/concealed with current technology, so you should consider any aftermarket tune to be discoverable.

A tune may make warranty claims difficult for certain types of failure related to the engine/drivetrain. Although under Australian law VW are required to demonstrate that any modification you have made has caused or contributed to a failure before denying a warranty claim, in practise it would be very difficult to contest any decision they'd make, so just be aware of this. I'm not saying don't tune - tunes are fantastic - but go into it with an understanding that there is the possibility of consequences, and if that's unacceptable to you, then perhaps you should wait until the car is out of warranty.

Of course when Damien (Tigger73) comes by and you get a ride in his stage 2+ Tiguan, there's just no way you'll ever want to put off tuning.

[Golf Girl]

Welcome....So a cruise to the mount is in order then...lol

Its a long way to drive for a meet but its a long drive you get to have in your super nice VW's.

I moved recently and my travel time to work increased from 10 minutes to 30 minutes.
While the time on the road means earlier starts and later finishes I do enjoy ever minute I spend in the car.