My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

[Lucas_R]

If anyone is looking for a set of car ramps for DIY maintenance, I just picked up a set of these Stanfred low profile ramps. These will lift my car an additional 10-12cm over my current ramps and the low profile approach angle design means they clear the underside of my front bumper.

Part # CRTP1400

Link to product

[Lucas_R]

My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

Took a few hours off work this morning to do a few mods/maintenance items on the GTI.

First up was the rear anti sway bar upgrade. ZSS racing anti sway bar and Moog metal end links. Factory bar is 21.7mm hollow bar, the ZSS bar is 25.4 hollow bar and a good chunk heavier than the factory bar. Fitted up perfectly and should be a nice upgrade.

ZSS REAR SWAY BAR (25.4MM) - VW Golf GTI MK7 (2014-)

While I was under there I cleaned the exhaust mufflers, pipework, fuel tank and rear subframe with degreaser, then hot soapy water and a cloth.

Then onto the rear disk replacement. Ive had these Bosch disks in the garage for about 6 months so it was well and truly time to fit them (fronts were fitted shortly after receiving them as they were pretty worn out). They have a silver paint/coating on them but I painted the hub area satin black. Need to wear the paint off the disk face now.

Ive bought a few other OEM+ and performance goodies with the current Black Friday sales. These should hopefully turn up over the next week or so.

[genebaby]

More nice work. Good to hear about what's going on with your car.

[Lucas_R]

My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

New Turbosmart dual port blow off valve fitted a few days ago. A well thought out Aussie made product that is a direct replacement for the stock DV valve. Have been thinking about getting one for a while now for various reasons, both for the sound when it vents to atmosphere and also to see if would stop the constant and annoying air bypass sound the stock DV valve would make on light throttle.

Turbosmart Kompact EM BOV Dual Port VR1 ' MK7/MK7.5 Golf / Audi 8V S3 / FL RS3 8V.5 / Skoda / EA888.3

So ive only driven about 20km since fitting it but it seems to have stopped the annoying trait the stock DV had with an audible air bypass sound (which you could hear no doubt due to the aftermarket intake) on light throttle, and the pssssst when it vents to atmosphere is great. It only happens on heavier throttle input and if you come off the throttle gently it wont make any sounds - so you can control it quite well if you don't want the sound.

Grabbed it during the Black Friday sales for $250 which was a bargain.

Also recently bought some APR coil packs. Wanted red but everyone was out of stock of the red ones, so opted for the grey ones.

[genebaby]

That blow off valve looks like a worthy mod.

[Lucas_R]

My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

Some little OEM+ mods fitted today, both cool yet totally unnecessary. These are off the Clubsport edition GTI.

- brake fluid reservoir heat shield
- RS3 brake ducts
- underbody aero cover/heat shield
- rear suspension aero covers

[Lucas_R]

My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

Some new goodies for the GTI. The Whiteline arms are on order, and the Vekor display and Inbay charging pad are fitted.

The Vektor display is well designed and good quality - but is unfortunately giving me trouble, I suspect a faulty wiring harness or broken wire. Currently talking to Vekor in Germany to arrange a new wiring harness. It boots up but does not display any data.

The INBAY wireless charger is great, well made and OEM fit and finish. Only negative is that those with larger phones wont fit. I have an iPhone 13 with a 6.1" screen and it only just fits. Anything bigger wont fit.My previous iPhone 8 (4.7" screen) was a perfect fit.

Little Audi 12v cover was a cheap upgrade and matches my Leyo knurled alloy covers for the a/c and radio dials.

Whiteline KTA252 alloy front control arms (with caster and camber correction)

Vektor Data Display unit for Mk7

INBAY Wireless phone charging pad for Mk7

Audi 12v socket plug to replace the factory boring black one.

[Lucas_R]

My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

Had the slimline number plates restyled in the black and silver colouring which I have been meaning to do for ages - looks much better.

And removed the Maxton Design front lip as I was sick of it scraping on e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. It looked great but it literally scrapped on everything and it was giving me the *****$, so I took it off.

When doing my intercooler install late last year, I could see my waterpump/thermostat leak was getting worse, so I booked it in to Pete at Newcastle VW Centre in January for replacement. After chatting to him, he does not recommend the OEM VW waterpump, instead he uses and recommends the GEBA waterpump (Part # 11235/1) which has a 5yr warranty and also has the alloy waterpump section. He said he hasn't had a single GEBA waterpump fail (yet) so is quite confident in them, and that if you compare the GEBA to the OEM pump side by side, you can see the GEBA is more heavy duty. Cost a smidge under $1k for parts, labour and new coolant Geba Water Pump 11235/1 - Made in Germany | Run Auto Parts

[genebaby]

Nice work as always.

I saw this recently in regards to the water pump, I'm guessing it's not a complete solution to the problem?

[Lucas_R]

I saw this recently in regards to the water pump, I'm guessing it's not a complete solution to the problem?

I did consider buying this Bartek waterpump, but ultimately decided it was not necessary. I believe the only difference is the metal impeller wheel, which in theory is more durable, but this is not the part that regularly fails on the VW Mk7 waterpumps. Its the gaskets between the waterpump and thermostat housing, and the plastic body of the thermostat housing itself which cracks and leaks. So in this case, I spoke to my VW specialist mechanic, who said he regularly replaces half a dozen VW waterpumps a week and he recommended the GEBA pump. So I went with his suggestion.

[genebaby]

Cool, that pump seems good, especially since history shows the VW one will fail, sadly.

It really should be a lifetime warranty fix as it's clearly not fit for purpose.

Same thing with 3rd gear issues in manual MQ Tritons. Mitsubishi will "fix" it as many times as it fails in warranty but after that you're on your own.

[Lucas_R]

It really should be a lifetime warranty fix as it's clearly not fit for purpose.

They could very easily re-engineer it out of cast aluminium to make it far more durable, but they don't want to.

Same thing with 3rd gear issues in manual MQ Tritons. Mitsubishi will "fix" it as many times as it fails in warranty but after that you're on your own.

Manufacturers get away with avoiding the issue here in Australia dont they. In America there would be a recall quick smart. Just like VW and the timing chain issues in the MK6 GTI - they knew it was a design issue for years and never recalled them.

[genebaby]

Yes, it's very disappointing.

[Lucas_R]

My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

After waiting for about 2 months, some Whiteline goodies turned up today. KTA252 alloy lower control arms with 2 degrees caster correction. Got them on sale through Car Mods Australia for a good price, but Whiteline were out of stock so had to wait.

Whiteline KTA252

Ive got a service booked in 3 weeks so ill get my mechanic to install the control arms at the same time.

I had the Superpro version of these on my Mk6 R a few years back and the increase in turn in and steering feedback was well worth it, let alone the lighter weight and bling-factor.

Also hoping these new arms will stop or at least reduce some of the suspension creaking I get sometimes when going in or out of driveways (known to be the rubber bushes in the factory control arms). Have already replaced the strut tops and bearings within the last 5,000km.

[Lucas_R]

My Mk7 GTI PP....turns out I cant resist the VAG.

Still havent fitted the Whiteline control arms. They were on backorder for months and were not here in time for my mechanic to install them when the car was serviced recently - so ill be doing the install at home in the next few weeks.

Some new goodies have arrived recently. I stalled on the GTI mods for a while as I was very close to buying a 2016 Audi RS3 - but decided it wasn't necessary to spend approx $65k on a car that I only drive about 50-100km a week on average. So, as much as id still love an RS3, the GTI is staying for now.

New Focal IS VW 155 speakers fitted front and rear along with soundproofing all of the inner door skins. These are a nice affordable (<$450 delivered from the UK) upgrade over the factory speakers, and combined with the soundproofing, give the stereo more clarity and bass. Im not sure if its any louder overall, but definitely clearer and stronger bass. https://www.focal.com/en/car-audio/c...genr/is-vw-155

GTI logo puddle lights fitted while I had the door trims off. Got these from iilumo VW GOLF MK5/6/7/7.5 - DOOR LED GTI LOGO PROJECTOR LIGHT– iilumo

Garrett Powermax GT2260S stage 1 turbo arrived. I was considering either the HPA OEM+ IS38 turbo or the Garrett. Both turbos work out around the same price as the Garrett is about $800 cheaper but requires a HPFP upgrade to get the most out of it. Im just sitting on this for a few months to see if Integrated Engineering release a tune file for our market, otherwise ill be getting retuned with either Tarmac Engineering, Underground Performance or Galano. I would really like a boost-by-gear tune to limit wheelspin and I believe Galano are the only ones who offer this currently. Im not chasing max power and not looking to do E85, just hoping for around 240-250kw to liven it up. Hopping that with this power goal I can get away (safely) without upgrading the HPFP. Garrett PowerMax Turbocharger - GT2260S - 'Stage 1' Volkswagen / Audi MQB MK7 & 8V
– VAGPARTS Australia

Also did a brake fluid flush and installed a new gear shift trim piece (old one was flaking off and would cut you). MK7/7.5 DSG Chrome shifter surround - RHD
– Track Hack Parts