Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #210 – February 25, 2025, 12:20:48 PM Hopefully, it'll also warm her to the mk6!
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #211 – February 25, 2025, 01:01:17 PM She quite likes it, except no parking sensors 🙄😂 ive ordered an android headunit with a reverse camera, so hopefully I can get that fitted before she reverses into something 😄
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #212 – February 26, 2025, 10:10:25 PM Not sure if you are going to refit the hatch decal but if you are they are available here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125136397971
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #213 – February 27, 2025, 09:41:48 PM Thanks, that is possibly the one I bought last time when I had the car painted. I think I'm going to leave it off for now 🤔
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #214 – March 10, 2025, 03:46:24 PM Only minor update and back to the window stencil! I noticed that my boot carpet was a bit wet as was the sound deadening in the spare wheel well. I got my daughter to spray the hose on the boot whilst I was sat in the boot and narrowed the leak down to the rear washer jet of all places.Not taken this apart before so undone the lock and pulled the washer fluid pipe awayOld one (temp fixed) with a blob of silcone and the suppose new genuine oneFitted and climbed back in the boot and hosed down again and seems to have solved and a nice simple fix🤞When clearing my garage late last year i found a new coil still boxed which was a nice bonus! I decided as mine was looking pretty crusty and quite probably original, it was worth swapping as preventative if nothing else. I've kept the old Bosch one as a spare as it was still fully functioning,Whipped the old one offi noticed the earth strap was showing signs of wearcopper earth bits were cleaned upand replaced the earth strapthis 12mm blank on the bottom of 1 way valve was looking pretty holey and brittle! Not sure if i disturbed it or if it was already like this.Got a new silcone blank off ebay for a few quid I've been giving some more thought on where i want to go with the car in future as progress feels very stagnant these days. I am re-wondering what i can do to regain my interest without chucking loads of money at it. Something that seems quite sensible is a gearbox swap, something with either a 3.9 or 4.2 final drive to liven it up a bit more? My current box has a Quaife lsd and it would be a shame to go back to open diff but that creates a much bigger job than just throwing another box in. I might be tempted to temp fit something short term to see if i can live with the ratios before going to the extreme of ripping mine apart for the Quaife. Having said that not sure i would want to commit to doing this over the summer when i hope to use it a lot more
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #215 – March 13, 2025, 12:59:08 AM How about more track days?That way you'll start breaking things and you can do more upgrades! 1 Likes
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #217 – May 12, 2025, 05:12:54 PM 2/5/25 – 5/5/25: Nürburgring Road Trip!Just got back from a amazing and tiring road trip — took Laura and the Mk2 to the Nürburgring!We set off early Friday morning with a group of mates in a mix of Mk2s and Mk5s and a stray e36, aiming to reach the Ring by early afternoon. I'd spoken to Nige Pinder previously, who was already out on track that day. He’d kindly offered me a passenger lap for my first Ring experience, if I got there in time — sadly, his car developed an issue, so that plan didn’t work out which was a really shame.Before setting off, I did a spanner and fluid check and packed the boot full of tools and spares — but luckily, the Mk2 was nearly faultless the whole way and none of it was needed. Not bad for a 35-year-old car doing close to 1000 miles!Saturday: Track queues were mental. I got out for one lap late morning, but after that it just got busier and busier. As first time experiences go, I was excited but honestly a bit nervous too. I’ve watched loads of YouTube laps, and the standard of driving there is wild — serious speed, and the consequences of a mistake are high. That was definitely on my mind, so there was no ‘full send’ happening this time.I took Laura out with me as passenger — her only other track experience was at Curborough at the national meet, so this was… quite a step up 😅. Lots of urgent co-driver calls: BRAKE! CORNER! 😂 In fairness, she kept me well in check, which was probably for the best.I met a nice chap called EthanThis one looked a serious track weapon!What shocked me most were the forces — the compression in the undulations and the grip through corners really suprised me. The car itself didn’t miss a beat: temps stayed in check, the Acceleras were fine, and the brakes didn’t overheat — all probably a sign that I wasn’t pushing hard enough!In a lower-power car like mine, it really highlights the importance of carrying corner speed. I found myself moving over for a lot of Porsches and BMWs, and with a couple of yellow flags squeezing the cars together, I spent a fair bit of time checking my mirrors.Later that day, a big thunderstorm rolled in and ended play for many — some of the lads didn’t even get a lap in. I’d already made plans to move on to Brugge after Saturday, so left the group behind. They managed a few laps on Sunday once things cleared up.BruggeI covered just under 1000 miles over 4 days, and the Mk2 behaved near perfectly. Only downside: I thought I’d finally sorted the slight pulling issue, but when almost home after reversing out of a space and hearing a clunk, it’s back — and worse at higher speeds. Typical really… the car survives a lap of the Nordschleife but pulling out of a car park throws it out 🙃. That’ll need some further investigation when I find some time. Last Edit: May 13, 2025, 07:28:51 PM by ianmac86 1 Likes
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #218 – May 13, 2025, 02:28:10 AM Wow! You sprung for the full Ringfoto package then!
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #219 – May 13, 2025, 06:55:02 AM I Googled free watermark remover! I'm not made of money 😂
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #220 – May 14, 2025, 01:51:08 AM I'll remember that one for this year! 1 Likes
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #221 – May 30, 2025, 08:46:44 PM Post-Ring Brake change & TopmountsAfter the Ring trip, I noticed the brakes weren't quite as good as I remembered. At first, I put it down to being used to a more modern daily, but after a closer look, they're well past their best 😅After weighing up a few options, I decided to stick with the setup that served me well previously – OE spec discs (Febi this time) and Ferodo DS2500 pads again. Briefly considered grooved discs, but in the interest of keeping costs sensible, I stuck with the semi-good pad + OE disc combo. Im told the pad is where the money is best spent anyway. Some of the setups I found would’ve easily doubled the cost and been complete overkill for how I use the car.Got a great deal on the padsDS2500 pads: £88Febi discs: £50Progress was the usual pace – one side per evening 😅Also, on the way home from Germany I had a bit of a clunk and pulling issue that I finally got round to investigating. Turns out in my niavity I’d massively over-tightened my top mounts and bearings. One of the bearings had actually cracked, and the other was feeling rough. These were fairly new too, so definitely a case of too many ugga duggas 😳Also noticed the deeper Powerflex mounts had been catching on the upper spring plate on the BC coilovers. At some point I’ll trim them down and refit, but for now I’ve reverted to OE rubber Mk3 top mounts.Torqued everything down to spec and went for a quick drive. Initial impressions are good – feels smoother and no pulling so far 🤞🏻 That said, jacking the car up always makes it feel better until it’s properly settled, so I’ll report back after a few more miles. Last Edit: May 31, 2025, 05:53:10 PM by ianmac86 1 Likes
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #222 – May 31, 2025, 08:43:53 PM Dash Illumination Fault (User Error again🙄)Noticed the dash illumination and number plate lights had both packed up recently. At first, I didn't realise they share the same fuse, so I wasted a bit of time messing around with bulbs with no joy. Got the multimeter out, no voltage then noticed a blown 10A fuse.Swapped it for new, and the number plate lights came back on... briefly. Still no dash lights though 😕 Dug a bit deeper and pulled the stereo and heater controls. Turns out the dash light feed that runs behind the fan control was pinched between the dash trim and the metal bracket it screws into 🧐 Looks like I must’ve trapped it during previous faffing, which eventually caused it to short.Freed the wire, wrapped it in some insulation tape for now, popped in another fuse and everything’s working again 😁. Got to love a quick fix, even if it was my fault in the first place. Definitely need to be more careful when putting stuff back together! Last Edit: June 01, 2025, 09:38:35 PM by ianmac86 2 Likes
Re: G135EPB 8v GTI Reply #223 – Today at 01:18:03 PM Quick update after the 2025 National Meet (18–20th July):As tradition seems to dictate great weather right up until the event, then a wet weekend! Still, it was a brilliant meet as always and it’s always a bit of a downer knowing it’s a full year until the next one. Great to catch up with mates new and old, though I was absolutely shattered for days after thanks to late nights, poor food and drink choices, and probably too much socialising!The car behaved flawlessly all weekend surely I must be overdue a breakdown now? This year I ran slightly less camber at -0.5° after some faffing about with alignment, and I was on Accelera 651 Sport Extra tyres. They might’ve held me back just a touch compared to last year noticeably traction on the first corner after the straight, where I kept locking up in the wet. Once it dried out, confidence grew and I started pushing the car harder. No trophies this but there were some incredible cars and drivers this year that thoroughly earned them. To be honest i still have imposter syndrome from winning 2023 and 2024.The gearbox is definitely showing signs of needing attention—1st gear synchro is crunching, and 3rd’s starting to do the same, especially when things get hot. An upgrade has already been sourced!With the opportunity to change gearbox i took some time to research what others had done. I message a few mates that still run ABFs and did plenty of my own research as well.These are the boxes I have used myself previously:020 AUG – Perfect. Short, punchy, ideal for how I like to drive the car but weak boxes and i have already converted to cable change and hydro clutch so not an option.02A AGC – From Corrado G60s and Passat 16vs. Crazy short 1st and 2nd, average 3rd, and overly long 4th/5th. Too extreme on both ends of the scale.02A CDA – Nice for everyday use, more relaxed; actually the box VW fitted to Mk3 Golf ABFs. This is what i am using currently.I came close to buying another AGC from a mate. It was a fair price and convenient but had to remind myself why I didn’t want it last time. Just not right for what I want out of the car now.After plenty of searching marketplace and eBay, I rang Sandburns in Coventry and explained the situation and why my reg wouldn’t help and explained exactly what I was trying to achieve. To be fair, the guy got it instantly and said he used to supply gearboxes to Stealth back in the day, even marking the good ones with a red paint pen.He came back with a few options, including ERT (4.25 FD—would’ve been mad, but just too much). I ended up with an EMR-coded box, which felt like the perfect compromise between better acceleration and a still-usable 5th gear.At 6500rpm (mine goes to 7200, but I don’t often push that far), the gearing hits a nice sweet spot. The only thing not quite as the same as the AUG is the 2nd–3rd rev drop, but that’s being picky. What I loved most about the AUG was how quickly it came back into the power band from 2nd to 3rd, where most of the fun happens. This box gets very close.Dan helped me fit it. Took about two hours, he works really fast! We set up the cables and went for a drive, no crunching, all gears select cleanly, no whine, no leaks. The box looked really clean and well stored. David at Sandburns said when he cleared 500+ boxes from his old place, he scrapped the crusty looking ones and only kept the best. He also gave me a 3-month warranty, which gave a bit of peace of mind but doesnt look like i will be needing it. Also the reason i fitted it before fitting the Quaife so it would be in returnable condition should there have been any issues. Gears select nicley from the gearbox end but a bit vague 1-3-5 which i am failry certain just requires cables playing with and /or the matching selector tower from my other box that came out.Ratios are pretty much bang on what I was after, definitely more punchy without being tiring. I took it to work the next day… and then, a mile from home, disaster!I heard a loud pop, felt heat on my feet, and watched steam pour through the dash. Stalled the car in shock, stuck the hazards on and opened the bonnet. My expansion tank was empty. Ideally I should’ve let it cool, topped up and limped it but impatience won. I drove it home, one mile, no further drama. Not my finest decision in hindsight maybe.That week I bypassed the matrix and tested the head gasket, it had failed. I’ve never done a head gasket before, but with some encouraging advice from mates and a few Youtubes later I cracked on. Set the engine to TDC, stripped inlet and exhasut manifolds, distributor and other various plugs, sensors I was nearly there. I got Dan to check over what i had done, we removed the timing belt tensioner and then the head bolts -which were worryingly loose, and off came the head. It wasn't completely obvious from the gasket where it had blown but the machine shop said it can be harder to find if exhaust gases have escapes into coolant and not the other way round?A few days later, I stripped the head down fully. Again, totally new to me but with help and the right tools it was surprisingly straightforward. Took it to Dan’s for guidance and to use his expertise and tools. Reassembly will probably be a bit trickier.You can see in the photos how much RTV I’ve used previously just to get the rocker cover to seal properly…A few parts have arrived alrady. Also ordered genuien oil filter and Quantum oil and a new expansion tank and capHead’s now with the machine shop- Knights engine services. Dan reccomended them, they also do the machining for Man in the shed so i know I am in safe hands. When I dropped it off, they asked for the valves (which I didn’t know), so I had to post those after—a bit frustrating after a 45-minute drive. 7-10 day wait from 4/8/25. Turns out i need to exhaust Valve guide to so may as well be done while I am there. It was at this point I had considered a ported head and cams which found on marketplace. Listed as a Robert Cox ported head and regrind 272 cams with 12.6mm lift, but with standard ABF management it just doesn’t seem worthwhile. Without standalone, you’re leaving so much potential on the table and by that point of spend, I may as well have gone for 20vt or 3.2 v6. It’s just not cost effective for me chasing power this way in my opinion, as much as I want to - head over heart moment😕While the head’s away I also sorted the interior. heater matrix will have to be changed just waiting for foam to redo heater flaps, stripped the carpets, cleaned and dried everything properly.Also got myself set up with some alignment tools—Mat Rhodes recommended the Toe gauge and to be honest, if it’s good enough for him, I’m confident it’ll do the job for me too. I also got an inclinometer for setting camber. I’ll be trimming down the excess material on my Powerflex top mounts soon and increasing the ride height a few mm to help prevent the splitter dragging under hard cornering or on speed bumps. I outright refuse to pay for another alignment as long as I live! Now that I’ve finally sorted the pulling issue, I’ll be increasing camber back toward -1.5° and refitting my camber bolts, which I removed earlier to rule them out as the source of the problem along with the topmounts. Once the head’s back and rebuilt, the gearbox will be coming out again to fit the Quaife LSD and fresh bearings. It’d just be nice to make sure the head gasket job all goes smoothly before piling into the next job but there is a temptation to get on with it whilst I'm waiting 🤔 Last Edit: Today at 06:24:38 PM by ianmac86 1 Likes
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