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Budget Upgrade Path (Based on your mistakes)

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mash360

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Cameron Park, Ca
Hi everyone I'm looking to start modding and I was wondering what you all think would be a good path on a high school budget. Yes, I'm responsible so don't try to talk me out of it. So far I have around $400 and will hopefully get a job this month so if you guys would be so gracious please lemme know what you think a good path would be... and i would prefer no tune just because its so much and i don't mind immense power, nor do I need it :biggrin::biggrin:
Edit: I have an 07 UG FSI Manual with 100k
 
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Jamezilla

New member
Location
Bergen County, NJ
I also have an 07 FSI with about 100k. I would recommend you follow a maintenance+ mod path, meaning save your money for maintenance items as they come up and replace with better. The last thing you want is to dump a bunch of money into the car on mods and find you need a new clutch or new rear brakes the next week. Don't blow all your money on mods. Good luck and enjoy the car!
PS if you don't have access to a VagCom, spend your $400 on that...it will save you $400 worth of headache in the future.
 
SuperSkyline89

SuperSkyline89

Das Schiesse
Location
Earth
Car(s)
2008 CW GTI
The most important question in this situation is what do you want your car to be?

Do everything daily? Lowered canyon carver? Mobile sound system? Slammed? Track car?
 
M

mash360

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Cameron Park, Ca
Just got the cam follower and intake cam replaced and almost 1/2 through the break in period of 1k. Its taken me about 2 months. I'm looking for this to be a daily driver with some extra fun. I'm hopefully gonna get some wrd coils(with bearing replacements and 034 density mounts) this christmas and maybe a dogbone mount insert from ecs. How would VagCom access help? I thought it was just small convenience things that it dealt with.

I'm also thinking either reasonably slammed or canyon carver track look, maybe a little poke
 
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GIACUser

Master Wallet Mechanic
Location
USA
Car(s)
MK 6 GolfR
With that kind of budget I would just try and save the money for maint and repairs to keep the car running properly. Before you start thinking about upgrades, you should insure that all the proper maint has been done and the cost to get those done can be a whole lot more than 400 dollars.


Around 90K timing belt, water pump, thermostat.
Usually around 100K you are ready for accessory belts, tensioner
I would also be inclined to freshen all vacuum tubing and all the coolant pipes.
You also need to check fuel pump cam follower.
When was clutch last replaced.
I would be inclined to replace or at least check plugs.
I would replace coils just because they are probably old and are common points of failure
Probably time to check and likely replace the PCV valve.

As you can see this adds up quickly, much cheaper if you can do your own work but these cars are not like a honda civic. They are much more sophisticated and require much more attention.
 
L

live4something

Ready to race!
Location
Lawton, OK
mash360 said:
Does it work with a Mac? This may be my biggest dilemma


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It can, you would have to use a program like boot camp to allow you to boot the computer with Windows. Obviously that would require purchasing and installing windows as well, increasing the cost.
 
SuperSkyline89

SuperSkyline89

Das Schiesse
Location
Earth
Car(s)
2008 CW GTI
I'd say save a couple thousand dollars that you keep on the side to fix things that come up. It's German, things are going to break or wear out eventually and it's going to cost more money to fix than a Japanese car would.

Doesn't mean you can't modify it though. You can do an exhaust for less than $200, just get a muffler shop to cut out the rear suitcase muffler (the one under the hatch) and the weld a length of pipe in its place. There's a resonator under the middle of the car so as long as you leave that in it won't drone. If you want nicer tips you can get some from Vibrant Performance and have the muffler shop weld them in too.

As far as suspension goes I'd recommend a good set of springs. Coilovers are worth it for a track car or if you want to slam the car, but with limited money you don't want to risk ripping your oil pan off on a pothole or raised manhole cover. They also tend to require supporting mods like sway bars to reduce the body roll you get by going lower.
 
J

Jamezilla

New member
Location
Bergen County, NJ
I run VagCom on my mac through bootcamp...works like a champ, but you need to have a copy of windows to install (which is the trickiest part imo). I believe the newest wifi version of the VagCom can run on pretty much everything through the cloud...but I can't really speak on that.

Also, keep your eyes open for things you want/need in the classifieds...some things I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting used, but you can save a lot of money with some patience and planning. Right now there are a lot of sales going on for the holidays...the same thing will happen again when Waterfest rolls around. This is when I make my purchases...I can't think of anything I've paid full price for.

As far as cheap mods are concerned, check out eBay for seat pull emblems, the dark cherry hazard button, and the heating knobs. They come from China which not everyone is into, but I'm pleased with them. I don't think I payed more than $15 for all three and they definitely class up the cabin. Interior LED's are a nice upgrade and fairly inexpensive (but I recommend going with a reputable brand).
 
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mash360

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Cameron Park, Ca
I've gotten a few quotes for a resonator delete for $100+ so with that I could just get a dp instead from raceland. Also I'm considering reupholstering the interior with suede or paisley but that can get costly with a professional... I'm thinking of going with a track stance(so not frame bangin slammed) but I don't want too much of a wheel gap.

I look for things on classifieds but some of the shipping is killer
I'll keep looking into a VagCom system but as for meow it's not a priority


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