WHAT IS IT?It's a steering column mounted pod for a gauge such as a boost gauge. It's made by NewSouth who also manufacture gauges and is very good quality moulded ABS.
It will also accommodate other standard size 52mm gauges, but subject to checking, and it's called the NewSouth ColumnPod.
WHY HAVE A BOOST GAUGE?A boost gauge isn't essential but is very useful for informing you how well the turbo is working whether on a tuned engine or not. Having experienced a cracked wastegate which then resulted in me needing a new turbo, I can strongly vouch for their value. They are included standard on some Golfs so I simply don't understand why VW omitted it from the Mk5 GTI. However, the VW boost gauges I've seen don't actually tell you enough! They're just a pretty dial with a needle which moves, so I'm actually very glad they're not standard on the Mk5 GTI.
^ The VW oem boost gauge as on the Golf GT.
Link to history and discussion of my boost leak problem:
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,493.0.htmlSome folks also like to have a boost gauge because they look cool.... They do look cool! If boost gauges ain't your thing, how about an Oil Pressure gauge? Yes, oil
pressure, not oil temperature, unless you're installing lots of extra gauges as in a race car. Any problems with oil pressure is something you need to be alerted to before temperature, but if you service (oil change) your car regularly you shouldn't have any problems - Unlike someone I heard about who didn't oil change for 43k miles! I wonder if they bothered to maintain any tyre pressures too!
ALTERNATIVE BOOST GAUGES:There are quite a few out there but the most highly rated is the DEFI. It does cost more though and if an oem look is important to you, the NewSouth gauges exactly match the graphic display and illumination of the VW instrument cluster. I would probably buy DEFI if I hadn't already bought otherwise but I am happy with my NewSouth.
Check out john_o's excellent and extensive DEFI review here:
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,2073.0.html
ALTERNATIVE GAUGE COWLINGS/PODS:Again there are quite a few on offer and for different locations in your car interior. [I may add more info to this later]
I used to have my NewSouth boost gauge mounted in the side air vent. SWG, via Awesome, offer a pod which allows any 52mm gauge or dial to be integrated into the driverside air vent, this is ideal for keeping the oem look to the interior but still allowing any 52mm gauge of your choice to be seamlessly incorporated into the Mk5 Golf's dash while still keeping airflow to the driver. This product is a direct replacement for the original vent and does not require any disassembly of the original vent - It's simply a direct replacement.
SOURCE:From Awesome in Manchester or NewSouth approved stockists. RRP £29.38 incl 17.5% vat.
Visit their website or contact for an up-to-date price : -
http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=8016&xSec=153Awesome also supply Newsouth gauges and offer a bundle package deal for both gauge and pod:
http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=6734&xSec=153INSTALLATION:Straightforward and with printed instructions included. Easy for anyone who is capable of automotive DIY - So that excludes me! JKM in Portsmouth installed mine and it took about an hour including moving my gauge from its side vent location. So, no installation photos - Sorry! Like many others here, I regularly use and trust JKM.
JKM:
http://www.jkm.org.uk/ / 023 9263 9933
PLUS POINTS:- It positions the gauge directly in your view such that distractions are minimised and your eyes are kept on the road.
- Offset positioning of gauge display doesn't obscure the rev counter. That is unless you regularly want to go above 7,000 revs - A very bad practice on the 2.0T FSI engine in my opinion.
- High standard of design and manufacture in ABS.
- Matches the oem interior finishes.
- Easy to install.
MINUS POINTS:- To the purist it will look like an aftermarket addition in spite of the dial display graphics and illumination matching oem exactly.
- At night, depending on your driving position, it may partially obscure the blue icon indicating your headlights are on full beam. But as a focussed driver you should know when your headlights are on full beam anyway. Additionally, I'm sure that oncoming road users will also 'alert' you, especially if you have Xenons! Just hope it's not a huge Euro truck with a zillion watts across several rows of headlights... Hasta la vista, baby!!
- Mine went through a period of squeaking (for several thousand miles) but has now stopped squeaking.
- It might not house 52mm gauges from all other manufacturers. You would need to check before buying.
SUMMARY:So far, after 430 miles in daylight and at night, I can find no fault with it other than partially obscuring the full beam icon but I am already becoming able to avoid this as an issue. My seat is set at its very lowest position and so is my adjustable steering column. Other factors will be your physical size and angle of seat back. I'm exactly 6'0" tall.
Compared with previously having my boost gauge in the side vent location and not angled towards the driver as the OSIR vent mount does, I find that I can far more easily monitor how my boost behaves with far less distraction from the road ahead and therefore more safely. Other drivers may not be as easily distracted as I can be!
It's not a design you would expect to see on a VW Golf but overall the whole assembly looks surprisingly oem.
Please note that it's of course very difficult to take any handheld photos on a fixed lens camera which accurately reproduces your exact view as the driver, so these pics are the most accurate I could manage.
EDIT: For a while the pod creaked but it has stopped doing so now for unknown reasons. This probably may have been due to my hard, not harsh, suspension.
