Hello everyone! Been on here a little while and thought it was time to get my build thread together!
Back in July 2015 I picked up my 2.0L FSI Golf - my new pride and joy! Saw it and completely fell in love with it - between the votex body kit and the clean cream leather interior (as well as driving beautifully, good service history etc), I couldn't say no!
But of course I couldn't keep it just as it was, so the modifications began one by one, after I got it Serviced and MOT'd. I may get the order slightly wrong below but you'll get the idea!
Modifications so far:- Upgraded sound system Rockford Fosgates all round & Sub and Amp install
- Tinted front and rear
- Upgraded battery
- Installed puddle lights
- Upgraded all lights to white LED
- LED Numberplate light
- Angel eye projectors and 6000k HIDs fitted
- Custom catback exhaust fitted ("quiet-sport") by R-Tec
- One of my favourite modifications and I must say the guys at R-Tec were pretty awesome! I spent a good while telling what my concerns and how I wanted the car to sound. I was worried as hell that it'd be too loud and a constant drone, but I couldn't be happier! It's quiet and civilized when I'm stuck in traffic (I live in London, so: always) or if I'm driving family around, but makes a lovely noise when you drive a little more spiritedly. Also makes the back end of the car look great!
- K&N Air Filter
- Toyo Proxes fitted all round
- Great rubber, makes so much difference to the ride and handling of the car!
- Lowered 40mm on Eibachs
- Looks and handled better, although it's not a massive fan of big speed humps (esp with the votex kit).
- Personalised number plates fitted
- Lots of detailing and polishing!
Now at this point I must apologise because I am a) useless at taking before and after pics and b) pretty useless at being a photographer anyway, so please bare with me!
Current Situation:
Interior Shot: Yes, cream leather is a royal pain to keep clean!
Onto some of the changes / pics:Number plate lights - half and half. Makes a real difference and freshens up the look of the car.
Interior lights and puddles (sorry I can't seem to get it to upload rotated!)
Once I let it get very dirty..
But then cleaned her up properly on a friend's driveway:
Two bucket method, Iron X'd, Clay'd, SRP then EGP. Wheels cleaned with AG's Clean Wheels and Tyres and Plastrics Dressed.
Recently started using AG's Ultra Deep Shine (in place of SRP and EGP) which is a little more difficult to apply / wipe off than SRP but IMO gives better results and seems to last longer, so worth it! Typically I'll do a clean every fortnight (weather depending of course), pretty much the same as the above steps but minus the Iron X and Clay.
Pre-lowering:
Clean and lowered:
(Sorry for weird rotating!)
Also machined polished some of the light swirls and scuffs. Spent a lot of time researching online and reading up on techniques etc and eventually took the plunge! Got a DAS6 Pro and I haven't regretted it! Got some Meguiars polish which works a treat on the Golf paintwork. Highly recommend this.
After my first attempt, I was pleased but not overjoyed with the results. After further reading up online and being critical of myself, I realized it's because I didn't do enough passes and not used enough polish. So attempt Number 2 was more successful and definitely improved the results. No doubt still lots to learn though!
Before / After to give an example of a scuff on the driver's side door (looks like someone was kind enough to open their door into my car!)
I'm going to use the Machine for applying SRP before the winter hits - anyone had any experience with this? I've read online you can do it so wondering if anyone here had any tips etc?
Pre-Exhaust:
Post-Exhaust:
Probably my favourite modification! Looks and sounds great, and definitely feels like it's freed up the engine to deliver more power!
And some general pics from my recent Wales Roadtrip:
Anyways, I hope that's a good enough start for you guys and a good summary. I'll keep the thread going with more pics that I need to dig out and a few step-by-step before/after detailing pics too.
Be great to get your feedback on what I've done so far and suggestions for what's next!