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The Ultimate "Driver's" Road Trip

torga

Autocross Champion
😰 That's exactly why I'm getting a new one - previous owner installed one. When I saw it last it was looking trashed so I figured I'd replace it since they're cheap. Some thinking will need to be done...
And the shifter part is interesting. It definitely seems like a problem stemming from the engine rotating forward and back, I can feel the engine move in the shifter. Technically there's a chance I may have used ft-lbs a for a given NM spec with the trans mounts 😅 I also thought I heard a pop from the first bolt I torqued, but I figured (hoped) it was just the mount shifting and not, in fact, me splitting a bolt in half. Highly unlikely given the size of those bolts, though, right? Right?
Anyway I checked to make sure that bolt never loosened a few times. It was actually the first thing I thought had happened once I felt the shifter rattle, I only recently developed the "upgraded mounts" theory.
Anyway... How'd the move go?
I'm all settled! Amazingly I had zero hiccups with my car - it was a peach the whole way. I mentioned southern/central Utah being pretty. After the second day, southwestern Idaho was beautiful (rolling hills and huge, green fields) and the final 2-ish hours on I-90W heading into Seattle was some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen! Snoqualmie Pass is no joke.
 

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
Holy fuck I'm so pissed. My car is sitting in an AutoZone parking lot, hole in my oil filter from a screwdriver, with an OEM filter from a dealership that doesn't fit. If I hadn't been here during store oils, which I nearly decided not to do it until I reached my destination, I would be FUCKED. As it is I'm just putting a cheap oil filter on for now. I'm going to go to a dealership tomorrow, complain, and try to get a free oil change for their fuckup.
Also, the bolts on my BOV aren't completely tightened, but there's no way I can tighten them more than I did. They're snug at least and it's lasted 8k miles since I put in my motor.

@KollinWithaK
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/hex-bolt-priced-each/n10106905/
But like I said I'm also ordering billet shifter end links by ECS as well as some ECS bushings, so I'm gonna be getting two orders no matter what 🤷🏼‍♂️
 

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
Alright fuck wait a minute the replacement filter is threaded the same.
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I think my hometown dealership just ripped the k&n filter on too tight and I lost half of it. Will update
 

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
it happens. breathe.
I know, I know... I've been losing my cool really easily lately. Need to figure out some relaxation techniques. It's mostly the head unit and navigation problems that enrage me, because those are so critical. Maybe yoga would help, never tried it 🤷🏼‍♂️ can't say my girlfriend would mind me being more limber
 

Phur

Autocross Champion
The oil filter thing has happened to me as well. For what it’s worth, I had the same “What the serious fuck!?!” reaction that you did.

For relaxation, have a listen to some Sigur Ros. It has always helped me a ton whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed. They are also very fitting to incredible scenery.
 

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
For relaxation, have a listen to some Sigur Ros. It has always helped me a ton whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed. They are also very fitting to incredible scenery.

Sigur Ros used to be my go to to help me fall asleep 👍🏼 but some of their stuff gets real intense with the sounds, so I'd usually just listen to the first three songs of Takk (I think? Don't remember how to spell it) on repeat.
 

Phur

Autocross Champion
Sigur Ros used to be my go to to help me fall asleep 👍🏼 but some of their stuff gets real intense with the sounds, so I'd usually just listen to the first three songs of Takk (I think? Don't remember how to spell it) on repeat.
Takk is correct. It’s Icelandic for “Thanks”. My favorites are “Agaetis Byrjun”, “( )” and the “Inni” live album.
 

Joe_Mama

Autocross Champion
I know, I know... I've been losing my cool really easily lately. Need to figure out some relaxation techniques.
Not smoking enough weed
 

Phur

Autocross Champion

Cole2999

Autocross Champion
Day 9: rain rain go away
Good god winds whip hard here in Texas, no landscape to break them up. Also nothing to break up massive storm clouds; I drove 4 hours through heavy rain, 2 though light. Also washed out my visit to Joe Exotic's former zoo, the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, made famous by the batshit crazy Netflix documentary Tiger King.
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After that I just cut straight to Austin, only 4.5 hours away.
However, being there's a large amount of homeless people in Austin, I'd rather stay outside. So my plan was, even if I did get there early, I'd have to find a rest stop in the outskirts.

Well, I'd stopped at a VW dealership on the way to the zoo to pick up an oil filter, with the intent of changing it today because I knew my oil was getting black. How black, you ask?
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Yeah. Needed a change

Before I found this out, I found an AutoZone and parked it. I needed a jack stand, a drip tray, and some extra oil. Well, the jack stand was Duralast, just like @uglybastard recommended against, but I'm lazy and I just need it for the trip. I also don't need to extend it at all, and I always support my stands with the jack.

Go out to my car, jack it up, pop the plug, and we're off. Some very small flecks on my magnetic drain plug, but about what I expected considering the recent flush. This oil should be clean for awhile. I also loosened the oil filter to completely drain the oil out of it. This happened
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While the car is draining, I checked my BOV. Not loose in any way, but the bolts are definitely not torqued fully. However, I could barely reach the one in front well enough, and there was no reaching the two behind the valve. It's been that way for 8k miles, and I'm still holding boost, so I'm not too worried about it

Also, my mystery CEL from Colorado? Hasn't returned. I'm betting it was elevation related, I had some lean, rich, and injector codes coming and going. All fine now.
So with that done I check on my shifter bracket, which requires me removing my intake past the upper 90° elbow. The shifter was still tight but I tightened it more. Also, I couldn't find where the third bolt is supposed to go?? It's supposedly horizontal all the way in the left but I can't find the hole 😏

Finally pull my oil filter and go to install the second one... Except it's not the same. I'll save the dramatic frustrations I experience and skills to telling you the part that screws in between the filter and the engine was stuck to the engine from my old filter still. I found this out after I bought another filter (which I returned).

Filter on, pan wiped clean, and drain plugged up (no new crush washer because I live on the edge 😎 also I have 10 at home so I refuse to but another one when those will last me 5 years), pour the remainder of my oil I used to top off in - about 4.5+ quarts.

Drop the oil and filter off, trash the various boxes and containers, and we're off. At this point, though, I'd get to Austin with enough time to leave and find a rest area, so I just found one early.

You guys know that "happy car" feeling after maintenance or a wash, like your car is talking too you and thanking you for keeping it fresh? That's one of the best feelings in the world, even when it's just a placebo.

My car was running so smooth after my oil change, I couldn't help but be throttle happy. I'm not entirely convinced these aren't Italian cars, because they definitely feel like they prefer to be run hard as hell, and a good ole' "Italian tune-up" works wonders.

I'm in love with this car, though. It's almost perfect in so many ways. Sure, there's more power to be had, but I don't think I really want to do that. The one place it needs some improvement is sound. The engine screams, my DV/BOV makes diverter flutters and blowoff whooshes (which is exactly what it is, diverter flutters. Since it's a dual port I get both sounds. And it's making more and more DV sounds every mile instead of BOV noises, so I think it's breaking in), and my intake sings. But my exhaust is just... weak. Look, it's trying its damnedest, and I appreciate the effort, but I just need more growl, more rumble.

I've been in talks with a dude I bought a part off of on the way down here to buy his SPM catback, which would match my SPM downpipe, but he went dark. However, there so many custom configurations for the SPM pipes I would want to see what it is, because I definitely want to keep my resonator and lose the mufflers.

I've had that plan for some time, but driving @Joe_Mama's GTI solidified it. I actually had to ask him multiple times what catback he's running because my brain didn't understand; he cut his muffler off and replaced it with a (temporary) turn down tip. When I think of cut exhausts I don't ever think about pleasant noises, but this was honestly nearly perfect - just missing some extra pops 😉

Also, I've been checking and emptying my catch can every few days. I know some people think they work, some don't, blah blah. My opinion is, if the only thing it can hurt is my wallet, and it had the potential to prolong my engine's life, why not? Anyway, this first bottle is a mix of the first two drains from day 2 and 6. The second is today. (Third bottle is my motor oil). My Intake valves were freshly cleaned by VW before this trip, too, so with hope they're staying fresh.
Doing an independent study on catch can effectiveness would be difficult, because you'd need two freshly cleaned engines of similar wear to test it - it's just not feasible. All I know is that gunk is, undeniably, better outside the engine than in. And even if it's a minute improvement, it's worth it to me.
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Day done. I wanted to rotate all my tires but I don't want to disturb any truckers sleeping here, I'll find a parking lot tomorrow.

Jump to next day: day ten
 
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