Arbee's 2008 VW Golf MKV GTI

[Arbee]

*Copying the posts from another forum*

Fri Jun 23, 2023 11:27 am

Hi Guys,

Farewell bid to the MK3 GTI, a loved car that i will definitely miss but such is life, offer was good and took it. Mk3 went to a good home!!

Queue in the blank canvas, a 2008 MK Five GTI Coupe. Found on the local classifieds, single owner 192k km. Taken care off to an extent. It needs a really good clean/detail and of course maintenance for peace of mind and longevity!

Pics:












In the immediate plans, Tazo will be doing a full service and go through of the mechanical, drivetrain and suspension and the plan is to upgrade all that is necessary first. Thereafter, we will tackle making the car "practical" 🧌

At the same time, small items that are an eyesore will be replaced, for example the missing wheel centre cap and broken drivers side mirror indicator.

Once the maintenance is done, a good detail is on the cards.

Of course, pics will be shared on IG as most things happen and then here sooner or later!

Enjoy!

 

[Arbee]

Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:57 am
Starting off maintenance with the oils and filters!



Engine Oil and Filter done.
DSG Oil and Filter done. DSG oil not looking to good, gears feel much better now!
Spark Plugs done.
Cam Follower done.
ECU and TCU software updated to latest.

 

[Arbee]

Tue Jul 11, 2023 10:24 am

The RCD510 wasn't cutting it, my S22 Ultra wasnt connecting to the USB , no BT. Getting a BT module was the same price as just getting an Android unit with CP and AA. This just made the daily 200km so much more comfortable, i can even take video calls!



A few other items have arrived, Tazo is out of the country so waiting for him to come back to fit some of them. My 4 year loves helping out while im working on the car, so we got these fitted:
Before:


Also changed the window, fuel cap and mirror switches:


After:

 

[momo1]

love it!! , looks so damn good in a 2-door, shame we didnt get these in SA

 

[Arbee]

Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:13 pm

Couple of small updates:
Took the car to Tazo's shop for a check over and list out the immediate items and the future items:

While there, Tazo knocked out:

• Coolant Flush
  Replaced the BOV - Old one was done!
  Adjusted Headlights
  Installed the Drivers side mirror housing
  Installed the new mirror indicators + puddle lights
  Changed a tail light globe
  Adjusted a few connections on the Android Radio
  Checked VCDS for any potential reason to replace the timing chain.

Up next - parts on the way
Brake pads + Fluid Flush
Suspension bushes and links to be replaced
Might just change the tail lights to a set from Tazo's R32

Thereafter: I got a few cosmetic parts on the way, they will go for paint after the car gets its dents removed.

Oh... I installed the LEYO PD Kit i got from the Oom at Vag Cafe when i was in SA. Of course, the sticker is on!! Cleaned up the steering wheel also. Im sending this for a refurb soon as well.









New apartment, new parking lot vibes!


Tazos shop








What a way to get screwed!

 

[Arbee]

Mon Sep 25, 2023 9:45 am

Back to Tazo yesterday for some more maintenance... Focused on the front end this weekend:

Brake Fluid flush, Subframe bolts, CV boots, top shock mounts + bearings, Racing Line adjustable drop links, Tie Rod ends and Votex Lip to finish it off.

Brake Discs and Pads were checked and was agreed to run these till they finish before changing them as they have enough life. Rest of the front end bushes etc looked good enough not to replace.












While i was at Tazo's, this Maxton box arrived with the Maxton Design R32 rear diffuser which will be going for color coding together with the Votex Lip and side skirts.


Next up is the rear end bushes and a missing rear fender liner!

Then we can focus on Tune, Air (potentially) and wheels!

 

[Arbee]

Mon Oct 30, 2023 7:23 am

WHEELS!

Took my son to a local VW club meet and he was saying to me he likes the MK7 GTI wheels he seen on the day. So, I advertised the Detroits thinking it will take a little bit of time to get rid off - also they needed a refurb, tyres were old etc so instead of spending money on them i decided to agree with my son.
Had a look at some Mk7 GTI wheels and for the price they were asking and again in 18 i decided to rather bit the bullet and go up a level to 19 and try find an OEM+ wheel rather.

Found these new Audi rotors and really liked them - color was perfect. However, the fitment was not! A bit too much poke for a daily + it might not work with the future plans. Ended up settling for an original set of BBS CH. Not my first choice of color but it works well.

 

[Arbee]

Fri Dec 29, 2023 12:10 pm

In before 2024...
Exterior is where i want it to be after the following:

- Dents removed - I have to live with the few deep ones!
- Maxton R32 Rear diffuser paint matched and gloss back
- Votex lip paint matched and gloss black
- Side skirts paint matched
- Mirror caps gloss black
- Jetta Grilles up front gloss black
- Side grilles are on order, they will be left in satin black to finish off the front
- Entire car was lightly sanded, polished and sealed - Will wait a month or 2 before one more polish and ceramic coat.

Pics!!

 

[Arbee]

Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:13 am

Front updated with matching side grilles:

 

[Arbee]

Clean pics from a photographer friend:




Brake Booster and N80 started to give up, Tazo changed it out. Also, replaced the rear wheel well covers. Got a few things once again in pipeline - taking shape slowly but surely!

 

[///M Individual]

Amazing bud. Thank you for uploading a thread here!

The two door looks beautiful and you really know how to mod a car tastefully 👌

Have you done a remap and any other performance mods yet?

 

[sash]

Looking good Yaseen

 

[Arbee]

Amazing bud. Thank you for uploading a thread here!

The two door looks beautiful and you really know how to mod a car tastefully 👌

Have you done a remap and any other performance mods yet?

Absolutely welcome! A 'build thread' for me is to keep track of the progress and of course share with like minded enthusiasts. The effort is appreciated when there are people like you who interact and appreciate the progress too.

Thanks man! Very kind of you! I cant take all the credit, most of it comes from seeing other projects materialise and i guess a passion for cars, most importantly, my good friend Tazo who is the mad scientist and advisor when it comes to the cars.

Whenever I start a new project i begin with maintenance, particularly if the car has a lot of KM - I got the Mk5 with 196k km and as i go through the maintenance items, i tend to upgrade/mod to my preference when replacing. That's the reason (excuse) the wheels got changed for example, lol!
So for now, most of the (big) changes have been warranted by maintenance if that makes sense.

Over time, small things will be replaced here and there - i.e: Switches to just make the feel of the car appealing to me.

See, this is where i get caught in my lies! I can't justify changing the rear diffuser to the Maxtron R32 rep can I? I mean okay, it would make zero sense to do the Vortex lip and leave out the diffuser. Also, how can i just paint the lip only, makes sense to have the side skirts and diffuser done at the same time. I'm going to go with that reasoning.

I guess you can see that there is either very little plan/thought or too much on what's next!

I do have performance plans for the Mk5 - In no particular order:
Downpipe - Ordered from Xflow (should be on its way to me soon)
Intake - Looking for an Evoms
High Pressure Fuel Pump - Got an Autotech one ready
Revo Software - will decide on stage depending on when it happens and what's installed. Ideally, stage 2 when the above is all installed.

As this is the daily that does roughly 200km a day - I'm not planning to higher than this (currently).

At the moment, i need to replace a few suspension bits:
Rear shocks are shot - Looking at coilovers
Front control arm bushes - will replace while coilovers are going in.

There's a few more small cosmetic details coming along soon too. Will share in due course!

 

[Arbee]

Looking good Yaseen

Hey Sash, thanks man (What about the car?)!
Good to see you still here too. I can't believe you sold the 530d, good replacement though!

 

[Oh_Yulz]

Such a classy clean look!

Congrats Yas, the car looks good also

 

[sash]

Hey Sash, thanks man (What about the car?)!
Good to see you still here too. I can't believe you sold the 530d, good replacement though!

The car is ....ok...lol. I'll wait for the next update 😁😁
I still can't believe it's gone, but enjoying the replacement.

 

[Arbee]

Thanks guys!
Next update should be in a few weeks time, with the easy access to European and US stores it just makes sense to order direct - even shipping is simple. Shop n Ship account + UAE address = WIN!

Follow my Instagram: @arbee_drives - This weekend is a power line up of events in UAE. Should have a lot of story updates!

 

[Arbee]

We had some rain over the weekend - This is a big thing for the UAE, cos it rains a handful of times a year.
Had to go out and while the rain settled a bit, i used it as an opportunity to take a few quick pics for you...

 

[individj]

I heard it rained proper! car looks fantastic ...perfect wheel.

 

[Arbee]

I heard it rained proper! car looks fantastic ...perfect wheel.

Thanks man!
Yeah, it rained hectic, for the 2nd or 3rd time in a few weeks.