my 2009 tdi SportWagen .. ongoing

[rootrider]

I haven't ever seriously whored my cared out in any one place (other than via the link in my signature). I mostly created that page in order to limit the repeat questions I receive from people on various forums... like what size wheels or tires I have, or what suspension I'm using.

That all said, one of my main goals when I've had my car at car shows has always been simply to make the car available for people to see what a SportWagen is. The car is pretty rare at VW events, and I had one of the first tdi wagons in my region, and it's still one of the only wagons that is modified at all (I've run across a few more over the years.. two of which are Tim Miller and LieutenantShinySides). Even so, these are all 2010 or later wagons with the mk6 frontend, just as most of the wagons are here in this forum.

So I figured I'd post a thread up showing my car, so people can see a modified 2009 wagon. It's a single model year car, so it'll never be very common in the US. My understanding is that VW imported only 12,000 CR TDI's into the US for the 2009 model year. Most of those were sedans, and most are automatic. Sadly.. even more rare is the 2009 SEL. I've only ever seen just one.

I'll post my new updates or mods to the car here, as they come, as well.






some history
my car.. was purchased on December 28th, 2008. I drove it an average of 3000 miles each month for the first six months. The total mileage after one year was about 34000 miles, and I ran out of my 36k mile warranty after 13 months. I've now had the car for 2.75 years and it has about 79.5k miles. I'll cross over the 80k mark this weekend.

options
The only option on the car is the panoramic sunroof. It's Black Uni paint, with an Anthracite interior. I have no use for an ipod adapter (the 2009 version sucked anyway), I didn't need the extra rear air bags, and I really haven't ever had a large enough need for the (very nice) navigation.. certainly not enough to justify the huge extra cost. And of course, the car has a 6spd manual transmission, and I took delivery with the factory 16" wheels.

problems
I've had very few problems with the car. I drive it hard and I don't usually focus on fuel consumption. After 1.5 years my cloth sunshade tore off the track.. I've cut it out completely and it hasn't been replaced yet. The repair cost is simply too high for me to care much about it right now. The only other 'problems' I've had have been two wheel bearings being replaced (at around 73 & 79k miles), the serpentine belt being replaced (around 73k miles), and a few engine codes related to the Revo software. At just under 3 years (~86k miles) an exhaust leak developed around the v-clamp between the exhaust and the EGR filter.. replacing the clamp fixed the issue.

modifications
I had the car 'ordered' since around July 2008. I had a look in mind before then, and had parts waiting before I ever took the car home. The side markers were replaced on the first day. The coilovers & euro switch (and DRL's disabled) were installed a little after 1000 miles (and still drive the same). Most of the front grilles were changed over within the first few months, and the front fog lights were installed. The taillight and aspherical mirrors were done in mid-summer of 2009.

I didn't make many changes for about a year afterward, as I was saving money to go to Germany in 2009. After I got back I immediately bought the 18" wheels. The rear Jetta badge was removed in mid-summer 2010 and the Revo software was installed in November 2010 and the brake upgrades were done toward the later end of 2010. Before then I had only had the rear pads replaced. The euro gti lip and hid's were done in the first couple months of 2011, and the rear sway bar was done shortly afterward. I sold my 16" factory wheels in late 2010, when I picked up the set of 17" wheels for track days.




one of only a few photos I have of the car when it was completely stock:



summer 2009... I hated how the headlights looked in photos. It's very difficult to expose correctly for bright white/chrome blobs on the front of an otherwise black car.



march 2010.. only difference here is the wheels. Ride height was the same.


same day..



August 2010.. no changes. I camped in the back of the car this weekend... not very comfortable when it's super humid, 80F, and there are lots of bugs everywhere. I needed a window screen.





me taking a photo of the car taking a photo of my car... on the way to Wuste 2010



WaterWerks 2010.. still no changes



November 2010... think this is the last photo I have with the car on the 16s. This is right after the brake upgrade.



March 2011... stainless lines and Brembo fluid is in. Euro GTI lip is on, HID's are in. This is the point where I could finally stand back and see the car how I envisioned it back in 2008. It looks almost exactly how I wanted it to... very happy.





and then there's the 17" Audi wheels...



So, the car has seen the track five times so far, and probably at least two more times this year. I've also autocrossed the car a few times.




I have video of most of the track & autocross time linked from the page in my sig... if you're interested.



little snow action..


I love the wagon's rear end



some adventures..

frenchman coulee


BC mountains.. well north of Whistler, and a few gravel roads later


eastern side of the BC mountains


Yakima River canyon


snow storm rolled in while staying in eastern Washington


Leavenworth, WA in the winter


dry falls


grand coulee


pacific ocean


old cemetary deep in eastern Washington



future plans?
Well, I like to keep my thoughts on the future of the car a little quiet. The exterior of the car is definitely going to stay similar for quite a while.. since it fits my vision so well. I will probably have different track wheels at some point (something lighter), and the interior will get more attention soon. Right now the only interior mod is the euro switch. I don't have any plans for audio at this point, though I'm sure I'll eventually upgrade the speakers and install an amp. The car will probably always be on coilovers.. static. Bags are not for me. (the sticker on the bottom of the windshield says "DARE to keep cars off bags" ). The frontend will likely be resprayed at some point.. it's covered in rock chips, which I hate. The front grille will definitely be resprayed soon, and the front lip likely will be as well. And.... I'm always looking for performance improvements


the mod list:

• Golf GT grille, painted flat black. Lower grille trim piece, painted flat black
• "R-Line" fog grilles
• OEM European GTI front spoiler, painted black (color matched)
• OEM European aspherical side mirrors (driver & passenger)
• Parts4Euro smoked side marker lights, LED amber bulbs
• OEM euro switch (front & rear fogs)
• OEM European taillights. Driver's rear fog enabled.
• OEM European front projector fogs, Ziza yellow H11 bulbs (ECS relay harness)
• OEM North American HID projector headlights, 4300k bulbs
• highline CECM is installed
• rear "Jetta" badge removed

• STaSIS/Koni Street Sport coilovers (24" / 607mm fender-to-ground)
• H&R 24mm adjustable rear sway bar, medium setting
• REVO Technik software upgrade
• GTI spec brake sizes (312mm front, 286mm rear): Zimmerman vented rotors, StopTech Street Performance pads, StopTech stainless brake lines, Brembo LCF600 Plus fluid

• Hartmann "Euromesh 3" 18x8, ET-47 wheels, Continental ExtremeContact DWS 225-40 tires
• Audi 5-spoke 'sport' 17x7.5, ET-45 wheels, Dunlop Direzza Z1 'Star Spec' 225-45 tires

VCDS changes:
DRL's disabled, inner lights also act as highbeams, rear fog enabled, windows & sunroof open/close via remote, comfort indicators turned off

[sway162]

Great thread bro! You have put that JSW to work with all those miles already! Great pictures and your wagen looks super clean. I know the feeling of owning a rare wagon. My Lexus wagon is super rare and I only seen a few all stock. Mine is heavily modified and I am already modifying the JSW. We should get in on a lil photoshoot once I get a lil more done on the wagen.

I saw your ride....I believe at the H&R Baker cruise. I should have introduced myself. I drove the Lexus wagon that day though. I will probably see you around though at the local meets.

[rootrider]

I saw your ride....I believe at the H&R Baker cruise. I should have introduced myself. I drove the Lexus wagon that day though. I will probably see you around though at the local meets.

yeah, I remember seeing your car on the drive. Looking forward to seeing another modified wagon in the area

[rootrider]

need to correct what I said about the wheel bearings failing.. it's actually the front-left that failed at around 73k, and now at about 79k the front-right has failed. It will be replaced in the morning (my car is at the shop right now).

The shop owner (Fine Tuning in Seattle) said he's not used to seeing two front bearings go out so close together like that.. but given that the heat and friction of driving at speed is what tends to wear the bearings out.. and given that 80 or 90% of my driving is on the highway, this makes some sense (that, and with the way I drive the car, the front wheels both get a little more stress than the rears).

So there you go... two wheel bearings failing before 80k. From other people I've talked to it seems that this isn't very abnormal on a mk4 or mk5.. so I'm not very worried. The extended warranty covers most of the cost anyway (I'm paying more for a good OEM part rather than cheap replacements).

[rootrider]

drove 500 miles on Saturday, drove at one of the most technical tracks around for a few hours (Oregon Raceway Park), then spent 4 hours at night and 2 more hours in the morning cleaning & detailing the car for the Pacific Waterland show in Portland. I placed 1st in the 'mk5 jetta' class.. was the only VW wagon showing




I'll have a video from ORP once the encoding is done...

[rootrider]

here we go.. video from one of the most technical tracks around.


you can see that the car keeps up pretty well with most others through the corners.. just gets lost on the straights.

the video ends with a 911 turbo breaking down (2nd time that day) and causing a black flag... these weren't my best laps, but they were some of the better ones for the day. It was my first time driving the track.. took some time to learn the course and figure out what worked best for my car.

[shirtsTDI]

I have always liked your car. Very clean. You just did it right Joel.

[sportwagen rick]

Great looking wagon, and one of the most helpful guys here.

[rootrider]

keep forgetting about these photos.. took them with bluetapedr3w after Wuste 2010 in Vegas..










I figure it'll be a pretty rare occurrence to see more than one lowered '09 tdi wagon together in the US or Canada..

[sportwagen rick]

Joel, great photographs!

Is bluetapedr3w still around? That car sold me on the JSW, when I first came across it on the first page of the MKV Wagon Mod Thread.

[rootrider]

Is bluetapedr3w still around? That car sold me on the JSW, when I first came across it on the first page of the MKV Wagon Mod Thread.

I don't know.. I know he wasn't on the vortex much to begin with. His account says he's still logging in though

[sway162]

Great looking pics with you and bluetapedr3w .

[AWeb80]

Car looks great and those hartmann wheels are really nice.

[ToeBall]

You curbed another wheel? That really sucks... BAD Last winter, I curbed my stock 16" wheels, which just sped up my purchase of both sets of my wheels. $3500 later, I now have a winter set and summer set of pretty nice wheels and tires that should last me quite a while. I cant wait until I have everything else I want on my car. Long road, and a lot of money, but it sure will be nice when finished.

It happens. I curbed one of mine too while I was running the 225's. I did luck out in that there was almost no damage, but it was just luck. On the up side, I did notice a set of Euromesh 18's for sale in the classifieds. Maybe they'd work as replacements?

[rootrider]

You curbed another wheel?

have about 55k miles on these wheels.. I've three of the wheels during that amount of time (and then damaged one of those wheels in a massive car-eating pot hole). I think I'm doing ok

Both of the times I've curbed a wheel I've been tricked with optical illusions regarding where the curb is

It happens. I curbed one of mine too while I was running the 225's. I did luck out in that there was almost no damage, but it was just luck. On the up side, I did notice a set of Euromesh 18's for sale in the classifieds. Maybe they'd work as replacements?

just looked.. the only euromesh 3's I see for sale are 19" or are too low an offset. I can get a bit of a deal on a new wheel... just need to wait until I build up some cash after my busy summer (and deal with the two tickets I received over the last couple of months).

[AWeb80]

I don't want to hijack your thread, but you said you will have two wheels sitting around. Take the curb rashed one and clean it up and powdercoat or spray bomb it. Get a hub bearing and attach some legs to it and do what I did. I'm a Pontiac and Husker fan so naturally those were the first two I've made. I have more wheels sitting around that I'm contemplating using for some other projects. White wheel is an 18x8" Eagle 077 and the red one is a factory 89-95 Grand Prix 16x8 wheel.

It's not an expensive project. It can be done for under $100. Mine were MUCH cheaper as I work with metal in a fab shop every day and also have access to Powedercoating for free. the most expensive part of each wheel was the glass at $25 a piece. Just giving you an idea.

[ToeBall]

just looked.. the only euromesh 3's I see for sale are 19" or are too low an offset. I can get a bit of a deal on a new wheel... just need to wait until I build up some cash after my busy summer (and deal with the two tickets I received over the last couple of months).

Whoops, sorry. Just saw it in passing on Tapatalk.

[rootrider]

took the car in for its 80k service today.. just oil change and pollen filter. The fuel filter was done 10k ago. Ready for my drive to California tomorrow.

So I bought a custom car bra on sale a couple of years ago... and never opened it. I wanted to put it on for this trip to help keep the bugs off of my paint. So, I pulled it out of the box today and went to install it... only to realize it was designed for the mk6 frontend sportwagens. How I managed to get the wrong part.. I dunno. So.. no car bra for me.

Anyone want a brand new >2010 sportwagen custom car bra? It has no hole for a front plate and has holes for the fog lights. It's rather nice... soft felt on the back, strong vinyl on the front... fits very tight & snug.

[rootrider]

I'd built up a lot of stickers from events this summer. I took 11 stickers off my car last weekend.. leaving only the two Ring stickers on the back, a couple of black stickers on the rear side windows, and my favorite sticker on the windshield ("D.A.R.E. to keep cars off bags"). Much better..

[sportwagen rick]

took the car in for its 80k service today.. just oil change and pollen filter. The fuel filter was done 10k ago. Ready for my drive to California tomorrow.

So I bought a custom car bra on sale a couple of years ago... and never opened it. I wanted to put it on for this trip to help keep the bugs off of my paint. So, I pulled it out of the box today and went to install it... only to realize it was designed for the mk6 frontend sportwagens. How I managed to get the wrong part.. I dunno. So.. no car bra for me.

Anyone want a brand new >2010 sportwagen custom car bra? It has no hole for a front plate and has holes for the fog lights. It's rather nice... soft felt on the back, strong vinyl on the front... fits very tight & snug.

Hmmm how much?

Might be good for road trips.

[rootrider]

Hmmm how much?

Might be good for road trips.

I paid $159 for it.. I used the hood portion on my road trip last weekend, but I figure something like $100 +s&h is reasonable?

[rootrider]

had an exhaust leak develop over the last month or so. Had Fine Tuning in Seattle do an exhaust leak test and they found that the v-clamp around the EGR filter (right below/behind the engine) was leaking. Replacing that seemed to fix it.. $29 in parts.

[rootrider]

was bored tonight (it's my Friday night).. so I got out and drove 170 miles up toward Canada and back. I took a small highway up.. closer to the mountains.., and then I-5 back. Great drive.. relaxing.

170 miles.. 3 hours.
54mph & 38mpg average (per computer)

love my car

[toneman]

was bored tonight (it's my Friday night).. so I got out and drove 170 miles up toward Canada and back. I took a small highway up.. closer to the mountains.., and then I-5 back. Great drive.. relaxing.

170 miles.. 3 hours.
54mph & 38mpg average (per computer)

love my car

Awesome.

[cwescapexlt4x4]

Great report, thanks!

[rootrider]

gah! someone hit my car at some point over the last couple of days

[rootrider]

Porsche Boxster Brembo front caliper upgrade, using StopTech Street Performance pads and Brembo LCF600 Plus fluid.

had to use spacers for my 'daily' 18" wheels to clear the calipers. I think my 17" Audi Sport wheels will fit without the use of spacers, but I haven't tried them yet.

without spacers (wheel resting on caliper, and wheel mounting surface isn't flush with the rotor)


with the H&R 5mm spacer



everything fits.. very tightly






shot of the old calipers for comparison:



dirty car..





two of my DWS tires are now just DW's... I haven't even had them long enough to see snow yet




took shots of my coils so you can see how many threads are left.. or not.

front:


rear:

[Code3VW]

gah! someone hit my car at some point over the last couple of days

The car that hit you...was red. [/csi]

[blacksportwagen]

how many miles did you have on the tires before they became DW instead of DWS???

[rootrider]

I don't even have my own pics off the camera yet.. but here are some from my time around Austin in November. These are all taken at the Harris Hill Road track in San Marcos.

first thing I did when I arrived was replace my front brake pads.. I was stupid and hadn't been paying attention so they were nearly gone by the time I got to Texas.


little time on track..






we met the Editor in Chief of Jalopnik after the F1 race.. I'm in the background with my helmet on









and then I hit the chunk of tire on I-35 south of Austin.. destroyed the bottom part of my bumper, the lower grille, and part of the Euro GTI lip. The lower trim piece also disappeared.

inspecting the damage..






I got to be on track with a few GT3 Cup cars... the owners were testing and getting used to the cars









and I got to drive a friend's GT3 RS..









all of the photos are taken by my German friend who flew in for a couple of weeks to hang out with us.. good times.

[rootrider]

and my favorite spot at the track.. a view of most of the track from the club house porch:

[Im Rondo]

Cool pics. The on track one with you next to GT3 is one of my customers.

I think he backed it into the weds that day.

[rootrider]

working on videos from the last two track days I attended. This first one is just a couple of short clips from one of the first week's sessions showing the Achtuning Golf R passing me along with a sweet sounding E92 M3 and a straight piped NSX that's so loud the sound rattles in your head when he's half a lap ahead of you. I also pass a slow E30 M3.

the audio quality is horrible... this is partly due to the camera placement, which I fixed in the videos from the following week. The camera's mic still sucks when I'm doing over 80mph or so with the windows open though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCUxhHw4OzU&hd=1



I'll have a little more interesting things in the video from the following week... once that video is ready (probably tomorrow)

[rootrider]

I haven't taken any photoshoot type shots of the GTI/GLI frontend yet, but here's some photos from the track day seen in the above video.. courtesy of Jamie & Dion Spina (http://spinasquared.wordpress.com/):

[shirtsTDI]

Awesome video Rootrider!! Do you have a separate set of wheels and tires just for the track? Or do you stay on your Conti DWSs?