Stealth's New Mk6

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Hello,

I finally pulled the trigger on a new car, a 2014 Jetta w/Premium, to replace my wife's problematic 2003 Passat GLS (I hated that thing from the first oil change). That car is gone and this one is here. It's Moonrock Silver with Cornsilk interior:















I don't plan to mod this one for a long time and it probably won't be much more than a tune. I do have some things I want to change with VCDS, though. It's time for me to start hanging out in the Mk6 forums.

BTW, I still have the Mk3. It has 443,000 miles and running great. The exterior needs help, though, and I just spotted the beginning of rust on the strut tower (I hope I found it early enough). But it's still my daily driver. :)

Scott
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Nice ride! I hope the missus enjoys it!
 

MonsterTDI09

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Location
NoVa/NJ
TDI
2010 Jetta DSG/ up keep on 2009 Jetta DSG 2006 Jetta Pag 2 in North SEA Green
That's a sharp looking car. Good luck.
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Thanks! It's a nice ride, indeed. It makes my Mk3 feel junky. HAHA! The ride is surprisingly controlled, not too firm and not floaty at all. I rather like it. The wife and kid like the Sirius trial. I like the variety, but not the compression. However, I like the SD card slot which allows me to bring my own music when I drive the car instead of the Mk3. In short, the stereo is very good, especially for a factory radio.

Given the beige interior that I expect to get dirty REALLY fast, I was tempted to get the dealer's protection package. But I think my money is better-spent elsewhere. Can anyone recommend alternatives?
 

MonsterTDI09

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Location
NoVa/NJ
TDI
2010 Jetta DSG/ up keep on 2009 Jetta DSG 2006 Jetta Pag 2 in North SEA Green
A set Monster matts would help.
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Thanks for the comments, everyone! The car came with Monster Mats. I just hadn't installed them for the photos. I'll dust off the factory mats and bag them up for storage. I've taken more photos of the car and put them HERE. I've also done a few things for convenience or peace of mind:

1) Adjusted the headlights. They were aimed too high. I could not find a good DIY that worked for the 2014. So I figured it out myself and will share some photos in the MK6 folder.

2) Ordered some 303 Aerospace to care for the leatherette and some Scotchguard for the carpets. I'll be taking care of that soon! :)

3) Used VCDS to disable the annoyingly loud horn beep when the alarm is set, disabled "hill start assist" (it was promoting stalls even though the wife and I both are proficient with three pedals), increased the "Euro blinker" setting to five flashes, and activated the window/sunroof convenience feature for the remote control. I promptly imitated the VW commercial where a man had to show the wife his new trick! :D

4) Copied the fuel additive storage solution I use in my MK3:


The bottles are Lucas Oil. But I have Stanadyne in them. I bought the Lucas just for the bottles because I like the way they fit in that cup holder. :) The cup holder is velcro'd to the trunk mat for tip-free storage.

I have an appointment to get 3M paint protection film applied to the door sills, trunk ledge, and to the leading edges of the hood, roof, and mirrors. I'll add photos later when the film clears up.

I can't think of much else to do. I actually like the car just the way it is. Some wheels to make it unique would be cool. But it's not a priority. I won't tune it until after the warranty is gone. Until then, I'm just going to enjoy it.

Later,

Scott
 
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Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Not hard at all. She had been fussing about the extra fill-ups required by her 1.8T from about the time our daughter started school in 2005. I think she's pretty tickled by 500+ miles between fuel stops, even with her city driving cycle. :)

Since I'm here, I'll share some photos from the day I had the 3M bra installed:









Scott
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Nice car, Scott. Glad to see you got your wife into the TDI family. I love my MKVI Golf: in fact my other TDIs have been sitting a lot lately as I just seem to drive the Golf. "Only" getting about 600 miles a fill is a bit of a come-down, but with my current driving habits that's about two weeks worth of driving. And in mostly suburban driving I'm seeing low 40s for MPGs, about what my wagon gets in similar use.

I love the Moonrock color, and had a clear bra put on my Golf within the first two weeks of ownership. Glad I did. Only negative to the bra I can find is it's a bear to remove bugs.

Keep that MKIII going! My son's '98 has been sitting for the past year with only an occasional drive to keep the battery up, clean off the brakes, and fill one tire that has a slow leak. I would love to restore it, but he has to agree to part with it first. And I already have too many cars!

Enjoy the sedan. A '15 may be in my future.
 

geoman

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Location
woodstock ontario canada
TDI
2009 tdi jetta wagon
naive canadian that i am, i thought " wow, that's a funny looking heat gun that installer has strapped to his hip...hey wait a minute..."
wise move on the 3m treatment. we've got it on the tiggy and with the dog hopping in/out of the hatch its saved some scratches from happening. rreally wish i did it on my jsw.
have you thought about a hitch or do you even have a need for it?
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Peter - The Mk6 is so nice that I find myself considering another. I think about a used Sportwagen; but the new Jetta has more legroom and is just so sharp! I want to keep my Mk3 going. Unfortunately, I recently found rust in the strut towers (accidental find) and I just suffered a catastrophic water pump failure. I was on the highway and had no gauge indications of a problem. I'm not sure how far I drove it that way. :( I'm working on the water pump and timing belt now. But I've noticed the car was very hard to start when I moved it a few hundred feet to where I'm doing the repairs. I may have done some engine damage. This does not mean I'm abandoning my Mk3 just yet. But I need to 1) assess my rust issue to see if the car is worth saving before taking the car to 2) fix the engine. I just need to install the drive belts, valve cover and air box before it's ready to start. Unfortunately, the on-base hobby shop where the car sits is closed until tomorrow. If the car needs major work, I need something else to drive so I can give the Mk3 a well-deserved break (or retire it). It's had almost NO DOWN TIME in 16 years and 444,000 miles!

Geoman - Funny comments about the heat guns! The 3M treatment paid for itself when a rock hit the hood yesterday. The wife initially didn't like that she could see a "line" at the edge the material. I think she prefers the line over a rock chip any day! ;) We are considering a hitch. I do plenty of <1000-lb towing with my Mk3, plus I use a hitch-mounted carrier for my bicycles. Having a back-up method to move bikes (at the very least) is a good thing, especially now that my Mk3 may come off the road. :( I have my eyes on Curt's Mk6 hitch receiver.

Scott
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I feel your pain. I have an oil leak in my wagon, may be as minor as a failing valve cover, but I have to diagnose it. And I just got $2,500 worth of rust repair (tailgate and rockers) approved on the last month of its 12 year warranty. So I'm going to get that work done, figure out what's up with the engine, and then drive on. I made an IKEA run this AM that would have been iffy in the Golf, so it's nice to have a wagon, especially one that's a quick as mine. :) But I appreciate a newer car that I can rely on, too. JSWs are great: would have bought one instead of the Golf if I didn't already have a wagon.
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Oops! I couldn't help myself:



I've been so pleased with my wife's Mk6 (foreground) that I knew I'd steal it and drive it more than her if I didn't get one of my own. I didn't want the Cornsilk interior. So I went with a Reflex Silver Metallic with black interior:





I'm probably forbidden to modify her car. MINE will be modified. :) I've already done the VCDS mods and I'll get a clear bra really soon. I'm also looking for some nice OEM "take-off" wheels. Of course, none of my TDI's last long without getting one of these:



;) I'll tune it after I run out the warranty. I'm not sure if I'll go farther than just a tune. That seems to be when my problems started with my Mk3. In case you're wondering, NO, I'm not getting rid of my Mk3. Now that I have a third car, I'll park the Mk3 for a while and do some rehabilitation. Perhaps I'll be done before winter. We'll see. HERE'S A PHOTO ALBUM of my (other) new Mk6.

Scott
 
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agxster

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2008
Location
UK
TDI
Jetta 1.9 TDi DSG (Mk.V) 2008 - RIP
Looking good. When does the resto start on your old one?
 

eddjmemg

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2012
Location
NC
TDI
2011 Jetta
However, I like the SD card slot which allows me to bring my own music when I drive the car instead of the Mk3. In short, the stereo is very good, especially for a factory radio.

SD card? Wait til you discover Bluetooth on your phone and phones that have music on them!!! Such a great convenience these days. Hop in n out of the car without touching your phone and all the music you want from your phone!

Lol ☝?


2011 Jetta TDI
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Wowza! Cool deal, Scott! Now you have a pair. :cool:
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Yep, I have a pair! I'm not quite sure when they will start to differ beyond just the colors.

Looking good. When does the resto start on your old one?
Some of it will start this weekend. The car is parked at my base while I'm on the road in a government vehicle (group travel). I wanted to burn the tank down a little more so I'd have less fuel to pump out. Here's a list of things I can think of that I want to address:

(Note: I have no experience with body work, renovation or restoration. I'll be learning as I go and taking my time.)

1. Rust in the fuel filler area. This is getting bad enough that I must address it prior to the strut towers. It should be easy; but there's an inaccessible void where I may have rust hiding. I'm going to try to blast some rust preformer in there through a hole that's already eaten through. :(

2. Front strut tower rust. I hope this is just surface rust. I'll know for sure once I get the wheels off and hit it with a grinder. I'll have POR-15 ready and will clean the rust, treat the metal with the POR-15 process and even undercoat the wheel wells with POR undercoat. Hopefully, that will get me another 5-10 years!

3. Driver's seat is blown-out again. This time, it's the seat back bolster instead of the seat cushion. I have spare seats and will swap one in, perhaps even get the good seat back off my original seat and mix it to the good seat bottom on my first spare seat.

4. Since I'm removing seats, I'll go ahead and pull up the carpet. It's not in terrible shape... just a few stains that aren't coming out. But I gotta know if I have rust in my floorboards. I've had some good spills in there and even got caught with a window down overnight in the rain. :eek: I vacuumed the water out almost immediately. But there may still be a problem under there. If there is, I'll go nuts with the POR-15 product to seal it up. Then I may replace the carpet with new if I'm not pleased with how the original cleans up.

5. The tail light seals are leaking. No big deal. I'll either buy new OEM replacements if they're available or I'll cut custom pieces from material I source myself.

6. I have a pesky leak somewhere on the front of the engine. I think it's the vacuum pump. With the car off the road and cold, I should have no problem finally getting to this.

7. Brake job and possibly a rear disc conversion. I have a good deal on a set of used parts from a Mk2 GTI.

8. A turbo swap to a GT-2052. I've done swaps before. So I know I can do it. Without the pressure to get a swift turnaround on my only driver, I should be able to take my time getting the oil feed/drain done right as well as a good solution to the air inlet. Once the turbo is in and the car runs, I'll take it in for a custom exhaust. Being able to leave the car parked also means I can do this part of the rehabilitation in segments instead of a lump sum cost.

9. Once the mechanical stuff is done, PAINT. The car needs it badly. The hood is peeling up all over and there are plenty of out-of-control rock chips in the bumper. Time for a refresh, but not until the wrenching is done.

That's about it. I may start a dedicated topic about this in the Mk3 section. We'll see.

SD card? Wait til you discover Bluetooth on your phone and phones that have music on them!!! Such a great convenience these days. Hop in n out of the car without touching your phone and all the music you want from your phone!
Yep. It's discovered. But, when I wrote that, I only had my wife's car and HER phone was paired. Even when I had her car by myself, I don't like fiddling with the phone until I have a proper holder for it. I know the head unit will interface with the phone. But it doesn't appear to like my phone's player. That said, what apps seem to work best on an Android phone through the Fender system? I may experiment when I get home. I only had my own Mk6 three days before I left for the week. I really haven't played with it yet. :( It's coming, though. :)

Scott
 

eddjmemg

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2012
Location
NC
TDI
2011 Jetta
I was trying to add "Jking" to my post but I can't edit for some reason. Lol.

If you're into radio iheart radio is really good. Especially for talk shows or radio stations from all over. I use that a lot plus iPhone specific stuff like podcasts and iTunes Radio. Pandora is also decent. Pretty much replaces iPods with all your music. It'll play specific genres and all good songs to bring back memories.
Have fun with the new car.
Btw sometimes it's just time to move on with the old car. I did it twice. Both Mustangs. One was my first car.
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Hello,

I was trying to add "Jking" to my post but I can't edit for some reason. Lol.
No sweat. I took it as good-hearted "get into the 21st century" fun. ;) I tried playing some music via Bluetooth. But it skips or micro-pauses every 20-30 seconds. It does it on Bluetooth earpieces, too. It works fine on phone calls and it plays music through wired headphones just fine. I suspect the Droid Razr Maxx HD just isn't up to the task of stereo through Bluetooth devices. Perhaps my next phone will work better. Regardless, when I am listening to my SD card and its high-quality files, all it takes a notification sound or something on the phone to automatically switch the source to "BT Audio." It's VERY annoying. For now, I've disabled the media option between my phone and the VW.

Btw sometimes it's just time to move on with the old car. I did it twice. Both Mustangs. One was my first car.
I hear what you're saying. But I still want to keep the Mk3. I think it could be fun as a show car or perhaps a car for my daughter when she's old enough to drive in a couple of years. If I'm going to have an extra car, I'd rather be in the "old VW" game than the "new domestic" game. ;) It seems to be a lot cheaper, especially with the support we have here. On the other hand, did I just buy a $25,000 car so I can fix my Mk3? :eek:

Scott
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
If you've seen my Mk3's interior, then you know I like my gadgets. However, the Mk6's interior is so tightly-fitted that it's a real challenge to find a good mounting point and way to hide the wires. I read an opinion in VWVortex that I like. In short, the poster doesn't mind a visible wire or two so long as the car shows almost no signs of a device when it's parked. I think it was in his post that I discovered Tetrax mounts.

I'm trying a Tetrax EGO for the time being and currently like it:



[edit] I've updated the photo above now that I have a solution which hides most of the wire. [/edit] I can easily pull the phone and cord out and leave the car looking like this:



I'm also working on a way to mount my Garmin with power. Here it is just sitting on the mount without a power cord:



I'm going to learn to use my smartphone and GoogleMaps for local trips. By "learn," I mean "figure out how to save addresses" so I don't have to keep looking them up. But the Garmin still rocks for really long drives and frees up the phone for other stuff... like being a phone. ;) If I like GoogleMaps enough, I may even try mounting a Nexus 7. :cool:

I'm not 100% decided, but I'm pretty certain I will not be installing ham radio equipment in this car. I honestly don't use it so much these days and, like I said above, the interior is so well-sorted that I don't think I could get one in there to my satisfaction. :(

Take care,

Scott
 
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agxster

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2008
Location
UK
TDI
Jetta 1.9 TDi DSG (Mk.V) 2008 - RIP
You should check out Brodit mounts available on www.proclipusa.com and other websites.

I use them in all my cars including my recently totalled Jetta. A bit expensive but worth it IMHO. Their move clip system allows you to remove the device holder leaving just a mounting bracket. This is good for both discretion in bad areas and lets you use different holders on one mount.
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Hello,

I carried my first load today... nothing major...


Here's how my carrier is elevated three inches to help clear driveways and uneven intersections...


Clearance drops just a tad with 100 lbs on the tray. This crook was usually the first to strike a driveway on my Mk3...


The cargo sits closer to my Mk6 than the Mk3..


And it's lower against the high trunk lid for better economy. At least that's what I tell myself. ;)


The tray is a little more wobbly than with my other hitch. I'll look into a hitch tightener. The backup camera is useless with cargo, though. ;) I expect to pull a trailer so I can pick up a loft bed tomorrow.

Scott
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
My trailer run was a success!


I went to a parking lot to brush up on my backing skills since I hadn't towed with this car before.
One skill I like to have is the ability to jackknife the trailer into a buffer zone beside an end spot. That way, I take up just one spot instead of two...


I can't jackknife my Mk6 quite as tightly as I can my Mk3. But it still works well...



I even figured out a good reference point on the camera to mark my "stop" position...


Here's a close-up of my coupler...


I mentioned earlier that I could paint a strip on the tongue to mark when I was over the ball. A better solution will be to paint the coupler handle orange since it's a good marker...


I'll test it soon. :)

Scott
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Hello,

I crossed 10,000 miles last week. I'm amazed I reached that milestone in just four months without any road trips. I haven't even left my local area. I can hardly wait to hit the highway for a few hundred miles. Maybe then I'll see the kind of MPG's that I'll appreciate more.

I've been enjoying the car. It's still mostly stock. I knocked the hitch on a driveway. So, I don't expect to lower the car, not even a little. I'd rather have a workhorse than less wheel gap. I have been working on little details regarding the electronics.

My new smartphone was an easy update. My photo album automatically updated the photo in post #23 when I overwrote the old image:


I finally found a way to route the power wire:




Running Torque Pro:


I'm experimenting with a Garmin mounting location that neither blocks an air vent nor clutters up the dash too much. I chose this location:





Unlike with my Mk3, I carry my bicycle in the trunk a lot more often. The back seats fold down much faster and the trunk
has a better shape to carry the bike, especially since the subwoofer is mounted high:


But I was getting grease stains inside. So I made a shield:


Of course, I still use the carrier when I need to move more than one bike. I'm actually carrying three bikes in this photo (one in the trunk):


I've also deleted the Bluetooth and CarNet modules. I have details in this thread.

That's all I can think of for now. At my current rate of driving, I expect to be ready for my 20k service, the last freebie from VW, by February. My birthday is in February. So that may be a good time for a tune. :)

Take Care,

Scott
 
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highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
Nice Scott.


I had a 2002 Jetta TDI for 6 years. Crashed it . Now got a 2000 Jetta TDI.

And like you, also got a 2012 Mk6 Jetta TDI.

Love both vehicles. Did not modify mine as much as yours.

Please update us on both cars.

:)
 
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