Autohome airtop on a JSW

meerschm

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Good idea about the foam insulation.

the distributor suggested using some adhesive foam tape, so I put some on. will see how it does after the season of fall camping.

it is back on the car, ready for a trip to TDI fest.
 

meerschm

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DerekG

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Oklahoma
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'13 4dr Golf TDI 6-speed manual
Great pics! Looks like the foam worked out well. I might have to pick some up.
 

meerschm

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Fairfax county VA
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2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
Just drove back from camping in the adirondack park (Lewey Lake campground)

trip home was just short of 500 miles, got over 40 mpg. (per MFD)

was almost 42 MPG till I hit NJ.

came down I-87 and I-95.

it was supposed to be cold tonight (why I am home instead of camping) so I put a couple more PSI in the tires I want to say 47.5 psi Thursday morning.

also installed a pair of airbag springs before this trip.

wife came on this trip, so the car was pretty well packed.

also on the cool side, so no AC.
 
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meerschm

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2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB


Yes it all was in the car. (except the picknik table)



and the next day, we took a pretty short hike. a bit of mist on the way down, but it poured as soon as we were back in view of the parking lot. great timing. http://www.cnyhiking.com/BaldMountain.htm

 
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meerschm

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2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB


Here is where I put the fill valve for the airlift springs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047DTDH2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I used a heat gun to warm up the air bags, (with the shipping cap removed), rolled them up as directed, used tie-wraps, and a little coaxing got them into the springs without removing any bolts.

The hoses did not want to fully engage on the fittings, but seem on enough not to leak over the past couple weeks and my thousand mile leaf-peeping trip over the weekend.

considered more stealthy locations, but this seems to work for me. it is out of the way of loading, and plenty of clearance from the lid as it closes.

the inside of the fuel fill seems convenient, but that is all pretty soft plastic.

anyway, it worked pretty well. picked up the rear tirewell the inch it was lower last time I packed up to camp.

used a bit over 30 psi for the trip. with the car empty, I leave 5-8 psi in.
 

meerschm

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2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
last weekend of the camping season.



a little more leaf peeping along the way.


Camped at GeekDrew's get together on Saturday, after a cool friday at Blackwater falls State park in WV






I put some angle iron on the ceiling, quarter inch lags into the trusses.



use two straps on each end.

the cam makes it much easier to lower than the ratchet strap.

so after a year, I think I camped on the car for 27 nights.

Wife camped with me for 10 nights, and one night with my six year old granddaughter (who managed to barf a little in the tent, but it all washed out)
 
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DerekG

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Sep 8, 2013
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
'13 4dr Golf TDI 6-speed manual
Glad to see you were able to get a lot of use out of it for the first year. I have my roof box hanging in a similar fashion with one of those bicycle hoist pulley system things...works well. We are planning a leaf-peeping trip as you put it in the next week or two...probably won't camp and just make it into a day trip and do a couple short hikes, but should still be fun.

I missed your Airlift update. I plan on installing those over the winter...Handling wise can you tell they are on the car when it's unloaded and you drop the pressures?
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
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Location
Springfield, VA
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‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Hey Mike,

It was great that you could make it out to Drew's house, and I see you took the back roads most of the way (based on that 9% grade picture), which is a fantastic route.

27 nights of camping in the first year? That's impressive! Do you have any plans to explore further out? Perhaps a cross-country trip to some national parks or the Rockies/Cascades?
 

meerschm

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Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Location
Fairfax county VA
TDI
2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
Glad to see you were able to get a lot of use out of it for the first year. I have my roof box hanging in a similar fashion with one of those bicycle hoist pulley system things...works well. We are planning a leaf-peeping trip as you put it in the next week or two...probably won't camp and just make it into a day trip and do a couple short hikes, but should still be fun.

I missed your Airlift update. I plan on installing those over the winter...Handling wise can you tell they are on the car when it's unloaded and you drop the pressures?
You can tell it is a little stiffer, and at low pressure, there is a bit of a squeak (rubbing) when going over speed bumps. probably a shot of dry silicone would quiet this up.

I considered towing springs, but wanted the adjustability.
 

meerschm

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Fairfax county VA
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2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
Hey Mike,

It was great that you could make it out to Drew's house, and I see you took the back roads most of the way (based on that 9% grade picture), which is a fantastic route.

27 nights of camping in the first year? That's impressive! Do you have any plans to explore further out? Perhaps a cross-country trip to some national parks or the Rockies/Cascades?
That photo is US 50 in WV. Further west it gets the Senator Byrd expansion to divided four lanes.

Tentative plans for next year assume retirement, so several excursions are anticipated.

Still in discussion/negotiation with my sweetie as to how far/how long, and which ones she wants to come with.

For now, there is a spreadsheet full of ski weekends on the agenda, so the JSW is reconfigured to haul skis, boots, beverages and luggage. (all inside the car)
 

VeeDubTDI

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Yep - I've done US-50 the whole way, which is a really nice drive. Usually I do I-68 to I-79 to US-50.
 

meerschm

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2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
Yep - I've done US-50 the whole way, which is a really nice drive. Usually I do I-68 to I-79 to US-50.

it is a nice drive, as long as you are not in a huge hurry.

I skipped the part east of Davis, taking the faster H corridor.

http://www.wvcorridorh.com/route/route.html

the way back was the first time I drove I-68. it is a nice route. I have been back and forth on I70 more times than I want to think about. (seems like you do to, as you left the I70 part out of your route listing. :)
 
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VeeDubTDI

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I-70 sucks, so I try to forget about it and/or avoid it as much as possible (nothing but trucks and bad drivers, and sometimes bad drivers in trucks). It's a necessary evil to get to I-68 or the PA Turnpike if you're on any sort of schedule. ;)
 

meerschm

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Loaded with skis, driving to Utah (with an couple days at Steamboat for Nastar finals). My sweetie is riding shotgun, studying AAA tour books and maps when not playing on her ipad, and we discovered last fall she does not like to camp if the temp is much under 50, so we are staying in hotels along the way.

There was a huge backup on I80, so we split off north, had dinner in a nice diner in Tipton and headed west, including this nice diversion, partly on US 30, aka the Lincoln Highway.

(JSW is closing in on 200k, and still has periodic P0401 errors from DPF crackage)
 

meerschm

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I reset the MIL from a couple dozen P0401 errors before we got to Park City.

a friend led me to the top of Alf's High Rustler trail at Alta. it was harder to get to than to ski down, but I heard it is said that if you fall from here, you don't quit bouncing until you hit the parking lot. (I did ok, but not in a hurry to do it again)



it was a little to rainy/windy for us, so a couple side trips.



on Antelope Island. roaming Buffalo, and the oldest ranch in Utah. was disappointed to see in the building full of historical tools and machines, a Chiltons manual from 1976. am I that old?





side trip to pick up some raspberry jam at Bear Lake



we used to have dino stations around Michigan. but not for many years.
 
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meerschm

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this is a couple items in the JSW as we depart Park City for the trip east.



later that day, as we got into NE, this weather caught my eye.




turns out we drove on parts of US-30, aka the Lincoln Highway in several states from PA to UT
 

meerschm

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Fairfax county VA
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I still have the auto home rooftop unit.


spent the past two weekends camping in it, first in upstate NY, and this weekend in Michigan. (cheated, using a small ceramic heater to keep a little warmer)


I moved this from the JSW to my 17 golf 4 motion wagon just before I sold the JSW back for the failed emissions fix. (moved it over in the dealers back lot)


I put a set of the rubber bags in the rear springs and they work just as well to keep heavier loads leveled.






with the tent installed, I run 32 mpg sailing down the road at posted speeds, (or a bit over--don't tell the cops)


this is pretty much twice the mpg my 2015 sprinter gets, loaded up as it is with food, beds, tvs, and other earthy comforts.
 
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meerschm

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Fairfax county VA
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My wife decided after a couple camping trips in the Rooftop tent she wanted something a little more comfy, that did not involve going down a ladder to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so this is the sprinter mentioned in the last post.







 

meerschm

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Fairfax county VA
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2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
Last weekend, I camped, and my sister camped in the field,


fairfield inn, that is.
 

DickensCar

New member
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Jul 26, 2021
Location
USA
TDI
2015
You are a genius! This is a very cool idea, most importantly - unusual! It's the first time I've ever seen something like this. I love camping myself, but I just carry a tent and a suitcase with the essentials. In your case, you can hide in the car in the rain if you want, and stay in the tent when the weather is good. I have all the essentials in my suitcase, and my favorite flashlight from https://www.amazon.com/Vont-Hurricane-Emergency-Collapsible-Batteries/dp/B00NPLSZF8 . So I was thinking how cool it would be to illuminate your tent with it in the dark. I'd love to see what it would look like. In fact, what could be better than a tent like this?
 
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